Dark blue or red ink stamps below the truss rod adjustment at the neck butt. A new type of neck stamp of six, seven or eight digits was used on some models. The new stamp was usually green ink. Models from this period could have either code system.
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A new eight-digit neck stamp was introduced colored either green or red. Again, either stamp can occur on instruments from this era. Again, a neck was stamped with either the new or the old date stamp, but not both. Fender dropped the old style date stamp after March and continued with the new 8-digit code.
April to After March , Fender dropped the old style date stamp and continued to use the new style, 8-digit code. All non-vintage reissue instruments have the serial number printed on the decal on the face of the peghead. The approximate production year can be determined from this more about serial numbers will follow. Sometimes a date is stamped or hand-written on the butt of the neck. Vintage reissue instruments have the date on the butt end of the neck like the originals. The neck stamps on Fenders from to can be most logically translated by reading from right to left.
Starting with the letter B , this is the same neck width code Fender has been using since The following three digits, here , could be a batch or lot number, or i could be the count for how many of this one instrument that was made within the month. Since Fender could probably produce more than of any one type instrument in a month, it is more likely a batch or lot number.
Finally, the first one or two digits of the code tells you which model you are holding; 22 being a Stratocaster. There are some exceptions as you can see in this information provided by Mike Gagliano. A likely explanation is the use of leftover necks, which Fender is known to have done at several occasions. Other exceptions exist as well.
Serial number identification and decoding
For example, a Strat with the neck code B. The first 6 digits are in pairs and the last two digits are standalone, giving us 49 00 21 5 The chart below shows the serial numbers used by Fender from to You may notice the significant overlap in numbers and years. The only way to try to narrow the date range of your instrument is to remove the neck and check the butt end of the neck heel for a production date as mentioned above. Some users may find the prospect of disassembling their Fender unsettling; if so, please refer to an experienced professional guitar tech for help.
Fender was sold to CBS in January The chart below shows Fender serial numbers from to Again, notice the overlap in numbers and years. In things were made a little easier. In , Fender introduced the U. Vintage Series, check neck date for specific year. The numbers and decals were made years in advance, and some N9 decals denoting were, in a blunder, affixed to some instruments in Z0 is ; Z1 is , etc.
As usual, there is some overlap from year to year. Only the seven-digit suffixes were actually entered into the database. These serial numbers did not identify the country of origin in the body of the number. The first two digits of the number identify the year of manufacture, 10 for , 11 for , etc. The next six digits are the unit identifier. This new system is now standard on the majority of U. These apply to instruments that exist outside the more well known Fender serial number schemes. Some may have stayed in the U.
For dating on non-U. For serial number look-ups on Fender and other brands go to: Your email address will not be published. Sign up for news from vintageandrare, get special featured product offers, industry insights and find vintage instruments. From country, to rock and roll, to surf music, Fender found a niche with its instruments.
Especially different for the era was those Fenders with Custom Color finishes. The Jazzmaster , introduced in , became Fender's "top of the line" instrument though today's vintage guitar market does not hold this view; it's clearly a 3rd class citizen behind the Strat and Tele. Fender truely thought the Jazzmaster would make a sensation in the jazz scene. Instead, it became the main instrument of many Surf-guitar bands of the 's. Likewise, in Fender introduced another "top of the line" instrument called the Jaguar.
Again, this model quickly lost popularity, starting in with decreased sales. The short scale length of the Jaquar was one of its major flaws. Finally the Jaguar and Jazzmaster were discontinued by and , respectively.
How to Date your Fender Guitar by Serial Number
Before the death of Kurt Cobain of Nirvana , interest had revived in these models, though no were near the level of Strats and Teles. Now most collectors interested in these models do so because they can not afford a vintage Strat or Tele. The Low-end Fender solidbodies such as the DuoSonic, MusicMaster , and the Mustang are not collectable and are considered student models.
Even with the recent popularity of the Mustang, it's still a short scale, entry level instrument. All these instruments share that basic problem of a shorter scale length, and lower quality electronics. Fender hit another home run with the Precision Bass , the first fretted electric bass. Still today, it's the standard by which all basses are judged.
Early P-basses late to mid are collectable, but not as much as the models from mid to mid with split coil pickups, aluminum pickguards, and maple necks. Early Jazz Basses with concentric tone and volume knobs are also very collectable, along with the three knob configuration pre-CBS Jazz basses. Until the late 's, the P-bass sound was more desirable by players than the J-bass. But by , the sound and feel of the J-bass had become preferred. Tweed covered Fender amps are very collectable. The more powerful tweed amps with multiple speakers are the most valued by collectors and players.
The tweed Bassman with four 10 inch speakers and four inputs is considered by many to be the finest guitar amp ever made. Brown and white tolex amps , and some "black face" models are highly regarded by players. Year, Model Description Hardwood Amplifiers Tweed Amplifiers June, Esquire 1 or 2 pickups October, Broadcaster replaced the 1 or 2 pickup Esquire December, "NoCaster" as it is called since Fender clipped-off the name "Broadcaster" from its decals as the name was already in use by Gretsch.
Click for an inside tour of a first year model of Fender's premier guitar. Also inside a Fender Jazzmaster. Click for an inside tour of the first year for this model.
Serial number identification and decoding - Vintage & Rare Blog
Also check out the comparison of reproduction and original Fender vintage parts. Note the initials before the date were consistent till about , and were sometimes there till they completely stopped around The "2" before the month indicates the guitar model, NOT the day of the month! The body date right is in the middle pickup cavity on this guitar.
The body date on the Telecaster moved from the neck pocket to under the lead pickup around or Consistently by it usually appears under the lead pickup. Fender Body Dates, to present. The earliest models Broadcaster, NoCaster, Telecaster had a body date under the neck, in the neck pocket.
But by or , this date moved to under the lead pickup but didn't show up consistently in this spot until Stratocasters also had variable body date positions. Usually they are seen in the rear tremolo cavity if the Strat is a tremolo model! But it is also common for the body date to be under the middle pickup. For all models, by about or , body dates were rarely used. Fender Neck Dates, to present. From the first solidbody guitars to , Fender dated their instruments at the "butt" of the detachable neck. Here is a timeline of the format the dates, and how they were printed: Penciled by hand below the truss rod adjustment at the butt end of the neck usually in M-D-YY format.
Penciled by hand below the truss rod adjustment at the butt end of the neck in M-YY format. Due to a complaint by a Fender customer as to an obscentity written on the neck butt, no markings were used for the first part of I've seen dates of , so they started using them again at least by mid-year. Mid to March March to The "XX" is not the day of stamping.
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The "W" is the neck width where "A" is the narrowest, "B" is normal, and "C" is the widest. This new stamp was usually green ink. An example of this type of neck code is "B". So a neck could have either code system! See below for more info.