Roland Serial Numbers

The serial numbers on equipment manufactured by the Roland Corporation tell you the month and year the device rolled off the production line, and how many of that model had been produced. The scheme results in a six digit number that breaks down as follows. The first two digits are the month of manufacture, where month 01 was September 1972. The remaining four digits indicate how many of that model had been produced. So someone somewhere may have a TR-77 (Roland's first model) with either serial number 010001 or 000001 depending on whether Roland started counting production months from one or zero. In November 1980, the two digit production month number wrapped around to zero, and then ran up until 1989. Roland then introduced a new format for their serial numbers.

  1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
Jan - 06 18 30 42 54 66 78 90
Feb - 07 19 31 43 55 67 79 91
Mar - 08 20 32 44 56 68 80 92
Apr - 09 21 33 45 57 69 81 93
May - 10 22 34 46 58 70 82 94
Jun - 11 23 35 47 59 71 83 95
Jul - 12 24 36 48 60 72 84 96
Aug 01 13 25 37 49 61 73 85 97
Sep 02 14 26 38 50 62 74 86 98
Oct 03 15 27 39 51 63 75 87 99
Nov 04 16 28 40 52 64 76 88 00
Dec 05 17 29 41 53 65 77 89 01
  1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Jan 02 14 26 38 50 62 74 86 98
Feb 03 15 27 39 51 63 75 87 99
Mar 04 16 28 40 52 64 76 88 -
Apr 05 17 29 41 53 65 77 89 -
May 06 18 30 42 54 66 78 90 -
Jun 07 19 31 43 55 67 79 91 -
Jul 08 20 32 44 56 68 80 92 -
Aug 09 21 33 45 57 69 81 93 -
Sep 10 22 34 46 58 70 82 94 -
Oct 11 23 35 47 59 71 83 95 -
Nov 12 24 36 48 60 72 84 96 -
Dec 13 25 37 49 61 73 85 97 -

Based on this serial number format my older Roland equipment is dated: