Look for a stamp on the neck block (inside the body where the neck meets the body) or on a label inside the soundhole.
| Code | Factory Location | Typical Era / Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | T | Taiwan | 1980s–1990s (entry/mid-level) | | K | Kakegawa, Japan | High-end acoustics (L, FG Red Label, LL series) | | H or H prefix | Hamamatsu, Japan | Early vintage (1960s-70s) & some electrics | | KH | Kakegawa (acoustics) | Common on 1990s-2000s high-end models | | J or JD | Japan (various) | 1970s–1980s | | S | Saitama, Japan | Vintage electrics (SG, SB series) | | V | China | Current entry-level acoustics | | U | USA (custom shop) | Rare, high-end custom orders | | F | Indonesia | Modern mid-range (FG800 series) | | No letter / Number start | Early Japan (Nippon Gakki) | 1960s–early 1970s (pre-1975) | yamaha guitar serial number
Yamaha used an internal coding system where the years were counted forward from a baseline. Look for a stamp on the neck block