Hope this helps and please join Dean Club.When it comes to reading a Martin guitar serial number, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. I'm not really interested in going back further than 1997 though as the Dean instruments made by Tropical music don't do much for me. I am still working on my catalog and brochure collection so I don't have all of the pieces of the puzzle yet, but I'm getting there. This is from a DEAN USA Hillsboro J Prototype made by luthier Jon Hill who worked for Dean at the time for NAMM 2009 They simply say Made in USA and start with a double digit for the model year. I just got word from a Japanese seller on eBay that it was Fujigen Gakki (yes, the same factory that made Japanese F.) The above is from a Dean 2008 Soltero which is probably from one of the Gakki factories in Japan but I don't know that definitively. I've never seen a Japanese Dean Bass, but I have seen Japanese Dean Guitars, so I know there is a letter designation for Japanese Deans. JF letter designation is for Japanese factory models. I think they are made in the Cor-Tek factory like so many Ibanez basses and obviously Cort basses. There doesn't appear to be a letter designation for Indonesian models as they just start out with a double digit for the model year and state they are made in Indonesia.

Next 2 digits are the year made followed by the month and then build

(I am almost absolutely sure they did not use )ġst digit is the year made followed by the month and then buildĪfter that the years are designated with two digits. Serial numbers starting with 7 refers to 1997, 8 refers to 1998, 9 refers to 1999 and 2 refers to 2000. That is what makes me believe yours is a transitional model and hence the different name on the sticker on the back of the headstock.Įlliot 'Dean' Rubinson (Armadillo Enterprises) bought Dean from Tropical Music in 1997. Notice that the pattern on mine and on the catalog pages is horizontal and yours is angled downward like the brochure. The pattern is the same as yours, but the headstock doesn't have the filled in area between the 'prongs' and the fretboard is different in that it has dots and no 'D' Clef insignia. Now look below at this brochure for 1999 at the bottom right of the page.

Notice the catalog pages above show the flame maple pattern as horizontal where yours is angled down toward the outer edge of the bass. I have a 1999 new product brochure that shows sort of your bass with the angled flame pattern (but the controls are different) I think this name change is a transition to the Edge series that later were moved to Korea Click to expand.I meant to say that this is really nice too

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