The Kay Guitar Company manufactured guitars from the late 1920s. The guitars were generally made for department store chains such as Sear's and J.C. ID Method 1: Production/Serial Number Check to see if there is a number printed inside the guitar body. This number seems to be linked to a production code rather than an actual serial number, but it still may be useful for identification.
Most will be 5 to 6 digits in length, but the earliest examples feature 4 digit serial numbers. There should be a space after the 1st digit with the 4 and 5 digit serial numbers, and no space with the 6 digit numbers. The 1st digit indicates the year of manufacture for the 4 & 5 digit serial numbers, these were used from 1989-1999. PRS Serial Identification Numbers. Year Identification / Serial Numbers Excerpt from The PRS Guitars Book, written by Dave Burrluck Serial Number Year-Code Prefix. All guitars and basses have serial numbers which start with a year prefix. The prefix is the last one or two digits of the production year, and it applies to all models below.
ID Method 2: Source-code ID Source-code identification is another way to identify your guitar. Look for a six- or seven-number code stamped into the pots.
The last three or four numbers will tell you the year and week of production for that pot. Knowing the year the pot was made can help you better estimate the year the guitar was manufactured (see Resources). ID Method 3: Online Catalogs Research product catalogs. For a small fee, you can access online Kay Guitar catalogs from the 1950s to the 1990s (see Resources). ID Method 4: Vintage guitar collector Contact a Vintage guitar collector with the make and model of your guitar.
ID Method 5: Visual ID Browse through photos of Kay Guitars to visually identify your make and model. Most online collections are categorized by year and model (see Resources).
Dear Axe Central. I have been doing my research on PRS serial numbers pre factory etc but i am at a bit of a loss. I do collect guitars mostly acoustic, Taylor etc however i live in Qatar in the Middle east, and last saturday the local Rugby Club here raffles off guitars (please this is not a joke), i bought one raffle ticket which cost me around 8 dollars and won the guitar.
Its a red maple (i think) and from what ive read its from 1992 pre factory. Now this guitar is nice, but its really not my thing. Just wondered if theres any experts on PRS that may be able to shed a bit of history on this guitar.
There was no case with the guitar but i have a few photos, thanks Rich. Hi thank you very much for your reply. Ive just taken some better photos attached, theres no bolt on neck, glued or through maybe, there are a couple of things that dont quite ring true. The PRS signature at the top some of it looks missing 2. After a lengthy 2 hrs of research!
I have determined that the date may well be 1992 however approximate dates on some websites state that 15001 to 17001 is 1993 however the serial number is clearly marked 2 15799 3. Grover tuners are these normal? Not sure on model name but it maybe comparing to others a Custom 22? Very sorry for the vagueness not an expert on electrics by any stretch of the imagination The guitar is near mint condition, but came without a case. Thanks for your time, i look forward to your reply, regards Rich.
Hi, i emailed PRS and this is the reply, are you still able to help RE valuation of said guitar? Thaanks in advance, regards Rich Hi Rich, Thank you for writing PRS Guitars. Unfortunately our database is somewhat limited in the information it provides for older models and I only have a few specs for your guitar. It does appear to be a Custom 22 with a maple “10” top in a Black Cherry finish with Dragon pickups.
It was more than likely made in late ’92 so it could make the lineup and ship in ’93. I hope you find this information helpful. Thank you for your continued support of PRS Guitars. Matt King Paul Reed Smith Guitars Customer Service 380 Log Canoe Circle Stevensville, MD 21666.