Fender Serial Number Guide

Fender, Vintage Bass -

Fender Serial Number Guide

If you’re a vintage guitar collector or player, this article might be extremely useful when buying a Fender guitar or bass, to help determine its age, value and origin. 

I have been quite general with this serial number guide, and this mainly applies to standard run instruments, regardless of the country of manufacture. There are of course some exceptions and anomalies in Fender’s serial number convention, where numbering and lettering differ, for example, artist models, signature series, limited editions, vintage reissue series and other rare models.

The serial number alone is not a full-proof guarantee of the year, so matching the instrument's serial with other characteristics and features such as neck and body dates, potentiometer codes and pick-up dates will help confirm this. 

Identifying Fender Serial Numbers - Where to start

Step 1: Look for the Serial Number

Fender serial numbers are typically found on the neck plate, bridge plate, or headstock.

Step 2: Decode the Serial Number

Fender guitar serial numbers can be tricky to decode, so I have provided a ‘Fender Serial Number Lookup Guide’ below. 

The serial number is usually often composed of just numbers, but certain periods of production use letters as a prefix.

Step 3: Verify the Information and ask an expert

Once you have decoded the serial number and determined its age and origin, verifying the information is a good idea. This can be done by checking the guitar's features, such as the body shape, pickups, and hardware, and comparing them to the standard specifications for that model and year.

If you would like an appraisal on your Fender guitar or bass, then please get in touch on sales@andybaxterbass.com and I can help you figure it out. I can also tell you things that a serial number alone cannot – for example if parts, like pots, pickups and hardware have been replaced or restored.

Fender Serial Number Lookup Guide

The Early Years Serial Numbers

Location: Bridge Plate 

Years: 1950-1954 (Fender serial numbers schemes were specific to the model in this period)

Convention: Four-or Five-digit Serial Numbers

Models: Telecaster, Broadcaster, Esquire, Precision Bass, Early Stratocasters

Broadcaster, Telecaster, Esquire Guitars

0001 to 0999

1950 – 1952

000 to 5300

1952 – 1954


Precision Basses:

161 to 357

1951

299 to 619

1952

0001 to 0160

1952

0161 to 0470

1951 - 1952

0475 to 0840

1952 - 1953

0848 to 1897

1953 - 1954


Stratocasters

> 6000

First half of 1954

 

1952 Precision Date on Bridge Plate

Pictured Above: 1952 Precision Date on Bridge Plate

Neck Plate Serial Numbers

Location: Neck Plate

Years: 1954 - 1963

Convention: Four or Five digit Serial Numbers.  (In ‘57 & ‘58 you may find a 0 or - prefix).

Models: Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters (introduced in 1958), Jaguars (introduced in ‘62, Precision (from ‘55) and Jazz Bass (introduced in 1960) 

0001 to 7000

1954

7000 to 9000

1955

9000 to 17000

1956

17000 to 25000

1957

25000 to 34000

1958

34000 to 44000

1959

44000 to 59000

1960

59000 to 71000

1961

71000 to 93000

1962

93000 to 99999

1963

 

1960 Jazz Bass Date on Neck Plate

Pictured Above: 1960 Jazz Bass Date on Neck Plate

L Series (Fender serial numbers with an "L" at the beginning) 

Location: Neck Plate

Years: 1963 to 1965

0L00001 to L20000

1963

L20000 to L59000

1964

L59000 to L99999

1965

 

1964 Precision Bass Date on Neck Plate (L Series)

Pictured Above: 1964 Precision Bass Date on Neck Plate (L Series)


F Series (6 digits with a Large "F" underneath
 – found on the neck plate)

Years: The CBS Era (1965-1976)

100000 to 110000

late 1965

110000 to 200000

1966

200000 to 210000

1967

210000 to 250000

1968

250000 to 280000

1969

280000 to 300000

1970

300000 to 340000

1971

340000 to 370000

1972

370000 to 520000

1973

500000 to 580000

1974

580000 to 690000

1975

690000 to 750000

1976

 

1973 Telecaster Date on Neck Plate (F Series)

Pictured Above: 1973 Telecaster Date on Neck Plate (F Series)

Headstock Serial Numbers

Fenders with serial numbers located on the headstock: (Front or back of the headstock, depending on the era and model)

Year: Post 1976

Unique Characteristics: Post-76 Fender serial numbers will start with a letter indicating the decade, followed by a number that indicates the year within that decade. 

