1. Telecaster Model By Serial Number
2. Fender Bass Serial Number Search
3. Fender Guitar Serial Number Lookup

• The serial numbers do not immediately reflect the change, as CBS continued to make instruments using existing, tooling, parts, and serial number schemes. The following chart details the Fender serial number schemes used from 1965 to 1976. There is quite a bit of overlap of both numbers and years.
• The Fender serial number decoder currently supports all documented MIA, MIJ, MIM, MIK and MII formats with the exception of Custom Shop, Relic and Reissue instruments. Please note that fender serial numbers tend to overlap by at least a year, and thereby the date of your guitar can only be approximated.
• Also, it does not have the current serial number system that Fender adopted in 2010 for non-reissue USA production instruments. In early 2010, after Fender used up the numbers that started with 'Z9' (for 2009) they began using numbers on USA models that just started with a '10' for 2010.
• [click here] for your Japanese or Mexican Fender Guitar serial number. V + 5 or 6 DIGITS (American Vintage Series except '52 Telecaster) XN4 + 4 Digits.

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For most of Fender'sU.S. instrument production history, production dates have been applied to various components.
Production dates have been penciled or stamped on the butt end of the heel of the neck of most guitars and basses.
There were periods of time when this was not consistently done, (between 1973 and 1981), and there are certainly other
examples of short periods of time, and individual pieces, where the dating was simply omitted. Neck dating is useful in
determining the age of a guitar, but is not definite. The neck date simply refers to the date that the neck was produced.
Given the modular nature of Fender's production techniques, a neck may have been produced in one year, placed in a warehouse
and remained in stock for a period of time, and then subsequently paired with a body to create a complete guitar in the following year.
So, obviously a neck date, while being helpful in providing a date range of production, cannot be a definitive reference.
While there have been periods where dramatic changes have occurred, for example: the transition periods between Leo's Fender and
the CBS years, as well as the transition between CBS' Fender and the current ownership, generally speaking, most models are feature
specific and do not change from year to year.

Serial numbers are also helpful in determining the year of production of a given instrument.
Serial numbers have been used in various locations on Fender instruments through the years.
They have been placed at the top of the neck plate, on the front of the headstock, on the back of the headstock,
and on the back of the neck near where the neck bolts onto the body. They were stamped on the back vibrato cover plate
(early '50s Strats), and on the bridge plate between the pickup and the saddles on some Telecasters.
But due to the modular nature of Fender's production methods, and the fact that most serial numbers schemes are not
sequential and usually overlap from between 2 to 4 years, (from the early days of Fender, through to the mid 1980s),
dating by the serial number is not an exact science.

DATING YOUR GUITAR

The following chart details the Fender serial number schemes used from 1950 to 1964.
There is quite a bit of overlap of numbers and years. The only way to try to narrow the date range of your specific
instrument would be to remove the neck and check the butt end of the heel of the neck for a production date,
which may be stamped or written there. (If you are not comfortable performing this operation, please use an
experienced professional guitar tech in your area or bring it to Superior Music).

In January of 1965, Fender was sold to the CBS Corporation.
The serial numbers do not immediately reflect the change, as CBS continued to make instruments using
existing, tooling, parts, and serial number schemes. The following chart details the Fender serial number
schemes used from 1965 to 1976. There is quite a bit of overlap of both numbers and years.

The following charts detail the most common Fender serial number schemes used from 1976 to the present.
There is quite a bit of overlap of both numbers and years. The only way to try to narrow the date range of your
specific instrument would be to remove the neck and check the butt end of the heel of the neck for a production
date, which may be stamped or written there. (If you are not comfortable performing this operation, please use
an experienced professional guitar tech in your area or bring it to Superior Music). Please note the introduction
of the 'S' prefix serial numbers. The 'S', stood for decade of the 1970s, and began CBS' attempt to use serial
numbers to identify the year of production for the piece. The 'E', stood for the decade of the 1980s and was,
as shown below, introduced in 1979. As you can see by the overlaps of numbers and years, the reference to the
actual production date is rather loose.

1982 - U.S. Vintage Series instruments introduced, and 'V' prefix serial numbers used.
The only way to definitively date the U.S. 'V' prefix serial numbered instruments, is to remove the neck
and check the butt end of the heel of the neck for a production date, which may be stamped or written there.

In March of 1985, the CBS Corporation sold Fender to a group of private investors.
The serial numbers do not reflect the change, as Fender continued to make instruments using existing
tooling, parts, and serial number schemes.

1990 introduced the 'N' prefix serial numbers, which stood for the 1990s.
The numbers and decals are produced far in advance, and apparently, some N9 decals,
(which were supposed to be used in 1999), were affixed to some instruments in 1990. As a result,
you will see some 1990 guitars bearing N9 serial numbers

Telecaster Model By Serial Number

Year 2000 introduced the 'Z' prefix serial numbers on US made guitars, which stood for the 0 of the new millennium.
A Z0 prefix dates to 2000, a Z1 prefix dates to 2001 etcetera.
The American Deluxe Series use the same dating code but add a 'D' in front of the 'Z', i.e. DZ1, DZ2 etcetera.

