WANTED – Data from your vintage Yamaha FG guitars. See the end of the post.I’ve been collecting data on vintage Yamaha FG acoustic guitars for a few years. This past May Yamaha deleted their Yamaha Guitar Archive web page, pushing me to start a forum to share the info that I’ve collected, including all the data from the Yamaha Guitar Archive. I’ve written other articles on: the history of the Yamaha FG 1966-1981 & FG-3XX series; vintage Yamaha truss rod adjustment procedure; vintage Yamaha neck reset procedure; replacement nuts & saddles; Yamaha FG weights; Japanese emperor date codes; Republic of China date codes; and I’m working on many others.My latest interest is decoding the mystery of the 6 & 7 digit serial numbers. It’s widely known that the 8 digit serial numbers start with the year as the first number. But the 6 & 7 digit numbers (located on the neck block) are just sequential numbers used by all the guitars they built, not just the FG’s. I'm not going to be a whole lot of help I'm afraid.
I have a red label Nippon Gakki FG-150 that I bought new in either 1969 or 70. As I recall I paid a hundred dollars for it with a cheap clapboard case. A few years ago when I did the saw-off-the-neck-and-make-it-a-bolt-on reset I drilled thru the serial number on the head block. The last three digits are 644, the rest is obliterated. It does have the t/r cover like your lower picture.I think I have the serial number written down somewhere but it honestly doesn't matter, it is a cheap guitar that happens to sound pretty good and with the reset is pretty playable. Some day I will sell it, hopefully to someone who is more interested in a getting a good cheap guitar that its pedigree.CT, from time to time Yamies come across my work bench, I'll try to get whatever info I can.
The most important thing is the internal date code. Someone working on guitars would have the most opportunity to find that since you kind of have to remove the strings to do it. Unless you have a USB endoscope camera like I found.Do you know of any other sources where I could possibly find this info?? I could try contacting people selling guitars on Reverb and eBay but I'm sure I'd get a lot of rejections and it would take a ton of time.I forgot to tell you, I looked for the date code and couldn't find it - just using a flashlight and mirror and there are some corners that are kind of hard to see into.
However if its on a side from the neck to the middle of the lower bout I couldn't see it. I was reminded, however, about how lightly this guitar is built (which might be part of the secret) and the fact that the inside is finished (back and sides, probably before the top was put on.As far as trying to get that information, about all I can suggest is periodically posting a request on all the major discussion groups, including repair forums. Logically anyone working on one would be able to check it for you but getting folks to remember is going to be hard to do. I forgot to tell you, I looked for the date code and couldn't find it - just using a flashlight and mirror and there are some corners that are kind of hard to see into. However if its on a side from the neck to the middle of the lower bout I couldn't see it.
Next, press enter, or click on 'OK'. Double click on it, and then type '409'. You need to click not on the triangle here, like for the first 3 steps, but on the text.Next, in the right part of the window, you'll see some values. This should work, but I'm not sure that Russian version has English in it as well.And. Change language rome total war gold edition. You need value named 'language'.
I was reminded, however, about how lightly this guitar is built (which might be part of the secret) and the fact that the inside is finished (back and sides, probably before the top was put on.As far as trying to get that information, about all I can suggest is periodically posting a request on all the major discussion groups, including repair forums. Logically anyone working on one would be able to check it for you but getting folks to remember is going to be hard to do.They are hard to find. I use a flashlight and my cell phone camera zoomed in.
Even then they can be light or smudged. A USB endoscope attached to my cell phone works great but the resolution is a bit coarse.Can you suggest major & repair forums to post in?
![Lookup Lookup](/uploads/1/2/4/1/124160997/970973271.jpg)
I've done it in the AGF and the huge thread on TDPRI.com. Edited September 17, 2017 by CTGull. The two lutherie forums that I frequent are the Official Luthiers Forumand the Musical Instrument Makers ForumOLF has a subforum on repair and would probably be a good place to put your request, MIMF does not. While the both cover aspects of musical instrument construction, I tend to think of OLF as more 'chatty' and down to earth, MIMF often has esoteric discussions by folks who really get into their building.I did a search for 'yamaha neck reset' at OLF and got 20 hits, 'yamaha serial numbers' gave zero. I'm still looking for serial numbers and date codes. I'm up to over 350.I've found date codes in all of my Yamaha's except for the 2 Red label Taiwan models.
