Dobro/National Numerotation

je suis tombé la dessus , ça me semble juste (si je regarde mon model  )

Dobro Number :

Citation :

1929 to 1937 Dobro Serial numbers
by M.Cass. Note the 1929 to 1937 serial number info is not very accurate. For example I own a Dobro metal body M-62 with the serial number 1832. According to the list below it should be 1930. But no metal body Dobro existed before 1935. So you can see the serial number info below is not 100% reliable and the information below applies mostly to wooden body resonator Dobro guitars. Pleaes keep this in mind. Also I don't have any 1937 to 1942 Dobro serial number info. Serial numbers for metal body Dobros very scarce. Serial numbers are stamped into the top of the peghead. No factory serial number records are available. The numbers below are a general guide, and are not reliable for dating the instrument solely on the serial number.

 Number range        Year
 800 - 1400          1929
 1400 - 2000         1930
 2000 - 2600         1931
 2600 - 3200         1932
 3200 - 3900         1933
 4000s               1933 (mostly Regal made)
 5000 - 5600         1933 (California made)
 5700 - 7600         1934-1936 (California made)
 8000 - 9900         1936 & 1937
 L9000s              1937 (Regal made)
 A prefix            1936
 B prefix or suffix  1931-1932 (most Cyclops wood models)
 M prefix            1935-1937

No serial number: on 1930s Dobros, this happens a lot, and for no explainable reason.

OMI Dobro Resonator Serial Number.
The Dopyera brothers started the OMI company making Dobro style guitars in 1967 under the "Hound Dog" brand name. In 1970 OMI bought the Dobro name and manufacturered their own "Dobro" guitars with the traditional "Dobro" peghead sticker. These 1967 and later Dobros not collectible. In 1998 Gibson bought Dobro.

1967-1974 OMI Dobro:
 101 - 401    1967-1970
 402 - 712    1971
 713 - 1427   1972
 1428 - 2296  1973
 2297 - 2372  early 1974

1974-1979 OMI Dobro: Y (#)### D configuration.
 Y is last digit of the year (if this number is "3" it is actually 1974).
 3 or 4 numerals in center are instrument ranking for year starting with 101.
 D is body type: D=wood, B=brass, M=steel or mandolin.

1980-1988 OMI Dobro: 8 (#)### yD configuration.
 8 is the decade of manufacture (8=1980s).
 2 or 3 or 4 numerals in center are serial number for year.
 Numeral y before letter is last digit of year.
 Last character is body type: D=wood, B=metal.

1988-1994 OMI Dobro: A# #### yyD configuration.
 First letter (and numeral) is style.
 numerals in center are instrument ranking.
 yy is last two digits of year.
 Last character is body type: D=wood, B=metal, H=Hounddog, P=solid peghead.

1995-1997 OMI Dobro: A(A) (x)xxx yy configuration.
 First letters are style.
 numerals in center are instrument ranking.
 yy is last two digits of year year.

1998-current Gibson Dobro: 8 digits ymmddrry configuration  
 First y is last digit of year.
 mm is month
 dd is day
 rr is rank
 last y is decade.

National Number

Citation :

National Vintage Serial Numbers

National/Valco serial numbers provide the easiest way to find the year for a particular instrument. Serial numbers courtesy of Bob Brozman and his book "National Resonator Instruments", 1993.

Serial Numbers 1927-1935.
From 1927 to 1935, Natonal used a different serial number system for each model. On single cone steel body models, the number is stamped on the top of the peghead. The single cone exception is the Style O, which are usually stamped into the body by the endpin.

Serial number on a 1928 Style 1
roundneck tri-cone.

On roundneck Tricone models, the serial number is stamped into the body by the endpin until serial number 2400. On squareneck Tricones, the serial number is stamped into the back of the metal neck near the peghead up until serial number 2400. On all Tricones after serial number 2400, the number is stamped at the top of the peghead.

Note most of the serial numbers provided are from actual instruments. The year of manufacturer was deduced by evaluating catalog specs for the year.

Square Neck Tricones, 1927-1934.

Number range Year
------------ ----
100 388 1927
393 1136 1928
1139 1886 1929
1891 2294 1930
2301 2571 1931
2601 2682 1932
2833 3315 1933
3323 1934

Round Neck Tricones, 1927-1930.

Number range Year
------------ ----
0100 0141 1927
0145 0748 1928
0781 01002 1929
01004 1930

Note: round neck Tricones use the S-series numbers after 1930.

1934 Style O "S" series serial number.

S-series: Style O and roundneck Tricones, 1930 to 1934.

Number range Year
------------ ----
S1 S2195 1930
S2145 S2785 1931
S2788 S3991 1932
S4035 S4393 1933
S5001 S6205 1934

Note: S5438 = start of 14 fret Style O instruments.

Tenor Nickel Plated Models.

Range Model Year
------- ----- ----
100-600 Tricone 1928
600-850 Pear shape 1 cone 1929
850-1400 Guitar shape 1 cone 1929-1934

Mandolin, Ukes.

Range Model Year
------- ----- ----
100-600 Mandolin 1928-1934
100-400 Uke 1928-1934

Don Models.

Number range Year
------------ ----
X27 X133 1934

Wood body Triolians with serial numbers (1929 only).

Number range Year
------------ ----
500 1626 1929

Early Metal body Triolians (1929 only).

Number range Year
------------ ----
0100 0209 1929 (yellow)

1929 bakelite neck Triolian with
"A" series serial number.

Bakelite neck Triolians 1929-1930.

Number range Year
------------- ----
A10 A1650 1929
A1651 A1814 1930

Polychrome Triolians 1930-1934.

Number range Year
------------- ----
0100 0209 1929 (yellow)
1P 2266P 1930-1934, 12 fret Polychrome Triolians.
2267P 2500P 1934, 14 fret Polychrome Triolians.

Walnut Sunburst Triolians 1930-1934.

Number range Year
------------- ----
1W 1800W 1930
1801W 2550W 1931
2551W 3200W 1932
3201W 3350W 1933, 1934

C-series Green/Gray Duolians 1931-1935.

Number range Year
------------- ----
C1 C6000 1931, 1932
C6001 C7250 1933
C7251 C9700 1934, 1935

E-series Duolians (1934 only).

Number range Year
------------- ----
E7200 E7899 1934

No prefix Duolians 1935-1936.

Number range Year
------------ ----
899 3769 1935
3770 6750 1936

R series, Sears-Roebuck Duolians (1931 only).
Five large drilled areas on coverplate instead of the usually 9.

Number range Year
------------ ----
R1 R600 1931

N prefix (1935 only).

O prefix Duolians (1931 only).

Number range Year
------------ ----
O500 O1750 1931

K prefix El Trovador wood body (1933 only).

Number range Year
------------ ----
K300 K555 1933

T prefix Trojan wood body 1934-1937.

Number range Year
------------ ----
T100 T2999 1934-1936
T3000 1937

Z prefix, other wood body Nationals 1934-1936.

Number range Year
------------ ----
Z100 Z2050 1934,1935
Z2051 1936

Serial Numbers, 1936 to 1941 (Chicago series).
From 1936 to 1942, a single series is used for all instruments with different prefix letters.

A-series 1936-1938 (not to be confused with A-series bakelite neck Triolians).

Number range Year
------------ ----
A1 A999 1936
A1000 A6210 1937
A6211 A8550 1938

1937 Duolian with "B" series serial number.

B-series 1936-1937.

Number range Year
------------ ----
B1 B1475 1936
B1476 B3550 1937

C-series 1937-1939 (not to be confused with C-series Duolians of 1931-1935).

Number range Year
------------ ----
C100 C1475 1937
C1476 C4650 1938
C4651 C5750 1939

L-series 1938-1939.

Number range Year
------------ ----
L9800 L10000 1938
L10070 L10199 1939

1934 14 fret open peghead Duolian with
gold frosted Duco finish. This was a special
series "G" serial number that went from
G100 to G200 (approximately). These special
"G" serial numbers were different from
the 1940-1941 "G" series serial numbers.

G-series 1940-1943.

Number range Year
------------ ----
G-100 G-199 1940
200G 4450G 1940, 1941
4451G and up 1942, 1943-1947

The serial number plate as used
on all Valco-made National guitars
from 1940 to 1964. This "X" serial
number designates this as 1956.

Serial Number Plates 1940-1964.
Beginning in 1940, National/Valco serial numbers were on a small oblong metal plate (brass or aluminum). This plate was tacked to the back of the neck with two small brass nails. The following serial numbers apply to all Valco-made National instruments, including lapsteels and guitars. These plates were also put on amplifiers. All Valco-made instruments were numbered this way till 1964. Valco also made instruments for Sears (Silvertone), Montgomery Wards (Airline), Gretsch, Oahu and others. These are numbered with the same metal tag system.

Number range Year
------------ ----
G suffix 1940-1942
V100 V7500 1947
V7500 V15000 1948
V15000 V25000 1949
V25000 V35000 1950
V35000 V40000 1951
X100 X7000 1951
X7000 X17000 1952
X17000 X30000 1953
X30000 X43000 1954
X43000 X57000 1955
X57000 X71000 1956
X71000 X85000 1957
X85000 X99000 1958
T100 T5000 1958
T5000 T25000 1959
T25000 T50000 1960
T50000 T75000 1961
T75000 T90000 1962
G100 G5000 1962
T90000 T99000 1963
G5000 G15000 1963
G15000 G40000 1964

"1-" foil serial number, as used from 1964 to 1968.

Serial Number Stickers 1964-1968.
In 1964, National/Valco replaced the metal serial number plate with a rectangular foil sticker. Stickers have numeric prefixes.

Prefix Year Range
------ ----------
1 1964 to early 1968
2 early to mid 1968