They are almost always on either the top of the neck plate (the piece of metal on the back of the guitar near the neck), on the headstock (the top part of the guitar where the strings attach), or close to the body at the bottom of the neck. DATING FENDER AMPS BY REFERENCE OF SERIAL/CHASSIS NUMBERS. A friend of mine recently bought a MIM Strat circa 1992. Example of a Gibson serial number: A real serial number is stamped dark on the back of the headstock. Squier Series Standard Stratocaster - Fender Squier Standard Series (1994-6/1996) MIA, MIJ, MIM, MIK and MII formats with the exception of Custom Shop, Relic and Reissue instruments. Leo’s tinkering with the designs would lead him to co-found a small company called K & F Manufacturing Corp. The serial number is generally stamped on the front or back of the headstock,or in some cases on the neck plate. Newer Than: ... you don't even need the entire serial number to use that crap. Use this site for a … The Reggie Hamilton and Frank Bello Jazz basses used an “MX” serial number prefix before the 2010 change. An exact date is therefore not to define but is an approximation. MN - M = Mexico, N = Nineties (1990s), the first number following the serial number prefix is the year. Fender moved production of some Fender-branded instruments from Korea to Indonesia in 2008. If your serial number starts with “JD” followed by an eight-digit number, the first two digits designates the year of manufacture. (Ver. this site is simply meant as a tool to satisfy the curiosity of guitar enthusiasts. Please note that fender serial numbers tend to overlap by at least a year, and thereby the date of your just the letter, first number of the serial and enough random numbers to make it long enough and it'll tell you the year, which in this case is 2006. Many also have penciled neck dates ( 6-14-82 ) you can only see when the neck is removed from the body of the guitar. The serial number is typically a numeral preceded by one or two letters. Please note that fender serial numbers tend to overlap by at least a year, and thereby the date of your guitar can only be approximated. From 1954 to 1976 Fender stamped its guitar’s serial number on either the top or bottom of the neck plate. How can I find out how old my instrument is if it uses an odd or non-standard serial numbering scheme; What can you tell me about the historical patent markings that appear on some of your products? These include the top of the neck plate, somewhere on the headstock, on the bridge plate or the back of the neck near the body. Copyright © 2021 The Guitar Data Project | All rights reserved. Last year a guy had a Fender Strat with a similar serial number, and he revealed to kcbuck that it was a Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, olympic Pearl, Maple Neck axe made in 2000, in Corona, CA. The chart below details Fender serial number schemes used from 1965 to 1976. Look on the headstock of the guitar to find the serial number for a Fender Stratocaster. "MZ1" indicates that is was made at Ensenada, Mexico in 2001-2002 Dating Indonesian Made Fender Guitars & Basses from Fender.com. It follows that potential scammers can use this knowledge to try to trick unsuspecting buyers. MII formats with the exception of Custom Shop, Relic and Reissue instruments. Perhaps the best place to start when dating your Fender is to get an approximate idea of the era based on the instrument's design and components. Z512345 The Fender serial number decoder currently supports all documented MIA, MIJ, MIM, MIK and MII formats with the exception of … We've never come across this before and he didn't notice it before purchase. This can be a tall order for someone less versed in guitar history, but we do have some resources here on Reverb to help you out. This website possesses NO DATABASE of guitars made by manufactures, The Fender brand began with the work of an inventor named Leo Fender. Find the current Blue Book value and worth of your new and used guitars, both acoustic, electric and amplifier. The space is between the MN2 and the 6 digit number. In 1982 Fender decided to start making reissued vintage guitars. Modern Fender production guitars, 1976 to the present, have their ID numbers on the front or back of the headstock near the Fender decal. Enter the Fender's serial number and select if your guitar was made in USA, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Indonesia or China. Dating older Fender amplifiers from before 1994 is difficult because no proper records were kept. Fender Enter Serial Number eg. There are a number of possible locations for the serial number on a Fender guitar. This is where Leo first saw the potential in designing and selling custom audio equ… This website possesses NO REGISTRY DATABASE of guitars made by manufactures, The 10 prefix was designed to identify the first year of the second decade of the new millennium, and while it appears on the instrument decals, it was not captured in Fender’s operating system. The Fender serial number decoder currently supports all documented Although Fender began producing Fender and Squier instruments in Korea in 1988, its digital records only go back to mid-1993, with little if any information available on serial numbering from 1988 through 1992. How can I find out when my old Fender® banjo was manufactured? If you want to know the production year of your Squier guitar,you can decipher it with the serial number decoder, or find it in explanation about the dating system below. After the year prefix, these models us a code digit of "9", indicating a set-neck model bass. Came to this post late but have 4 custom shop strat pros closet classic, all 2006 and all have serial numbers with 4 digits only. You will also find information about guitar serial numbers and year of manufacture of the most major brands: Fender, Gibson, Guild, Epiphone, Yamaha, Gretsch, Ibanez, Rickenbacker, Martin, Squier, Taylor, Jackson, PRS, ESP, ESP and Höfner. The serial number decoder also shows the year of construction and location of the guitar. guitar can only be approximated. BUT that doesn't say what model it is Mike, only year and where it's made.... Guitarmageddon, Dec 9, 2020 your guitar can only be approximated. 