Black inlay along the 'keel' in the back of the neck. Can have 'Snakehead peghead' (see below). Thick white ring between the double purfling around the soundhole. Red, black, or red sunburst finish (red in the middle fading to black or brown at the sides), fleur-de-lis under 'The Gibson' Handel inlaid tuner buttons prior to 1916 (WWI) (a dotted '+' in each button). Shaped hardshell case with red lining most of the time. Bound fingerboard, no extension 'The Gibson' stamped in tailpiece cover. Wood quality improving (tighter grain, more 'nice looking' features). This new function will try to match the serial number against older formats, details required for an exact match are listed in yellow. For guitars made prior to 1977 use the extended search function. The binding on the top is black then white. 2.0) The Gibson Serial Number Decoder currently supports 6 formats from 4 Factories. Bound on top, back, sides, around the fingerboard. A squiggle inlay in the headstock under 'The Gibson'. Nearly identical to an A2, but with an orange top in the teens, and a refrigerator-White top in the late teens, early twenties. Similar to A2, but with snakehead peghead, blonde finish, b/w binding, and (usually) A2-z on the label. Headpiece veneered in black on the front. Dark stained birch back sides (still not usually a 'Wavy' or 'curly' cut). Double ring of purfling around the soundhole. Binding on front, back, soundhole, fingerboard 'The Gibson' inlaid into the headstock, closer grained (most of the time!) spruce top then a model A0 pickguard that is pinned into the fingerboard, bridge, and clamps to the sides of the instrument. 'The Gibson' stamped on tailpiece cover, inlaid in headstock.īrown, black, or blonde finish all possible. Similar to A0, has some features (double purfling on soundhole) of an A2. Dark stained birch (not the best 'wavy' or 'curly' cut) back and sides. Pickguard that is pinned into the fingerboard and bridge, clamped to the side of the instrument. One ring of purfling around the soundhole. Can have the 'snakehead' peghead (see below)īrown or black finish, binding only on face and in soundhole. Plain model, with no binding or inlay decoration at all, brown finish. Here is a summary of the differences in the various models:

Gibson serial number lookup