How to Date an Aria Guitar

Aria guitars emerged on the music scene in 1958, with the first electric models appearing five years later. With such a large number of years in production, owners of Aria guitars often want to know what year their guitar was made. Manufacturers included a few clues to help you decide when your Aria was "born."

Locate the serial number on your guitar. If you cannot locate a serial number, chances are your guitar was manufactured before the mid-1970s. Serial numbers will be found on a plate bolted to the back of the guitar's neck on electric models or inside the body of an acoustic model.

Look at the first number of your serial number if one exists. Through 1987, Aria guitars serial numbers represented the year of manufacturer as either the first one or first two digits of the serial number. For example, a guitar made in 1978 might have the first two digits of 78 or the first digit of 8.

Determine whether your guitar's first two digits are 81 or higher. If the digits are 81 or higher, you can likely pinpoint the week the guitar was made. Guitars in this era included the year and week of manufacture as the first four digits. For example, a guitar made in the 10th week of 1988 would have the first four digits of 8810.