Locating the Serial Number of your Gibson Banjo
- Index to Gibson Serial Numbers An awesome trio. 9580-6, 807-1, and 9524-7 Check out this database of old Gibson banjo serial numbers and descriptions: Pre-war Gibson Banjos.
- Enter Serial Number eg. EE04091253 The Epiphone serial number decoder currently supports 12 serial number formats Vintage numbers from 1932 to 1970 are supported.
Most prewar and wartime Gibson banjos are actually marked with factory order numbers rather than serial numbers, but for right now you don't need to be worried about the distinction unless you're just especially interested! If your banjo has a wooden back, or resonator, you'll need to remove it to get to the factory order number. Don't worry. . . removing the resonator is no more invasive than raising the hood on a car. The resonator will be held in place by three or four large screws that look like the one in the middle of this photo:
On some earlier Gibson banjos, the screws will have small hex-shaped heads instead of the large round heads.
These screws can just be undone with your fingers and once the back is removed, you will likely see a factory order number in three places. . .
Locate the serial number on the back of the guitar's headstock (the top of the neck where the strings are attached). The serial number will generally be nine to 10 digits long, with the first being a letter. Identify the first letter in the serial number.
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stamped into the wooden rim:
and written inside the resonator, both in large chalk numbers in the center, and in smaller red or brownish numbers near the edge:
You can also look for one of two types of decals inside the wooden rim. . .
Gibson Epiphone Banjo Serial Numbers Post War
the 'Mastertone' guarantee label:
or the smaller 'The Gibson' label:
If there is no factory order number inside the rim or resonator, there could be a factory order number or serial number hiding on the back of the peghead, above the tuners:
If there's no factory order number or serial number anywhere, that's not necessarily a bad sign since some prewar Gibson banjos were shipped out without either factory order numbers or serial numbers.
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