Westerly Collection Serial Number "Decoder"

hansmoust

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I'm hopeful you can confirm the year made and build location for my JF55-NT. THE S# is AJ550819. Here is a pic of the label. Many thanks, PaulGeb
IMG_5501.jpeg

Hello Paul,

Welcome! Your Guild JF55-NT was completed during the year 1998 in Westerly, RI. However it is not a 'Westerly Collection' guitar; those are not U.S.-made instruments.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 
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Hello, I have a guild s 100 polara cherry red with the serial KSG1200514 from what I could discover was manufactured in 2012 in Korea by SPG, but I did not find more information, could you give me some more information, if you have something or any different material to those who manufacture today. I bought it second hand from a friend and he also bought it second hand and could not tell me anything else. Thanks and best regards !!
 

rikiheck

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If some consensus is reached on this, I'll be happy tp do a post about it on my more or less permanent website.
 

rikiheck

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Actually, would some kind of Guild wiki be useful? Serial number info, etc, would make sense there. I could arrange that, even with a custom URL.
 

fronobulax

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Actually, would some kind of Guild wiki be useful? Serial number info, etc, would make sense there. I could arrange that, even with a custom URL.
You need to talk with @SFIV1967 who would almost certainly be the best source and curator of this kind of data.

You should know that the current owner of LTG, @GAD, has the skills and resources to host just about anything LTG wants. There is a lot of agreement that a Guild wiki would be a good thing and it has been discussed for at least a decade. So far no one has had the time and energy to organize the wiki and make guidelines so folks know what belongs on this site and what belongs on the wiki. It would be wonderful if you were the one with the vision, time and energy.
 

SFIV1967

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I just don't see that another webpage would be helpful...especially that most known info is already on LTG. Something like a WIKI could be useful in finding the "hidden" info but that is a lot of work and I certainly have no time for such work. Also Hans hopefully publishes his second book rather sooner than later....I hope at least. Maybe even with corrections to Volume I ?
Ralf
 
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hansmoust

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This D25 has the number DA100506. This file (http://guildguitars.com/wp-content/...tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=ru&_x_tr_hl=ru&_x_tr_pto=sc) indicates that serial numbers D25 in 1979 began with the code DA100914. Why does my D25 have a different serial code?
Hello BRZV,

Welcome! If you take another look at the serial number charts, you will notice that the numbers for 1979 end with #DA100914; it's not the starting number. Consequently, your D-25 with ser. # DA100506 is from the year 1979.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
 
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I have a Cordoba Fusion Series Orchestra CE which was purchased in August of 2020, was stolen and resold to a Guitar Center near me, and I just got it back. However, the serial number on the guitar does not match the one I purchased it with. The serial number is 7191854. I don’t see any information anywhere saying what the number 7 at the beginning means, but I’m very skeptical about it. My fear is that someone created a fake serial number tag. Is it possible this is the real serial number?

C8B295E2-E62A-4D08-B9A6-8C37E233AF27.jpeg
 

chazmo

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^ I don't think anyone here can answer your question. We (collectively) do not know much about Cordoba brand guitars.

How are you certain this is the guitar that was taken from you?

I recommend you call Cordoba Music and ask them. Good luck, and welcome to Let's Talk Guild.
 

dingrr

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How about this Westerly Collection D-140? The inspection sticker shows 2019-01-12 with serial number G1151485. Could it be over 3 years from manufacture to inspection?
 

Guilderland21

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How about this Westerly Collection D-140? The inspection sticker shows 2019-01-12 with serial number G1151485. Could it be over 3 years from manufacture to inspection?
I don't have a definitive answer, but it's funny you should mention that. I bought my D-140 in January 2020, apparently new, and it also has a serial number beginning in G115. I've always wondered how it took so long from manufacture to sale. But I don't think mine came with an inspection sticker, so I can't add any data there.
 

kitniyatran

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Not a guild, but I bought a Martin d18 new in 1976 with a 1974 serial number, and it was legit; Martin honored the warranty for a free neck reset about 12 to 15 years later.
 

Prohedonius

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O.k., it's not really a final decoder yet but I started to wonder what the new Westerly Collection serial numbers mean.

To better understand this I first researched Cordoba Guitars serial numbers.
The lower end Cordoba instruments do not even have a serial number. According to the Cordoba Guitars webpage, the following instruments are not serialized: CP110, C3M, C3M Cadete, Cadete, Dolce, C5, C5-CE, C5-CET, the La Playa Traveler and Ukulele, and all ukuleles except for the 25 series.

