Fender Serial Numbers from 1976
(For Japanese, scroll down)
In late 1976, Fender decided to move to a new numbering scheme for their serialization. The numbers appeared on the pegheads and for the remainder of 1976 they had a prefix of 76 or S6 preceding a 5 digit sequence. In 1977, the serialization went to a letter for the decade, followed by a single digit for the year and then 5 to 6 digits.
Examples of the letter/digit code follow like this: S for the ’70s, E for the ’80s, N for the ’90s, Z for 2000+. (I Do not know if you see what is happening here! Catch this: S = Seventies!, E = Eighties; N = Nineties; and then Z = zed? (Or 2000s+). Interesting!)
1970s S (seen as) S8 - 1978
1980s E (seen as) E1 - 1981
1990s N (seen as) N2 - 1992
2000s Z (seen as) Z2 - 2002
While the idea seems rather simple, the reality often differed. Sometimes instrument production did not meet the levels for which decals were produced—thus there are some overlapping years. Sometimes there are several prefixes found within a single year’s production, but generally, the system still gives a good guideline. And then you take off ther neck and find out it is 8 months or even a year off from the serial number! At least we have some reference to go by! Also note the N9 serial numbers. It was used for 1990 and 1999! Figure that one out!
Here is the list of letter/digit year codes:
1976 S6 (also 76)
1977 S7 and S8
1978 S7, S8, and S9
1979 S9 and E0
1980-1981 S9, E0, and E1
1982 E1, E2, and E3
1984-1985 E3 and E4 (Hey some E4s really were 84s! But not the Strat Plus!)
1985-1986 *No U.S. Production
1987 E4 (The Strat Plus Series was started in 87)
1988 E4 and E8
1989 E8 and E9
1990 E9, N9, and N0 (This was a confusing year! N9 is also 1999!)
1991 N0 (American Series, plus 6 digits)
1992 N2
1993 N3 (Strat Plus introduces the LSR Roller nut)
1994 N4
1995 N5
1996 N6
1997 N7
1998 N8
1999 N9 (but also 1990!)
2000 Z0
2001 Z1
2002 Z2
2003 Z3
2004 Z4
R prefixs designate Relic Series instruments. V Prefixes (introduced circa 1982) designate Vintage Reissue Series. The D prefix indicates Deluxe. The M prefix designates Mexican Mfg. The S prefix designates Signature model. Here is an example: a new Fender Deluxe Stratocaster with serial no. DZ0363437 indicates a deluxe instrument manufactured in 2000. Or a Fender Clapton Signature Model made in 1992 would be SN20435746.
Serial Number and Approximate Date of Manufacture of Fender Guitars Made in Japan and Crafted in Japan. Also Some History!
Among the Fender Japanese guitars, there were two different logos used: Crafted in Japan and Made in Japan, and both were being made at the same time from 1994 till 1997. This means that the the serial numbers starting in 1994 ran consecutively on both the MIJ and the CIJ models while the MIJ logo was being phased out. Mid–1997 the CIJ logo was the only one used on Fender guitars coming out of Japan (with exception the Squire series).
There are several theories about why some Japanese Fenders have MIJ and others CIJ. One is that there was a reorganizing of where the parts were being make in the large, expansive Fugi Gen Gakki company. The island of Matsumoto is where the Fugi plant is located. It houses 15-20 different smaller companies, Like Kawi, Gen Gakki Ten, Yamara, Gotoh, Yamoto, etc. I was told by a former Fender Rep that the necks were made one place and the bodies another, while the electronics were made in yet another. I was told that the contract with Yamoto stated if any major subcontractor was to be changed the weaning process would have to take place (MIJ to CIJ). They call it the “Squire countdown.” Since Fuji was pressing hard to get the Epiphone contract, a change was made. Kawi was moving the bulk of their piano building to a new facility in China, and would also be making their own “harp” frames there. This freed up a lot of space in the plant. Yamara and Gotoh retooled to handle the woodwork and finish aspects of the guitars—thus the Crafted in Japan line was created.
The other story is, and maybe both are true and run consecutively, I really don’t know, but the MIJ logo Fenders were for the USA market. USA Fender wanted to stop the import of these guitars to the USA due to firing up their Mexican plant and due to the “too good” quality Japan was creating which competed with the USA models.
Regarding quailty, I have owned many of both these Japanese guitars and it is a fallacy that the Made in Japan models are better than the Crafted in Japan or vice versa. As far as I am concerned, the quality of either is much better than the Mexican made guitars and rival many of the USA models. The JV and SQ guitars, as well as some of the E series, had USA parts (mostly pickups, switches, and potentiometers) that were shipped over to Japan to help speed up production while the new USA plant was being set up in Corona, California. The early series are the most popular for collectors. Also, some Crafted in Japan models came with Custom Shop parts, like special Limited Edition guitars and Signature guitars. The Japanese serial number can be confusing too. For instance, many of the MIJ/CIJ Telecasters have the serial number on the bridge and they start with an "A". Yet if you take the neck off they can be 1994-1997!
JV + 5 digits 1982 - 1984
SQ + digits 1983 - 1984
E + 6 digits 1984 - 1987
A + " 1985 - 1986
B + " 1985 - 1986
C + " 1985 - 1986
F + " 1986 - 1987
G + " 1987 - 1988
H + " 1988 - 1989
I + " 1989 - 1990
J + " 1989 - 1990
K + " 1990 - 1991
L + " 1991 - 1992
M + " 1992 - 1993
N + " 1993 - 1994
O + " 1993 - 1994
Some Crafted in Japan models started to show up around this date, so you will find both MIJ and CIJ with the same serial numbers.
P + " 1993 - 1994
Q + " 1993 - 1994
S + " 1994 - 1995
T + " 1994 - 1995
U + " 1995 - 1996
V + " 1996 - 1997
A + " * 1997 - 1998 (Crafted in Japan logo most of the time.)
美分 70年代是S开头～80年代的E开头～90年代的N开头～2000年代的Z开头～
日芬的序列号比较乱 看上边的具体介绍。例如图片上的我这把9500琴，卖琴的说是2004年的，可是我看序列号很清楚显示是N7开头的，肯定它是97年生产的。墨西哥产的 一般前头有个M字母，后面的同美芬，比如mz5111111,就是墨产05年的。
[ 本帖最后由 蓝调吉他手 于 2007-3-31 16:38 编辑 ] |
发表于 2007-3-25 09:50:19
发表于 2007-3-25 10:42:56
