Different serial # for overseas guitars?

[Mikeymac]

When I was in Japan visiting my kids/grandkids a couple weeks ago, I ran across this Larrivee in a second hand store not too far from my kids' house.

It's a D-03 with serial number 02087 on the paper label inside (I didn't think to get a picture of the serial # on the neck block...). That's an odd serial number for this guitar, since my '92 Larrivee (at least several years older) has a serial # of 128xx.

Anyone know how serial numbers work for overseas guitars?

The price is around $375 USD. It's been played hard, but still is a solid guitar. I wanted to buy it and fix it up for my son-in-law (who gave away his Aria a while back and now just plays my daughter's Larrivee parlor), but they just don't have room for another instrument in their tiny Japanese duplex (also home to two small children!).

Pics...

[flatlander]

Hmm. Odd. Definitely way too low a number for standard numbering.

[J M Larrivée]

Year 68 -77 • last two digits of year on label
1977 early years only 4 digits stamped on headblock XXXX
Early 80's thru 90's, two digit Series followed by up to five digit serial number XX XXXX
First generation 02's & 03's are ink stamped four digits on headblock XXXX
Early 2000's two digit series is dropped and only serial number is stamped XXXXX thru XXXXXX
Today its all lazered up Series, Model, and serial number.

[Mikeymac]

Thanks, John.

So, I didn't get the # from the headstock - I'm assuming it would be the same as the # on the label.

Went back and read the serial number instructions more carefully on the Larrivee website, and found this:

"First generation 03 Series serial numbers may also be ink stamped on a white label."

So I put in the serial number from the label and it worked! Guitar was built in July 1997.

Not a big deal, as I didn't buy it - I just found it curious.

[Mikeymac]

When the -03 series was introduced in 1997 they had their own separate serial number range.

My 1998 OM-03R is 04620 for example,
My wife's OM-03 is 03694

Yes, this is what threw me...