The following serial numbers are somewhat outside the more, well known Fender serial number schemes.
If you have what you consider to be a somewhat 'odd' serial number, please check the following chart to
see if you find your serial number configuration here. This chart contains

ODD SERIAL NUMBERS

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REFERENCE MATERIALS FOR DATING FENDER INSTRUMENTS

If you are unable to place the approximate year of manufacture of your instrument using the above charts,
there are a few great books available, which have invaluable information on the history of Fender instruments.
If you have serious interest in learning about the history of Fender instruments, or if you just want to try to
establish the year of production of your own axe, we would highly recommend that you pick up one or more
of the following books. They are detailed reference resources with a wealth of information for helping to either
establish the vintage of your guitar or bass or for just learning more about Fender history in general.
These books are the same resources we refer to here at Superior Music to research answers to history
and dating questions.
You may want to consider ordering one or more of the following books through Superior Music.

BOOKS FROM THE FENDER LIBRARY

How Old is My Fender Guitar?

Contents

• 1 How Old is My Fender Guitar?
• 3 1950-1954 Fender Guitar Serial Numbers
• 4 1954-1963 Fender Guitar Serial Numbers
• 5 Late 1962 – Early 1965 Fender Guitar Serial Numbers
• 6 1965-1976 Fender Guitar Serial Numbers
• 7 1976-Present USA Fender Guitar Serial Numbers
• 8 Fender Anniversary, Reissue, Special Edition, and Signature Series

I often get asked, how old is my Fender guitar? Most of the time this question can’t be answered specifically. The Fender numbers tell the story of the company over the years. Unfortunately, the serial number placement is sporadic and many ID numbers over lap between years and models. In many instances, there is no exact known date for a specific guitar. That is why I decided to write this article. I want to help you understand how to tell the age of your Fender as well as any Fender you see.

Fender like Gibson has been producing guitars for many years. Certain styles and colors have come and gone over the years, but there is no real obvious way to tell how old a Fender is other than the identification number. Unfortunately, Fender decided not to simply write the date of manufacture on the guitar. They decided that it would be easier to decipher the serial number code than just write the year on the guitar. I say this only joking. Most manufactures don’t actually write the production dates on the guitar in plain view. First let’s take a look at where to find ID numbers on a Fender guitar.

Where do I find my Fender Serial Number?

This article is intended to help you date your Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, and Precision Bass guitars all the way back to the early 1950s. In order to tell how old your Fender is you will have to find the identification number or neck number. The serial number location has changed a few times of the years. From 1950 to 1954 Fender guitar unique numbers were stamped in the bridge cavity cover plate. From 1954 to 1976 Fender stamped its guitar’s serial number on either the top or bottom of the neck plate. Modern Fender production guitars, 1976 to the present, have their ID numbers on the front or back of the headstock near the Fender decal. In 1982 Fender decided to start making reissued vintage guitars. These guitars were replicas of the early 1950 and 1960s era guitars. True to form the reissue guitars have their identification numbers stamped in the neck plate.

The serial numbers on the outside of the body are not the only way to date a Fender guitar however. Fender also dated the neck when it was manufactured. After the neck was finished, a Fender employee would either stamp or handwrite the date on the end of the guitar neck on its heel. This marking is only visible when the neck is removed from the body because it is covered in the neck pocket. Almost all Fender guitars have a dated neck. Some Fender guitar bodies and pickups also have dates written on them. Few Fender guitars have dates written on the bodies under the pickups, in the routed out cavities, and near the wiring harnesses. Fender only decided to write dates on the bodies for a few years here and there. They never really did that consistently.

What does the date on the neck mean?

Many people think that the date on the heel of their Fender neck is the production date of the guitar. After reviewing the ID number, you might find out that the two corresponding dates don’t coincide. Why is this? It all has to do with how Fender produced guitars. Leo Fender was a genius with minimizing the costs of production. Unlike Gibson, Leo found did everything the cheapest and fastest way possible. He made a bolt-on neck, so the neck and the body could be manufactured at the same time. He wired the pickguard with pickups, so all the wiring could be finished before the body was even dry from finishing. That’s how the Fender production line worked. The number and date on the neck is simply the date that the neck was finished–not the date that the guitar was completed. Necks could sit for days, weeks, or even months at a time before being matched with a body. After the entire guitar was assembled, the identification number was stamped in place. Being many months later, the serial number date and the neck date might not match. Remember, these serial and neck numbers were never really intended for historical dating. They were simply internal numbers to help with production.

