Fender Serial Number Lookup

Table of Contents

Want to know how old your Fender guitar is? Just follow these simple steps:

STEP 1. Find The Serial Number

The first thing you need to do is check the serial number.

Already know your serial number?

Great – go straight to Step 2 and identify it using our serial number decoder or guide.

No serial number yet?

Alright, first question: do you know the model? If yes – scroll to the model section below and you’ll see the most common spots for that exact guitar:

• Stratocaster
• Telecaster
• Precision Bass
• Jazz Bass
• Jazzmaster
• Jaguar
• Mustang
• Acoustic Guitar

Not sure about the model?

No problem – most Fender serial numbers are found in the first few locations below. Check these spots in order:

1. Back of the headstock – that’s the #1 place for a ton of Fender guitars.
2. Front of the headstock – often near the Fender logo. If you see several numbers at once, look for the one that says DES; this is the serial number.
3. Neck plate – that’s the metal plate on the back of the guitar where the neck is screwed to the body (you’ll see 4 screws there). On many older Fenders the serial is stamped right on that plate.
4. Bridge plate – this is the metal base plate the bridge sits on, between pickup and saddle. On some guitars (especially certain Telecasters and a few basses) the serial can be stamped on that metal plate.
5. Tremolo cavity cover (vibrato back plate) – it’s the cover over the spring cavity on the back of the body (on early 50’s Stratocasters).
6. Base of the neck (the visible part at the neck joint) – that’s the spot where the neck meets the body (common on some Japan-made Fenders).

Still can’t find it?

Before going further, make sure the instrument is actually a Fender (not Squier, a parts build, or another brand with Fender-style design).

If the serial number still isn’t visible, you may need to remove the neck (or pickguard/control plate on some models) to inspect internal markings. On many guitars, especially vintage and reissues, you may find useful identification marks on the neck heel. There you can find the production date.

STEP 2. Identify The Serial Number

First of all, try to check your Fender serial number using our decoder. It will help you find out not only the production date but also the place of manufacture of your instrument.

If the decoder does not give you a result, try searching manually in our serial number guide.

Stratocaster Serial Number

Some common features for identifying Stratocaster serial numbers.

Location of Serial Numbers:

• Early 1954: Tremolo Cavity Cover.
• 1954-1976: Neck Plate.
• 1976-2000s: Front of Headstock.
• Since mid-1990s: Back of Headstock.
• 1980-2017: Neck Heel (most Japanese Stratocasters).

Prefix Significance:

• L: Indicates a specific production era (mid-60s to 1976).
• E: Represents the 1980s.
• N: Denotes the 1990s.
• NC: Squier Strat Bullets
• Z: Used in the 2000s.
• V: For ‘vintage’ reissues.
• S: Signifies the 1970s.
• US: American Standard Series.
• DZ, DN: American Deluxe Series.
• CA: Gold Stratocaster 1981, 1982 and 1983.
• CC: Walnut Stratocaster 1981, 1982 and 1983.
• G: Stratocaster from 1980, with gold hardware and two-position rotary tone switch.

Origin Indicators:

• Mexican-made: Prefix MN or MZ for 1990s and 2000s; MSZ for Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster before  2010.
• Japanese-made: Prefix J or JV in early 1980s.
• 3 digits of 500: 35th Anniversary Strat from 1989-1990.

Telecaster Serial Number

Some common features for Telecaster serial number lookup.

Location of Serial Numbers:

• 1950-1954: Bridge Plate, between the pick-up and the saddles.
• 1954-1976: Neck Plate.
• 1976-2000s: Front of Headstock.
• 1980-2017: Neck Heel (Japan).
• Since 1980s: Bridge Plate (Vintage Reissues)
• Since mid-1990s: Back of Headstock.

Prefix Significance:

• L: Indicates a specific production era (mid-60s to 1976);
• CE: Black and Gold Telecaster from 1981-1982;
• XN: FSRs and ’52 Teles.

Origin Indicators:

• Mexican-made: Prefix MN or MZ for 1990s and 2000s; MSZ for Jim Root Telecaster, James Burton Standard Telecaster before  2010;
• Japanese-made: Prefix J or JV in early 1980s.

Other:

• 5 digits stamped on bridge plate: U.S. ’52 Vintage Telecaster since 1988;
• 4 digits stamped on bridge plate: U.S. ’52 Vintage Telecaster 1982-1988.

Precision Bass Serial Number

Some common features for identifying Precision Bass serial numbers.

