Fender Serial Numbers

I had already started to strip this guitar before I got the idea to write this page. The build quality and finish is https://datingrated.com/singleparentmatch-review/ as good as the others even after a close look. The first immediate difference is in the wood used for the neck.

AMERICAN DELUXE SERIES

You can expect to find Squier guitars made in India to have the following prefixes and numbers. Spye, I have a Lefty model that I ordered in July 0f 1998. I received the guitar at the end of October that year and its serial number is 000XX.

There are comments on the net saying the next two numbers are the month. I believe that to be incorrect, as two out my guitars have ’60’ and ’30’ in those places. For many years I believed the first two numbers in the string of eight/nine was the year the neck was made. It seemed to make sense, especially considering the guitar above where the inspection date (9/02) was written by hand on the inspection sticker. The two letters leading denotes what plant the instrument was made in.

Squier Serial Number Decoder

The serial number can tell you the year the guitar was manufactured, as well as other important information. By decoding the serial number, you can make sure you are getting a quality guitar that is worth the investment. These serial sequences, as with other guitar makers will vary based on year range. As of now, there are 15 different serial numbering systems starting from 1941 to the present day. Indonesian factories that make Squier guitars use similar codes.

The serial numbers do not reflect the change, as Fender continued to make instruments using existing tooling, parts, and serial number schemes. So, this one too looks like it’s missing a digit if that’s in fact the correct SN. Japanese guitars that start with an E would be followed by 6 digits.

REFERENCE MATERIALS FOR DATING FENDER INSTRUMENTS

Thankfully, regardless of the series or point of manufacture, Fender decided to use a single serial number system for all post-2002 guitars. You will also hear people throw around terms with Gretsch guitar like pre-Baldwin or Fender-era. This refers to the corporate ownership changes the company experienced over time. Gretsch is unique in that it started as a family company, was bought out and later taken back by the family, only to be bought a second time. But in the late ’80s, Fender ordered a large batch of the “SE” decals.

Therefore, while helpful in determining a range of production dates, a neck date is obviously not a precisely definitive reference. Therefore, while helpful in determining arangeof production dates, a neck date is obviously not a precisely definitive reference. SERIAL NUMBERS are also helpful in determining an instrument’s production year. 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.

On some models, the serial number on the back of the headstock is visible. The serial number will be visible under the intonation screws on some basses. Some older instruments may not return results due to the fact that they do not have access to this website. The convention is to use the latest date on the guitar. Fender stopped dating the bodies sometime in ’63 according to Duchossoir. In the case of a ’71, since there will not be a body date, most people would simply go by the neck date.

The book is available for free download from the website on a regular basis. Anyone interested in learning how much a guitar is worth should look into The Blue Book of Guitar Values. The Blue Book is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to sell or learn more about their guitars.

These, however, can be inconsistent making them hard to date. Believe it or not, that’s not all when it comes to understanding the serial number of a Gibson. That was just for Gibson USA, Gibson Acoustic, and Gibson Memphis. There are different nuances for Gibson Custom, Gibson Banjos, and Gibson Dobros. For all of that information, you can visit Gibson’s support page on their website for serial number lookup.

As a result, instruments with the same serial number have been produced in the 1960s and 1970s. When the “L” Series reached the 90000’s, after the CBS takeover in 1965, serial numbers went from five to six digits, starting from , but without the “L” prefix. The new neck plates were stamped with a large “F” letter, typical of the CBS Stratocasters, hence the F-Series nickname. (For U.S. Vintage Series, check neck date for specific year)“N”-prefix serial numbers denoting the 1990s were introduced in 1990. The numbers and decals were produced far in advance, and some N9 decals , were inadvertantly affixed to some instruments in 1990. Consequently, some 1990 guitars bear 1999 “N9” serial numbers.

As seen in the overlap of numbers and years, even these references to actual PRODUCTION DATES are rather loose. 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 following charts detail the most common Fender serial number schemes used from 1976 to the present. You will notice that there is quite a bit of overlap of both numbers and years. Please note the introduction of the “S” prefix serial numbers.