O.k, now I looked at Cordoba Guitars serial numbers:

Cordoba brand guitars Made in Spain: (4 real serial numbers posted below)
3110814, 3140591, 3150035, 3150159
It looks like: 7 digit serial number, always starts with 3 = Spain, 11 or 14 of 15 is manufacturing year, the last 4 digits are the running numbers for a max of 9,999 guitars per year from Spain.

Cordoba brand guitars Made in China: (4 real serial numbers posted below)
11101874, 11303220, 11508107, 11515267
It looks like: 8 digit serial number, always starts with 1 = China, 11 or 13 of 15 is manufacturing year, the last 5 digits are the running numbers for a max of 99,999 guitars per year from China.

I also found real serial numbers of an Oxnard made Cordoba Torres and a Hauser model: 81300055, 81500363
It looks like: 8 digit serial number, starts with 8 = Oxnard, 13 or 15 is manufacturing year, the last 5 digits are the running numbers for a max of 99,999 guitars per year. (thats a good goal for the custom shop!)


And now to compare: Guild Westerly Collection: (3 real 2015 serial numbers posted below)
G1150461, G1151487, G1155321
It looks like: 8 digit serial number, always starts with G1 = Guild China, 15 is manufacturing year, the last 4 digits are the running numbers for a max of 9,999 Guild Westerly Collection guitars per year from China.
(Update: In 2018 and 2019 the G2 numbers have 5 digits at the end allowing 99,999 per year.)

The "G1" guitars have GREE hangtags like the GAD guitars had.
The below left hangtag is a GREE hangtag (note the GR around) from a 2013 made GAD model when Guild was under FMIC.
Moritz and Big-Al confirmed that the same style hangtag with GR border was on G1 serial numbered Westerly Collection models from 2015.
The right hangtag is from an Westerly Collection OM-120 (G1) from 2016, even the same inspector number 50741 on both !!!

Endkontrolle 71153.jpg 1669718093518.png

In 2017 it shortly got really confusing as a 2017 made D-120 and a F-1512E had no longer a 1 after the G ! They only had G and 6 numbers afterwards!
An example serial number is simply G170122 or the pictured G170693. In any case the 17 stands again for year 2017.

G.JPG

My theory regarding this was: The new California produced 2017 guitars have serial numbers like C170815 (a D-20 as example). Maybe CMG changed the serial number system also for GREE, hence GREE made Guild Acoustics from some point in 2017 onwards simply with G and 6 numbers behind, same as California made Guilds use C with 6 numbers.

But that last theory does not work as actual serial numbers in stores from 2018 and 2019 still (or again) have G1, G2 and G3 serial numbers.

So yes, we also got G2 and G3 numbers over time.
I have not yet figured out what the 1, 2 or 3 behind the G exactly means.

A M-120 as example and older models are still G1...,
Jumbo Juniors, M-240, D-240, M-240, OM-240, F2512 are G2...,
and OM-120, F-250, P-240,... for instance start with G3...

It might have to do with new factories or just new series, so i
t is not 100% clear if G2 and G3 Westerly Collection guitars still come from GREE or also from other factories in China now.
Only if a new buyer would get a hangtag (as shown above) with the guitar we might see this.


G3 got a new style label at least. Also note the interesting fact that only the G2 numbered guitars have an additional kind of former GAD style manufacturing factory number below the label! But only 8 numbers not 10. I show a 2018 and a 2019 example here.

G1.JPG
G2.JPG G2.JPG
G3.JPG




Now looking at the round soundhole labels from left to right a G1 (100 and 1000 series), G2 (M-240E) and G3 (F-250E Deluxe) label.

G1 is still the old style label as of 2019 and G2 and G3 labels are a more modern design showing "Designed in California" on the soundhole labels similar to what Apple does...Also they don't longer show "Westerly Collection" on the labels.

1669718475226.png G2 label.JPG G3 label.JPG

The P-240 Memoir also has a G3 number but its own unique soundhole label:

G3 P-240.JPG


Update 2019:
G2 models got "SINCE 1953" added:

1669719086857.png 1669719511322.png

Update 2020:
Since 2020 the "G3 models" (or at least some) also got a changed label in the "G1 style" but without "The Westerly Collection", here a OM-120 from 2021:

1669717803433.png 1669717832385.png

Ralf
The labels on my OM-150CE G3211... look just like the bottom ones in your post:
1684367127286.png
 

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chazmo

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The labels on my OM-150CE G3211... look just like the bottom ones in your post:
1684367127286.png
Welcome to LTG, Prohedonius! I hope you like your Westerly Series OM-120.

As Ralf posted earlier in this thread, I don't think we know exactly what the "G3" prefix means, but the following "21" in your label means your guitar was built in 2021.

Ralf, did I get the secret decoder handshake right? :)
 

Greg Feo

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What year is this one ?
1981 or 1986?
Thanks!
 

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