Japanese tribute as at bass s/n ?

Hi everybody, it's been years and I'm so glad this forum is still here. I just picked up an ASAT bass made in Japan. I was told it was made exclusively for the Japnese market, and that ASAT tribute basses are not released anywhere else. iOS has the skunk stripe on the back of the neck and two strap buttons on the bridge side of the bass. I looked on GBL site and found a Japanese tribute s/n chart which left me scratching my head . My s/n = 9110048. The GBL chart says "YYMXXXX" (1991, January, #48), or "YMMXXXX" (1989, November , #48). Question #1, if it's the first serial number...what if the bass was made after September ? Question #2, if it's the second serial number... Would it be 1989? Or 1999?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qbw3usnz9gffq ... m.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g1ttw5t6ak13o ... m.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nnby40s3riw84 ... m.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nnby40s3riw84fd/photo%20jul%2004%2C%203%2024%2052%20pm.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g1ttw5t6ak13osf/photo%20jul%2004%2C%2012%2016%2023%20am.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qbw3usnz9gffqdy/photo%20jun%2027%2C%202%2048%2028%20pm.png?dl=0

Last edited by 89skyhawk on Sat Jul 04, 2015 4:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hi George,

Well, 1989 can be excluded because the Tribute was not introduced that early. This post seems tho indicate Japanese Tribute predated the Tribute Series introduced for the US market in 2003 (which took at least 2 years to set up the Korean factory.) With that information is seems it could be a November '99. My best guess.

- Jos

I wish I could speak Japanese, I'd call somebody over there. What you said makes since. The guy I bought it from , Japanese American , said that they were making tributes in Japan before tributes were released in the USA. He bought thru eBay and paid the shipping / customs...?!. Thank you Jos.

I think the Japanese s/n system needs another digit. What happens when 2009 rolls around? You wouldn't be able to tell 1999 from 2009 from 2019. In other words why only one digit for year and two digits for month?

I think the Japanese s/n system needs another digit. What happens when 2009 rolls around? You wouldn't be able to tell 1999 from 2009 from 2019. In other words why only one digit for year and two digits for month?

George,

As far as I know, Tributes are no longer produced in Japan so provisioning for 2009 and/or 2019 is moot. Currently it's Indonesia after they made them a couple of years in Korea. There is apparently a line of guitars called G&L Premium built in Japan which allegedly sits between the Tribute and USA made models. I have no clue how the S/N for that line looks like.

- Jos