A band’s van was broken into in Hollywood, CA.

Stolen was a Gibson SG Standard in natural Serial number 00045572, and an Ernie Ball Stingray 4 string rosewood fingerboard, black finish moonstone serial number E50660.

Police report pending.

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This equipment has been reported stolen. If you see these items, think of your safety first. We advise you not to purchase the item from anyone claiming to be the owner. If you feel safe with pursuing it further, contact your local law enforcement, referencing the above case number.

This information and more can be found in our Gearwiki. Care to contribute your own knowledge?

Gibson has been in business for over a hundred years, and has used several serial number systems in that time, many of which had inconsistencies which make accurate date identification tricky. Often other considerations must be taken into account. We’ll cover those as we come to them. In this article, we’re going to cover the current serial number format, in use since 1977. This system is in place across the board in all production facilities. This borrows heavily from the serial number guides on the Gibson sit, from the Blue Book, and other web sources.

For instruments built before 2005, The serial number is an 8 digit number impressed into the back of the headstock with “MADE IN USA” below. The Serial number is stamped before the finish is applied and is pressed into the wood. Often, a thick coating of paint and lacquer will make the serial number difficult to read. If you see plain wood through the serial number, it was stamped after finishing, and likely a counterfeit.

The pattern is:
YDDDYRRR

YY is the production year
DDD is the day of the year counted 1-365 (or 366 for leap year)
RRR is the factory ranking/plant designation number.

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