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Ibanez Serial Numbers – Japanese Models
1st Format (1975–1986)
Format: Letter (A–L) + 6 digits
Explanation: Letter = month (A=Jan, …, L=Dec), first 2 digits = year, last 4 digits = production number of the month.
Example: B781234 → B = February, 78 = 1978, 1234 = 1234th guitar
Factories: FujiGen Gakki, Terada
Models: Blazer (Dyna Gakki), Axstar (AX40–AX75, Chushin Gakki)
Notes: Blazer models were built by Dyna Gakki and Axstar models by Chushin Gakki. All others from this period were typically made by FujiGen or Terada.
2nd Format (1987–1996)
Format: Letter + 6 digits
Explanation: Letter = factory, 1st digit = last digit of year, last 5 digits = monthly serial (increments by 5000)
Example: I310005 → I = Iida Gakki, 3 = 1993, 10005 = February
Factory Codes: F = FujiGen Gakki, I = Iida Gakki, H or T = Terada
| Serial Range | Month |
|---|---|
| 00001–05000 | January |
| 05001–10000 | February |
| 10001–15000 | March |
| 15001–20000 | April |
| 20001–25000 | May |
| 25001–30000 | June |
| 30001–35000 | July |
| 35001–40000 | August |
| 40001–45000 | September |
| 45001–50000 | October/November |
| 55001–60000 | December |
This serial range system was primarily used for warranty tracking, but wasn’t consistently followed.
3rd Format (1987 FujiGen – F7 Prefix)
Format: F7 + 5 digits
Explanation: F7 = originally 1987, but used into 1988. Year guessed from serial range.
Example: F745321 – F = FujiGen, 7 = 1987/88, serial >45000 suggests 1988
Notes: FujiGen had a surplus of F7 serial stickers and continued using them in 1988. If the serial is above 45000, it’s likely from 1988. F8 serials are rarely seen.
4th Format (1997–October 2004)
Format: Letter + 7 digits
Explanation: Letter = factory, first 2 digits = year, last 5 digits = production number within that month
Example: F847890 → F = FujiGen, 84 = 1984, 7890 = March
Notes: Although this format was standardized, it wasn’t always used consistently across all factories or models.
5th Format (1998–2022)
Format: Letter + 6 digits
Explanation: Letter = factory (T = Terada), first 2 = year, last 4 = yearly serial number
Example: T011223 → T = Terada, 01 = 2001, 1223rd guitar that year
Notes: This format was mainly used by Terada for acoustic and hollow-body models. It is simple and year-focused.
6th Format (Nov 2004–2025)
Format: Letter + 7 digits
Explanation: Letter = factory, first 2 digits = year, last 5 digits = monthly production number (increments by ~3000)
Example: F1721453 → F = FujiGen, 17 = 2017, 21453 = June
| Serial Range | Month |
|---|---|
| 00001–02999 | November |
| 03000–05999 | December |
| 06000–08999 | January |
| 09000–11999 | February/March |
| 15000–17999 | April |
| 18000–20999 | May |
| 21000–23999 | June |
| 24000–26999 | July |
| 27000–29999 | August |
| 30000–32999 | September |
| 33000+ | October |
7th Format (2005–2022)
Format: Letter + 5 digits
Explanation: Letter = month (A=Jan,…,L=Dec), first 2 = year, 3rd = model code, last 2 = monthly serial
Example: E08237 → E = May, 08 = 2008, model code = 2 (PGMFRM1), serial = 37th
Models: PGMFRM1 (code 2), UV77RE (code 5)
Notes: This format, limited to 6 characters, was likely used by Sugi Musical Instruments. Only models with codes 2 and 5 are known; others remain unclear.
8th Format (2016–2022, IGDC)
Format: 2 letters + 6 digits
Explanation: IG = Ibanez Guitar Development Center, next 2 = year, next 2 = month, last 2 = serial
Example: IG191204 → IG = IGDC, 19 = 2019, 12 = December, 04 = 4th unit
Notes: These serial numbers are handwritten on the back of the headstock and were used for models developed at the IGDC R&D facility in Japan.