2.0) Dating Korean Made Fender & Squier Instruments from Fender.com. Brands such as Gibson, Fender, PRS or other renowned brands also issue a certificate of authenticity, but this can also be used for fraud. A fake serial number is usually in white. His specialty was radio, but he also had a steady stream of customers who wanted him to look at various items related to creating music. 2 are sunburst which would have been custom ordered … The Fender serial number decoder currently supports all documented MIA, MIJ, MIM, MIK and MII formats with the exception of Custom Shop, Relic and Reissue instruments. Standard Stratocaster - Standard Series (Mid 1991-10/2008) 1993. From 1990 to the present, all fabricated Fender amplifiers have a … Fender was sold to CBS in January 1965. The Fender serial number decoder currently supports all documented MIA, MIJ, MIM, MIK and Fender literally wrote the book on electric basses, laying the foundation for musical innovation and evolution. instead simple serial code patterns that are available on this site and in the wider guitar community are used in comination with historical data. The Guitar Data Project cannot verify the authenticity of ANY Guitar, The number one source of guitar and amplifier pricing and information so you can find the price and value of your used guitars and amplifier. However there is a gap in the serial number. Fender JV models had the serial numbers engraved into either the neck plate or bridge. Although Fender began producing Fender and Squier instruments in Korea in 1988, its digital records only go back to mid-1993, with little if any information available on serial numbering from 1988 through 1992. For starters, there's the Reverb Price Guide which has thousands of entries with pictures and details on various guitars and other gear. Copyright © 2021 The Guitar Dater Project | All rights reserved. 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. The Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster and Duff McKagan P Bass use an “MSZ” serial number prefix. California Series electric guitars and basses from 1997 and 1998 use an “AMXN” prefix and share U.S./Mexico origin. Since 1946, Fender's iconic Stratocasters, Telecasters and Precision & Jazz bass guitars have transformed nearly every music genre. None can be found through Fender customer service or any place else. Notice that there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. Approximate Serial Numbers Year; 4 0001 - 0030: 1989: 4 0031 - 0140: 1990: 4 0141 - 0200: 1991: Set-Neck Bass: Sequential Serial Numbers. It may be located on the front or the back. MZ - M = Mexico, Z = 2000's, the first number following the serial number prefix is the year.. For example: "MN8" indicates that it was made at Ensenada, Mexico in 1998-1999. The Guitardater Project cannot verify the authenticity of ANY Guitar, Squier Classic Stratocaster - Squier Standard Series, "Black Label Series" (1/ 1993-12/1993 ) Floyd Rose Squier Series Stratocaster - Floyd Rose Squier Series (Mid 1993-12/1993) 1994. this site is simply meant as a tool to satisfy the curiosity of guitar enthusiasts. Finding your serial number on your Fender should be very easy. Learn more about Fender electric basses. Search titles only; Posted by Member: Separate names with a comma. In 2012, Fender has transitioned the numbering scheme again with the new serial number starting with “JD” followed by an eight-digit number with “Made in Japan” decals. The number is MN2 XXXXXX. If you have any doubts as to a guitars’ authenticity please contact the guitar manufacturer before your purchase. Serial numbering didn’t change immediately because instruments continued to be made using existing, tooling, parts and serial number schemes. It follows that potential scammers can use this knowledge to try to trick unsuspecting buyers. Step #1 – Find your Serial Number. A new serial-numbering scheme was adopted toward the end of 2009 using the number 10 as a prefix, followed by a space, followed by seven digits. The serial numbering scheme for these instruments initially used the letters “IC” as a prefix indicating that they were made in Indonesia at … Please note that fender serial numbers tend to overlap by at least a year, and thereby the date of Back to Fender.com Some browsing around the F… 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. The serial number will be located on the neck plate on the back of the bass. Armed with this information, kcbuck was able to tell that poster the following regarding the value of that guitar; Mint 98%: $1,050.00 USD instead simple serial code patterns that are available on this site and in the wider guitar community are used. If you have any doubts as to a guitars’ authenticity please contact the guitar manufacturer before your purchase. Mexican Squiers. Leo ran a small electronics repair shop. Is there a chance this is a FAKE or are there spaces sometimes in Serial Numbers? He was especially intrigued by the problems he’d spot in amplifiers.