Epiphone is one of the widely known guitar manufacturers. Originally an independent brand, Epiphone was bought by Gibson Guitar in 1957. As opposed to a brand such as Fender, whose guitars are either made in America or Mexico, Epiphone's guitars can come from a number of different factories in a variety of countries. For this reason, it is not as easy to know where each guitar comes from or when it was made. Epiphone stamps each guitar with a serial number, however, which when deciphered can tell a guitarist all he needs to know about the guitar.
The Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II is an electric guitar model produced by Epiphone as Joe Pass's signature model. First released in just prior to Joe Pass's death in 1994 it is still produced today.
Locate the serial number on the back of the guitar's headstock (the top of the neck where the strings are attached). The serial number will generally be nine to 10 digits long, with the first being a letter.
Identify the first letter in the serial number. This letter represents in which country the guitar comes from, as well as the company who manufactured it. If the guitar was made in Korea, it will either have an 'I,' which stands for Saein; a 'U,' which stands for Unsung; an 'S,' which stands for Samick; or a 'P,' which stands for Peerless.
If the guitar was made in China, it will be denoted with a 'DW,' which stands for DaeWon; an 'EA' or 'EE,' which stand for Gibson's Qingdao factory; an 'MC,' which stands for Muse; a 'SJ' for SaeJung; a 'Z,' which represents Zaozhuang Saehan; or a 'BW,' which just stands for China itself.
If the guitar was made in Japan, the letters printed to represent it are either a 'F' for FujiGen or a 'J' or 'T,' which stand for Terada. A Japanese-made Epiphone can also have no letter, in which case the serial number would just start with numbers.
If the guitar was made in Indonesia, it will have a 'SI,' which stands for Samick's Indoesian factory.
Analyze the first two numbers in the serial. These two numbers represent the year the guitar was made. Simply, if the first two numbers are '08,' the guitar was made in the year 2008. Similarly, the next two numbers in the serial represent the month in which the guitar was made. If these two numbers are '05,' they denote that the guitar was made in the month of May.
Locate the last four or five numbers in the code. These numbers represent the ranking of that guitar in the production process. If the serial number were to end with the digits '5473,' it means the guitar was the 5,473rd guitar of that model manufactured.
Tip
Putting all of the information together, an example of a Epiphone serial number could be F0508384. Breaking it down, this serial number would mean the guitar was made in FujiGen, Japan in August of 2005, and it was the 384th guitar made in that model.
Get Classic Jazz Tones with the Joe Pass Emperor
Get great jazz tones with the Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II PRO hollowbody electric guitar. Originally designed in collaboration with guitar and jazz legend Joe Pass, this guitar embodies the feel, vibe, and tone of a great jazz guitar. The spruce top and flame maple back and sides, along with premium appointments and gold hardware, give this axe great looks and sound. Coil-tapped ProBucker-2 and ProBucker-3 pickups deliver killer vintage tones. Expand your sonic palette with the Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II PRO!
Epiphone Serial Number Identification
Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II PRO Hollowbody Electric Guitar at a Glance:
Epiphone ProBuckers deliver fat jazz tones and more
Stunning good looks; amazing affordability
Epiphone quality
Epiphone ProBuckers deliver fat jazz tones and more
Epiphone's Joe Pass Emperor II PRO is packing Epiphone ProBucker pickups, a 4-wire design with coil-tapping inspired by Gibson's legendary BurstBuckers. ProBuckers conjure the sound of the original hand-wound PAF humbuckers designed by Seth Lover at Gibson's Kalamazoo factory in the late 1950s. ProBuckers have all the same components under the hood as the original PAF and BurstBuckers, including Alnico II magnets, Elektrisola magnet wire, 18 percent nickel silver unit bases and covers, as well as pole screws, slugs, and bobbins built to original Gibson spec. You get a huge sounding pickup that is responsive to your pick attack, and that - over time - will develop the subtle, unique characteristics that you can only get from vintage humbuckers.
Stunning good looks; amazing affordability
With its understated good looks, you might mistake the Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II PRO for a guitar that costs thousands. Happily, you'd be mistaken. From its bound pau ferro fingerboard and pearloid block inlays to its mock tortoise pickguard and gold hardware, the Joe Pass Emperor II PRO exudes an understated elegance. But his axe only looks (and sounds) expensive. It's actually amazingly affordable.
Epiphone quality
Since Epiphone's founding in 1873, they've produced innumerous iconic instruments. From long before the British Invasion of the early 1960's, to metal, punk, thrash, grunge, and what have you, the Epi logo has stood for quality and value. Epiphone backs up their products with their Limited Lifetime Warranty so you can rest assured that your Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II PRO hollowbody electric guitar will give you a lifetime of tasty tone and playing enjoyment.
Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II PRO Hollowbody Electric Guitar Features:
Classic hollowbody design for warm, fat tone
Maple neck with pau ferro fretboard is comfortable and smooth playing
Two ProBucker pickups (coil tapped) based on the legendary Gibson BurstBucker
Coil tapping, for stunning tonal dexterity
Upgraded Graph-tech nut ensures better playability and tuning
The classy touch of gold hardware
Epiphone Joe Pass Guitar Serial Numbers
Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor
The Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II PRO gives you the big jazz tones you need!