Quote:
Originally Posted by Presuming Ed II
It is a vintage Washburn D15-12 which, as far as I can establish from various on-line sites, because of its five (or six) digit serial number suggests that it was produced some time between the late 1970's and early 1980's.
Washburn apparently picked up its production in 1978 after a rather long hiatus due to a change of ownership etc, so the first year of their latter day production seems to have been 1978. On-line references suggest that the first digit of the serial number will designate the year of production.
My guitar however has two different serial numbers (of course it does… I would expect nothing less), six digits on the back of the neck block (803022), and five digits on the cover strip (945?0).
These serial numbers would then suggest either 1978 or 1979 as the year of production. (They could of course also mean 1988 or 1989, but these I have ruled out as I already had my guitar by 1984.
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According to the official Washburn site, serial numbers for Washburn acoustic guitars are found in the soundhole (I've never heard of "the cover strip" on a guitar, by the way--that's a new one)--that in most cases, the first two numbers indicate year of manufacture, though not allows. As you say, in some cases only the first number is relevant. And in the case of Washburn examples created after 2010, usually the first four digits provide the year it was made.
Some pertinent serial number information: The official Washburn FAQ states that Washburn guitars with five or more serial numbers were made in the late 80s-2000s. Five digit serial numbers indicate creation in the 1980s. Five digits or less--typically from the 1980s. Guitars with four serial numbers: 1970s to early 1980s (the Washburn FAQ relates that pre-1978 guitars cannot be tracked by serial number).
Also from the valuable Washburn FAQ: If there is no serial number present, the instrument is likely a prototype, or sample, and it's impossible to determine its exact age.
Bluebook of Guitar Values lists the Washburn D15-12 as having been manufactured from the late 1970s to early 1980s.
Bottom line: You need a four digit (ideal), or possibly five digit serial number in the soundhole to help establish the exact year of manufacture for a Washburn D15-12.