Models from: 1962-2012

(Excluding G-Series)

Japanese-built Takamine guitars made between 1962 and mid/late 2012 can be reliably dated from the eight-digit serial numbers typically found at the neck block inside the instruments.

The first two digits designate the year of manufacture, followed by two digits denoting the month. The remaining four digits denote the instrument’s sequential number of manufacture among all the instruments made during the month indicated.

E.G; "07100091" = 2007 (07), October (10), 91st guitar made that month (0091).

Models from: 2012-Present

(Excluding G-Series)

In mid/late 2012, US distributed Japanese-built guitars switched to the year designation that guitars distributed in Japan use. 

E.G; Serial Number:#51010999.

The first two digits represent the number of years from 1962 (1962 + 51 = 2013). The second two digits are the month (01). The last four is the sequential number from all guitars made that month.

G-Series Models

The situation here is somewhat more complex, as Takamine has operated various production facilities in different countries over the years, including Taiwan, Korea, and China. Each facility used its own coding system, most of which cannot be deciphered without access to production records.

Fortunately, current G-Series models marked "Made in China" (identified by the "CC" prefix before the serial number) use the same coding system as the Japanese models. E.G; "CC150904411" was built in September 2015. Due to higher production volumes, the consecutive production number is five digits long.