Fender Serial Number Lookup: Guitar & Bass Dating

U.S. vintage overlapping numeric ranges, 1950–1976

Fender’s original range chart overlaps heavily. The full terminal thousand-number band is retained conservatively; compare neck/component dates and original features. Not a serial-to-model database.

U.S. L-series neck plate ranges

The official chart gives approximate, overlapping thousands bands. An L serial is not a model code.

U.S. 76-prefix serials

The official chart places 76 plus five digits in 1976. This prefix must be read in U.S. production context.

U.S. S-prefix official overlap chart

Years are the complete alternatives in Fender’s chart, rather than an assumed one-year prefix formula. In particular N9 can occur on 1990 instruments as well as 1999/2000 instruments.

U.S. E-prefix official overlap chart

Years are the complete alternatives in Fender’s chart, rather than an assumed one-year prefix formula. In particular N9 can occur on 1990 instruments as well as 1999/2000 instruments.

U.S. N-prefix official overlap chart

Years are the complete alternatives in Fender’s chart, rather than an assumed one-year prefix formula. In particular N9 can occur on 1990 instruments as well as 1999/2000 instruments.

U.S. Z-prefix official overlap chart

Years are the complete alternatives in Fender’s chart, rather than an assumed one-year prefix formula. In particular N9 can occur on 1990 instruments as well as 1999/2000 instruments.

American Deluxe DZ serials

DZ identifies the American Deluxe series in Fender’s guide. Decal carryover can cross calendar years; the remainder does not identify a model.

U.S. US-prefix serials, 2010 onward

The first two digits after US give the nominal year. The remaining six digits are a non-sequential unit identifier and encode no model or production quantity.

Late-2009 / early-2010 transitional 10 prefix

The official prose says seven suffix digits, while the Mexico table says eight. Both are accepted only with explicit context. This short-lived scheme does not encode country, model or a production count.

U.S. Vintage V-prefix identification (no encoded year)

The digits after V do not establish the year. Fender directs owners to the neck date; a V prefix alone does not authenticate an instrument.

U.S. vintage ’52 Telecaster bridge numbering

A bridge serial from a reissue cannot be dated with the original 1950s numeric neck-plate chart. These digits do not encode a specific production year.

Mexico MN decade-prefix serials

The year digit denotes a production season that commonly extends into the following year. The code does not identify model, exact assembly day or quantity.

Mexico MZ decade-prefix serials

The year digit denotes a production season that commonly extends into the following year. The code does not identify model, exact assembly day or quantity.

Mexico MX-prefix serials, 2010 onward

Fender’s chart shows MX years overlapping the following year. Earlier Reggie Hamilton and Frank Bello Jazz basses also used MX; this rule covers codes 10 onward, and does not date those earlier exceptions.

Original Made in Japan letter chart, 1984–1997

Fender calls the dates approximate. Identical letter prefixes recur in later Japanese eras and on other countries’ instruments. The serial alone does not establish a particular Japanese factory.

Japan JV / SQ five-digit serials, 1982–1984

These early Japan prefixes identify approximate production ranges, not an exact model or date.

Japan N plus five digits, 1995–1996

Five digits after N is a distinct Japanese chart entry, separate from N plus six digits.

Crafted in Japan letter chart, 1997–2008

Dates follow Fender’s manufacturer chart. Squier Wiki gives an additional 2006 possibility for CIJ R; examine the model and component dates where the sources differ.

Reintroduced Made in Japan T/U decals, 2007–2012

T continued into 2011 on specific vendor-supplied Jazz bass/Pawn Shop/Precision/Jaguar models; some U instruments were made in the 2012 transition. Those possibilities are retained until the model is confirmed.

Made in Japan JD serials, 2012 onward

The first two digits after JD identify the year. The official dating guide does not decode the remaining six into a model or a specific factory; JD is not cross-applied from Gretsch’s factory chart.

