guitarserials

Rickenbacker

Rickenbacker has used five well-defined serial schemes since the mid-1950s. Pre-1961 (1954–1959): model letter (B = bass, C = combo, M = mandolin, G = guitar) + year digit + production number. JK/JL: November and December 1960 respectively — a two-letter pilot of the permanent system. 1961–1986: year letter (A = 1961 through Z = 1986) + month letter (A–L) + production rank. 1987–1996: month letter (A–L) + year digit (0 = 1987 through 9 = 1996) + rank. 1996+: month letter from M–Y (O skipped) + year digit. The 1996+ year digit cycles every decade, so 2006+ decoding needs a listing year for decade snap.

Sources 1 Manufacturer 2 References view all

Decode a Rickenbacker serial

Quick pick

Supported formats

Pre-1987

1961–1986 (year letter + month letter)

1961–1986
Example AB1234 Try it →

First letter = year (A = 1961, B = 1962, …, Z = 1986). Second letter = month (A = January, B = February, …, L = December). Remaining 3-5 digits are a production rank. Example AB1234 = February 1961.

Gotchas & format-specific sources
  • Distinct from the 1987–1996 format because the second character is a letter (A–L) rather than a digit.
  • Matched before the 1987–1996 rule so the two-letter form wins over a letter+digit form when the second character could be either.
2 less common variants

Pre-1961 model-coded (1954–1959)

1954–1959
Example B4123 Try it →

First letter encodes the instrument type (B = bass, C = combo (Rickenbacker guitar style), M = mandolin, G = guitar). Second digit encodes the year within the 1950s (4 = 1954, 5 = 1955, …, 9 = 1959 through September). Remaining 2-5 digits are a production number.

Gotchas & format-specific sources
  • Only the four documented model letters (B/C/M/G) are accepted — other letters are too rare or undocumented to decode safely.
  • Format ended in September 1959 when Rickenbacker moved to the permanent year-letter + month-letter system; October 1959 onward uses the 1961–1986 convention even though the letter run started mid-1959.

JK / JL transition (Nov–Dec 1960)

1960
Example JK123 Try it →

JK = November 1960, JL = December 1960. These two prefixes preview the permanent two-letter system (J = 1960 year letter, K = November, L = December) and are the only 1960 serials that use it.

Gotchas & format-specific sources
  • Earlier 1960 instruments carried over the pre-1961 model-coded format before Rickenbacker transitioned in November.

Modern (1987+)

1987–1996 (month letter + year digit)

1987–1996
Example A0001 Try it →

First character = month (A=Jan, B=Feb, …, L=Dec). Second character = year digit (0=1987, 1=1988, …, 9=1996). Remaining 3-5 digits are a production rank. Example A0001 = January 1987.

1996+ (M–Y month letters)

1997+
Example M0001 Try it →

First character = month letter from M–Y, with O skipped (M=Jan, N=Feb, P=Mar, Q=Apr, R=May, S=Jun, T=Jul, U=Aug, V=Sep, W=Oct, X=Nov, Y=Dec). Second character = year digit (0=1997, 1=1998, …). The year digit cycles every decade, so 2007-2016 and 2017+ reuse the 0-9 digits.

Gotchas & format-specific sources
  • Year digit cycles every 10 years. Without a listing-year hint, the decoder leaves the year null for 1996+ serials; with a listing year we snap to the closest plausible decade.

Where to find your serial

Rickenbacker serial numbers are usually on the jackplate (the plate surrounding the output jack). The serial is typically split into two parts — a short prefix at one end of the plate and the production number at the other end.

Sources

Every format rule on this page traces back to at least one of the sources above. If you spot an error or have an additional authoritative source, see the methodology.