Serial Number Location:

• 1951-1955: Bridge Plate.
• 1954-1976: Neck Plate.
• 1976-2000s: Front of Headstock.
• 1980-2017: Neck Heel (Japan).
• Since mid-1990s: Back of Headstock.

Serial Format:

• Pre-1976: Comprised solely of numbers;
• Post-1976: Begins with a letter followed by numbers. The letter often indicates the decade (e.g., E for the 1980s, N for the 1990s).

Prefix Significance:

• CB, CE: Precision Bass Special from 1981;
• CD, CO, GO: Precision Bass Special (Walnut) from 1982.

Origin Indicators:

• United States-made: Prefix US;
• Mexican-made: Prefix MX, MSZ (Duff McKagan P-Bass before  2010).

Jazz Bass Serial Number

Some common features for Jazz Bass serial number lookup.

Production:

• USA: Introduced in 1960 and produced in the United States.
  Note: U.S. production was interrupted for much of 1985 during the move from Fullerton to Corona.
• Japan: Fender expanded with Japan-made Fender instruments in 1982.
• Mexico: Fender instruments began coming off the line in Ensenada around 1990, and the Standard Jazz Bass appears among the first Mexico-made Standard line.

Serial Number Location:

• 1960 – mid-1976: Neck Plate (4-5 digits early ’60s; L-series; later ‘big F’ plate).
• Mid-1976 – 2000s: Front of Headstock.
• Since mid-2000s: Back of headstock.
• 1982-2017 (Japan): Back of the neck near the neck joint.
• Since 1982 (Vintage Reissue/American Vintage): Neck Plate (often V-prefix).

Prefix Significance:

• L (+ 5 digits): Indicates a specific production era (mid-60s to 1976);
• V: Vintage Reissue/American Vintage family;
• N: 1990s decade letter.
• Z: 2000s decade letter.
• US: American Standard Series.
• D (+ 6 digits): Jazz Bass from 1982.
• CB (+ 5 digits): Gold Jazz Bass from 1982.

Origin Indicators:

• Mexico (MIM): Prefix MN = 1990s, MZ = 2000s, MX = 2010s.
• Japan (MIJ/CIJ): common prefixes include JV, SQ, E; serial is often on the back of the neck near the neck joint, sometimes on the headstock decal or neck plate depending on reissue.

Jazzmaster Serial Number

Some common features for Jazzmaster serial number lookup.

Production:

• USA: 1958 – September 1980 (discontinued in 1980).
• Japan (reissues): Fender reintroduced the Jazzmaster in 1986 as a vintage-style ’62 reissue.
• USA (reissues): American Vintage Reissue ’62 Jazzmaster was introduced in 1999 (and ran until 2012).
• Mexico: Classic Player Jazzmaster introduced May 2008 (MIM).

Location of Serial Numbers:

• 1958 – early 1977: Neck Plate.
• Late 1976 – 1980: Front of Headstock.
• 1986 – 2015 (Japan): Neck Heel (near the neck joint).
• Mid-1990s (USA/Mex production, post-2015 Japan): Back of Headstock.
• 1999-2012 (USA AVRI ’62 Jazzmaster reissue): Neck plate (often seen with V serials on the plate).

Prefix Significance:

• 0 or ‘–‘ prefix before the digits: Sometimes seen on late-1957/1958 neck-plate serials (relevant for very early Jazzmasters).
• L: 1963-1965 neck-plate era.
• V: Vintage Reissue.
• LE (+ 6 digits): Blonde Jazzmaster with gold hardware, made in 1994 as a promotional set.

Origin Indicators:

• Mexico (MIM): Prefix MZ (2000s), MX (2010s+).
• Japan (MIJ/CIJ): serial often back of neck near neck joint; some reissues put it in the headstock decal or on the neck plate.
• USA: Prefix US (Since 2010s).

Jaguar Serial Number

Some common features for Jaguar serial number lookup.

Location of Serial Numbers:

• 1962 – 1975: Neck Plate (classic/vintage Jaguars).
• Mid-1980 – 2015 (Japan): Neck Heel.
• Since 1999 (Reissue): Neck Plate (V-prefix).
• Since mid-2000s: Back of Headstock.

Prefix Significance:

• V: Vintage Reissue/American Vintage; not strictly year-coded.
• LE (+ 6 digits): Blonde Jaguar with gold hardware (1994 promo set).

