Serial guide
A serial tells you when and often where a guitar was made. We decode Gibson and Fender serials from each maker's published numbering, and flag a serial that does not fit the listed year. A serial alone never proves a guitar is real; read it together with the photos.
Gibson
- 1975 to 1977
- Eight digits on a decal on the back of the headstock. The first two digits give the year: 99 is 1975, 00 is 1976, 06 is 1977.
- 1977 to 2005
- Eight digits stamped into the back of the headstock, read as YDDDYRRR: the first and fifth digits are the year, the second to fourth the day of the year, the last three the order that day. Before 1984, numbers 001 to 499 were made in Kalamazoo and 500 to 999 in Nashville.
- July 2005 to 2013
- Nine digits, YDDDYBRRR: the same as above with a batch digit sixth.
- 2014 on
- Nine digits on Gibson USA guitars. The first two are the model year, which can be built late in the year before.
- Custom Shop
- CS plus a year digit and four more, or for 1950s reissues a model digit, a year digit and three or four more. These give only the last digit of the year.
- 1961 to 1975
- Gibson reused numbers in these years, so a five- or six-digit serial does not date a guitar on its own. Use the pot codes and features.
A serial starting with 00 can be a 1976 decal or a 2000s stamped serial; we show both readings.
Fender
- 1950 to 1965
- Four to six digits on the bridge plate or neck plate. Ranges overlap by years; check the neck date.
- 1963 to 1965
- L plus five digits on the neck plate.
- 1965 to 1976
- Six digits on the neck plate, 100000 and up.
- 1976 to 1981
- On the headstock: 76 plus five digits, or S plus a year digit, such as S7 for 1977 or 1978.
- 1980s
- E plus a digit. E0 is 1979 to 1981, E4 is 1984 to 1988.
- 1990s and 2000s
- N plus a digit for the 1990s, Z for the 2000s. MN and MZ for Mexico.
- 2010 on
- US plus two year digits (USA), MX plus two year digits (Mexico).
- V serials
- Vintage reissues. Not date coded.
Fender says its numbering overlaps by two to four years before the mid-1980s, so Fender readings are ranges.
Pot codes
Volume and tone pots carry a source-date code: maker, year and week. 137 7614 is CTS (137), 1976, week 14. A pot date shortly before the serial year supports a claimed year. Look for it in the cavity photo.
Scanning a serial
- Barcodes on modern labels read on their own.
- Stamped serials: turn on the flash or hold a light low from one side, so shadows show the digits. Drag a box around the serial and tap Read the box.
- Always check what we read against the guitar. You can type the serial yourself.
Sources: Gibson's serial number FAQ (gibson.com) and Fender's instrument dating articles (support.fender.com), checked November 2026. Brand names describe the guitars for sale; their owners do not sponsor or endorse Strummr.