Business record keeping (guitar serial numbers)

[pianoguyy]

Jackson. Carvin. ESP. Gibson.

These are the 4 companies that I've recently contacted.

How hard can it be for a company to keep serial numbers?

Sure, Jackson went through ownership changes. But what about the other 3. Why can I send a serial and not get a record of what it is?

Carvin didn't get back to me at all.
ESP - said "all we can tell you is what you already know. The model, the country, and the approximate year."
Gibson - can't tell me anything with just a serial. They won't even tell me if the serial is a proper gibson serial format. Damnit, if I had pictures of the unit I wouldn't need your help. lol.


Am I missing something?
How hard is it to make a product and keep a record of it.

[shreddermon]

Do they make any money from providing you this info? Do they sell any more new guitars? No, right? 'Nuff said.

The days of guitar companies providing free product info like this, and maintaining it as a good "customer service" effort are long gone. Heck, it's not just guitar companies - it's true of many companies, no matter what their product may be.

Sorry to sound harsh, but times have changed. It sucks, but it's time for us all to just get over it and move on.

[pianoguyy]

I agree with all of that.
But I am thinking that they make a unit. They have to associate some sort of cost with it - like, they made this many but this many went in the trash. We need to buy x amount of wood to make x amount of units.

Like me, in the bar. If I buy a bottle of whiskey, I know that I am going to get x amount of drinks from it. If I need to buy another bottle, but am only showing half the amount being sold --- there is a problem. Ten percent is ok. But half, not happening.


Taxes. Accounting. Warranties. That sort of stuff.
It would only make sense that they have some sort of idea, even if not exact. Like ESP said - model, country, year.

But Gibson, especially since they are big on the counterfeit/authentic bandwagon, that they would know something.

[Schadenfreude]

I emailed Jackson last week for further info on my SL2H, they managed to research the serial number, gave me a build date and all the info they had available. Granted the information probably came off a spec sheet by the looks of it rather than the work order, but at least they made the effort

[iced_earth]

Gibson was very responsive when I asked them if a certain guitar was fake... but I had to send some close up pictures of the body and headstock along with the serial number.

[lepard]

Man, I miss the good ol' days when you could email the Jackson USA shop directly and Tim Wilson would always reply back within 48 hours with complete info. I have a bunch of guitars with emails between me and Tim printed out and kept in the cases.

[Jackson8090s]

All you are is $$$$$$$$$$ anymore op .... the guitar companies usually only keep track of USA MADE serial numbers and I'm shocked they even do that. I've never got caught up in the whole marketing or USA MADE is superior , I learned a loooooong time ago you've got low end, mid grade, high end , I've always been a mid grade and upgrade kinda guy. I think you have to have more money than brains to spend 2,000 - 6,000 on a guitar.

[Newc]

So let's say you get this info - serial # such and such was assigned to this guitar built this way with these options in this color blah blah.

Then you go into your shed and you recreate that guitar according to those details (albeit with suspect quality) and put a readily-available waterslide logo that looks like the real thing, and suddenly you've turned $350 worth of parts into a $1500 sale.

Yeah, businesses are such dooshes about information, aren't they? Where do they get off denying people their Constitutional Right to fabricate fabulous fakes for fun and profit?

[neilli]

Yeah, Gibson have always been great on the 3 or 4 times I've contacted them, confirming the model, year, specs etc..

[AdRock]

So let's say you get this info - serial # such and such was assigned to this guitar built this way with these options in this color blah blah.

Then you go into your shed and you recreate that guitar according to those details (albeit with suspect quality) and put a readily-available waterslide logo that looks like the real thing, and suddenly you've turned $350 worth of parts into a $1500 sale.

Yeah, businesses are such dooshes about information, aren't they? Where do they get off denying people their Constitutional Right to fabricate fabulous fakes for fun and profit?

Are you serious? If thats what you think then why give anyone any options if they want a guitar? How is carvin staying in business when you can see all the options the guitar comes with? If you buy a used car do you just take a guess at the options it has or do you ask? Sorry man, your argument holds no water at all.

I know that some info is proprietary for some things but for guitars theres only so many woods and electronics out there to use in a basic strat shape guitar. Theres nothing wrong with asking for the info on woods and electronics used.

[Newc]

Or you file a police report of a stolen guitar and you can cite key identifiers as proof, whereas the guy you're trying to get it from has no such proof, thus his claim to it is suspect.

I want detailed info as to why you want this detailed info. No bullshit, not OCD answers, I want the fucking truth.

[AdRock]

Oh yeah, I'm building fake Jacksons in my garage. You caught me. If you file a police report you do need a key identifier. That's called the fucking serial number. However, since it seems they won't even verify the serial numbers I could male one up in a normal Jackson format and nobody would be able to confirm that it was a fake. So if you want a key identifier on your guitars put one on them after you get it. Aside from doing that the other stuff doesn't mean shit, so who gives a fuck if someone wants the info on their guitar. It's not like they're using some super duper secret fucking materials.

[Newc]

Post the serial number you're trying to get info for, maybe someone here has that guitar and can answer your questions about it.

I still want to know why anyone wants this information to begin with.

The used car analogy makes no sense. "Can I get the VIN number?" "Oh yeah, sure, hang on it's right here. Such and such and so and so." Got it, thanks."
WTF are you going to do with that info? Look it up on Carfax is about the most you can do, maybe see if it's been reported stolen ever. Certainly you can't run down to the junkyard and buy the parts to recreate it. Aside from the expense, the time would simply be out of the picture.
Go back to the used lot and say "hey, this was supposed to come with x option and you took it out, WTF dude?" "Ok bro, you got me - here's the ashtray we took out of it."
Dafuk, really?

[straycat]

Carvin numbers start over on Jan 1 of each year I read somewhere online.