The USA bolt on guitars never followed the same serial number sequence as the neck thru models, which were numbered using the (YYXXX) format with the first two digits being the year, and the last three digits being the production number. These will also have a small "TM" next to the script logo. Once again, the guitar will indicate that it was made in the USA by the "Made In The USA" stamp on the headstock. Class Axe did make some USA instruments of very good quality. Rich instruments and also used the "BCXXXXX" numbering scheme as well as "RXXXXXX" for it’s imported models. Between 19 Class Axe took over production of B.C. The Bolt On guitars serial numbers started with "BC" followed by five digits (BCXXXXX). The neck plates were pre-stamped and pulled out of a box at random when it was time to install the neck onto the guitar or bass. The serial numbers are a bit hard to date because there was no uniform way they were assigned a number at Bernie's original shop. If it is a USA model, it will say "Made In The USA" on the headstock just below or beside the B.C. If a guitar has a number of 89321, for example, it was probably built in 1987, but it could have been assembled a bit earlier or later than 1987. These do not follow the same XXYYY dating scheme as the neck thru models.
The serial number is stamped on a neck plate, and like every other company, when the guitar was being finished, someone grabbed a plate out of the box and put it on in no particular, precise or documented order.
turned the production over to Class Axe in 1989.īolt-neck guitars are less precise for the usual reasons. This gap remained fairly constant until Bernie Sr. By 1981 the numbers were about four years ahead. Although neck-through production never surpassed approximately 2200 guitars a year, as the '80s progressed, the serial numbers continued to get ahead of the actual year. For example, a bass guitar that is documented to have been purchased (not necessarily made) in 1980, bore the serial number #82595. With production growing rapidly by 1980, the serial numbers had gotten about two to three years ahead. In the late '70s as production grew, the serial numbers begin to get ahead of themselves since only 1000 numbers were available in a series. Throughout the '70s, production numbers were low enough that the serial numbers pretty much reflect the year of manufacture. That would make the first guitar of 1974 to have been numbered 74000, followed by 74001, 74002, 74003, etc. Rich in 1974, a system of serial number coding began using a 5-digit code (XXYYY) with the first 2 digits indicating the year and the last 3 indicating the production number.
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