The history of Ernie Ball Music Man guitar serial numbers spans decades, with various changes in format and location. Understanding this system helps identify the year of manufacture and classify different guitar models, from standard production to special editions. Ernie Ball Music Man’s serial number system reflects the evolution and diversity of the company’s instruments.
1985 to 1989: 5-digit serial numbers, stamped on the back of the headstock, below the G tuner. Format YYNNN, with the first two digits representing the year of manufacture. The remaining three digits may be sequential but are not entirely accurate. Accurate dating for these guitars is best determined by the date written inside the neck pocket or heel. These serial numbers generally do not appear in online databases. Many of these serial numbers may have been reused on EVH and Axis guitars from 1990 to 1997.
1990 to 1996: 5-digit serial numbers located at the base of the neck plate, between the two lowest screws. Two sets of serial numbers coexisted: starting with 8 (usually EVH or Axis guitars) and starting with 9 (Steve Morse, Albert Lee, Luke, Silhouette). Both are roughly sequential but only approximate the year of manufacture. For example, 80xxx is 1991 or 1992; 90xxx is 1990. However, there is overlap between the ranges, with some EVH and Axis guitars also having serial numbers starting with 9.
1997: Serial numbers beginning with the letter A, for example A8xxxx or A9xxxx. These serial numbers seem to be limited to A80xxx, A90xxx, A91xxx and A92xxx. Number duplication with guitars from 1990-1992 is possible, for example, both 92111 and A92111 could exist.
1998 to 2022: Serial numbers starting with the letter G for most instruments, running from G000xx in December 1997 to G999xx in early 2021. There is no specific end/start date for the G and H series, they overlapped from 2021 to 2023 as the G series was phased out. The G serial number was used for all models including standard production, limited edition, Premier Dealer Network (PDN), Ball Family Reserve (BFR). These serial numbers are not sequential and appear almost random. The serial number database is the best way to determine the manufacture date of all instruments from 1998 onward.
Other prefixes that appeared concurrently with the G serial numbers include: Lxxxxx for left-handed guitars; Fxxxxx for Petrucci 7-string models; Xxxxxx (X + 5 digits) on SUB-1 guitars (2003-2007) on the back of the headstock.
Majesty Guitars (from October 2016): Mxxxxx (6 digits) serial numbers are silkscreened under the California logo on the back of the headstock.
2021 to Present: Hxxxxx (5 digits) is the default for standard production instruments; Dxxxxx (5 digits) is used for BFR editions; Mxxxxxx (6 digits) for Majesty guitars; Sxxxxx (5 digits) for artist models such as the Tosin Abasi Kaizen, Jason Richardson. These serial numbers are silkscreened under the California logo on the back of the headstock.
