Dating Alembics by Serial Number
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Serial Number Guide

The first two digits of the serial number are the year the instrument was completed. The code letter tells you the model. The next group of numbers must be from two to five digits and is the number of the instrument. Thus 94H8692 is an Elan bass completed in 1994 and is the 8692nd instrument was made. We started with number 1 in 1972 and when an instrument is finished, it received the next number, regardless of model. Any "A" or "B" after number is on the rare occasion that we duplicate a number. Hey, even we make mistakes.

Where to find serial number:

New Instruments - stamped on the truss rod cover and in the electronics cavity.

Older Instruments - stamped directly on the ebony fingerboard below the 24th fret.

Oldest instruments - stamped on the top of the peghead.

Epics and Orions - stamped in the back of the peghead and in the electronics cavity.
Note: The oldest Epics have the serial number in the electronics cavity only.