Last updated: 5/4/01.
Serial numbers
Hagstrom's numbering system followed the same basic rules troughout the whole production time, contrary to many other manufacturers. Production was divided into batches of 1,000 instruments in which all are of the same type. The three first numbers indicate which batch the instrument belongs to and the following numbers are run numbers. In the seventies, Hagstrom added the prefix 53 to the serial number due to bookkeeping reasons. The serial number is mostly stamped into the neckplate or the output plate.
Serial number on neckplate. Photo: Anders Westerberg.
The Bälgdraget association has published a book that lists all the serial numbers with model description and production year. It can be ordered from the Hagstrom Official Web Site. The book is written in swedish but a translation of the foreword follows here:
FOREWORD
This book lists guitars in all the batches that was produced by AB Albin Hagstrom between 1958-1981 and is based on notes from accurate filled in batch cards, deliviry schedules and order books. The material has kindly been made available by president Karl Erik Hagstrom. The book has been divided into the following groups of instruments:
1. Electric guitars
2. Electric basses
3. Semi-acoustic guitars
4. Semi-acoustic basses
At production, each instrument was given a six, seven or eight digit production number. The first three digits are the batch number. The remaining digits are the run number of the instrument. In most bathces, 1000 instruments were produced, then a new batch was started. From batch number 888-, as stock books were gradually transfered from a manual to punch card based accounting system, the prefix '53' can be found, i.e. 53888-, 53895- and so on.
Each group of instruments is shown in two different tabular statements, on one hand a table with batch numbers, model designation, production year and the total numbers produced, on the other hand a table with production year, number of annual production and batch number. (the prefix, number of the instrument, color and equipment variations have been left out. From batch number 912- this information in the book is only based upon the batch cards). - Note that the batch numbers of the instruments do not run unbroken. That's because accordions, amplifiers and other products that were produced along with the guitars and basses was included in the running batch numbering system.
All instruments were not delivered. Some have been used as exhibition objects, others have been used for tests and product development. The total number of string instruments produced were:
Electric guitars 158 batches = 78 489
Electric basses 93 batches = 32 090
Semi-acoustic guitars 33 batches = 15 060
Semi-acoustic basses 4 batches = 2 899
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In total: 288 batches =128 538
Compiled in 1994 by "Bälgdraget"
- an association of former Hagstrom employees.
Translated in 1999 by Anders Westerberg and Jon Casselman.
N.B. The term production number is what commonly is called serial number.
Batch number + run number = production number.
Format of production number:
(XX) YYYZZZ(Z)
XX= prefix (from batch number 888- and on, always '53')
YYY= batch number
ZZZ(Z)= run number (four digits used
if more than 1000 instruments were produced in a batch)