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The Fender serial number decoder
Find the date of a Fender guitar by serial number
Date a Fender electric guitar or bass from its serial number. It works for most Stratocasters, Telecasters, basses and Squiers, and for many custom shop and reissue models, though some of those cannot be dated this way. For an acoustic use my Fender acoustic guitar dater, and if this tool draws a blank try my pot decoder.The serial number is usually on the back of the headstock, the top of the neck plate, the bridge plate, or the end of the neck where it meets the body.
Enter it below and select where the guitar was made.
Fender Serial Number:
Fender serial number prefixes, by country and era
The tool above does the work, but if you would rather read the number yourself, this is the shape of it. Fender reused and overlapped these formats, so treat the years as close rather than exact.
| Prefix | Made in | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 5 digits, no letter | USA | 1950 to 1963, pre-CBS |
| L + 5 digits | USA | 1963 to 1965 |
| 6 digits, large F on the neck plate | USA | 1965 to 1976, CBS era |
| S + digits | USA | 1970s |
| E + digits | USA | 1980s |
| N + digits | USA | 1990s |
| Z or DZ + digits | USA | 2000s, DZ is American Deluxe |
| US + 2 digit year | USA | 2010 onwards |
| V or R | USA | Custom Shop and American Vintage, no year in the number |
| MN + digits | Mexico | 1990s |
| MZ + digits | Mexico | 2000s |
| MX + 2 digit year | Mexico | 2010 onwards |
| JV or SQ | Japan | 1982 to 1984 |
| Single letter + 6 digits | Japan | 1985 to 2008, the letter gives the era |
| JD + 2 digit year | Japan | 2012 onwards |
| KC or KV + 2 digit year | Korea | 1997 onwards, Cor-Tek and Saehan |
| CN or VN + year digit | Korea | 1990s |
| CY + 2 digit year | China | 1998 onwards, most Squiers |
| CGS, CGR, CGF, COS, COB + 2 digit year | China | 2008 onwards, includes Classic Vibe |
| IC, ICF, ICS + 2 digit year | Indonesia | 1999 onwards, Cor-Tek |
| IS, SI, ISS + 2 digit year | Indonesia | Samick, Bullet and budget Squiers |
| 3 letters + month letter + 2 digit year | China, Indonesia | 2020 onwards, A is January through to L for December |
| SH, CS, NHS, NSH + 2 digit year | India | Squier Vintage Modified, 2007 onwards |
A few carry no year at all: Custom Shop, the American Vintage Series, Tribute and Collectors Series, the Eric Johnson signature, and the LE prefix, which Fender reused on Factory Special Runs. The '52 Vintage Telecaster has its number stamped on the bridge plate, which cannot be told apart from any other number, so check the neck date on those.
Common questions
- What year was my Fender made?
- Put the serial number in the box above. Most Fenders carry the year in the first character or two of the serial, so the tool can usually give you a year or a two year window.
- Does the serial number prove my Fender is genuine?
- No. Serial numbers are patterns, not a register of every guitar built, so a fake can easily carry a number that decodes cleanly. If you have doubts, check it against the neck heel stamp, the pot codes and the hardware, or ask Fender directly.
- Why did I get no result?
- Usually the wrong country is selected, since several prefixes are reused across factories. Try the other options in the dropdown. Custom Shop, relic and some reissue serials carry no year at all.
- The year looks wrong, what now?
- Fender numbers overlap by a year or more, and necks were often fitted well after they were dated. The pencil or stamped date on the neck heel, and the pot codes inside the control cavity, will get you closer.
My related tools : Gibson, Epiphone, Martin, Rickenbacker
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