Washburn Guitar Serial Number Decoder Online
Guitars Made from 1962-2012 (excluding G-Series)
Guitar Serial Number Lookup
Aug 11, 2015 As you can tell on the second picture is this is a Washburn made in 2000, but what has me stumped is there is a different serial number near the inside by the neck. The serial number on the Label reads: G00121468 The serial number by the Neck reads. Enter Serial Number eg. The Epiphone serial number decoder currently supports 12 serial number formats from 25 factories. Vintage numbers from 1932 to 1970 are supported. Serial numbers from 70' and 80's era Epiphone guitars made in Japan are not supported.
Japanese-built Takamine guitars made between 1962 and mid/late 2012 can be reliably dated from the eight-digit serial numbers typically found at the neck block inside the instruments.
The first two digits designate the year of manufacture, followed by two digits denoting the month. The remaining four digits denote the instrument’s sequential number of manufacture among all the instruments made during the month indicated.
For example, serial number 07100091 indicates a guitar built in 2007 (07), in October of that year (10), and that it was the 91st guitar made that month (0091). Similarly, serial number 09050112 indicates the 112th guitar made during May 2009.
Guitars Made From 2012-Present (Excluding G-Series)
In mid/late 2012, US distributed Japanese-built guitars switched to the year designation that guitars distributed in Japan use.
For Example; Serial Number:#51010999.
The first two digits represent the number of years from 1962 (1962 + 51 = 2013). The second two digits are the month (01). The last four is the sequential number from all guitars made that month.
The paper label in your Washburn was used from 1906/7 - 1915. The serial number A3991 would date your guitar to 1907. It's hard to quit make out but it appears to be a style 115 (see bottom of the paper label). The bridges would typically be Ebony and normally have flattened pyramid wings, this one looks more like one you would see on a Regal made guitar. They also owned Regal Instrument Co. and there was a lot of parts swapping done at that time.
Here is a picture I had handy in my computer from a vintage instrument exhibit we hosted in 07 of my Style 115 Washburn. It has the Ebony, flattened pyramid bridge I mentioned.
This instrument would have been built for gut strings originally. It will be ladder braced and have a bridge plate that is in all likely hood be made from Spruce. The straight across, non-compensated saddle will not play in tune with steel or silk and steel strings. I use Nylgut 'Alabastro' strings on mine and they sound and play great, Elderly Instruments has them. Any plastic strings for classical guitar would work though.