Michael kelly guitar serial number lookup
From the Standard “Decree” to the “Instinct” Custom, there is something here for every player who seeks a modern design. Like most of the Michael Kelly range, these guitars have beautiful exotic woods, custom pickups, and a great modern appearance. The Patriot range is a line of single-cutaway archtop guitars that are a hat-tip to Paul Reed Smith electrics. The guitars are loaded with custom pickups, feature exotic woods, and have a beautiful modern, yet classic look and feel. The 1960s line features a range of guitars that have classic Stratocasters at the heart of their design, with all the trimmings you’d want in a modern guitar. All the models in this range feature a beautiful exotic wood top with a countered arm cut, and master volume and tone controls. Michael Kelly guitars have taken these classic designs and aesthetics and added modern appointments to make a classic-looking guitar with a modern feel and tone. The 50s and 60s are often referred to as the golden era of guitar making, with guitars like Fender Stratocasters and Gibson Les Pauls coming to the forefront of electric guitars and making the instruments accessible to every player. There’s really something for everyone, no matter your taste or playing style.Īll these lines have 5-10 models, from more affordable standard instruments to premium guitars that can hold their own with some of the best brands around. Michael Kelly Guitars has 4 different guitar lines in its electric range, from the vintage-themed 1950s range to the unique hybrid range. Let’s take a deeper look into some of the instruments the company has to offer.
By 2001, Michael Kelly Guitars introduced its electric and acoustic guitar lines, which have since evolved and become revered around the world. This became the “Dragonfly” series - a line of basses and mandolins that swiftly became hard to get. These were the two markets where musicians couldn’t easily find high-quality instruments that were not too hard on their wallets. These were made on the same line as the Gibsons and are essentially a Gibson A5-G with possibly different fret size, shorter fingerboard extension, and a different name on the peghead.When the company first launched, it only offered mandolins and acoustic basses. So I think this is a sleeper deal in the age of instrument price inflation. Also-and I could be wrong here-every 1981 Flatiron I've seen was a pancake and looked nothing like this mandolin. Needless to say, Flatiron wasn't putting "The Gibson Master Model" on its labels in 1981. I'll post some picture of my mandolin in a bit. So S/N 81016019 was made October 16, 1998, the first one of the day.Īpart from all that, my main mandolin is a 1999 Flatiron A and it looks just like the one at the Pickin' Parlor, except the one they had has a DIY fingerboard extension removal. The next four digits are the month and day, then the next two are the number produced that day. The Nashville Gibson-era Flatirons (1998?-2001?) serial numbers follow this pattern: last digit of the year first and first digit of the year last. It says "The Gibson Master Model" (you can barely make it out but it's there). Zoom in on the label in the second picture. This A model was finished in January 1981 and is serial number 6019. The last four digits are the actual serial number. The pre-Gibson Flatiron numbers started with the first two digits denoting the year, and the next two digits indicating the month it was finished. It says “The Gibson Master Model.” It was made on October 16, 1998. Flatiron banjos ceased production at the time of the sale other than the finishing of uncompleted instruments. Interestingly, mandolin production moved to Nashville in the early 1990s while the Bozeman, MT site became where Gibson Acoustic guitars were made.
I talked to Steve Carlson the day after he finalized the sale to Gibson. Not arguing that there are great mandos-they are. That is actually a 1981 and made by Backporch Productions seven years before being acquired by Gibson. A good deal on a "professional" US-made A style. This is actually a 1998 Flatiron, when they were made on the same line as Gibsons.