To date a Danelectro guitar, you must know the model name of your guitar, understand the meaning of your instrument's serial number, and determine the time frame in which your specific Danelectro guitar was manufactured.
Locate the serial number on your guitar. It is usually located on the neck pocket, but occasionally the number can be found elsewhere.
Decode your serial number. Most serial numbers on Danelectro guitars have either three or four digits. The first two digits represent the week of the year it was made. For instance, a "12" means it was made in the twelfth week of the year. In a three-digit serial number, the third digit represents the last digit of the year. A "7," for example, could mean it was made in 1957 or 1967. In a four-digit serial number, the third digit is an unknown symbol, while the fourth digit represents the last digit of the year.
To determine the specific year in which your Danelectro guitar was made, you may have to figure out the range of years in which your model was made. For instance, the U3 Danelectro guitars were made between 1957 and 1958. So if you have a Danelectro U3 with a third digit serial number of "7," you know it was built in 1957, not 1967.
Visit www.danguitars.com for dates of manufacture for specific Danelectro guitar models.
If you don't first find the serial number on your guitar, check your instrument thoroughly. The serial number could be anywhere on your guitar.
Be sure to visit www.danguitars.com for a thorough listing of the many variations of Danelectro guitars that were manufactured.