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. How can I find out when my Indonesian-made instrument was manufactured? 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. Fender was sold to CBS in January 1965. Precision Bass® Special from 1981, CB(XXXXX) Gold Jazz Bass from 1982, Precision Bass Special from 1981, Black and Gold Tele from 1981-82, Precision Bass Special (Walnut) from 1982, Precision Bass Special (Walnut) from 1982, Gold Strat 1982-83, Some U.S. made instruments from the mid to late '80s made specifically for export to Europe had an EE prefix. They are detailed reference resources with a wealth of information on determining the production years of various instruments and on Fender history in general. How can I find out when my Japanese-made instrument was manufactured? An exact date is therefore not to define but is an approximation. Notice that there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. E9 + 5 digits N9 + 5 digits N0 + 5 digits V + 5 or 6 digits (U.S. Vintage Series except ’52 Telecaster), N0 + 5 digits N1 + 5 or 6 digits V + 5 or 6 v (U.S. Vintage Series except ’52 Telecaster), N1 + 5 or 6 digits N2 + 5 or 6 digits V + 5 or 6 digits (U.S. Vintage Series except ’52 Telecaster), N2 + 5 or 6 digits N3 + 5 or 6 digits V + 5 or 6 digits (U.S. Vintage Series except ’52 Telecaster), N3 + 5 or 6 digits N4 + 5 or 6 digits V + 5 or 6 digits (U.S. Vintage Series except ’52 Telecaster), N4 + 5 or 6 digits N5 + 5 or 6 digits V + 5 or 6 digits (U.S. Vintage Series except ’52 Telecaster), N5 + 5 or 6 digits N6 + 5 or 6 digits V + 5 or 6 digits (U.S. Vintage Series except ’52 Telecaster), N6 + 6 or 6 digits N7 + 5 or 6 digits V + 5 or 6 v (U.S. Vintage Series except ’52 Telecaster), N7 + 5 or 6 digits N8 + 5 or 6 digits V + 5 or 6 digits (American Vintage Series). You might consider referring to Vintage Guitar magazine (www.vguitar.com), a great and helpful resource for those who buy, sell and trade vintage instruments. The first two digits of the number identify the year of manufacture, (10 for 2010, 11 for 2011, etc.). Serial numbers are also helpful in determining an instrument’s production year. Trying to date my 59 Bassman Reissue LTD Can't find a serial number. Back to Fender.com The chart below details Fender serial number schemes used from 1965 to 1976. Sold as a promotional 3 piece set with a Blonde Deluxe Reverb Amp. 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. Although the tables below are as accurate as possible, serial numbers of these acoustic guitars have never been archived and are of no assistance when attempting to date these instruments. there used to be a link on the Fender website for amp dating from the serial numbers. 1982 saw the introduction of the U.S. Vintage Series instruments and “V”-prefix serial numbers. Notice that there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. CBS sold Fender in March 1985. Neck-dating can be useful in determining the approximate age of a guitar, but it is certainly not definitive because the neck date simply refers to the date that the individual component was produced, rather than the complete instrument. 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. Hence during 1985 to 1987, production of Fender guitars was only done in Japan, while USA Fender created a new factory in California. How can I find out when my Korean-made instrument was manufactured? The chart below details Fender serial number schemes used from 1965 to 1976. A limited number of these "H", "I" and "K" series guitars were made in '89 and '90. Once again, there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. A new serial numbering scheme was adopted toward the end of 2009 using the number “10” as a prefix, followed by a space, followed by seven digits. 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. "STRAT®" from about 1980, (Gold hardware, 2 position rotary tone switch), U.S. '52 Vintage Telecaster® 1982-1988 (Check neck date for specific year), U.S. '52 Vintage Telecaster 1988-present (Check neck date for specific year), FSRs and '52 Teles (Note: the XN prefix typically does not appear on the instrument itself, but it is a prefix that is entered in our OS database. SN0(XXXXX)-'90, SN1(XXXXX)-'90, SN2(XXXXX)-'92, etc. This will enable you to figure out the year your amp was made.Link ==> Superior Music – Fender Amp, Amplifier Serial Numbers. Also used on many FSRs starting in the 2000s. The following six digits are the unit identifier, although it should be noted that these final six numbers are not sequential and do not provide any other identification information about the instrument. 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. The Japanese-made Fenders do have some slight serial number differences (typically a "J" serial number prefix). N9 + 5 digits = 1990. Z0 denotes 2000; Z1 denotes 2001, etc. Serial numbers are on the front of the headstock. Instead, the instrument's country of origin appears on the decal on the back of the headstock, near the serial number. For most of Fender’s U.S. instrument production history, production dates have been applied to various components. How can I find out when my Mexican-made instrument was manufactured? Fender literally wrote the book on electric basses, laying the foundation for musical innovation and evolution. The charts below detail the most common Fender serial number schemes from 1976 to the present. The chart below details Fender serial number schemes used from 1965 to 1976. This new numbering scheme was short-lived and was replaced only a few months later by an improved scheme that identifies an instrument’s country of origin and year of manufacture in the body of the serial number. As seen in the overlap of numbers and years, even these references to actual production dates are rather loose. A new serial-numbering scheme was adopted toward the end of 2009 using the number “10” as a prefix, followed by a space, followed by seven digits. DATING FENDER AMPS BY REFERENCE OF SERIAL/CHASSIS NUMBERS. How can I find out when my American-made instrument was manufactured? 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). However Superior Music has done a really good summary and here is a link to their website. Learn more about Fender electric basses. The information contained in this guide was culled from our archives of Fender price lists and catalogs, beginning with 1968. The chart below details Fender serial number schemes used from 1950 to 1964. These markets operate completely independent of the new-instrument market. Once again, there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. You might also consider consulting one or more of the many instrument dealers who offer appraisals of vintage instruments, such as Elderly Instruments (www.elderly.com), Gruhn Guitars (www.gruhn.com), Mandolin Bros. (www.mandoweb.com), Norman’s Rare Guitars (www.normansrareguitars.com) or Tundra Music (www.tundramusic.com). How can I find out when my old Fender® banjo was manufactured? What can you tell me about the historical patent markings that appear on some of your products? The table below shows the Fender serial numbers as they were used from 1950 to 1964. N0 + 5 digits = 1990-1991. This new scheme is now used on the majority of U.S.-made Fender instruments, with exceptions including the American Vintage series and certain special-run instruments. Fender was sold to CBS in January 1965. 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). You can google “Fender serial number look-up” and look it up by serial # on Fender’s website. These serial numbers did not identify the country of origin in the body of the number. As a manufacturer and distributor of new instruments, Fender has no direct involvement in the used, collector or vintage instruments markets, and is therefore unable to comment or speculate on the current value of such instruments.