Decoder / Brand

Fender serial numbers

Serial numbers overlapped and were not strictly sequential in the 1950s and 1960s. Neck dates, pot codes and body routing are better clues than the number alone. A serial is evidence, not proof.

Serial number

Letters, digits and hyphens. Spaces and dots are ignored.

Brand

Instrument family

Pot code (optional)

Your number, read character by character

Each character of your number appears here.

Entries

Ranked by confidence. Select a row for its rule.

Type a serial number, or press an example. Nothing leaves your device.

Where to look

Bridge plate (1950 to 1954)
Neck plate (1954 to 1976)
Headstock face (mid-1976 onwards)

Generic outline, not any maker's model. Marks 1 to 3 are the usual places; which apply depends on the format and year.

The formats, in order

Each row is one rule the decoder applies. Where two rows overlap in years, a number can match both, and the decoder shows both.

Years	Format	How sure	Usually found
1950 to 1964	Four and five-digit numbers, 1950 to 1964 Up to five digits, no prefix. On the bridge plate until 1954, then on the neck plate. Numbers overlapped and were not strictly sequential.	Ambiguous (estimated)	Bridge plate (1950 to 1954), neck plate (from 1954).
1963 to 1965	L prefix, 1963 to 1965 The letter L followed by five digits.	Likely (estimated)	Neck plate.
1965 to 1976	Six-digit numbers, 1965 to 1976 Six digits, no prefix. Neck plate with a large script F.	Ambiguous (estimated)	Neck plate.
1976 to 1979	S prefix and 76 prefix, 1976 to 1979 S followed by the year digit and the rest, or a seven-digit number starting 76. The serial moves to the face of the headstock.	Likely	Headstock face, on a decal or stamp.
1976	Seven digits starting 76, 1976 Seven digits beginning 76.	Likely	Headstock face.
1981 to 1984	E prefix, 1981 to 1984 E followed by the year digit and the rest.	Likely (estimated)	Headstock face.
1982 to 1984	JV and SQ prefixes, Japan, 1982 to 1984 JV (1982 to 1984) or SQ (1983 to 1984) followed by digits.	Likely (estimated)	Neck plate or headstock.
1990 to 2002	N prefix, 1990 to 2002 N followed by a year digit and the rest. The digit repeats across decades.	Ambiguous (estimated)	Headstock face.
1990 to 2009	MN prefix, Mexico, 1990 to 2009 MN followed by a year digit and the rest.	Ambiguous (estimated)	Headstock face.

Traps

Four and five-digit numbers, 1950 to 1964. Bands are broad on purpose. Neck date pencilled on the heel, pot codes and body features are better evidence.
L prefix, 1963 to 1965. A larger L number points later in the range.
Six-digit numbers, 1965 to 1976. Collector bands for these years vary by source. Treat the range as a starting point.
S prefix and 76 prefix, 1976 to 1979. S7 is 1977, S8 1978, S9 1979.
E prefix, 1981 to 1984. Some sources give wider spans; confirm with other clues.
JV and SQ prefixes, Japan, 1982 to 1984. These are Japan-built Squier and Fender reissues. They are not US numbers.
N prefix, 1990 to 2002. N9 can be 1990 or 1999.
MN prefix, Mexico, 1990 to 2009. Mexican instruments. The year digit repeats across the 1990s and 2000s.

Dates that matter

1946. Fender founded. The company begins as Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing.
1950. Broadcaster and Telecaster introduced. The first mass-produced solid-body electric.
1954. Stratocaster introduced. Neck-plate serial numbers begin at about this time.
1965. CBS buys Fender. The company is acquired in January; the large script F neck plate follows.
1976. Serial moves to headstock face. The number moves to a decal or stamp on the front of the headstock.

See these on the timeline.

Features that help date it

Black pickguard on Telecasters (1950 to 1954). A black guard on an ash body, often called a blackguard.
Slab rosewood fingerboard (1959 to 1962). A flat-bottomed rosewood board with a visible straight line.
Large script F neck plate (1965 to 1976). A neck plate with a stylised F and six-digit serial number.
Serial number on the headstock face (1976 to later). A decal or stamp on the front of the headstock rather than a neck plate.

Filter all features by brand and year.

Where the rules come from

Author knowledge of published collector consensus; not independently verified online

Rules are rewritten as logic, not copied tables. See About for known gaps.

Other brands

Martin, Gibson, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Rickenbacker, Harmony, Kay, Silvertone and Danelectro, Other makers.