WANTED – Data from your vintage Yamaha FG guitars. See later in the post.
See Yamaha FG Serial Numbers, Interior Markings, and Labels – 1966 to 1981 for the results of this search. My search expanded to also include the Taiwan FG’s.
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’ve also found there are internal date codes that will reveal when the guitar was made.
Serial Number located on the neck block.
Date Code located on one of the interior sides of the guitar.
I’ve started a list of guitars I’ve found with the model number, the serial number, and the date code, which will allow the 6 & 7 digit serial numbers to be grouped into a range for each year, allowing any 6 or 7 digit serial number to be cross referenced to the year it was made.
On YouTube I found a guy in Japan who’s posted short videos of many vintage FG guitars, with the year, model number, partial serial numbers, and in a most cases the internal date code. He’s obviously used the internal date codes to determine the years. Ballad Maker on Youtube
With this, and other data I’ve been finding, I’ve discovered even though Yamaha says the first Red Label models imported in the US where in 1968, I’ve found many Red Label FG guitars made in 1967. I’m also tracking the Green Label FG’s, the earliest models (1966-67) only made in Japan, that share the same pool of serial numbers. I’m looking for the transition between the Green and Red labels. I’ve also found the Green Label FG’s have a different truss rod cover, with “Reinforced Neck” on it, very different than the one you normally see. That cover made it onto the earliest FG’s imported into the US, before changing to the familiar one.
Truss Rod Cover on Green Label and very early Red Label FG’s.
Regular Truss rod Cover used on Red Label FG’s.
WANTED – Could you please email me at YamahaVintageFG@gmail.com with the following data from your vintage Green and Red label Nippon Gakki FG guitars that have serial numbers less than 8 digits, located on the neck block? II have 1729 serial numbers so far, and 267 of those had the internal date codes. I’m also collecting data on Taiwan made FG’s, up to 1981.
Model number.
Label color and type. See Yamaha FG Serial Numbers, Interior Markings, and Labels – 1966 to 1981 for more information.
Serial number on brace and neck block.
Internal date code (I use flashlight and a cheap USB endoscope with my cell phone, or my cell phone camera if the strings are off.) This is very important to establish the date range of the serial numbers.
If it has the old style “Reinforced Neck” truss rod cover.
Any other information you’d like to share about the guitar.