“JT” is most common among the several two-letter country/factory prefixes, signifying Japan (J) and its Terada (T) factory. Gretsch serial numbers typically appear on the back of the headstock and begin with a two-letter prefix code indicating the country of origin and specific manufacturing facility, followed by numbers indicating year and month of manufacture and sequential order of manufacture. We’ll cover those older serial numbering systems in another installment.Īs for the present, the modern system is quite simple. Various other serial numbering systems existed before then that stretch far back into Gretsch history-all the way back to the very earliest Gretsch guitars of the 1930s. This allows you to accurately date a modern Gretsch guitar by its serial number.īy modern, by the way, we mean since 2003, which is when Gretsch serial numbering took its current form. The serial number on your modern Gretsch guitar or bass contains specific information about where and when it was made. Even if this headstock didn’t say “Made in Japan,” the “J” that begins the serial number indicates that it was.
