When dating a guitar, whether it is an acoustic or electric, you may need to research its serial number. Having a set of serial number references will be helpful. The serial number can be located in different places depending on the guitar brand and age. On most Fender guitars, it is located on the front of the headstock. This isn’t always true with Fenders. Most Gibson electric guitars are located on the back of the headstock.
With acoustic guitars, you may find them on the back of the headstock / pegboard, or inside the body. This may also be true with many semi-hollow body, hollow body, and archtop guitars. If you haven’t found your serial number, keep looking, it might be very faint or hidden in an obscure location.
The following are some serial number references to serial number lookup tools that I have found useful. Dating a guitar by serial number isn’t always easy or even accurate for some makers.
Whenever there are multiple tools to lookup a guitar for a single maker, it’s best to check to see if the date ranges match between the two tools.
Serial Number Lookup Table
Potentiometer (pot) Date Tool
https://www.guitardaterproject.org/potcodereader.aspx
