Serial number dating / Fender
Fender serial number lookup
Find the year a Fender was built, read from Fender’s own numbering scheme.
Can't read a digit? Type ? in its place. Looked-up serials are kept, never tied to you. How it works
Type the serial or code from the instrument. We read it as you type.
Cross-check with a pot code
The number stamped on a potentiometer inside the guitar. It dates the part, not the whole instrument.
Example Fender serials and how they read
Made-up serials in each of Fender’s formats, read by the dater above.
| Serial | Reads as | Format |
|---|---|---|
| US19034567 | 2019 | USA, modern (US + year) |
| MXS24012345 | 2024 | Made in Mexico, MX + letter + year |
| MX16123456 | 2016 | Made in Mexico, modern (MX + year) |
| JD20012345 | 2020 | Made in Japan (JD + year) |
| V2512345 | 2025 | USA vintage-style series (V + year) |
| Z5123456 | 2005–2006 | USA, letter-prefix (2000s) |
| N8123456 | 1998–1999 | USA, letter-prefix (1990s) |
| E812345 | 1988–1989 | USA, letter-prefix (1980s) |
| ICS20012345 | 2020 | Indonesia (Cort) |
| R54321 | 2010–2011 | Custom Shop (R + number), USA |
How Fender serials date
- US letter-prefix by decade (S=70s, E=80s, N=90s, Z=2000s)
- US plus a two-digit year (2010 on)
- Made in Mexico (MN, MZ, MX)
- Made in / Crafted in Japan: JV and SQ, then single-letter prefixes that recur between the MIJ and CIJ eras, so the decal on the neck tells the two apart
- Pre-1976 neck-plate numbers and the L-series
- A V-prefix American Vintage reissue runs about 1982-1998 and does not fix a single year
More on Fender serial numbers
Where this comes from
We date a Fender from Fender's own published numbering, the decade letter and two-digit year it stamps into the serial, read the same way rather than from another site's table. The source is Fender's official serial lookup.
Worked example. A serial like US19034567 reads as 2019, made in the USA, at high confidence: US, then the two digits of the year.
Fender's single-letter prefixes repeat between Made-in-Japan and Crafted-in-Japan guitars, and a V prefix is an American Vintage reissue that spans many years, so those read at lower confidence.
Where to find the serial
On the headstock (back or front) for guitars from 1976 on; on the neck plate or the neck heel for older instruments.
How sure is it
Every result carries its confidence. Treat the year as a strong guide, not proof: a serial can be replaced, a neck and body can be from different years, and reissues copy old numbering. For anything that matters, confirm the year against the neck date, the pot codes and Fender's official serial lookup.
We also check the serial against the millions of listings we track and show whether that exact number has been advertised before, where, and at what price.
Other brands
This is one of many brands the serial number dater covers.