Hey guys,

Can someone tell me how to come by the year a Fender is made?
Is it anough to give Fender the serial number and
does Fender provide that kind of service?

Thx.

http://www.guitardaterproject.org/fender.aspx


http://www.fender.com/support/usa_instruments.php
over on the left you can select Mexico or other dating


or email Fender Customer Relations the # for a more accurate date

Thanks sjtalon,

was very helpfull.

Please note...the serial number doesn't always accurately reflect when the guitar was actually made. Personally I suggest pulling the neck off and looking at the date stamps in the neck pocket of the body and on the heal of the neck. In the case of my '96 MIM for example, the serial number shows the "guitar" was actually made in '92 but the neck and body stamps clearly show Feb '96. Because my wife bought the guitar for me brand new in August '96 and because the body & neck stamps reflect that, I know she's a '96 but if I had of bought her used and went by the serial number alone, I'd have the wrong year info.

The problem here is that the serial number goes on the headstock before the finish is applied to the neck. In some cases, after that finish is applied, that neck may end up sitting in a warehouse for a while before it gets used. I can't swear to this but I think the date stamp is later applied to the neck when it's actually "assembled" (i.e. the tuners, nut, frets and string tree, etc., are added). Obviously being of a modular design, the serial number really has no reflection on when the body was actually made, let alone when the guitar was actually assembled.

Also, in regards to certain older models (and possibly some newer models) you don't always get a lot of info from the serial number anyways. In the case of my '85 MIJ for example, because she's an "E series" and because Fender and FujiGen didn't keep really good records or anything, the -ONLY- thing you can find from the serial number is that she was made "sometime between '84 and '87". In this case there's no stamp on the body but the there is a hand written date on the neck that says "9-13-85" so it's a pretty safe bet she's an '85...although she may not have been sold until '86...no way to know for sure there. Either way still a lot closer than the serial number indicates.

This is just my own personal and ever so humble opinion of course but personally I would not rely on the serial number or internet information (including here on Fender) for accurate dating of an instrument. If you really want to know for sure, pull the neck and look.

Peace,
Jim