Serial-numbers of ARTWOODS from 1978 to 1983

[telstar]

For those who like to see documentation of TAMA acoustics, here are some links:

http://t3-kundenserver.de.dedi661.your-server.de/htmlpages/redasys/_core/databases/t_meinl-uploads/1976_acoustics_german_pricesheet.pdf

http://www.t3-kundenserver.de/htmlpages/redasys/_core/databases/t_meinl-uploads/1976_tama_classic___dreadnought_guitars.pdf

http://www.t3-kundenserver.de/htmlpages/redasys/_core/databases/t_meinl-uploads/1977_tama_artist_guitars.pdf

http://www.t3-kundenserver.de/htmlpages/redasys/_core/databases/t_meinl-uploads/1977_tama_craftsmen-made_guitars.pdf

http://t3-kundenserver.de.dedi661.your-server.de/htmlpages/redasys/_core/databases/t_meinl-uploads/1978_tama___ibanez_acoustic_guitars.pdf

[Jdrasberry]

Here is another AW-60 serial number to add to your list.  0305074 is on the neck inside the sound hole. 

It has an under saddle pickup with the jack out the end pin.  Two minor inch long cracks starting on the spruce top that have since closed up and virtually disappeared, neither went all the way through.  One dime sized gouge in the back, not too deep.  It appears to me that he has medium strings on it with pretty high action up the neck. The truss rod was so loose it should have rattled.  No fret buzz anywhere, nice straight neck.  A really good twist to tighten the truss rod moved the action down to very playable. 

I got it last month off of Craigs list from someone in San Mateo, CA.  He had owned the guitar since he bought it in the early 80's.  It pretty much blew him away that I was willing to pay for packing and shipping to get the guitar to me in Colorado.  I actually gave him more than enough money for the packing and shipping.  So he really thought I was nuts for paying him more money for the guitar than he wanted. LOL

Here are the four photos he had on his ad.

[Jdrasberry]

Here are the other three.

[chazmo]

Added Jdraspberry and Joopr entries to the list:

First Series:

ARTWOOD AW-70DM  ( 0103119) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-95  - - ( 0103264) - Netherlands
ARTWOOD AW-60  - - ( 0305074) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-70  - - ( 0305127) - Japan
ARTWOOD AW-60  - - ( 0608045) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-75  - - ( 0810098) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-60  - - ( 0911070) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-160 - - ( 8010055) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-120 - - ( 8010060) - Germany
Tama TW07          - - (81001145) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-60  - - (90507021) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-90  - - (90507269) - U.K.
ARTWOOD AW-60  - - (90810100) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-60DM  (91012032) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-70  - - (91012118) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-70LT -  18th of 120 (91101225) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-70LT -  24th of 120 (91101228) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-70LT -  29th of 120 (91101279) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-70LT -  23rd of 120 (91101292) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-70LT - 105th of 120 (91101300) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-70 (I think this is an AW-60) (91202049) - Netherlands

********************************************
Second Series:

ARTWOOD AW-30 (81090239D) - Germany
ARTWOOD AW-30 (81120151D) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-20 (82070008D) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-20 (82070029D) - U.S.A.
ARTWOOD AW-30 (83060168D) - Germany

********************************************

[Francosis]

I'm looking for info on my Artwood AW-100 and figured this would be the best place to start.  Here are a few pics:





The serial number is 84050164D. Reading through this thread it would appear that this is a 1984 model however I cannot find anything in the Ibanez catalogs that would indicate that Artwoods were produced in 1984.  It has the inlaid pickguard and the back and sides are Rosewood with an inlaid stripe down the middle of the back.  Any ideas?

[TAMA-FAN]

Hallo, Francosis.

Welcome to the forum. It is a very nice guitar, your AW 100.
But I think, this is not the right thread. Your guitar is probably not a series I AW.
Did you took a look at this side ? http://kreativ-lab.de/artwood/images/1979/1979_aw_1_01.jpg
That shows the series I

Or does your guitar look more like this?
http://kreativ-lab.de/artwood/images/1984/1984_85_1_02.jpg

You should open a new thread with the same text and the same pictures and I'm sure you will get some answers to your questions.

So, I think, yours is a series 2 AW actually from 1984 but I'm not the expert here.