Decade letter codes: S = 1970s, E = 1980s, N = 1990s, Z or DZ = 2000s 

76 (in bold print) + 5 digits

1976

S6 + 5 digits

1976

S7 + 5 digits

1977 - 1978

S8 + 5 digits

1978

S9 + 5 digits

1978 - 1979

E0 + 5 digits

1979 - 1981

E1 + 5 digits

1980 - 1982

E2 + 5 digits

1982 - 1983

E3 + 5 digits

1982 - 1985

E4 + 5 digits

1984 - 1988

E8 + 5 digits

1988 - 1989

E9 + 5 digits

1989 - 1990

N9 + 5 digits

1990

N0 + 5 digits

1990 - 1991

N1 + 5 or 6 digits

1991 - 1992

N2 + 5 or 6 digits

1992 - 1993

N3 + 5 or 6 digits

1993 - 1994

N4 + 5 or 6 digits

1994 - 1995

N5 + 5 or 6 digits

1995 - 1996

N6 + 5 or 6 digits

1996 - 1997

N7 + 5 or 6 digits

1997 - 1998

N8 + 5 or 6 digits

1998 - 1999

N9 + 5 or 6 digits

1999 - 2000

Z0 + 5 or 6 digits

2000 - 2001

Z2 + 5 or 6 digits

2001 - 2002

Z3 + 5 or 6 digits

2003 - 2004

Z4 + 5 or 6 digits

2004 - 2005

Z5 + 5 or 6 digits

2005 - 2006

Z6 + 5 or 6 digits

2006 - 2007

Z7 + 5 or 6 digits

2007 - 2008

Z8 + 5 or 6 digits

2008 - 2009

Z9 + 5 or 6 digits

2009 - 2010

US10 + 6 digits

2010

US11 + 6 digits

2011

US12 + 6 digits

2012

US13 + 6 digits

2013

US14 + 6 digits

2014

 

1978 Precision Bass Date on Headstock

Pictured Above: 1978 Precision Bass Date on Headstock

Fender “Made/Crafted in Japan” Fender Serial Numbers

Location: Usually found on the back of the neck near the neck joint. Though some examples have the number on the headstock or the neck-plate in certain reissue models. 

Years: 1982 - 2008

In 1997, Fender changed the "Made in Japan" decal to say "Crafted in Japan" and then after 2007, Fender Japan switched back to the "Made in Japan".

“Made in Japan” Years – 1989 – 1997

JV + 5 digits

1982 - 1984

SQ + 5 digits

1983 - 1984

E + 6 digits

1984 - 1987

A + 6 digits

1985 - 1986

B + 6 digits

1985 - 1986

C + 6 digits

1985 - 1986

F + 6 digits

1986 - 1987

G + 6 digits

1987 - 1988

H + 6 digits

1988 - 1989

I + 6 digits

1989 - 1990

J + 6 digits

1989 - 1990

K + 6 digits

1990 - 1991

J + 6 digits

1990 - 1991

K + 6 digits

1990 - 1991

L + 6 digits

1991 - 1992

M + 6 digits

1992 - 1993

N + 6 digits

1993 - 1994

O + 6 digits

1993 - 1994

P + 6 digits

1993 - 1994

Q + 6 digits

1993 - 1994

S + 6 digits

1994 - 1995

T + 6 digits

1994 - 1995

U + 6 digits

1995 - 1996

N + 5 digits

1995 - 1996

V + 6 digits

1996 - 1997


"Crafted in Japan" or "CIJ" years:

A + 6 digits

1997 - 1998

O + 6 digits

1997 - 2000

P + 6 digits

1999 - 2002

Q + 6 digits

2002 - 2004

R + 6 digits

2004 - 2005

S + 6 digits

2006 - 2008

T + 6 digits

2007 - 2008


1984-87 Fender Stratocaster (Made in Japan)

Pictured Above: 1984-87 Fender Stratocaster (Made in Japan)


Fender Made in Mexico Fender Serial Numbers

Years: From 1990

Unique Characteristics: Mexican-made (MIM) Fenders carry a serial number on the headstock starting with an M

Location: Headstock

MN0 + 5 or 6 digits

1990

MN1 + 5 or 6 digits

1991

MN2 + 5 or 6 digits

1992

MN3 + 5 or 6 digits

1993

MN4 + 5 or 6 digits

1994

MN5 + 5 or 6 digits

1995

MN6 + 5 or 6 digits

1996

MN7 + 5 or 6 digits

1997

MN8 + 5 or 6 digits

1998

MN9 + 5 or 6 digits

1999

MZ0 + 5 or 6 digits

2000

MZ1 + 5 or 6 digits

2001

MZ2 + 5 or 6 digits

2002

MZ3 + 5 or 6 digits

2003

MZ4 + 5 or 6 digits

2004

MZ5 + 5 or 6 digits

2005

MZ6 + 5 or 6 digits

2006

MZ7 + 5 or 6 digits

2007

MZ8 + 5 or 6 digits

2008

MZ9 + 5 or 6 digits

2009

MX10 + 6 digits

2010

MX11 + 6 digits

2011

MX12 + 6 digits

2012

MX13 + 6 digits

2013

MX14 + 6 digits

2014

 

1999 Mexican Fender Stratocatser (Hank Marvin)
Pictured Above: 1999 Mexican Fender Stratocatser (Hank Marvin)