Fender Guitar Dating Guide

How to Read Fender Serial Numbers on the Back of the Headstock

Fender began placing serial numbers on the back of the headstock in the mid 1990s. Fender serial numbers on the headstock are comprised of a prefix to indicate a decade (and sometimes a factory), a preceding bold digit to indicate the year, then a sequential number. This section includes Fender guitars made in the USA, Mexico, and Japan:

How to Read Fender Serial Numbers on the Back of the Neck Heel

For some Japanese-made Fender guitars, the serial number is found on the back of the neck heel. These markings are common on vintage and modern Japanese models. Use this chart to help with your Japanese Fender serial number lookup.

Marked “Made in Japan”

Marked “Crafted in Japan”

Advanced Dating

Vintage Fender Guitar Neck Heel Stamps, Potentiometer Codes, and More

While Fender serial numbers are a fairly straightforward and accurate way to date your guitar, they are not always 100% accurate. For example, sometimes a guitar that was made in early 1963 may have a 1962 neck plate (and consequently, a 1962 serial number.) Fender was necessarily all that methodical or meticulous when it came to the assembly of their guitars, and so the best way to date them is by using a variety of corroborating factors. In addition to the serial number, the Fender neck heel date, Fender potentiometer codes and Fender pickup dates can help you to very accurately date your Fender guitar. Note: Finding these codes requires disassembly of the guitar.

While metal control cavity covers and necks are fairly easy to remove, great care should be taken when removing plastic pickguards, as they have a tendency to shrink, get stuck and crack. I do not recommend removing the pickguard unless you have prior experience doing so.

How To Read Fender Neck Heel Dates

Almost every Fender guitar made before 1970 has a written or stamped neck heel date. These dates are fairly straightforward to decipher, and for most collectors and enthusiasts, are the most accurate way to date Vintage Fender instruments. Because Fender did not always use serial numbers consistently, these neck heel dates are valuable for verifying the authenticity and age of vintage instruments. Collectors and enthusiasts often cross-reference these dates with body markings, pot codes, and pickup stamps to confirm the guitar’s production year. The neck heel stamp can be found by removing the strings and unscrewing the four neck screws that hold the neck plate in place. The neck can then be removed from the body. Never apply force when removing the neck. If the neck is difficult to move or stuck in the neck pocket, move slowly and take your time. Never force anything. Fender neck heel dates come in two formats. The pencil neck dates are read one way, and the ink stamp dates are read another way. Guitars made in 1959 and 1960 will sometimes lack a neck heel date.

Vintage Fender Guitar Neck Heel Pencil Dates

From the early 1950s through the early 1960s, Fender guitars were marked with the date of manufacture in pencil on the heel of the neck. These pencil neck heel dates are one of the most reliable ways to identify the production month and year of early Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters and Precision Basses. The format is simple and easy to read, typically showing the month followed by the year (for example, “5-57” for May 1957). In some cases, you may also see the initials of the employee who finished or inspected the neck, adding an extra layer of historical detail for collectors.

Vintage Fender Neck Heel Ink Stamps

Beginning in the early 1960s, Fender did away with the pencil neck date and switched to an ink stamp. These ink stamps are slightly more difficult to understand than the pencil dates, but not by much! The first one or two digits before the month indicate the model code. Each Fender model (Stratocaster, Jaguar, Telecaster, etc.) had its own one or two digit code. These codes have nothing to do with the year of manufacture. Following this code, we see the month of manufacture, followed by the last two digits of the year (ie. 63 = 1963). The final letter following the year is the size of the neck. While the vast majority of Fender guitars have a “B” sized neck (a medium sized standard) they can sometimes be found with A (small), C (large) and D (x-large) necks. Instruments with such necks are rarer, but not necessarily more valuable than their “B-neck” counterparts.

Fender Guitar Body Date Codes

Fender guitars from the 50s and early to mid 60s often bear a written date somewhere on the body of the instrument. The location of this date varies, but it can most often be found in the neck pocket, one of the pickup cavities, or in the rear tremolo cavity for Stratocaster models. The date is a simple month and year format. Sometimes, a date can also be found written in pencil on a piece of masking tape inside one of the cavities of the guitar.

Vintage Fender Pickup Dates & Fender Pickup Codes

Dating your Fender guitar using pickup codes and pickup dates is not the most reliable way to do so, as the use of pickup dates was very inconsistent, however, when they are present, they certainly can aid in dating your instrument. Pickup dates can be found on the back of the pickups and consist of a pencil or ink date from the 1950s until 1968, or a 3-6 digit code beginning in 1969. To decode the 3-6 digit pickup codes, simply look at the last one or two digits of the code; these are the last one or two digits of the year. For example, 1139 = 1969 or 161377 = 1977. You will sometimes have to use a little bit of deductive reasoning to figure out if you should be looking at the last two digits, or just the last digit alone!

Fender Pot Codes (Fender Potentiometer Codes)

Potentiometers, or pots for short, are small metal cans mounted at the back of the control knobs on an electric guitar. On a Fender, they are found behind the control plate or pickguard and thus must be accessed by gently removing these parts.

Potentiometer codes are a great way to date an antique Fender guitar and verify the originality of its electronic parts. Musicians and collectors often rely on these codes to authenticate vintage Stratocasters, Telecasters, and other Fender instruments.

Please note that dating Fender potentiometers can be more complex than checking a serial number or neck stamp. The codes are sometimes hidden under solder, so they can be difficult or impossible to read. You may have to look at multiple pots in order to piece together the date codes.

Why Potentiometer Codes Matter

• Help date your Fender guitar with greater precision
• Check whether the pots are actual vintage components or later replacements
• Provide valuable information for collectors, restorers, and appraisers