Question Anyone Know the First Production Day of the EBMM VH Guitars?

[Tobin31]

Hi Everyone,

I have a Red EBMM Van Halen model that according to the serial number puts the production date at July 9th, 1991.

I had a friend of mine recently tell me that he owned a Pink model that was the 4th Pink model ever made and his production date was around July 6th, 1991. I am wondering just how early my Red example is.

The serial number is: 80134

Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!

Tobin

 

[Sweat]

Google Ai states 1991 for production start

 

[kimonostereo]

Using the serial number tool 80134 = July 9th, 1991

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Trying a lower number (not my serial) yielded the following:

Serial #080001
ManufacturedJanuary 1st, 1991
ModelGUITAR VAN HALEN BLACK TRANSLUCENT

 

[Stevie]

Only 133 EVH guitars made between 1 January 1991 and July 9 1991? Seems strange.

Oddly, I found this one today, manufactured one day before Kimono's search yet 37 "manufactured guitars" apart:

Serial #	080097
Manufactured	July 8th, 1991
Model	GUITAR VAN HALEN BLACK TRANSLUCENT

Serial Number:

 

[dibart77]

Only 133 EVH guitars made between 1 January 1991 and July 9 1991? Seems strange.

Oddly, I found this one today, manufactured one day before Kimono's search yet 37 "manufactured guitars" apart:

That's not surprising to me. EBMM was a very small operation when they started making the EVH. They were in a very small factory (compared to today's factory) and only had the capacity to produce a couple guitars per day. And at EBMM, they were never manufactured in perfect serial number order. There's a box of pre-engraved neck plates and they reach in the box and grab one. They were never (and still aren't) precious about it. I have many EBMM guitars where if you sort the spreadsheet by serial number, the dates are NOT in order.

 

[kimonostereo]

That's not surprising to me. EBMM was a very small operation when they started making the EVH. They were in a very small factory (compared to today's factory) and only had the capacity to produce a couple guitars per day. And at EBMM, they were never manufactured in perfect serial number order. There's a box of pre-engraved neck plates and they reach in the box and grab one. They were never (and still aren't) precious about it. I have many EBMM guitars where if you sort the spreadsheet by serial number, the dates are NOT in order.

Yeah, it's hard to imagine, but it's true. When EVH started working with EBMM, there were very few models offered at the time. I also recall after the EVH guitars they struggled to keep up with demand for a while. I'm not sure how many EBMM dealers there were in the early 90's, but my local guitar shop (in Honolulu, Hawaii) had around 4 or 5 of them when they first came out and looking back on it now, that seems pretty amazing.