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Decoding Heritage Serial Numbers


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Posted

9/22/04, actually.

  • 7 months later...
Posted

Hello,

 

i am having trouble figuring out what year this guitar is. theres two letters at the beginning of the serial

 

thanks

 

Starting in 2010, they used two letters to designate the year, so AD would be 2013. Current year production has AE serial numbers.

Posted

Somebody ought to design and sell a special Heritage decoding ring. It would probably be a hot item at a PSP.

Posted

My first character is a "0" - as in Zero...not a letter. I guess it could be the letter "O" which would make it the 6th guitar made on January 5, 1998. Was zero ever used?

  • 1 year later...
Posted

Hi guys, i'm new to this forum.

I have a problem decoding the serial number on my h150cm asb.

On the plastic cover behind the switch it says "09-2002", but the first letter of the serial number looks like an I, but i'm not sure because it is a little bit deleted.

Thanks a lot! :)

20zwwt0.jpg

sea747.jpg

1z5osk4.jpg

Posted

I26003 would be 4/15/1992, but that's inconsistent with the date under the switch cavity cover. I suspect that the first letter is actually a "T", with the top worn away. In that case, it would translate to 4/15/2003, which is only a few months later than the cavity label date. That seems very reasonable.

Posted

I26003 would be 4/15/1992, but that's inconsistent with the date under the switch cavity cover. I suspect that the first letter is actually a "T", with the top worn away. In that case, it would translate to 4/15/2003, which is only a few months later than the cavity label date. That seems very reasonable.

Thanks for your answer!

But why would they write a date on the plastic cover and print another one on the headstock?

It doesn't make sense to me...

Posted

I'm not familiar with Heritage's manufacturing systems (though I'm sure there are several folks here who are!), but I know that it's pretty common for guitar makers to stock inventories of different parts that are drawn from for final assembly. So perhaps the body was made several months earlier and labeled on the inside of the cavity cover, but the final assembly and finishing took place per the date on the headstock. I know from reading about Strats that date mismatches like this happened all the time at Fender. Maybe someone with specific knowledge of the Heritage manufacturing process will chime in.....

Posted

Wed. 4/10/96, 3rd guitar of the day.

  • 1 year later...
Posted

I always thought my H-140CM was a D, but when I took a zoomed in camera shot, it's looking like a B!

 

What do you think?

 

I've always loved the maple figuring of the guitar.

I bought it used in 1989.

 

http://jason.ditzel.us/2017/03/11/my-heritage-guitar/

i would definitely agree with a B as well. Nice guitar!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Posted

WP_20170311_011-768x1364.jpgWP_20170311_014-768x1364.jpg

 

A "B" Serial number would make it an '85... Heritage was incorporated in April of 1985. ( "A" Serial numbers are extremely rare, pre-production guitars. The ones that I've seen were not maple capped , but mahogany topped )

 

It looks in great shape for a first year Heritage.. enjoy.

Posted

Thanks for your answer!

But why would they write a date on the plastic cover and print another one on the headstock?

It doesn't make sense to me...

While the white label is a familiar Heritage label, the orange one is one I don't recall seeing before. It may have had to do with the batch of that part made or even added afterward with an incorrect date..

Posted

WP_20170311_011-768x1364.jpgWP_20170311_014-768x1364.jpg

 

A "B" Serial number would make it an '85... Heritage was incorporated in April of 1985. ( "A" Serial numbers are extremely rare, pre-production guitars. The ones that I've seen were not maple capped , but mahogany topped )

 

It looks in great shape for a first year Heritage.. enjoy.

 

 

Thanks! If you notice - I had to replace the bottom two control knobs, as the originals split and fell off. I replaced them with Gibsons and they are a little bit lighter. That happened about 10 years ago. Everything else is stock. The head stock isn't exactly symmetrical on both sides. Check out the wood angles under the bottom tuners. The point where the angle tapers on the left is little higher than the one on the right. Not sure what to make of it. Apprentice working on the neck? Human error? Normal variance?

Posted

 

 

Thanks! If you notice - I had to replace the bottom two control knobs, as the originals split and fell off. I replaced them with Gibsons and they are a little bit lighter. That happened about 10 years ago. Everything else is stock. The head stock isn't exactly symmetrical on both sides. Check out the wood angles under the bottom tuners. The point where the angle tapers on the left is little higher than the one on the right. Not sure what to make of it. Apprentice working on the neck? Human error? Normal variance?

Wow... didn't notice that asymmetrical feature of the headstock. Can't say that I remember that coming up here before. Handmade, for sure... ha.

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