How old is my fender telecaster guitar

He started using one sequence of serial numbers for all the guitars coming off of the Fender production lines including Teles, Esquires, Strats, and P-basses. Some of these identification numbers are still out of sequence, jumbled up, or missing. You may notice that there is a great deal of over lapping numbers in these nine years. The only way to verify an over lapping date is to check the corresponding neck date and body date.

This list is a little convoluted because there are so many over lapping serial numbers. The number column represents the general number grouping that Fender and most experts agree on. The low and high columns show the range of identification numbers that have been positively matched to specific years.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of overlap. For some reason during , , and Fender decided to place zero or a dash in front of ID numbers periodically.

He was nearing his ,th guitar. This time all the identification numbers under 10, fill the empty digits with zeros. It was L A lot of changes happened to the company as well as the guitars themselves under the new ownership.

The identification number sequences were no exception. CBS came up with a new numbering system to take advantage of the fact that Leo did not use 6-digit ID numbers. CBS continued the sequence Fender started in These era guitars are commonly referred to as the F series because of the neck plate design change.

The new neck plate only had the Fender F logo stamped in place. In , Fender decided to stop stamping ID numbers in guitar parts and started making decals for the guitar peghead or headstock.

Along with the new location a new series of serial numbers were instituted. Fender apparently was thinking long term because they developed a serial numbering system with one-letter codes preceding the indentification numbers. The letters referred to the decade that the guitars were produced.

Most guitars then had a number following the one-letter code that designated the specific year. For instance, ID number S would be a guitar produced in In about Fender started making import guitars from Japan and around Fender started importing from Mexico.

These guitars have a completely different set of serial numbers that I will talk about later in the article. This section only deals with USA made Fender guitars. Here are the decade numbers:. The new serial number system was a little complicated, but it does make it relatively easy to tell the date of the guitar.

Fender mass-produced the headstock decal without matching them with the annual production schedules of the guitars—meaning they made more decals for a given year than guitars. See the problem? There were a few years where excess headstock ID number decals were produced and held over to the next year, the some guitars are actually dated with a previous year decal.

To get the exact date on guitars made between and , it is important to cross-reference the dates on the neck written on the heel.

Here are a list of dates and codes that overlap years. Aside from all of the errors and overlapping serial numbers, this system was quite improved from the previous ID number systems. If Fender would have executed the indentification numbers as planned, USA Fender guitars would be numbered as the following without any exceptions. You can use this table to lookup your Fender serial number after Throughout the years, Fender has run many limited edition, reissue, and custom guitars.

These guitars usually have a special two to four letter prefix before the serial number. Each prefix is unique to that model guitar. Here is a guide to lookup all of the different types of special Fender guitars with their own serial number pattern. Japanese Fender Serial Numbers. Mexican Fender Serial Numbers. Korean Fender Serial Numbers.

You can also find more information on the Fender site. I have a fender stratocaster original custom body with the serial number JC and i cant find the date, could you help me?

Period, NO exception. And NO; the instrument had NOT been altered in any way, was in great shape although a bit dirty , and the quality level was impressive. On the face of the headstock it says original custom body and under Fender it says with synchronized Tremolo. Australian purchased and is in top condition.

Can anyone tell me when it was made and or what it might be worth please. Hi — We are a music shop who also does repairs. We have a Fender Tele a customer has brought in for repair. It has made in the USA on the back of the headstock. On the neck plate it has Fender. One website I went to said it was made in Mexico in But, the customer said her Dad had it at least 30 years ago that she remembers, and she believes well before that.

It has a lovely burl top. It is now back in very good condition. Can a possible date be established for it? Thanks Keith. Can anybody help me with that? Z7 , I understand that the Z stands for being manufactured starting at the year , the first digit, in this case 7, documents that it is built in , followed by the digits of the real serial.

So you have the same on your back of the Can you also kindly advise of what you paid for your guitar? There is so much to learn about how to date vintage Fender guitars that it seems like there's always something new even for experts in the field. If you'd like help with "how old is my vintage Fender guitar? I'd love to check out your guitar. I'm always a buyer for good vintage Fender electric guitars.

You can reach out to me here to sell a vintage Fender guitar. How to date a vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar. How to date a vintage Fender Jazzmaster guitar. How to date a vintage Fender Jaguar guitar.

Knowing how to date a Fender guitar is important to help establish its value. Guitar players and collectors began noticing in the s and s that Fender guitars made in the s and s were far more finely crafted, better playing, and most importantly: sounded better. Demand for vintage Fender guitars exceed the supply and values increased for certain models and years. A vintage guitar's value is highly dependent on the year it was manufactured and its condition.

It's tempting to rely too heavily on a Fender guitar's serial number for Fender guitar dating, but Fender guitar experts know that it's only one small data point. However, the serial numbers on the neck will provide the rough age of the instrument, according to Telecaster.

Check the bridge area of the guitar. Fender Telecaster guitars made in the years from to had a serial number stamped on the bridgeplate of the guitar. Guitars with serial numbers from to were released from to , while those with serial numbers from to were built from to Look on the neck plate area of the guitar.

Fender guitars made from to mid have a neck plate serial number, which changes depending on the year. At many points in Fender's history, serial number usage overlapped again owing to the modular manner of production. Below we'll go into detail about the various serial number schemes employed by Fender as far back as There are certainly plenty of exceptions, so again, using serial numbers in conjunction with other dating methods is always the best bet.

Click on the links here to jump directly to the serial number style that matches your instrument:. In the early years, Fender serial numbers schemes were specific to the model. Esquires, Broadcasters and Telecasters shared a serial number sequence, while the landmark Precision Bass had its own system. In this early period, the serial number can be found on the bridge of the instrument see image. Here are the rough serial number ranges for the early Esquires and Telecasters :.

Also, for the first half or so of , the inaugural run of Stratocasters had a distinct number sequence all under number By mid, Fender began using a universal serial number sequence for all its instruments. At this time, the location of the serial number also shifted from the bridge to the neckplate the metal plate located on back of where the neck meets the body.

Here's how the serial numbers break down from to the beginning of , though there are some areas of inconsistency in this era:. At the very end of and into , Fender changed to a system where serial numbers began with an "L. Here the range of the L-series serial used each year. Some of the earliest ones actually popped up in late as well:. After the CBS purchase of Fender in , the factory switched to a new serial sequence with numbers that continued the same general format used prior to the takeover.

These are generally referred to as F series due the large Fender branded F on the neckplates of the era. This period also saw a switch from the orginal four-bolt neckplate of the '60s to a three-bolt neckplate in just one example of cost-saving costs introduced under CBS. Starting in , Fender transitioned to a new serial number scheme and moved the placement of most serial numbers to the headstock of the instrument.

Depending on the era and model, the number can be found on either the front or back of the headstock. After a short period of overlap with the old system, the post numbers will start with a letter that indicates the decade, followed by a number that indicates the year of that decade.

In the s, you'll also see serials starting with a DZ which indicates the Deluxe series, but the format is otherwise the same.