My recent acquisition of a 57 Vintage Hot Rod did not come with any paperwork or even the correct case. With that aside, I have no doubt that she is authentic, I was just trying to figure out how old she is.
She has the "V" prefix in the 6 digit s/n with the correct pickups. Is there any way to decipher the year of manufacture based on the serial number or do I need to remove the neck?

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Fender - Vintage 57' Hot Rod
Fender - Yngwie Malmsteen Strat
A couple of Gibson Les Pauls
A couple of 80's era pointy Super Strats

Go to guitardaterproject.org and click Fender and enter the serial number there.

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--Hillbilly
Proud member of the 2 or 3 club

Thanks BostonMan, unfortunately the Vintage series keeps directing me to remove the neck to read the date of manufacture. I was hoping I would not have to do that.

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Fender - Vintage 57' Hot Rod
Fender - Yngwie Malmsteen Strat
A couple of Gibson Les Pauls
A couple of 80's era pointy Super Strats

Well sorry i couldnt help you out man. good luck....

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--Hillbilly
Proud member of the 2 or 3 club

You can write or call Fender and they will tell you the steps to get it dated..Or they may even have the info...They helped me date my 73 Standard before i bought it to verify that it was authentic...

I like that idea better than messing with taking my baby apart. I'll call them on Monday, thanks. It just does not make sense to me, that you would have to take the neck off just to figure out the date of manufacture.

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Fender - Vintage 57' Hot Rod
Fender - Yngwie Malmsteen Strat
A couple of Gibson Les Pauls
A couple of 80's era pointy Super Strats

See my sig?

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For setup help you could go here - http://www.fender.com/support
For a guitars build date, try here - http://www.guitardaterproject.org/

Been there done that, guitarproject dater is where I found out about having to remove the neck. I found out that it was built in Corona, Ca sometime after 1987.
Does anyone know when Fender started the Hot Rod?

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Fender - Vintage 57' Hot Rod
Fender - Yngwie Malmsteen Strat
A couple of Gibson Les Pauls
A couple of 80's era pointy Super Strats

If you think of a guitar as a car, it's wise to know what's under the hood. Proper maintenance will keep her happy!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

The only way is to look in the neck pocket.

The quick way to do it is to detune the strings right down but not off the tuner posts. Put a capo on the first fret. Then you can undo the neck bolts and have a dink at the heel and pocket. I do the neck screws up like i was putting a car wheel back on. top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left. No real rhyme or reason to it, it just seems right to me. Dont over tighten the neck screws either.

I've the same guitar, its a hell of a machine.

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No no and no

E-mail your serial# to consumerrelations@fender.com as noted in my sig. They should be able to sort you, they did me.

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For setup help you could go here - http://www.fender.com/support
For a guitars build date, try here - http://www.guitardaterproject.org/

Hi Silverbursted: sometime after 1987, huh? Well, that's definitely not wrong - but not very helpful, either. I don't own one, but from memory I believe they first came out within the last two years or so.

And indeed by clicking the "Specs" button on this page we discover that the model was introduced January 2007 (bottom of the specs sheet):

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... 0100132809

So yours ain't too old.

Enjoy! - C

Having been righteously spanked by Ceri, I have modified my sig to reflect my ignorance. That stated, I love this forum and will continue to partipate. Time for a pint, thank you ma'am... Must be time for a Champagne Jam...

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For setup help you could go here - http://www.fender.com/support
For a guitars build date, try here - http://www.guitardaterproject.org/

Ma'am is a Mister.
Pronounced like "Kerry"

Haha - thank you! I once thought of explaining it in a sig at the bottom of my posts - but life's too short. I take it up with my dad from time to time, though...

And BTW, Arcarix: I would never dream of spanking anyone on this Forum. Those moments are far too special to share publicly...

- C