Hi Guest, Well its certainly nothing like any Fender serial I have seen, however, perhaps you are best directing your query to "Fender" themselves. In the meantime the info following is the closest to your numbering but there are to many digits.
Pre-1977 Fender guitars have a serial number on the bridgeplate or neckplate. Serial numbers are basically chronological, but there is some overlap amoung years. Fender serial numbers were assigned like this: bin with serialized plates/bridges. Assembler reached in and grabbed one (or many). Put them on the instrument(s). As you can see from this over-simplified example, serial number assignment was fairly random. Just keep this in mind. The only truely definitive way to date a pre-CBS fender is to look at all the dates on the instrument (body date, neck date, pot dates). The serial number can only generalized the age of the instrument within a few years.
Esquires, Broadcasters, Telecasters 1950 to 1954 (number on bridgeplate). This system of serial numbers is unique to these three models until about the early summer of 1954 (when Fender switched to a universal neck plate serial number system for all models):
Telecaster, Numbers On Bridge Plate
0001 to 0999 = 1950 to 1952
1000 to 5300 = 1952 to 1954
Precision Basses 1951 to 1955 (number on bridgeplate). Note there is some overlap. This system of serial numbers is unique to this model until about 1955 (even though Fender went to a universal neckplate serial number system on all instruments in 1954, some old style Precision Bass serialized bridges were still left over and used until 1955.)
Pbass, Numbers on Bridge Plate
100 to 400 = 1951 to 1952
0001 to 0999 = 1952 to 1954
1000 to 2000 = 1953 to 1955
Neck plates, clockwise from top left:
1954, 1956, 1972, 1960.
All Models, summer 1954 to mid 1976 (serial number on neckplate). In 1957/1958 some serial numbers started with a minus sign ("-"
, or had a "0" prefix before the number. Also in 1959/1960 some serial numbers were at the bottom of the neck plate instead of the usual top. Double stamped serial number plates were also produced (number on both front and back of the neck plate) in late 1957 to early 1959. As a good example of all four of these serial number oddities, click here. This shows a "double stamped" neck plate, one number with a "-" prefix and stamped on the bottom of the plate, and the other number with a "0" prefix! And yes there is some overlap in serial numbers between years.
4 to 6 digit Neck Plate Serial Numbers (no other letters or markings on the neck plate, except for the rare "-" or "0" prefix, as noted).
0001 to 6000 = 1954
6000 to 9000 = 1955
9000 to 16000 = 1956
16000 to 25000 = 1957 (some numbers with a "0" or "-" prefix)
25000 to 30000 = 1958 (some numbers with a "0" or "-" prefix)
30000 to 40000 = 1959
40000 to 58000 = 1960
55000 to 72000 = 1961
72000 to 93000 = 1962
93000 to 99999 = late 1963 to mid 1963
L-Series (late 1962 to late 1965) (serial number on neckplate preceded with an "L"
:
L00001 to L20000 = late 1962 to late 1963
L20000 to L55000 = 1964
L55000 to L99999 = 1965
F-Series (late 1965 to mid-1976) (big script "F" on neckplate below serial number):
100000 to 110000 = late 1965
110000 to 200000 = 1966
180000 to 210000 = 1967
210000 to 250000 = 1968
250000 to 280000 = 1969
280000 to 300000 = 1970
300000 to 330000 = 1971
330000 to 370000 = 1972
370000 to 520000 = 1973
500000 to 580000 = 1974
580000 to 690000 = 1975
690000 to 750000 = 1976
Serial Number on Peghead Decal.
U.S. made Fenders, starting in mid-1976 has the serial number on the peghead. Note the following number could be off as much as two years. Generally speaking, a "S" prefix equals the 1970's, "E" prefix equals the 1980's, and "N" prefix equals the 1990's. Note "E" and "N" prefix models are sometimes also Japanese-made (see below).
