Here is a nearly comprehensive list of Fender serial numbers for Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters, and Jaguars made from 1950 until the 1980s. Keep in mind that Fender serial numbers are not necessarily consecutive and the plates are easily swapped out using only a screwdriver. You can begin to date your Fender guitar by checking the serial number, then move on to the model specific pages for a more thorough view on the year your guitar was made.
How to read Fender serial numbers: The most common place to find them is on the back of the guitar where the neck joins the body. The square metal plate is called the neck plate. The second most common place will be at the top of the neck called the head stock, or in the middle of the body where the strings attach called the bridge plate. Preceding V serial numbers are modern reissues beginning in 1982, not vintage guitars. L serial numbers were likely made between 1963 and 1965. Numbers with a preceding - or 0 were likely made during 1957 or 1958.
Fender serial numbers from 1950 until 1955 are different than later numbers in that they are model or style specific. The Broadcaster, Esquire, and Telecaster have one set, the Precision Bass its own set, and the Stratocaster an entirely different set. I am looking for nice examples of each model of Fender guitars made in the 1950s. Let me know if you're considering selling one a Stratocaster, Telecaster, or Precision Bass from this time period: Sell a Fender .
How To Date Your Fender Guitar: Serial Numbers Neck Dates & Components
Fender began stamping serial numbers on the metal plate on the back of the body in 1954. This serial number range is appropriate for dating Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters from 1958 onward, and Jaguars from 1962 on. Remember that the plates are easily swapped for another plate using only a screwdriver, so it's only the first step in dating a vintage Fender guitar. If your neck plate has a serial number with more than six digits then it was not made in the 1950s or 1960s. Some of the earliest Stratocasters have a four digit serial number on the white plastic tremolo plate cover on the back of the body. I am looking for Fender guitars in the following serial number range so you can contact me here to sell a Fender guitar .
Fender serial numbers preceded by an L: Fender guitars made between 1963 and 1965 have a letter L preceding the serial number. The actual year of manufacture can range wildly during this time period, so it's important to check the model specific pages to accurately date Fender guitars with L serials.
Fender serial numbers with large F underneath: Leo Fender sold his company to CBS in 1965. The new owners instituted a mostly consecutive serialization system comprised of 6 digits and a large stylized F underneath. The F neck plate style was the location of Fender serial numbers from 1965 until 1976.
Leo Fender Signed 1965 Check W/ 1965 Fender Guitar Course Certificate
Fender began applying the serial numbers to the headstock instead of the neck plate in 1976. The serial number scheme usually began with a letter prefix to indicate the decade then a series of numbers. An S indicates 1970s, E indicates 1980s, and N = 1990s. The first digit after the prefix usually indicates the year but there is plenty of overlap. While the first two digits following the letter prefix is supposed to be the year it was made, some were made the following year or even 2 years after. I recommend dating these guitars with the neck date and potentiometer codes.
E.g. E2 xxxxx = 1982 . There is much overlap during this period, so the serial number is only a ballpark estimate. It's best to use potentiometer codes for a more accurate date.
Fender introduced a new US Vintage series in 1982 using a serial number system consisting of a letter V prefix and four or five following digits. We recommend dating these guitars using the neck heel and potentiometer codes instead of the serial numbers. Some of the earliest US Vintage series Stratocasters can be considered by many players to be vintage collectible guitars at this point.
Vintage Early 80s Fernandes Telecaster Guitar L Series Fender Headstock Seymour
The 1980s were a strange decade for the Fender company. The quality of imported guitars rose quickly so Fender began marketing less expensive Fender branded guitars manufactured in Japan. Fender's parent company sold the brand in 1984 to a group of investors and closed the Fullerton factory. All Fender guitars were made in Japan from the Fullerton plant closing in 1984 until the Corona plant began operations in 1986.
Fender opened the Ensenada, Mexico factory in the late 1980s. Serial numbers for these guitars have an M prefix followed by a letter to indicate the decade. For more information on these guitars check out Ensenada from Fuzzfaced. When was my Fender instrument made? It’s a common question we get at The Music Zoo. If you have a Fender in your hands, you can use this guide to precisely date your Fender instrument all the way back to 1950. Information on Japanese and Mexican-made instruments is included towards the bottom. This information is courtesy Fender.com, republished here for your convenience. Hit the jump to see just how old that guitar or bass really is.
Most notably, production dates have been penciled or stamped on the butt end of the heel of the neck of most guitars and basses, although there were periods when this was not consistently done (1973 to 1981, for example) or simply omitted. Neck-dating can be useful in determining the
Gear] American Fender Strat Check
Age of a guitar, but it is certainly not definitive because the neck date simply refers to the date that the individual
Given the modular nature of Fender production techniques, an individual neck may have been produced in a given year, then stored for a period of time before being paired with a body to create a complete guitar, perhaps, for example, in the following year. Therefore, while helpful in determining a
Most specifications for a given Fender instrument model change little (if at all) throughout the lifetime of the model. While there have been periods of dramatic change—such as the transition periods between the Leo Fender years and the CBS years or the transition between the CBS years and the current ownership—most models are generally feature-specific and do not change from year to year.
Under The Hood #7: Fender Guitars Dating And Serial Numbers
Serial numbers are also helpful in determining an instrument’s production year. For years, serial numbers have been used in various locations on Fender instruments, such as the top of the neck plate, the front or back of the headstock and the back of the neck near the junction with the body. Serial numbers were stamped on the back vibrato cover plate on early ’50s Stratocaster® guitars, and on the bridge plate between the pickup and the saddles on some Telecaster® guitars.
But once again, due to Fender’s modular production methods and often non-sequential serial numbering (usually overlapping two to four years from the early days of Fender to the mid-1980s), dating by serial number is not always precisely definitive.
The chart below details Fender serial number schemes used from 1950 to 1964. Notice that there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. The only way to try to narrow the date range of your specific instrument is to remove the neck and check the butt end of the neck heel for a production date, which may be stamped or written there (if you’re uncomfortable doing this yourself, please refer to an experienced professional guitar tech in your area).
Fender Serial Number Lookup
Fender was sold to CBS in January 1965. Serial numbering didn’t change immediately because instruments continued to be made using existing, tooling, parts and serial number schemes. The chart below details Fender serial number schemes used from 1965 to 1976. Notice that there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years.
The charts below detail the most common Fender serial number schemes from 1976 to the present. Once again, there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. The only way to try to narrow the date range of your specific instrument is to remove the neck and check the butt end of the neck heel for a production date, which may be stamped or written there (if you’re uncomfortable doing this yourself, please refer to an experienced professional guitar tech in your area). Serial numbers with an “S” prefix denote the 1970s (signifying a CBS attempt to use serial numbers to identify production years); an “E” prefix was introduced in 1979 to denote the 1980s. As seen in the overlap of numbers and years, even these references to actual production dates are rather loose.
1982 saw the introduction of the U.S. Vintage Series instruments and “V”-prefix serial numbers. The only way to definitively date U.S. instruments with “V”-prefix serial numbers is to remove the neck and check the butt end of the neck heel for a production date, which may be stamped or written there.
Dating Late 1970's Fender Stratocasters
CBS sold Fender in March 1985. Serial numbering didn’t change because instruments continued to be made using existing tooling, parts and serial number schemes.
“N”-prefix serial numbers denoting the
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