But they are in the Tan & Black label Taiwan models, although the year numbers are different due being referenced to a different countries Emperor.I've expanded the search beyond the early Red label Nippon Gakki models, to the Taiwan models also. I've gotten many serial number sets (they have 2 sets of serial numbers) and I'm working on figuring out when each of them changes to the next. The shorter Tan label with only the model number (no reference to Taiwan) seems to have only been used for 2, maybe 3, months. It's very rare.I've written a detailed article and am waiting for a friend to read it thru. WANTED – Data from your vintage Yamaha FG guitars. See the end of the post.I’ve been collecting data on vintage Yamaha FG acoustic guitars for a few years. This past May Yamaha deleted their Yamaha Guitar Archive web page, pushing me to start a forum to share the info that I’ve collected, including all the data from the Yamaha Guitar Archive.
I’ve written other articles on: the history of the Yamaha FG 1966-1981 & FG-3XX series; vintage Yamaha truss rod adjustment procedure; vintage Yamaha neck reset procedure; replacement nuts & saddles; Yamaha FG weights; Japanese emperor date codes; Republic of China date codes; and I’m working on many others.My latest interest is decoding the mystery of the 6 & 7 digit serial numbers. It’s widely known that the 8 digit serial numbers start with the year as the first number. But the 6 & 7 digit numbers (located on the neck block) are just sequential numbers used by all the guitars they built, not just the FG’s.
Serial #'sDATING FENDER ACOUSTIC GUITARSfromUnfortunately, our records are not complete enough to provide precise dating information for many Fender acoustic guitars from the early 1960s through the 1970s and 1980s. Although the tables below are as accurate as possible, serial numbers of these acoustic guitars have never been archived and are of no assistance when attempting to date these instruments.The information contained in this guide was culled from our archives of Fender price lists and catalogs, beginning with 1968. Unknown information is indicated with a question mark.This guide can help you determine the approximate age of your instrument, what the price range was during its years of production or what it sold for in the last year it was available, and what woods were used in its construction.
I just picked up a vintage FG 75, and i am having a tough time figuring out when it was made. I've read where they were manufactured from 1968 thru 1974. I've read about red labels, tan labels, and how production was shifted to Taiwan in 1972 and red labels were changed to tan. I've also read where some red labels weren't made in Japan, but in Taiwan. Okay, here is something I haven't been able to find info about.
My guitar has a tan label, and it says 'Nippon Gakki', and it also says 'made in Japan'. Also, as far as the serial number inside the sound hole, the number is only 5 digits. The guitar looks like all the other FG 75's i've seen (online photos), and when I got it it was covered in a layer of dust.
I cleaned it up, and amazingly it looks like it has hardly ever been played, darn near perfect shape, action is low, even the pickguard looks nearly new. The guitar itself sounds great, just like in the reviews. Anyhow, I really do love this little guitar, and am curious to find out more about it. Yamaha had a whole bunch of labels, the very first laminates to follow the S series Dynamics had light green labels, which may appear to be tan these days. As well as lebels that were tan.but there were only two FG models at first. I have an early 70s FG-175 thats pretty nice.
It`s not easy getting precise dates for early Yamahas, and my earliest Dynamic goes back to the mid 50s from what I`ve been told on line here, we may have to be satisfied with ballpark dates for em and once the laminate floodgates were opened, there were so many models that it`s hard to keep track of all of them. Don`t let the 5 digit serial fool you, by the 70s Yamaha had been building acoustics for a couple of decades.maybe more nobody really knows for sure. I have a couple of books with extensive articles on Yamaha and even the Japanese authors have difficulty getting data or finding people who are still around that were involved with those 50s and 60s models. I have some older MIJ electrics too and record keeping does not seem to have been a priority even in the 80s. Best we can do is exchange the data we have from our guitars and try to build some kind of base from there.
Well, the serial # doesn't work at the Yamaha site, the model was made from 1968 thru 1974. I reckon mine falls somewhere in that period.
Maybe the label was greenish before, maybe not, I can't really tell. Maybe it was an early one right before they started using red labels.(maybe that would explain the 5 digit serial #) Maybe after they started manufacturing in Taiwan they still made a few in Japan at the old factory. I suppose it really doesn't matter much. I do know this guitar was barely played before I got it, so whenever it was made it spent a lot of time in a case. It almost looks like new.
Too bad too because it really is a terrific instrument. My other guitars hate it because it seems to be all I play since I got it. I think I can understand the fanfare over the Yamaha Nippon Gakki FG series. Great sounding instruments, great value.
One of these days I wanna try one of those Fg 180's and pretend i'm Elliot Smith. There was more than likely some overlap of label colors, as for serials my oldest Dynamic has a 4 digit number. They did not shift all manufacturing to Taiwan and they still make acoustics in Japan today. Every Yamaha acoustic I have says where it was made on the label.can`t say they all do `cause I haven`t seen em all yet.they don`t all say the country but if it says Hamamatsu I know it`s in Japan.its usually not difficult finding out where they were made unless the label is missing.
