Serial numbers with an S prefix denote the 1970s (signifying a CBS attempt to use serial numbers to identify production years) an E prefix was introduced in 1979 to denote the 1980s.Īs seen in the overlap of numbers and years, even these references to actual production dates are rather loose. Once again, there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. The chart below details Fender serial number schemes used from 1965 to 1976. Serial numbering didnt change immediately because instruments continued to be made using existing, tooling, parts and serial number schemes.
The only way to try to narrow the date range of your specific instrument is to remove the neck and check the butt end of the neck heel for a production date, which may be stamped or written there (if youre uncomfortable doing this yourself, please refer to an experienced professional guitar tech in your area).
Notice that there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. Serial numbers were stamped on the back vibrato cover plate on early 50s Stratocaster guitars, and on the bridge plate between the pickup and the saddles on some Telecaster guitars.īut once again, due to Fenders modular production methods and often non-sequential serial numbering (usually overlapping two to four years from the early days of Fender to the mid-1980s), dating by serial number is not always precisely definitive. Univega Year Guide Serial Numbers Haveįor years, serial numbers have been used in various locations on Fender instruments, such as the top of the neck plate, the front or back of the headstock and the back of the neck near the junction with the body. Serial numbers are also helpful in determining an instruments production year.
While there have been periods of dramatic changesuch as the transition periods between the Leo Fender years and the CBS years or the transition between the CBS years and the current ownershipmost models are generally feature-specific and do not change from year to year. Most specifications for a given Fender instrument model change little (if at all) throughout the lifetime of the model. Therefore, while helpful in determining a range of production dates, a neck date is obviously not a precisely definitive reference. Given the modular nature of Fender production techniques, an individual neck may have been produced in a given year, then stored for a period of time before being paired with a body to create a complete guitar, perhaps, for example, in the following year.
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