Yamaha Electone dating guide.
Debut 1959, digital from ~1980 — dated by model and era, not by charts.
The Electone debuted commercially as the D-1 in 1959 and grew into the largest home-organ line in the world. Yamaha never published public serial charts — the owner's manuals only show a "NAME PLATE LOCATION" diagram. So Electone dating runs on the model code and the generation: theatre-organ voicing up to 1983, digital instruments from around 1980, fully digital today. Yamaha service can confirm a date from the serial on request.
No model-by-model serial tables
Yamaha Electone never published serial charts — and no verifiable community table exists. This page is a working dating guide: era markers, plate location and component date codes. The general dating guide covers the component-code route.
Where the serial number lives
- Name plate with model, serial and power data — underside or back of the instrument (see the diagram in your model’s owner’s manual, section "NAME PLATE LOCATION").
Era markers
| Era | Years | What it means on the instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Analog / theatre voicing | 1959–1983 | Debut D-1; specs read like a small theatre organ — tibia-like flutes, strings 8′/4′, reeds 16′/8′ |
| Digital era | ~1980–today | Chips, displays and "digital" on the panel |
Model catalogue
20 documented models — 19 with published production years (observed 2026-10-12). Years are catalogue-derived; models without published years are listed as placeholders.
| Model | Years | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha 'E-T' prototype | 1958–1959 | Prototype | prototype concept from 1958 that became the Electone |
| Yamaha Electone D-1 | 1959– | Home organ | commercial debut model (1959) |
| Yamaha EM-6 prototype | 1959– | Prototype | single-stage keyboard prototype using transistor technology |
| Yamaha E series (single keyboard, one octave of pedals) | 1960–1963 | Home organ | launched around JPY 128,000, used mostly by students, discontinued 1963 |
| Yamaha high-end analog Electone (JPY 647,000 class) | 1962– | Console | highest-end Electone model of its time (1962 launch price) |
| Yamaha F-1 (pipe-organ style) | 1964–1979 | Console | Electone's first 'pipe organ' model, built for 15 years; launch price around JPY 2,200,000 |
| Yamaha Electone D-2B | 1967– | Home organ | export to the United States began with the D-2B in 1967 |
| Yamaha EX-21 | 1968– | Stage | known as the first Electone stage model |
| Yamaha stage Electone (space-age design) | 1970– | Stage | first stage model with a 'space age' design, successor to the EX-21; first Electone to use ICs although still analog |
| Yamaha FE / FX series (FC/FE/FS/FX) | 1983– | Era | introduced 1983 and marked the transition to digital; before 1983 Electone specs were closer to a 'small theatre organ' (Tibia-like flute, 8'/4' strings, 16'/8' reeds) |
| Yamaha ME series (ME-15 ... ME-600) | 1985–1989 | Portable | small compact series from ME-15 to ME-600, discontinued 1989 (ME-600 retailed around JPY 580,000) |
| Yamaha HS / HX series (HA/HC/HE/HK/HS/HX) | 1987– | Era | first Electone series to use AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) sampling for voices and rhythms |
| Yamaha EL series (EL-90, EL-900) | 1991–2010 | Era | EL-900 (1998) added VA (Virtual Acoustic) voices |
| Yamaha AR-100 / AR-80 | 1995–1997 | Console | designed for the US and European market, reverted to a traditional cabinet design, AWM voices only (AR-80 released 1997) |
| Yamaha Stagea | 2004– | Era | Stagea series launched in 2004 |
| Yamaha Stagea ELB-01 / ELB-01K | 2005–2006 | Portable | student/children Stagea model; ELB-01K came later in 2006 |
| Yamaha Stagea ELS-02 series | 2014– | Era | launched April 2014: Super Articulation voices, 900+ AWM sounds, 96 VA voices, 566 accompaniments |
| Yamaha Stagea ELC-02 | 2016– | Portable | launched 2016 as a replacement for the Stagea D-Deck (DDK-7) |
| Yamaha Stagea ELS-03 series | 2026– | Era | launched January 2026: 61-note lower keyboard, second expression pedal as standard, 9-inch display |
| Yamaha Electone serial chart (honest no-data) | — | Note | no public Electone serial/date table exists (same class of gap as Yamaha brass): dating runs on model and tech era |
What it is worth
- Electones trade on the used home-organ market; the model code and generation decide value, the serial number rarely adds anything.
Frequently asked
Is there any Yamaha Electone serial chart?
No public one exists. The reliable route is the model code plus the era brackets here, or Yamaha service by request.
My Electone has a Leslie kit number in the docs — why?
Leslie made dedicated connector kits for Yamaha organs (kit numbers in the 72xx/79xx range), which is also a useful era marker.