For most of Fender\\'s U.S. instrument production history, production dates have been applied to various components.
    Production dates have been penciled or stamped on the butt end of the heel of the neck of most guitars and basses.
    There were periods of time when this was not consistently done, (between 1973 and 1981), and there are certainly other
    examples of short periods of time, and individual pieces, where the dating was simply omitted. Neck dating is useful in
    determining the age of a guitar, but is not definite. The neck date simply refers to the date that the neck was produced.
    Given the modular nature of Fender\\'s production techniques, a neck may have been produced in one year, placed in a warehouse
    and remained in stock for a period of time, and then subsequently paired with a body to create a complete guitar in the following year.
    So, obviously a neck date, while being helpful in providing a date range of production, cannot be a definitive reference.
    While there have been periods where dramatic changes have occurred, for example: the transition periods between Leo\\'s Fender and
    the CBS years, as well as the transition between CBS\\' Fender and the current ownership, generally speaking, most models are feature
    specific and do not change from year to year.

    Serial numbers are also helpful in determining the year of production of a given instrument.
    Serial numbers have been used in various locations on Fender instruments through the years.
    They have been placed at the top of the neck plate, on the front of the headstock, on the back of the headstock,
    and on the back of the neck near where the neck bolts onto the body. They were stamped on the back vibrato cover plate
    (early \\'50s Strats), and on the bridge plate between the pickup and the saddles on some Telecasters.
    But due to the modular nature of Fender\\'s production methods, and the fact that most serial numbers schemes are not
    sequential and usually overlap from between 2 to 4 years, (from the early days of Fender, through to the mid 1980s),
    dating by the serial number is not an exact science.

                   DATING YOUR GUITAR

    The following chart details the Fender serial number schemes used from 1950 to 1964.
    There is quite a bit of overlap of numbers and years. The only way to try to narrow the date range of your specific
    instrument would be to remove the neck and check the butt end of the heel of the neck for a production date,
    which may be stamped or written there. (If you are not comfortable performing this operation, please use an
    experienced professional guitar tech in your area or bring it to Superior Music).

    In January of 1965, Fender was sold to the CBS Corporation.
    The serial numbers do not immediately reflect the change, as CBS continued to make instruments using
    existing, tooling, parts, and serial number schemes. The following chart details the Fender serial number
    schemes used from 1965 to 1976. There is quite a bit of overlap of both numbers and years.

    The following charts detail the most common Fender serial number schemes used from 1976 to the present.
    There is quite a bit of overlap of both numbers and years. The only way to try to narrow the date range of your
    specific instrument would be to remove the neck and check the butt end of the heel of the neck for a production
    date, which may be stamped or written there. (If you are not comfortable performing this operation, please use
    an experienced professional guitar tech in your area or bring it to Superior Music). Please note the introduction
    of the "S" prefix serial numbers. The "S", stood for decade of the 1970s, and began CBS\\' attempt to use serial
    numbers to identify the year of production for the piece. The "E", stood for the decade of the 1980s and was,
    as shown below, introduced in 1979. As you can see by the overlaps of numbers and years, the reference to the
    actual production date is rather loose.

    1982 - U.S. Vintage Series instruments introduced, and "V" prefix serial numbers used.
    The only way to definitively date the U.S. "V" prefix serial numbered instruments, is to remove the neck
    and check the butt end of the heel of the neck for a production date, which may be stamped or written there.

    In March of 1985, the CBS Corporation sold Fender to a group of private investors.
    The serial numbers do not reflect the change, as Fender continued to make instruments using existing
    tooling, parts, and serial number schemes.

    1990 introduced the "N" prefix serial numbers, which stood for the 1990s.
    The numbers and decals are produced far in advance, and apparently, some N9 decals,
    (which were supposed to be used in 1999), were affixed to some instruments in 1990. As a result,
    you will see some 1990 guitars bearing N9 serial numbers

     Year 2000 introduced the "Z" prefix serial numbers on US made guitars, 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 use the same dating code but add a "D" in front of the "Z", i.e. DZ1, DZ2 etcetera.

The following serial numbers are somewhat outside the more, well known Fender serial number schemes.
    If you have what you consider to be a somewhat "odd" serial number, please check the following chart to
    see if you find your serial number configuration here. This chart contains

                    ODD SERIAL NUMBERS

                    REFERENCE MATERIALS FOR DATING FENDER INSTRUMENTS

    If you are unable to place the approximate year of manufacture of your instrument using the above charts,
    there are a few great books available, which have invaluable information on the history of Fender instruments.
    If you have serious interest in learning about the history of Fender instruments, or if you just want to try to
    establish the year of production of your own axe, we would highly recommend that you pick up one or more
    of the following books. They are detailed reference resources with a wealth of information for helping to either
    establish the vintage of your guitar or bass or for just learning more about Fender history in general.
    These books are the same resources we refer to here at Superior Music to research answers to history
    and dating questions.
    You may want to consider ordering one or more of the following books through Superior Music.

                    BOOKS FROM THE FENDER LIBRARY