Expatica is the international community’s online home away from home. A must-read for English-speaking expatriates and internationals across Europe, Expatica provides a tailored local news service and essential information on living, working, and moving to your country of choice. You have to look at the models in production that year. sometimes in old guitars (80s early 90s) 1st and/or 3rd digit is missing when is '0' and the result is serials with 6 or 7 digits (ex. 3038467 or 338467 → means number 467) - lot of old esp's does not have any serial on the back of the headstock. These serial numbers are either hand-printed on the back of the headstock (often in Sterling silver or gold ink or paint) or stamped on the fretboard beyond the last fret or sometimes both. 2016– present, 'IG' + 6 digits Eight characters IG YY MM ## 'IG' 2-digit number 2-digit number 2-digit number Example: IG161102.
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SERIAL NUMBERS LEGENDA
Unfortunally ESP didn't keep good records of old serial numbers. Many records have been lost during years and most of all were destroyed in a fire accident on late '90s in ESP Japan factory. For old guitars we can only know the exact data reading the ESP warranty card (when there is), or unscrewing the neck (if the neck is bolt on) and read under it becuse probably theres the data write on pencil). I keep record of this data in order to try to deduce other correspondences. ESP Guitar Company says: 'Unfortunately the factories at ESP Japan have not kept a consistent and sensible serial number tracking system in place over the years. This has resulted in alot of confusion, and ... you may still come across the occasional serial number that may conflict with, or doesn't fall under any of the listed categories. For this we apologize, and we are working to maintain a more consistent system going forward. The PRE-2015 system doesn't apply to early ESP's, some of which had no serial number tracking system at all and used random numbers. Thanks for your understanding.'
NOTES ON SERIAL NUMBERS:
- Many custom orders or first new model made did not have any serial number.
- The circle logo 'ESP CUSTOM GUITARS' on the back of the headstock is not a typical feature on ESP guitars made for the Japanese market and custom order.
- Serials from 1990 to 1996 are written in a sort of 'Times New Roman' font, otherwise are in a sort of 'Arial' font.
NOTES FOR MY WEBSITE:
- For the special/custom order guitars the description on this website are based on the 'standard set' (specs, color, construction and hardware can vary).
- The truss rod cover change from rectangular with white edges and bell with white edges to black bullet style in 1993.
- some of the ESPs have black hardware in North America and Black Nickel hardware elsewhere. It all began a few years ago with the EU and a thing called the RoHS (Regulation of Hazardous Materials) and Gotoh in Japan basically changed their production to ensure they didn’t lose the European market, and that being manufacturers who shipped to Europe, which is most everyone. They changed pretty much everything for the “export” market, and export to most makers means anything but US. Kind of a long story. They have a way of producing black again now so expect it to all go back to the way most of us prefer over time.
---------- Before year 2000 ----------
(esp
7 or 8 DIGITS stamped in the back of the headstock:
DD= day of the month (01 to 31)
MM
= month (01 to 12)
Y= last digit of the year (ex: 1992 = 2)
NNN = production number 000 to 999 resetted every year
EXAMPLE: the code of my MX-250 25023072 means the manufacturing date is 25.02.1993 and it was the 72nd guitar producted that year.
NOTES:
How To Read Esp Ltd Serial Numbers
- year '7' can be 1987 or 1997, '8' can be 1988 or 1998, '9' can be 1989 or 1999! You have to look at the models in production that year.
Esp Ltd Guitars Serial Number Identification Number
- sometimes in old guitars (80s early 90s) 1st and/or 3rd digit is missing when is '0' and the result is serials with 6 or 7 digits (ex. 3038467 or 338467 → means 03.03.1988 number 467)
- lot of old esp's does not have any serial on the back of the headstock. If you are lucky you can find a serial written on pencil where the body is bolted to the neck (or in the neck also) or in one of the pickup cavities.
SERIAL UNDER PICKUPS:
MM= month (01 to 12)
For example my MX-220 have serial '#80129' that means was made the 08-1991 number 29)
5 DIGITS punched in the bolt plate (for the bolt on versions).
NOTE:Follow this reference may not be accurate because probably they printed a certain number of plates and then put on guitars in a random manner, without noticing consecutive numeration. This is the reason why we can easilu find guitars with the bolt plate referring to a year or two before or after respect the serial printed on the back of the headstock. To have an exact dating of this guitars you have to unscrew the neck and look at the date could be written below.
1988 -
1989 - 592XX
1990 -
1991 -
1992 - 601XX --> 618XX
1993 - 619XX --> 912XX
1994 - 166XX --> 183XX
1995 - 191XX --> 244XX
1996 - 257XX --> 261XX
1997 - 273XX --> 294XX
1998 - 301XX --> 357XX
1999 - 339XX --> 369XX
2000 - 379XX --> 387XX
2001 - 388XX --> 416XX
2002 - 402XX
2003 - 4170X
8 DIGITS stamped in the back of the headstock:
PP = place of manufacture:K = ESP Kiso Factory (Japan) / set-neck and neck-thru only;
S = ESP Sado Factory (Japan) / bolt-on only;
T = ESP Takada Factory (Japan) / ESP Custom Shop
SS = ESP Standard Factory / Signature Series or Standard Series
CH = Craft House
Esp Ltd Guitars Serial Number Identification
CS = Craft House (used rarely)
TH = Technical House
N = Nagano Factory
YY = last two digits of the year
WW = week of the year (max.52)
D = day of that week: 1 = monday, 2 = tuesday,... (max.7)
NN = number off the line that day (max.99)
EXAMPLES:
- K0604202 means the manufacturing date is 24.01.2006 and it was the 2nd guitar built that day in Kiso Factory.
- K1507501 means the manufacturing date is 13.02.2015 and it was the 1st guitar built that day in Kiso Factory.
---------- from late 2015 to today ----------
BNNNNYYP
NNNN= production number
Ltd Guitar Serial Number Identification
YY = last two digits of the year
1 - Custom Series
2 - Original Series and Signatures Series (i.e. guitars produced by the Custom Shop that are production models)
EXAMPLE: E3360192 means is an ESP E-II Series manufactured in 2019 and his production number is 3601.Esp Ltd Serial Number Check