My books have a very good list of years when certain models were introduced but they don`t mention when they ended.With the Dynamics the labels went through many changes and finding a ballpark year depends on the label. Like I said once they perfected the laminating process, tons of models came out over the years.There s a pic of an FG-75 taken from an English catalog in one of my books, they say it has a maple body and spruce top, nato neck with rosewood f/board, and rosewood bridge. Listed at $65.oo new at the time and featured the exclusive Yamaha dynamic bracing system.theres that word dynamic again.I have read the Dynamic guitar bracing system was patented by Mr.
Kintoki.but that probably goes back to their beginning which ecidently is early 50s, but Yamaha must have really liked the term dynamic.not sure if the FG-75s had the Dynamic bracing system or the dynamic bracing. Since the pic in the book has English info I`m guessing maybe the 75 was an export model.Anyhow.since you have the years they were made, and now know what they are made of and how much they cost, you may have to settle for that. I`m not sure how many books were ever written on Yamaha, I only have the 8 volume series called Japan Vintage and they cover some electrics as well as acoustics. A lot more electrics actually.
And there may be books that are out of print as well.I look around the used book stores but don`t find much on guitars. Have found 80s magazines with ads for certain MIJ electrics I collect but not much info on em. Man there was some bad hair in the 80s eh?
I have the same guitar, same lable. Bought mine new 1971mine has a serial # 40924 Yamaha service could not look up serial number.M.S.R.P.
![Model Model](/uploads/1/2/4/1/124160997/627804522.jpg)
109.50 / Top laminated spruce / Back & sides Agithis / Neck Nato / Fingerboard Indian rosewood / made fron 1968-1974 the lable reads:YamahaFG-75Nippon Gakki, LTD10.1 Nakazawacho Hamamatsu JapanMade in JapanHamamatsu is a city in Japan / its where the Yamaha custom shop is located.Nippon Gakki is the companyThe sought after lables are the onesthat clearly state the guitar was built in Japan. The color is not the important factor! Bus simulator pc game highly compressed. Some red lables were not built in Japan.
I just picked up a vintage FG 75, and i am having a tough time figuring out when it was made. I've read where they were manufactured from 1968 thru 1974. I've read about red labels, tan labels, and how production was shifted to Taiwan in 1972 and red labels were changed to tan. I've also read where some red labels weren't made in Japan, but in Taiwan. Okay, here is something I haven't been able to find info about.
My guitar has a tan label, and it says 'Nippon Gakki', and it also says 'made in Japan'. Also, as far as the serial number inside the sound hole, the number is only 5 digits. The guitar looks like all the other FG 75's i've seen (online photos), and when I got it it was covered in a layer of dust. I cleaned it up, and amazingly it looks like it has hardly ever been played, darn near perfect shape, action is low, even the pickguard looks nearly new. The guitar itself sounds great, just like in the reviews. Anyhow, I really do love this little guitar, and am curious to find out more about it. ThanksWhere exactly in the soundhole did you get the serial number?
My 1974 has two numbers in there. One stamped on the top brace that is right under the end of the bottom of the fingerboard adjacent to the sound hole. But there is another serial-looking number stamped onto the neck block which is the square chunk of wood with chamfered edges that is further down (2') under the neck area. That second number is very visable and I have seen it mistaken for the serial number. It is only 7 digits in my guitar whereas the actual serial number up on the top brace is the usual 8 digit. Where exactly in the soundhole did you get the serial number?
My 1974 has two numbers in there. One stamped on the top brace that is right under the end of the bottom of the fingerboard adjacent to the sound hole. But there is another serial-looking number stamped onto the neck block which is the square chunk of wood with chamfered edges that is further down (2') under the neck area. That second number is very visable and I have seen it mistaken for the serial number. It is only 7 digits in my guitar whereas the actual serial number up on the top brace is the usual 8 digit.A common mistake. My book says.the FG-75 was introduced in March 1969.
There is a pic of an English catalog page stating the guitar retailed for $65.oo though they don`t say what year the pic is from, they call it a folk guitar.Serials may not be as cut and dry as that.I have an early `50s Dynamic with a 3 digit serial, own others with 4 and some with 5, by 1960 they`d reached 6 digits according to info I`ve read. The Yamaha Dynamic web site has a list of members guitars and so far my 3 digit serial seems to be the oldest, haven`t listed my guitars because of the language thing and I`m not going to ask my wife to list 29 guitars.I`m too young to die eh.
