If you have letters in your serial number, skip to Chart number 3. Start here if your serial number starts with only numbers, no letters. Step #2 Match your serial number with the correct date. They are almost always on either the top of the neck plate (the piece of metal on the back of the guitar near the neck), on the headstock (the top part of the guitar where the strings attach), or close to the body at the bottom of the neck. How To Identify your guitar in 60 seconds.įinding your serial number on your Fender should be very easy. How to figure out (quickly and easily) how much your Fender is worth.Why can’t we nail down the exact year for some models?.Match your serial number with these charts.How to Identify your guitar in 60 seconds.Vintage Guitar Magazines official price Guide.Interested in how much your guitar is worth?įind out your Guitars Value with these E-guides. If we can’t get an exact year, we try to narrow it down the best we can in this article. Note: Unfortunately, some models are not able to be dated due to the serial numbers being made for Fender production and not specifically meant to be for the customer for dating. Grab your guitar and set your timer, because we’re going to figure out what year your guitar was made in just 60 seconds. In 1997, Fender changed the "Made in Japan" decal to say "Crafted in Japan" and then after 2007, Fender Japan switched back to the "Made in Japan".Dating a guitar by Serial Number is easy, as long as you know which serial numbers match which years for each guitar model. Though some examples have the number on the headstock or the neck-plate in certain reissue models. Location: Usually found on the back of the neck near the neck joint. Pictured Above: 1978 Precision Bass Date on Headstock Fender “Made/Crafted in Japan” Fender Serial Numbers Unique Characteristics: Post-76 Fender serial numbers will start with a letter indicating the decade, followed by a number that indicates the year within that decade.ĭecade letter codes: S = 1970s, E = 1980s, N = 1990s, Z or DZ = 2000s Pictured Above: 1973 Telecaster Date on Neck Plate (F Series)įenders with serial numbers located on the headstock: (Front or back of the headstock, depending on the era and model) Models: Telecaster, Broadcaster, Esquire, Precision Bass, Early Stratocasters Years: 1950-1954 ( Fender serial numbers schemes were specific to the model in this period)Ĭonvention: Four-or Five-digit Serial Numbers Fender Serial Number Lookup Guide The Early Years Serial Numbers I can also tell you things that a serial number alone cannot – for example if parts, like pots, pickups and hardware have been replaced or restored. If you would like an appraisal on your Fender guitar or bass, then please get in touch on and I can help you figure it out. This can be done by checking the guitar's features, such as the body shape, pickups, and hardware, and comparing them to the standard specifications for that model and year. Once you have decoded the serial number and determined its age and origin, verifying the information is a good idea. Step 3: Verify the Information and ask an expert The serial number is usually often composed of just numbers, but certain periods of production use letters as a prefix. Identifying Fender Serial Numbers - Where to start Step 1: Look for the Serial Numberįender serial numbers are typically found on the neck plate, bridge plate, or headstock.įender guitar serial numbers can be tricky to decode, so I have provided a ‘ Fender Serial Number Lookup Guide’ below. The serial number alone is not a full-proof guarantee of the year, so matching the instrument's serial with other characteristics and features such as neck and body dates, potentiometer codes and pick-up dates will help confirm this. There are of course some exceptions and anomalies in Fender’s serial number convention, where numbering and lettering differ, for example, artist models, signature series, limited editions, vintage reissue series and other rare models. I have been quite general with this serial number guide, and this mainly applies to standard run instruments, regardless of the country of manufacture. If you’re a vintage guitar collector or player, this article might be extremely useful when buying a Fender guitar or bass, to help determine its age, value and origin.
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