Fenders Serial Number Dating Service Squier Best Fender Serial Number Dating Service Squier

This also means that various parts used on a particular guitar may have come from different points in time, so no single number can absolutely define when the instrument was built. The next step to find the year of a Telecaster is to check to see if the neck heel date matches the time period of the serial number. I recommend leaving this part of the inspection to the Fender guitar experts since there’s a chance of damaging the finish if you haven’t done it before. Fender employees signed the neck heel of the guitars early in the manufacturing process.

Fenders Serial Number Dating Service Squier

The Telecaster below bears the date ” ” indicating that it was signed in November of 1957. Knowing how to date a Fender Telecaster is the first step in finding out how much it’s worth. The steps that I https://loveconnectionreviews.com/alua-review/ use to date Fender guitars start with the serial number, but include the neck heel date, potentiometer codes, and features. Guitar manufacturers from India are responsible for a few different series.

All Fender guitars were made in Japan from the Fullerton plant closing in 1984 until the Corona plant began operations in 1986. Before 1976, frustratingly they often randomly assigned serial numbers. If you want to double-check the year of production year, it’s often a good idea to look at the heel of the neck . Dating Fender acoustic guitars presents its own distinct challenges, as serial numbers were never archived.

Fender opened a factory in Ensenada, Mexico in the late ’80s and instruments started coming off the line in 1990. Mexican-made Fenders carry a serial number on the headstock starting with an M. Some exceptions include a handful of special editions and signature models as well as the split US/Mexican-made California series which all have a “AMXN” at the beginning of their serials. Like the body and neck dates, using serial numbers to date a Fender is not a sure bet. At many points in Fender’s history, serial number usage overlapped again owing to the modular manner of production.

Fender Serial Numbers

Even using official Fender bass serial numbers isn’t as straightforward as you might think. 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.

Lee is the founder of Authority Guitar, a site where he wants readers to enjoy every aspect of learning the guitar. To reveal an accurate date of the serial numbers below, add your details to our Fender decoder. The initial master builders were John Page and Michael Stevens.

Serial # is and wanted to know if you could help me finally solve this case. In the 1990’s he made a few TV appearances in London and supported a few big bands at festivals. He’s recently sung on radio and worked as a full-time guitarist/singer.

If you have any doubts as to a guitars’ authenticity please contact the guitar manufacturer before your purchase. Dating Fender amplifiers with pinpoint accuracy, on the other hand—especially older ones—presents a far more challenging prospect, as Fender never kept amp serial number records before 1994. For most of Fender’s U.S. instrument production history, production dates have been applied to various components. Here is a summary of the serial number, model, and year.

In 1977, the serialization went to a letter for the decade, followed by a single digit for the year and then 5 to 6 digits. Take any cheap under $100 MIC/MII modern starter guitar to a high end guitar tech and they will have it playing like custom shop too. A fret level alone is an amazing improvement on cheap guitars. But people question the need to put $100 into a $100 guitar when “I can buy a $500 model for $250 used!”. But get that starter guitar selling vintage for $1,000 and then a $100 fret job is easy to get done. Later in 1976, Fender moved the serial number to the headstock just below the logo.

Excellent – There is no damage to any part of the guitar. The sound quality is excellent and has been cared for throughout its life. If you’re not sure what type of electric guitar you have, many websites have pictures and descriptions of different types. You can also take a picture of your guitar and ask other people on forums or social media sites. Nonetheless, the best way to determine how much your guitar is worth is to find out the history yourself.