Can`t say there aren`t any other 3 digit serial Yamahas out there, must be some, but so far mine is the only one I`m aware of. How can there be 1950s Yamahas when their factory only came on line mid `60s?some new data points to Suzuki building some Dynamics for Yamaha, which Suzuki isn`t clear, there were 2 possibly 3 Suzukis making guitars, but the oldest is the Suzuki Violin company. Hideo Ueda from their automotive division was assigned to develop their guitar factory in `64/`65, seems the FG-75 may have been one of their first export model FGs, there were some Dynamics that were sold overseas as well before that. They say the Dynamic prototype was made in 1952 and in `54 some were made in Tenryu.
Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Model Numbers
Of corse this is all subject to change `cause new info is added all the time but right now thats whats what, and data on old Yamahas seems to be difficult for the Japanese guys to gather let alone gaijins living thousands of miles away who don`t speak the language. But slowly more and more is revealed and it`s very interesting for me since I own a lot of old Yamahas and am curious about em.
If more comes to light I`ll post what I read. Serial system A9, used from 1971-2001 for guitars from Taiwan used an 8 digit system = YMMDDXXX where XXX is the unit number.So my 41008 serial number places this guitar as being built in 1968?Wow, that makes it 41 years old. It's in very good condition for being that old.
I don't think I will feel comfortable using it as a beater guitar as I planned.It sounds pretty good and has a straight neck with a solid neck joint. The frets have some wear but it plays buzz free.I think I may look at trading it for a newer FG (solid top). So my 41008 serial number places this guitar as being built in 1968?It's 5 digits so the serial system is A6 which uses no date codes. The ultimate collection sade album.
Yours is guitar number 41,008 from the time that they started putting serial numbers in 1946 (for the Japan factory, not the Japan custom workshop). What you can be certain is that it was made before or in 1968.I pulled this info from the appendix of 'The History of Yamaha Guitars'. It explains how to decode all the serials. Unfortunately, it doesn't state the specific year that the FG-75 was released. Heres a little more for youse to ignore.should be noted that data on old Yamahas is constantly updated with new stuff coming out of research by dedicated lovers of old Yamahas in Japan.but don`t take my word for it, buy the books I know they show up on e-bay `cause members at other sites interested in older MIJ electrics have bought them, they feature articles on many builders.On page 76 of the Japan Vintage guitar volume #1 published by Shinko Music in 2005, they first mention the FG-75 in March 1969, I`ll get my wife to read the entire short blurb to see what else they say. There is an extensive article with pics on early Yamahas from the first Dynamics to the FGs, theres even an interview with Mr. Ueda as well in that book.
They have a similar extended article on early L and LL series Yamahas, with dates and construction data in the Japan Vintage series vol. 1 on electrics from page 85 to 103. The FG-75 is mentioned along with the FG-180, 140, 150, 110, 300 and 230 models under the March 1969 date. On page 76 of the Japan Vintage guitar volume #1 published by Shinko Music in 2005, they first mention the FG-75 in March 1969, I`ll get my wife to read the entire short blurb to see what else they say. There is an extensive article with pics on early Yamahas from the first Dynamics to the FGs, theres even an interview with Mr. Ueda as well in that book. They have a similar extended article on early L and LL series Yamahas, with dates and construction data in the Japan Vintage series vol.
1 on electrics from page 85 to 103. The FG-75 is mentioned along with the FG-180, 140, 150, 110, 300 and 230 models under the March 1969 date.
Tony I don't think they made these in 2002 production stopped in 2001 and whilst they would continue to be sold after that they shouldn't have a serial number after that. Not sure about modern Yamahas but many Japanese pickups numbering system on the back will include the year on the old Yamahas it was the year of Hirohito's reign now it is the year of Akihito's reign starting with 1 for 1989 so 99 would have 11 on it 20 13 etc. Here's an example from an old Yamaha of mine where 53 indicates 1978 being the 53rd year of Hirohito's reign.AttachmentsSAM0884.JPG (77.16 KiB) Viewed 22487 times. Balston11 wrote:Tony I don't think they made these in 2002 production stopped in 2001 and whilst they would continue to be sold after that they shouldn't have a serial number after that. Not sure about modern Yamahas but many Japanese pickups numbering system on the back will include the year on the old Yamahas it was the year of Hirohito's reign now it is the year of Akihito's reign starting with 1 for 1989 so 99 would have 11 on it 20 13 etc.
Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Serial Number Lookup
Here's an example from an old Yamaha of mine where 53 indicates 1978 being the 53rd year of Hirohito's reign.it's an AEX500NS, serial number checker gives it as either '82, '92 or 2002, the last one seemed the obvious choicewas up for sale but getting no bites, just been offered £190 as a part ex from a music store, so looks like am either getting a strat or a pacifica with that, will let you's know how I get on.