Fender Serial Number Guide

Now that we have talked about where to find your Fender guitar ID number and what it means, here is the Fender serial number database that I have compiled. It includes most of the Fender serial numbers issued along with the corresponding dates and a short history of Fender Guitars through the years.

• 1950 – 1954
• 1954 – 1963
• Late 1962 – Early 1965
• 1965 – 1976
• 1976 – Present USA
• Fender Anniversary, Reissue, Special Edition, and Signature Guitar
• Made in China

1950-1954 Fender Guitar Serial Numbers

When Leo first started putting identification numbers on his guitars, he segregated them by model. Each models unique numbers started at 1 or a number close to it. That means that there could be a Tele, Strat, and Precision bass with the exact same serial number. He didn’t stop doing this until after 1954.

1954-1963 Fender Guitar Serial Numbers

At some point in 1954, Fender decided to stop grouping the guitar ID number by model. He started using one sequence of serial numbers for all the guitars coming off of the Fender production lines including Teles, Esquires, Strats, and P-basses. Some of these identification numbers are still out of sequence, jumbled up, or missing. You may notice that there is a great deal of over lapping numbers in these nine years. The only way to verify an over lapping date is to check the corresponding neck date and body date. This list is a little convoluted because there are so many over lapping serial numbers. The number column represents the general number grouping that Fender and most experts agree on. The low and high columns show the range of identification numbers that have been positively matched to specific years. As you can see, there is quite a bit of overlap. For some reason during 1955, 1957, and 1958 Fender decided to place zero or a dash in front of ID numbers periodically. Some guitars in these years have them and some don’t.

Late 1962 – Early 1965 Fender Guitar Serial Numbers

Toward the end of 1962 Fender’s success kept on building. He was nearing his 100,000th guitar. Instead of adding another digit on to his 5-digit ID numbers, Leo decided to add an “L”, presumably for his first initial, in front of the serial numbers and start the sequence all over again. This time all the identification numbers under 10,000 fill the empty digits with zeros.

For example, the 989th guitar’s ID number would not be L989. It was L00989. Since this change wasn’t until the end of 1962, only a few true 1962 Fenders have an “L” serial number.

1965-1976 Fender Guitar Serial Numbers

In early 1965, Leo Fender sold Fender Musical Instruments, Inc. to CBS for $13 million. A lot of changes happened to the company as well as the guitars themselves under the new ownership. The identification number sequences were no exception.

CBS came up with a new numbering system to take advantage of the fact that Leo did not use 6-digit ID numbers. CBS continued the sequence Fender started in 1954. These 1965-1976 era guitars are commonly referred to as the F series because of the neck plate design change. The new neck plate only had the Fender F logo stamped in place.

1976-Present USA Fender Guitar Serial Numbers

In 1976, Fender decided to stop stamping ID numbers in guitar parts and started making decals for the guitar peghead or headstock. Along with the new location a new series of serial numbers were instituted. Fender apparently was thinking long term because they developed a serial numbering system with one-letter codes preceding the indentification numbers. The letters referred to the decade that the guitars were produced. Most guitars then had a number following the one-letter code that designated the specific year. For instance, ID number S76823 would be a guitar produced in 1977. In about 1982 Fender started making import guitars from Japan and around 1990 Fender started importing from Mexico. These guitars have a completely different set of serial numbers that I will talk about later in the article. This section only deals with USA made Fender guitars. Here are the decade numbers:

The new serial number system was a little complicated, but it does make it relatively easy to tell the date of the guitar. Like all Fender’s previous systems, they are problems with this one. Fender mass-produced the headstock decal without matching them with the annual production schedules of the guitars–meaning they made more decals for a given year than guitars. See the problem?

There were a few years where excess headstock ID number decals were produced and held over to the next year, the some guitars are actually dated with a previous year decal. It wasn’t until 1991 that Fender actually got this system straighten out. To get the exact date on guitars made between 1976 and 1991, it is important to cross-reference the dates on the neck written on the heel. Here are a list of dates and codes that overlap years.

Fender Bass Serial Number Search

Aside from all of the errors and overlapping serial numbers, this system was quite improved from the previous ID number systems. If Fender would have executed the indentification numbers as planned, USA Fender guitars would be numbered as the following without any exceptions. You can use this table to lookup your Fender serial number after 1976.

Fender Guitar Serial Number Lookup

Fender Anniversary, Reissue, Special Edition, and Signature Series

Throughout the years, Fender has run many limited edition, reissue, and custom guitars. All of these guitars’ ID numbers do not follow the unique number sequence of the regular production guitars. These guitars usually have a special two to four letter prefix before the serial number. Each prefix is unique to that model guitar. Here is a guide to lookup all of the different types of special Fender guitars with their own serial number pattern.

Related Guides

Fender Squire and Chinese numbering and dating guides are coming soon.

You can also find more information on the Fender site.