How do you tell the year of a Stratocaster by serial number?

The only way to try to find the date is to remove the neck from the body. If the year is unreadable, it can also be written on the body under the pickguard or in the cavity in which the pickups are. With Fenders from before 1955 you cannot use the serial numbers to determine the exact year of construction.

How can I check my fender serial number?

Where to Find the Serial Number on Your Fender Guitar?

At the top of the neck plate.
On the front or at the back of the headstock.
On the cover plate of the vibrato (on Stratocasters)
On the back of the vibrato cover plate (on early ’50s Stratocasters)
At the end of the heel of the neck.

How do you date a 70s Stratocaster?

First four digits are paired up, 09 is the model number for the Stratocaster, and 00 is the neck configuration, in his case a fretted Maple neck with a Rosewood fingerboard. The last four digits are broken into three. 38 is the week, 9 stands for the year, 1979, and 3 is the day of the week, which is Wednesday.

How much is a 1996 Fender Stratocaster worth?

limited color, matching headstock etc, they go for between 550 and 1000 dollars…with the higher for special guitars.

How do you tell if a Telecaster is American made?

Generally the Mexican Teles have four screws holding the bridge to the body, Americans have three. The American neck will have rolled fretboard eges, while the Mexican will have a more square profile. Those two things are pretty obvious, and might help some.

How do you date a Mexican Fender Stratocaster?

The serial number of the “Made in Mexico” Stratocasters, was located on the front of the headstock, is very simple and intuitive: it provides a suffix composed by the letter “M” and one indicating the decade (“N” for the 90s, “Z” from 2000 and “X” from 2010), followed by five or six numbers.

What’s the difference between Fender American and Mexican?

The Mexican Fender is made from a polyester finish, and the American ones are a polyurethane finish. However, the finish doesn’t particularly mean that one finish is better than the other. The polyester finish has a harder finish and gives it a more polished and shiny look, than the polyurethane finish.