This site was created by two guitar enthusiasts.
For many years, we worked with musical instruments, buying and selling guitars and other gear. Vintage and older Fender guitars were always especially interesting to us.
When you buy or sell an older instrument, you need to know its age and where it was made. The serial number is usually the first thing you check.
With Fender guitars, that wasn’t always as simple as it sounds.
Why We Built This Site
We spent a lot of time checking Fender serial numbers for guitars we were buying or researching.
Some serial number formats were used for several years. The same prefixes sometimes appeared in different periods, and information from different charts and websites didn’t always match.
We ran into this problem again and again.
So we started keeping our own notes. We saved serial number charts, production dates, factory information, old catalogs, and examples from guitars we came across. At first, it was simply something we used for our own work.
Later, we tried different serial number lookup tools online. Some were useful, but we often found numbers they didn’t recognize or results that looked more certain than the available information really was.
Eventually, we decided to build our own Fender serial number decoder using the information we had collected over the years.
We wanted it to be simple to use, but we also wanted the results to be honest. If a serial number clearly points to one year, the decoder shows that year. If there are several possible matches, it shows those instead of guessing.
That is how FenderSerialNumberLookup.com started.
We still work on the database, add new information, check old records, and correct things when we find better sources or real guitar examples that don’t fit the existing data.
What You’ll Find Here
- The main part of the site is our Fender Serial Number Decoder. Enter a serial number and it can help you find when and where a Fender guitar or bass was made.
- The collection of old Fender catalogs on the site grew out of the same research. They can help identify models, production years, original finishes, specs, and other details.
- The site also includes a Fender Factory List covering factories in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, China, and other places where Fender guitars have been made.
- We’ve also created detailed dating guides for Telecaster and Fender Acoustic Guitars. These guides focus on the features, production changes, and other details that can help identify when a guitar was made.
How We Build Our Serial Number Data
To create the serial number database, we used the following sources:
- Fender serial number charts
- Fender catalogs and price lists
- Factory and country-of-origin markings
- Model-specific production details
- Real guitar examples
- User-submitted corrections
We still update the database when we find new information, better sources, or guitars that don’t fit the existing data.
Help Us Improve The Site
If you find a serial number that isn’t recognized, notice something we’ve got wrong, or have information that could help improve the database, feel free to contact us.
If the site has been useful to you, you can also help by sharing it with other guitar owners or on guitar forums.
Thanks for visiting.
FenderSerialNumberLookup.com is an independent website and is not affiliated with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC).