16-04-2021

Suzuki Guitar Serial Numbers

It has no serial number on the label just the model number. I agree about the wood composition of the body of the instrument and would bet that it is solid wood sound board, I can see the seam line.
Jan 30, 2008 I have a Suzuki guitar which has the following inside. Established 1887 Registered (X) Trademark (X=3 S's making a circle) Suzuki Guitar No. 9 Suzuki Violin Co., LTD Nagoya Japan Inside at the neck is the serial number. This is almost in mint condition and has been kept in a hard case which is dirty but in great condition as well.
This example serial number was the 77th guitar built on July 8 in 1976, 1986 or 1996. At the end of 2001, Kaohsiung changed the 8-digit system into a 3-letter 6-number system. The first 2 letters represent the year. The third letter represents the month.

We have a Suzuki guitar which has been in a corner for years thought it was a throw away children s guitar,still don t know what it may be. Inside says Model 80, SUZUKI GUITAR, Kiso Suzuki Violin Company Japan on a rectangular off white with brown trim paper. No serial number. Outside open head steel strings and a little tag saying made in Japan.

This is a blog dedicated to older Suzuki Guitars. Suzuki Guitars have been around since the early 1900's and have attracted a growing interest by players and collectors alike. Many guitar players own more than one guitar, yet a common story it seems is that the Suzuki guitar is the one played most often, or that stays with them when all others are sold. The company may be known by the generic label 'Suzuki', but there are actually three different Japanese companies that have manufactured guitars under the name of Suzuki during the 50's to the present time - but all having a common ancestry.
Kiso-Suzuki was one company to manufacture guitars in the region of Kiso-prefecture. A company was started in Nagoya too - Suzuki Violin Company, Nagoya manufacturing about the same number of models as Kiso, but with different numbers.

Suzuki Serial Number Lookup

Today, there is a company called 'Suzuki Musical Instrument CO.' and it has no relation to the other Suzuki companies, but was started by Manji Suzuki, whose guitars used to be labelled with the 'M Suzuki' label. Good guitars it seems.
Suzuki in Nagoya, Japan does not manufacture guitars any more,

Guitar Serial Numbers Epiphone

All Suzuki's have had a fairly good-to-excellent reputation and some models are very collectable; one reason is the quality of wood and workmanship; there is also a history of copying from the venerable Martin company, (some story is getting passed around that the copies resulted in a lawsuit by Martin in the 1970's, but apparently is not true according to allexperts.com writer bilrux@aol.com.)

Suzuki Guitar Serial Numbers Doreen

Also, I had a tour of the Martin factory a few years ago and asked the president, Chris Martin, who gave us the tour (super nice guy)about the lawsuit, and he said 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery', or words to that effect.

I've attempted to create some kind of order out of the chaos that exists regarding Suzuki model numbers and dates of manufacture, but the following list is only incomplete. I'm looking for any information re: the models of guitars that were manufactured by this company and the materials used.'

When this goal has been reached, it will be a wonderful day for all of those guitar players around the world who own a Suzuki guitar and have said to themselves, 'I REALLY like this guitar...what is the story behind it?' If you have any information to add to the Suzuki story unfolding here, please submit pictures and/or stories thru the relevant links at the top of the page. If you have any pictures of construction, repair, or modifications, e-mail the pics to me at suzukiguitars@gmail.com and I'll publish them. Just identify the model and describe the pic. Thanks!

Their guitars have printed on the label 'est. 1887' but that date has to do with the the original Masakichi-led company and it's production of violins. The production of guitars by the original SuzukI factory seems to have started,in the early 1900's.
One reference says...
'Masakichi Suzuki was Japan's first violin producer. His father was a samurai moonlighter and made shamisens in Nagoya. Masakichi succeeded his father's craft business that soon failed. In the push for westernization in Meiji, he naturally became interested in shamisen's western counterpart: the violin. In the 1880s, he started to manually produce and sell violins. He founded the Suzuki Violin Factory in 1900. By 1910, his factory was producing 65,800 violins per year. Nagoya became the manufacturing center of string musical instruments...
Masakichi's original company was eventually split into two: Kiso Suzuki and Nagoya Suzuki. They were one company before the 2nd World War. But after the war they were split up into the Suzuki Violin Company (now Kiso Suzuki Violin Company) and Suzuki Violin Manufacturing Company (now Nagoya Suzuki Violin Company). And there the relationship ended. The two companies were headed by sons of Masakichi Suzuki.
Both companies made guitars that commonly have a laminated back or sides, many times the top also is laminated, but the sound, playability, and volume are what makes them so popular. Both Suzukis used a very high grade of laminate and the construction usually shows a high degree of craftmanship. To some players, the neck shape of their guitars is one reason they seem so playable.
Nagoya Suzuki made violins and mandolins, and is still in business making violins, but no guitars. They stopped making them around 1989.
Nagoya Suzuki had a 'Three S' brand of guitar that seems to be consistently very highly valued by everyone that owns one. They also produced an Insignia series of guitars in the 80's that had solid woods used in the manufacture and had more of an electric guitar-type of neck - thinner than a typical acoustic guitar.
There are thousands of players worldwide who would like to know more about their Suzuki guitar. It's a common story that when someone has G.A.S(Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) and needs to let a guitar or two go, the Suzuki is the one that stays behind and can't be replaced. Probably the skill acquired from violin-making and the other instruments played a large role in the good craftsmanship, according to one web source cited previously. It makes sense. Good wood, or good laminate, and good craftsmen, make a good guitar.
If you own a Nagoya Suzuki guitar- congratulations on what you probably already know - that you own a well-crafted and good sounding instrument. One that is still undervalued in the opinion of many players (in other words - a good buy). Maybe you'll hang on to it and see that there is something special about many of their instruments. In any case, as Tetsu said...'Have a nice life with Suzuki guitar.'

Also, if you would like to contribute to the establishment of a knowledgebase about Suzuki Guitars: Please:
:send in your pictures;
:please buy a T-shirt;
:please buy an original piece of artwork based on the Suzuki legacy...:).
Here.... really!........we want to keep the whole principle of an unrecognized humble manufacturer of quality guitars alive for future generations of: players and luthiers!!!!!