Korean CN/VN official year chart

The manufacturer chart documents CN/VN0–6 with five following digits and year overlap. It does not establish an exact model. Other CN formats include U.S. Custom Shop instruments and must be identified separately.

Korean KC two-digit year serials, 1997–2012

Fender publishes the overlapping production seasons; the 2012 row gives 2012 only. Remaining digits are not a model code or a production quantity.

Korean unprefixed serials (broad 1988–1996 period)

Fender lists unprefixed six-, seven- and eight-digit serials in a broad 1988–1996 range. It does not provide a reliable first-digit year algorithm for this entire group.

Fender Indonesia IC serials

IC denotes Indonesia/Cort; ICF additionally denotes Fender branding. The manufacturer describes nominal two-digit years and carryover by months; explicit early-year overlaps are retained, and later nominal years are not exact assembly dates.

Fender Indonesia ICF serials

IC denotes Indonesia/Cort; ICF additionally denotes Fender branding. The manufacturer describes nominal two-digit years and carryover by months; explicit early-year overlaps are retained, and later nominal years are not exact assembly dates.

Fender AMXN special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender DN special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender CA special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender CB special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender CC special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender CE special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender CD special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender CO special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender GO special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

Fender D special-series association

The association is from Fender’s non-standard serial chart. It describes a series or possible model family; it is not a full SKU lookup or an authenticity check.

H/I/K U.S. export instruments, 1989–1990

A limited export group used these prefixes in 1989/1990. Country wording distinguishes it from Japanese decals.

FN export-market identification (year unclear)

Fender’s guide explicitly leaves FN dating unclear. These digits are not converted into a year or exact Stratocaster model.

U.S. Custom Shop CN/R identification (year not encoded here)

The manufacturer identifies these as Custom Shop serial families, not a general date algorithm. Original certificate and model documentation can resolve a date.

Fender SE/SN/SZ signature-series chart

The literal manufacturer chart is preserved, including its unusual SN1→1990 entry. No artist or exact model is inferred solely from this shared signature prefix.

Fender EE European-export identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

The manufacturer associates EE with some U.S. instruments exported to Europe in the mid-to-late 1980s. This descriptive period is not converted into a fabricated exact year range or model.

Fender G The STRAT model-family identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

G plus six digits is a source-backed The STRAT family clue only in confirmed U.S. production context. The Japanese G format is separate; no exact year or variant is inferred.

Fender C Collectors Series identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

The manufacturer identifies Collectors Series for this C format but provides no general year algorithm or exact model. Original documentation is needed to distinguish it from Japanese C serials.

Fender EJ Eric Johnson Stratocaster family identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

The official non-standard table associates EJ plus five digits with Eric Johnson Signature Stratocasters. This identifies a model family, not an exact variant or a manufacture date. The cited prefix row does not establish the country or an exact factory.

Fender LE promotion / later FSR identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

The fuller U.S. manufacturer table says LE was reused on many later FSRs. A 1994 date and Jazzmaster/Jaguar model must not be assigned universally; neither an exact year nor a unique model is returned.

Fender MSN Mexican artist-series identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

MSN plus six digits identifies a Mexican artist-series context. The manufacturer names several different model families and provides no general date formula for the digits. No single model, exact year or production quantity is selected.

Fender XN record-prefix identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

The current manufacturer guide warns that XN is commonly a database prefix absent from the physical instrument. This rule recognizes an explicitly supplied XN record only; it does not manufacture an XN prefix or infer a date/model.

Fender CZ Signature Series identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

CZ is included in Fender’s Signature Series row, but that row only provides date examples for SE, SN and SZ. Their date mappings are not cross-applied to CZ; country, exact model and year remain unestablished.

Fender TN Tribute Series identification; identification clue, not an individual instrument record

The fuller U.S. manufacturer table lists TN for Tribute Series. The separate non-standard table prints T instead. This literal TN identification is not a date code, and no country or model is inferred. A bare T format is not added because it also occurs in Japanese dating systems.