Best wishes..........manni

[chazmo]

Francosis,

Yup, the serial number indicates that it was built in 1984.  I see this guitar in the 1985 catalog from the German Meinl site.  You can tell from the headstock with the A/W inlay that this isn't a series I or II, by the way...  Ibanez sure made it confusing when they re-used some of the numbers from the earlier series.  Anyway, no matter.

According to the catalog, you have a solid spruce top and an ovangkol body, and rosewood fingerboard and bridge.  Body and sides are likely laminated wood, but we're never too sure from the catalogs.

Yours looks to be in terrific condition.  Do you like it?

[Francosis]

Thanks for the help guys, looks like everything's cleared up now! 

I love the guitar chazmo.  It has aged fantastically and I can tell that with such great build quality this thing should last forever. 

[TAMA-FAN]

Hello, friends

today I took a look on the Tama forum and found 2 new members there.
They were so nice to tell the serial-no's  of their Tama-guitars.

I  write them down here. Hope it brings a little more light into the listing.

3568 and the serial No. is 6086878 bought new March 2, 1977,

3553 in the 70s Ser.#  5041571.
It seems we have the code, don't we? Y/M/no.
Btw-> does anybody know how many pieces of the AW series I ever had been build?
Or how many of the Tamas in that few years?

What do you think 1,000 -- 5,000 -- 10,000 

[chazmo]

Manni,

It's great to have some more numbers for the Tama list.

I am reasonably convinced that the first digit of all of the serial numbers we've looked at here (except the 1973 Tama) is the year of production, as you suggested.  It seems that the 8-digit codes were introduced for Tamas in 1977.  What I can't figure out is why Hoshino would've gone back and forth between 7-digit and 8-digit codes during the series I Artwood production run.  But, they did.  One of my Owari Asahi Artwoods has a 7 digit serials, and one has an 8-digit number. 

I can't see any strong evidence about the month part of it, Manni, regarding the 7-digit numbers.  If we go by that, then the AW-120 and -160 on our list would be from January of 1978, which I think is too early.  But maybe not...  maybe those special Artwoods were the first to be produced in 1978; it's possible.

[BCy2k]

I'll add both my Tama SN's to the mix if it helps:

My 3563 Renaissance is: 5031496 - it's supposed to be a '75 so it seems that's what the 5 might represent. The 1970 part being assumed.

My 3560-12 is: 6035307 - again, I'm thinking the 6 makes it a 1976 build.

Like Manni - I'd be very interested to learn how many of what were built - particularly of the early Tamas like mine.

[chazmo]

Cheers, BC.  Yup, I agree.

Note, I edited my post above about 7- vs. 8-digit serials maybe indicating a change in factory.  No.  I have one of each, both with Owari Asahi labels.  The question remains why they did that, but it seems reasonable to use the first digit as a year code.

Assuming that, it's my 1979 AW-60 that has the 8-digit label, and my 1980 AW-75 that has 7 digits.

[noebobo]

Hello,
I found this thread and have a model not yet listed.  I have an AW40TV as seen in the 82/83 catalog.  It was purchased from the Guitar Center in Arlington, Texas in 1986 but is a 1982 model, serial number 82030275D.  At the time, the dealer stated that only 600 were made of this model.  Not sure how accurate this is but I have rarely seen any for sale.  It has a solid spruce top with solid flame maple sides and back even though the catalog does not mention solid sides and back - traditional violin finish. It lives in San Francisco now. Peace!

[chazmo]

Welcome aboard, noebobo.  Yours is what we call a "series II" model.  It's looking like all the series II serials we have indicate that these were built in the "D" factory.  Yours was probably built in March of 1982.

I'm afraid we don't have any production numbers on any of these guitars.  Only the series I limited editions had that info on their labels.  I wish we had a contact at Hoshino in Japan that could research that info for us.  The number quoted by the GC employee could be accurate/close, noebobo, but we have no way to verify it.  In any case, you're right that you don't see a lot of these for sale (not that we see a lot of any of these)...

It's uncertain if any of the AW-30, -40, or -50 had solid back/sides.  I remember having to look very closely at my M-310 of the same era to determine that it was actually a laminate.  It wouldn't surprise me if your AW-40 were solid, but look very closely along the back and sides for an inconsistency in the grain.  Below is my M-310, where you can clearly see where the boards were cut right where the braces taper.  The outside back is seamless bookmatch, BTW.

[noebobo]

I stand corrected.  You are right Chazmo.  Mine is laminate also.  I was going on the word of a previous seller more than my own investigation. Thanks.