Cannot seem to post a new topic so I hope some are still monitoring this old post. S would seem to indicate Samick, and the 4 I've never heard of a pre '87 Aria having an S serial number. But we really need pictures, or a thorough description of its shape, hardware etc. I can guess that given the serial number it might be a s Korean made model. Forgot your password? Diet write for usīy teddybearApril 10, in Electric Guitars. Note: Any guitar with a serial number with the prefix 'SI' is Indonesian-made. Very early models still used the 'S' prefix and some also used 'R' or 'R9'. See below for the serial formats used by SPG. The Korean factory was bought by a group of workers and now continues to this day under the name SPG, making guitars for Gretsch, Guild and D'Angelico, among others. New models now follow the same serial number format, but with a prefix of SI Samick Indonesia. At the turn of the millennium, bolt-neck models kept the same format and neckplate style, so these guitars must be dated by their logo style, headstock style and other features. Note: The new design did not appear until Mayso any early year models retain the '80s style plate. Bolt-neck models started having the serial number engraved into the neckplate in They kept the same format, so the decade is determined by the style of neck plate. Semi-Hollow models at this time use a different format with no month, and the serial is found on the label inside the top f-hole. Another neat way to know your Hondo was built prior tois that if it has the original Grover Rotomatic tuners, the posts that the buttons are screwed onto will be larger in diameter than Rotomatics made from on. If your guitar was built prior toor has lost its serial number sticker, the only other way to date your guitar is by looking for a date ink-stamped on the side of the original box switch. These serial numbers are easily recognized as a white sticker with a black border, usually found on the back of the headstock or the heel of the neck.īeing a sticker, many are ripped off or wear off over the years. It is commonly found on Mastercaster Series models, among others. Samick branded models did not start using serials until around Also, the Indonesian factory did not use serials from it's opening in until around However, there were also some Korean Artist Series Strats made around with no serial numbers, and many Korean-made Japanese Market models had no serial numbers as well. Note 2: Guitars with no serial number were produced at many different times. Also see Headstock Styles and Logo Styles for help determining when your guitar was made particularly helpful if there is no serial number.

Samick guitar serial number decoder