Hi all. I've been messing with these instruments for close to 50 years and I've come across one I can't pin down. I have all the charts/guides to find serial numbers, but this one doesn't fit ANY of them. I'm pretty certain it's mid-late 1990's. It's a Model F60, squareneck, flat peghead, sunburst. The serial number is D3041770...no spaces in the number. I'd appreciate any ideas. Thanks in advance.
Dan, it's a Nashville built Dobro.
After Gibson shut down the Huntington Beach operation in 1997 and moved Dobro to Nashville and resumed production in 1998, they changed the serial number formula that was used at OMI Dobro for many years in California. When Mike Replogle ran Dobro for Gibson after they purchased the company in 1993 until some time in 1997, he continued with the formula.
When Gibson started building in Nashville they changed the prefix to OAI Dobro (Original Acoustic Instruments) and changed the serial number formula to conform to other Gibson stringed instruments.
I have found the formula in the Gruhn Guide to Vintage Guitars and without going into the entire spiel, here are the inportant parts.
The first numeral (3) is the year, and the final numeral (0) is the decade.
So this F-60 was built in 2003.
Why they retained the D for wood body I have no idea since they did not build any metal body Dobros after the company was moved to Nashville. A nod to tradition I guess.
The final U.S. made Dobros were built in 2010 at the Opry Mills facility. When the massive flood on the Cumberland River caused major damage at Opry Mills, Gibson decided not to repair the damage and reopen it and that was the end of American made Dobros. After that the product line was reduced to a few models and have been produced at an Epiphone facility in China ever since.
Thank you very very much! As I mentioned, I’ve got a good handle on the pre-Gibson stuff but not post-Gibson. This info will be super helpful for me…now and as time goes on. Again, thank you very much.
You're welcome Dan! 
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Privacy Consent (EU/GDPR Only)
Copyright 2026 Reso Hangout. All Rights Reserved.
