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

Precision Basses:

Stratocasters

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) 

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

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)

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 

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

"Crafted in Japan" or "CIJ" years:

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