Origin Indicators:

• Mexico (MIM): Prefix MZ (2000s), MX (2010s+).
• Japan (MIJ/CIJ): many reissue Jaguars show the serial on the back of the neck under the MIJ/CIJ marking, or in/near the headstock decal depending on the run.

Mustang Serial Number

Some common features for Mustang serial number lookup.

Production:

• USA (original run): 1964-1982 (discontinued in 1982).
• Japan (Reissues): since 1990 (Mustang became Fender’s first reissued ‘floating-bridge’ model).

Location of Serial Numbers:

• 1964-1977: Neck Plate.
• 1977-1982: Front of Headstock.
• 1990-2016 (Japan Reissues): Neck Heel.
• Since 2010s: Back of Headstock.

Prefix Significance:

• 76 (+ 5 digits): headstock serials used around 1976/early 1977 (transition period).
• S (+ 6 digits): 1977-1981 style (S = Seventies; first digit after S indicates the year).
• E (+ 6 digits): late 1970s/early 1980s style (E = Eighties; first digit after E indicates the year).
• V (+ 4-6 digits): Vintage Reissue serial style (not strictly year-coded).

Origin Indicators:

• Mexican-made: serial typically starts with M.
• Japan (MIJ/CIJ): serial is often on the back of the neck heel (older Japan format), with JD- moving to the back of headstock in the newer era.

Fender Acoustic Serial Number

Where to find the serial number on a Fender acoustic guitar:

1. Neck Plate: U.S.-made bolt-on flat-tops, 1964-1971;
   Models: King/Kingman, Concert, Classic, Malibu, Newporter, Shenandoah, Villager, Wildwood, Palomino, Redondo.
2. Inside the Soundhole on the Label (often shows model + serial) since 1970s;
3. Stamped on the Neck Block – look for the serial inside the soundhole, facing the neck.

Important note: Serial numbers/codes may be listed slightly out of order, so the year of manufacture should be considered approximate unless you confirm it with other data.

If a serial number is present, it typically has a letter prefix followed by several digits.

The first digits often indicate the production year:

• Most commonly, the first 2 digits = year (within the 2000s/2010s/2020s).
• In some older formats, the first 1 digit = year (typically within the 1990s).

Examples (2 digits = year):

• US14xxxxx – 2014
• ICF12xxxxx – 2012

Examples (1 digit = year):

• CN5xxxxx – 1995
• VN7xxxxx – 1997

But this only applies to guitars made after the 1980s. Records for Fender acoustic guitars from the early 1960s through the 1980s are incomplete, so serial numbers are often insufficient to accurately date an instrument.

Use the model name, construction details and catalogs to understand the time period the guitar was made.

DG Series: Import acoustics (China/Indonesia/Korea), mostly mid-late 1990s. Models start with DG prefix.

Spring Hill Series: Handmade acoustics built in Spring Hill, Tennessee (mid-1990s). Model prefixes are LS and SB.

AG Series: Import acoustics from Korea (mid-1990s). Model prefix start with AG (AG10-AG25).

SX/CX Series: Import acoustics from Korea (early-mid 1990s). Model suffixes include SX (steel-string), SXE, and CX (classical).

Gemini Series: Import acoustics from Korea, distributed in the U.S. by Midco (mid-1980s into 1990). Includes Gemini I-IV and IIE.

California Series: Import acoustics: Japan in the early 1980s, then Korea in the mid-1980s onward. Includes models like Malibu, Newporter, Redondo.

Standard Series: Import acoustics distributed in the U.S. by Midico (1980s). Includes models like F200/F210 and FC classical variants.

F Series: Acoustic guitars imported from Asia (late 1960s through the 1980s).

Early U.S.-Made Acoustic Guitars: Instruments with laminated construction, bolt-on necks, through-body tension rods, and Strat-style headstocks (1960s-early 1970s).

Tarrega Acoustic Guitars: Made in Sweden and distributed by Fender in the late 1960s; laminated construction.

Regal Acoustic Guitars: Distributed by Fender in the late 1960s; laminate construction.

STEP 3. Verify The Information

Despite the fact that our serial number decoder is quite accurate, it does not provide a 100% guarantee. The process of determining the date and place of production, as well as the authenticity of the instrument is quite complex. Do not jump to conclusions.

Be sure to verify the information:

1. Check the external characteristics (components, pickups, hardware, etc.)
2. Look through the catalogs and make sure that this model was produced that year.
3. Contact experts, especially if we are talking about a vintage and valuable instrument.
4. Contact Fender’s official support. If they have any information you need, they’ll be sure to help.

FAQ