Serial numbers.

[Watchootognbout]

Why is it that some foreign instrument builders do not put serial numbers on their basses.

Last year I bought a Wolf bass from an American seller off of Ebay.This was part of a series of basses shown at the 2014 NAMM show.
It was made by KHL.Co in South Korea.
They make OEM instuments to sell as Wolf,Woodo,HK.and Raven West basses.After they receive these unbranded Wolf basses,they still aren't given a serial.
There are other makers such as Blue Rock that also don't.
Is there no international law concerning serial numbers on foreign goods?

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

These basses are not sold with a serial number because they are expected to be re-badged by the buyers before being sold to the end user.

No serial number.What's that mean? | TalkBass.com

 

[Watchootognbout]

These basses are not sold with a serial number because they are expected to be re-badged by the buyers before being sold to the end user.

No serial number.What's that mean? | TalkBass.com

I wanted an answer from a builder.
And the link you posted IS TO MY THREAD

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I wanted an answer from a builder.
And the link you posted IS TO MY THREAD

The link is to a thread where this was already discussed by the community. There are a lot of informative posts in that thread that are very relevant to the question you posted. The question of "why no serial numbers" is answered in that thread.

The only question that thread does not answer is regarding international law on serial numbers. There are no such laws and I doubt we would ever see such laws in any of our lifetimes. I do not know who would enforce it or what it would possible protect by enacting a standardized serial number process.

 

[Watchootognbout]

The link is to a thread where this was already discussed by the community. There are a lot of informative posts in that thread that are very relevant to the question you posted. The question of "why no serial numbers" is answered in that thread.

The only question that thread does not answer is regarding international law on serial numbers. There are no such laws and I doubt we would ever see such laws in any of our lifetimes. I do not know who would enforce it or what it would possible protect by enacting a standardized serial number process.

The community had their own answers.
And guesses.
Now I'd like a confirmed answer from a qualified builder or distributor.
Preferably someone who is regularly at a NAMM show.

 

[sissy kathy]

OP I sympathize w/your frustration. I fear getting a satisfactory answer will be searching for hens' teeth.

 

[Will_White]

The community had their own answers.
And guesses.
Now I'd like a confirmed answer from a qualified builder or distributor.
Preferably someone who is regularly at a NAMM show.

If you only build unique custom basses there is no reason to add a serial number. In this case they expect the purchaser to add a serial number when they put the branding on.

 

[Hopkins]

Every instrument I build gets a serial number that designates the number of the build and month/year it was built. As for the reason that some imports don't have serial numbers, I have absolutely no way of knowing why they would not put a serial number on them.

 

[20db pad]

I'm not a builder but I did work for a distributor of one one the biggies at one time. Prototypes are sometimes shown at the NAMM show as previews of a new model to be sold later in the year. This is especially true for models that will be made offshore in large lots. These protos are simply showpieces or demos not meant for sale at the time they are built and are not assigned serial numbers. They aren't part of a dedicated production run and don't need to be accounted for in the usual manner. Other non-serialed instruments are the first offshore builds of a large production run used to critique quality before hundreds are made. These instruments can of course be sold to private parties later, but also just stay as internal shop instruments as well.

International law is grey and nebulous, but serial numbers are generally requested by domestic resellers for higher ticket items so they can be identified with certainty for billing, floor plan, and accounting purposes. There are other manufacturers that just don't do serial numbers for supply chain purposes or because it requires record keeping, which is a cost they don't want to incur. This usually applies to lower-cost items in the MI field.

The world of manufacturing and retailing can be weird and full of variables - there's many other reasons merchandise isn't serialized but these are reasons for it that I encountered.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

The community had their own answers.
And guesses.
Now I'd like a confirmed answer from a qualified builder or distributor.
Preferably someone who is regularly at a NAMM show.

OP I sympathize w/your frustration. I fear getting a satisfactory answer will be searching for hens' teeth.

This is SOP for off-shore manufacturing, I do not think it is any different for guitars or basses than it is for electronics or furniture. The item is expected to be re-branded and sold. The importer can serialize the items if they want to keep track of them but that is a big added cost for everybody involved. Considering we are primarily talking about "throwaway" products the added cost just is not worth the investment. There is no point of keeping serials if the answer to any product failure is "send them a new one."

Without speaking Korean or Chinese I doubt you will get any answers from those directly involved, especially not on an open internet forum. It is not in good business form for a company to say "yup, XXX makes our basses and we re-badge them." We know what Cort does from industry insiders, not from Fender, Ibanez or any of Cort's customers.

 

[MrMerrey]

Only certain products will require a serial number. I'm not a luthier however I do work for a medical hardware manufacturer and we are required to serial number some of our products. the rules for doing will be covered by ISO 9001 for musical instruments, but the short answer is there are no rules for musical instruments. A manufacturer can chose to do so for their own QA purposes but that is it. Item that require them are usually either things that are potentially dangerous (Guns/medical equipment), or regulated in someway (Cars/Phones).

ISO 9001 is the place to start but it's not an interesting read.