Age of guitar from serial number

resonable_man · December 20th, 2003, 10:41 AM

Hi all, I bought a second hand tele recently, was told it was 1990, but the serial number, according to some website, suggests late 1980's. I really dont mind how old it is, but Id like to know the year. The serial number starts with an E then 6 numbers, its a US tele.

cheers

TimBob · December 20th, 2003, 12:54 PM

General rule of thumb on newer Fenders. E = Eighty, the number directly following the letter is the year. So, an E9XXXXX would be an '89. "N" = ninety, mine is N6 which is a 96, which is correct because I bought it in November 1996.

My uncle bought a tele this summer (2003) and it was brand new off the shelf but with a 2002 serial number. They can sit in warehouses for a while.

There is some overlap in the serial numbers though, so this is not a "hard and fast" rule, so an E9 could technically be a 1990 model.

TDPRI · December 20th, 2003, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by resonable_man

The serial number starts with an E then 6 numbers, its a US tele.

cheers

1986 (or 87) sometimes the serial numbers can cover two years or at least span from '86 to '87.

If you remove the neck you may find a date stamp there too.

Good Luck
Paul Green

resonable_man · December 21st, 2003, 06:24 AM

okey, cheers guys. 1990 is probably right then, I found somewhere that said E ****** meant 87-88 or something, which would mean it wasnt 1990, but if its 1989-90 then 90 is probably right, especially if they can sit around for a while

cheers

Colin Johnston · December 21st, 2003, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by resonable_man

1990 is probably right then,

if it's E9... it might be 1989/90, but if it's E7... it could be 1987/88

December 20th, 2003, 10:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
resonable_man TDPRI Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Birmingham, England Posts: 13	Age of guitar from serial number Hi all, I bought a second hand tele recently, was told it was 1990, but the serial number, according to some website, suggests late 1980's. I really dont mind how old it is, but Id like to know the year. The serial number starts with an E then 6 numbers, its a US tele. cheers

December 20th, 2003, 12:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
TimBob TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: St. Peters, MO USA Posts: 56	General rule of thumb on newer Fenders. E = Eighty, the number directly following the letter is the year. So, an E9XXXXX would be an '89. "N" = ninety, mine is N6 which is a 96, which is correct because I bought it in November 1996. My uncle bought a tele this summer (2003) and it was brand new off the shelf but with a 2002 serial number. They can sit in warehouses for a while. There is some overlap in the serial numbers though, so this is not a "hard and fast" rule, so an E9 could technically be a 1990 model.

December 21st, 2003, 06:24 AM	#4 (permalink)
resonable_man TDPRI Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Birmingham, England Posts: 13	okey, cheers guys. 1990 is probably right then, I found somewhere that said E ****** meant 87-88 or something, which would mean it wasnt 1990, but if its 1989-90 then 90 is probably right, especially if they can sit around for a while cheers