Taylor Guitar Serial Number Lookup

Whether you're checking on a guitar already in your collection or sizing up a used Taylor, the serial number tells you when it was built. Taylor stamps the serial on the label inside the soundhole (and on the headstock or neck plate on some models). Enter it below and we'll decode the year of manufacture.

How Taylor serial numbers work

Serial numbers with 9, 10, or 11 digits are decoded differently. The format used depends on when the guitar was built.

10-Digit Serial Numbers

Taylor's current 10-digit serial numbering format, which started in November 2009, identifies where the guitar was built, the start date, and the assigned number of the guitar on that day's production schedule. For example, the serial number for the first guitar built in the El Cajon (USA) factory on July 6, 2014 is 1107064001.

1107064001 First digit indicates where it was made: 1 = El Cajon, California, USA; 2 = Tecate, Baja California, Mexico.

1107064001 The 2nd and 7th digits indicate the two-digit year, '14 (2014).

1107064001 The 3rd and 4th digits indicate the two-digit month, 07 (July).

1107064001 The 5th and 6th digits indicate the day, 06 (the 6th).

1107064001 The last three numbers indicate the guitar's position in that day's production sequence.

9-Digit Serial Numbers

From 1993 until the end of 1999, each Taylor guitar featured a nine-digit serial number that pinpoints when work began on that guitar, along with its series and production position. See the explanation for serial number 980311301 below:

980311301 The first two digits indicate the year, 98 (1998).

980311301 The 3rd and 4th digits indicate the two-digit month, 03 (March).

980311301 The 5th and 6th digits indicate the day, 11 (the 11th).

980311301 The 7th digit is a series code number: 0 for 300 or 400 Series, 1 for 500 through Presentation Series, 2 for 200 Series, 3 for a Baby or Big Baby (through 2002), 4 for a Big Baby (2004–2009), 5 for a T5, 7 for Nylon Series, 8 for 100 Series, and 9 for SolidBody Series. This example is number 3, a Baby.

980311301 The last two digits indicate the guitar's position in that day's production sequence.

11-Digit Serial Numbers

From January 2000 through October 2009, the serial number expanded from 9 to 11 digits to accommodate the four-digit year designation. Other than the first four digits noting the year, it is decoded the same as the 9-digit serial numbers. See the explanation for serial number 20070311301 below:

20070311301 The first four digits indicate the year, 2007.

20070311301 The 5th and 6th digits indicate the two-digit month, 03 (March).

20070311301 The 7th and 8th digits indicate the day, 11 (the 11th).

20070311301 The 9th digit is a series code number: 0 for 300 or 400 Series, 1 for 500 through Presentation Series, 2 for 200 Series, 3 for a Baby or Big Baby (through 2002), 4 for a Big Baby (2004–2009), 5 for a T5, 6 for a T3, 7 for Nylon Series, 8 for 100 Series, and 9 for SolidBody Series. This example is number 3, a Baby.

20070311301 The last two digits indicate the guitar's position in that day's production sequence.

Older Taylor Serial Numbers

The two oldest verified serial numbers are 00109 and 10109. Record keeping in the early days was spotty, and it is uncertain which guitar is actually the first one, but these two were built within the first few months of Taylor Guitars production.

For models older than 1993, refer to the chart below.

In 1977, Taylor switched from a 5-digit to a 3-digit serial number mid-year.

4-Digit Serial Numbers

When the 410 was introduced in 1991, it was given a unique serial numbering. The serial number has a "4-" plus three or four more digits, like 4-1068. This system was only used for two years, with 001–1121 covering 1991 and 1122–3152 covering 1992.

This lookup applies to Taylor's coded serial numbers from the early 1990s to today. Earlier serials were assigned sequentially and can't be decoded automatically, and it doesn't cover case or electronics serial numbers. Have a question about a specific guitar? Email us and we'll take a look.

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