7600000 ("76" in bold) = 1976-1977
800000s = 1979-1981
1000000 to 8000000 = 1976-1981 (7 digits)
S100000's-S600000's = 1979-1982
S700000's to S770000's = 1977
S740000's to S800000's = 1978
S810000's to S870000's = 1979
S880000's to S980000's = 1980
S950000's to S990000's = 1981
E000000's to E100000's = 1979-1982
E200000's = 1982
E300000's to E310000's = 1983
E320000's to E390000's = 1984-1985
E400000's = 1984, 1985, 1987
E800000's = 1988-1989
E900000's = 1989-1990
N900000's = 1990
N000000's = 1990-1991
N100000's = 1991
N200000's = 1992
N300000's = 1993
N400000's = 1994
N500000's = 1995
N600000's = 1996
N700000's = 1997
N800000's = 1998
N900000's = 1999
Japanese Serial Numbers
JV+ 5 digits 1982-1984
SQ + 5 digits 1983-1984
E + 6 digits 1984-1987
A + 6 digits 1985-1986
B + 6 digits 1985-1986
C + 6 digits 1985-1986
F + 6 digits 1986-1987
G + 6 digits 1987-1988
H + 6 digits 1988-1989
I + 6 digits 1989-1990
J + 6 digits 1989-1990
K + 6 digits 1990-1991
L + 6 digits 1991-1992
M + 6 digits 1992-1993
N + 6 digits 1993-1994
O + 6 digits 1993-1994
P + 6 digits 1993-1994
Q + 6 digits 1993-1994
S + 6 digits 1994-1995
T + 6 digits 1994-1995
U + 6 digits 1995-1996
N + 5 digits 1995-1996
V + 6 digits 1996-1997
Crafted in Japan A + 6 digits 1997-1998
Crafted in Japan O + 5 digits 1997-2000
Crafted in Japan P + 5 digits 1999-2002
Crafted in Japan Q + 5 digits 2002-2004
Crafted in Japan R + 5 digits 2004-2005
Dating Mexican Made Fenders
SERIAL NUMBERS CIRCA
MN0+ 5 DIGITS 1990-1991
MN1+ 5 DIGITS 1991-1992
MN2+ 5 DIGITS 1992-1993
MN3+ 5 DIGITS 1993-1994
MN4+ 5 DIGITS 1994-1995
MN5+ 5 DIGITS 1995-1996
MN6+ 5 DIGITS 1996-1997
MN7+ 5 DIGITS 1997-1998
MN8+ 5 DIGITS 1998-1999
MN9+ 5 DIGITS 1999-2000
MZ0+ 5 DIGITS 2000-2001
MZ1+ 5 DIGITS 2001-2002
MZ2+ 5 DIGITS 2002-2003
MZ3+ 5 DIGITS 2003-2004
MZ4+ 5 DIGITS 2004-2005
MZ5+ 5 DIGITS 2005-2006
With the year 2000 came the introduction of the "Z" prefix serial numbers on US made instruments, which stood for the 0 of the new millennium. A Z0 prefix dates to 2000, a Z1 prefix dates to 2001 etcetera. The American Deluxe Series instruments use the same dating convention but with the addition of a "D" in front of the "Z", i.e. DZ1, DZ2 etcetera. Once again, and as always, there is typically some overlap and carryover of number prefixes from year to year.
SERIAL NUMBERS PRODUCTION DATES
N9 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
Z0 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
DZ0 + 5 or 6 DIGITS (Am. Deluxe)
V + 5 or 6 DIGITS (American Vintage Series except '52 Telecaster) 2000
Z0 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
Z1 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
DZ1 + 5 or 6 DIGITS (Am. Deluxe)
V + 5 or 6 DIGITS (American Vintage Series except '52 Telecaster) 2001
Z1 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
Z2 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
DZ2 + 5 or 6 DIGITS (Am. Deluxe)
V + 5 or 6 DIGITS (American Vintage Series except '52 Telecaster) 2002
Z2 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
Z3 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
DZ3 + 5 or 6 DIGITS (American Deluxe Series)
V + 5 or 6 DIGITS (American Vintage Series except '52 Telecaster) 2003
Z3 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
Z4 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
DZ4 + 5 or 6 DIGITS (Am. Deluxe)
V + 5 or 6 DIGITS (American Vintage Series except '52 Telecaster)
XN4 + 4 Digits 2004
Z4 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
Z5 + 5 or 6 DIGITS
DZ5 + 5 or 6 DIGITS (Am. Deluxe)
V + 5 or 6 DIGITS (American Vintage Series except '52 Telecaster)
XN5 + 4 Digits 2
Here are some contact numbers for Fender
Public Relations Department by telephone, fax or e-mail at:
Telephone: (480) 596-7195
Fax: (480) 367-5262
E-mail:
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Regards Fenderphil
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