Want to know how to date your Fender guitar by serial number? Then you’re in the right place.
WL030737 D Major defects detailed. Our guitars are project guitars to repair. There may be more defects that we could not detect upon our inspection. Fair and accurate to the best of our knowledge. Guitars and necks are stamped Used on the back of the headstock with an imprint stamp. Serial numbers are partially removed by our supplier. OLYMPIATM VALUE Olympia Guitars by Tacoma are your choice for value, sound and playability. Designed by T&G Co. In Washington and manufactured to precise specifications in our partner factories, Olympia Guitars offers the innovations, features and style previously available only on a Tacoma Guitar at a much more affordable price.
Just enter the number below, hit the ‘Decode’ button and our lookup tool will tell you the year your guitar is from, which country it was manufactured in, and even the plant it came from.
You can add any model of Fender guitar: Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Mustang, Jazzmaster, you name it! (scroll down below if you need help finding the serial number).
Olympia Guitars Serial Numbers
OLYMPIA TAKOMA OD-5 ACOUSTIC GUITAR WITH CASEThis is going to be a great guitar for anybody from a student to a Gigging Musician. Needs new strings. I`ll put a set on when it sells. It does have one chip in the finish at the top corner of the headstock. Also has a couple of dings on the front. Please check the pictures. I tried to show every imperfection. Serial number 8224F stamped on the back, bought new in Sydney Australia from a local shop in 1982. Serial number 10526. Bought in Melbourne secondhand about 10 years ago. How do these numbers work with your guide as to what the numbers mean? Any ideas gratefully appreciated and both guitars now live on the Gold Coast, QLD.
Where to Find the Serial Number on Your Fender Guitar?
The location of the serial number has annoyingly changed from model to model over the years. So where do you find it?
Locations include:
Olympia Guitars Serial Numbers Lookup
- 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
- Between the pick-up and the saddles (some Telecasters)
Some General Rules
The naming convention is a bit haphazard (it’s no different with Gibson serial numbers), but here are some general rules that should ring true 99% of the time – but beware, there are plenty of exceptions:
- The prefix ‘L’ at the beginning of a serial number indicates a guitar from the early ’60s
- The prefix ‘S’ at the beginning of a serial number stands for the decade of the seventies
- The prefix ‘E’ stands for the decade of the eighties
- The U.S. Vintage Series (launched in 1982) uses ‘V’ as a prefix for the serial number
- The prefix ‘N’ at the beginning of a serial number stands for the nineties
- The prefix ‘Z’ stands for guitars made in the noughties (2000 – 2010)
Note that made in Mexico Fender guitars (MIM) and made in Japan guitars (MIJ) have their own unique serial number system.
Pre-1976 Model? Check the Heel Too
Before 1976, frustratingly they often randomly assigned serial numbers. If you want to double-check the year of production year, it’s often a good idea to look at the heel of the neck (which entails removing the neck). Sometimes the potentiometers are worth checking too.
That’s all for now. We’ll keep adding more info as and when we find it.
Good luck!
Epiphone Guitar Serial Numbers
Want to know how to date your Gibson guitar by serial number? Then you’re in the right place.
Just enter the number below, hit the ‘Decode’ button and our lookup tool will tell you the year your guitar is from (sometimes even down the exact day), the country it was made in, and the manufacturing plant.
You can add any model of Gibson guitar, whether that’s a Les Paul, a Flying V, or a Hummingbird.
Where to Find the Serial Number on Your Gibson Guitar?
In contrast to finding Fender serial numbers (which can be in a variety of places), locating Gibson serial numbers is more straightforward.
- On electrics, they are almost always on the back of the headstock, at the top.
- On acoustic guitars, they’re usually in the soundhole.
On the rare occasion it isn’t there, you can check the pots where you’ll find the date (unless the pots haven’t been swapped out at a later date, that is).
Finding the location of the serial number is easy enough on a Gibson. Deciphering the serial number is another job entirely, and made more complicated because they chopped and changed the naming convention so much over the years.
Rather than try and explain all the nuances to their system, my advice is to try the decoder above which will check your number against their database.
Good luck!