Dating Fender Guitars Made In Japan

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Tony Phan

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Aug 5, 2024, 4:48:11 AM8/5/24

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Afew days ago I purchased my first Mustang, a 65 reissue model in Olympic white with the red tort pickguard, made in Japan etc... The store I bought it from assured me the guitar was new and never used before, and they claimed they had not had it for very long before I bought it from them. Just by looking at the guitar, this all seems to be true, it does look in brand new condition and it is fully functional and plays great, I have played it for several hours a day since I took it home and have had no problems whatsoever with it. It didn't even need a set up or a truss rod adjustment when I made a radical string gauge change from the stock strings.

What I don't understand is the serial number. I wanted to date the guitar so I researched serial numbers from Fender Japan. My Mustang's serial number indicates it was made in circa 1994, which I found shocking, and I can't believe it. It begins with T and is followed by a 6 digit number beginning with 0, if this helps. Does this really mean my guitar is roughly 18 years old? Or is Fender Japan mistaken about their serial numbers?

Xanda said:

A few days ago I purchased my first Mustang, a 65 reissue model in Olympic white with the red tort pickguard, made in Japan etc... The store I bought it from assured me the guitar was new and never used before, and they claimed they had not had it for very long before I bought it from them. Just by looking at the guitar, this all seems to be true, it does look in brand new condition and it is fully functional and plays great, I have played it for several hours a day since I took it home and have had no problems whatsoever with it. It didn't even need a set up or a truss rod adjustment when I made a radical string gauge change from the stock strings.

This one is a MIJ 1994 serial number. If they are recycling them, this actually makes sense, I couldn't believe the guitar was old. I guess this means you can't date the current models. Thank you for letting me know this, I was worried for a while.

Xanda said:

someone said: According to a Fender representative it was in the Fender Japan contract that if there was a change of manufacturer from FujiGen Gakki to another guitar factory then the logo would be changed from MIJ ("Made in Japan") to CIJ ("Crafted in Japan"). The first CIJ Fenders start around 1992 but most of the Japanese Fenders up till 1996/1997 are MIJ Fenders. In 1991/1992 FujiGen Gakki were expanding their factory operations by establishing FujiGen Hirooka Inc to be able to take on additional set neck (Gibson like necks) contracts (such as the Orville by Gibson contract) and so Dyna Gakki (one of Kanda Shokai's main guitar makers) took over some of the making of the Japanese Fender models which resulted in a CIJ logo being used on some Japanese Fenders instead of an MIJ logo. CIJ is mostly used on Fenders from 1996/1997 until recently due to Tōkai and Dyna Gakki taking over the Fender Japan manufacturing contract from FujiGen Gakki in 1996/1997. The Fender Squiers were also brought into line to be in sync with the Japanese Fenders at around the same time (1996/1997) with 'Crafted' rather than 'Made' being used. "Made in Japan" is used on some current Fender Japan models (2007) instead of "Crafted in Japan".

Xanda said:

Ok so it looks like most recent Mustangs are MIJ. The one I bought looks plenty new to me, I'm assuming it was made within the last year or two, but it looks like I can't be certain.

I have a similar story where I bought a 65R Japanese Mustang from a shop basically brand new (still with the plastic on the pickgaurd and pickups) with the seiral number on the back of the neck saying its from 1995-96....I know sometimes with guitars they could be at a depo for so many years and shops get these guitars in from these depo's....they basiclly are new guitars, just they been locked up for years.....I had the same sort of things with a Gibson SG I got...brand new in a shop only to be 5 years old and A Epiphone DR12 I bought from an online store, brand new only to be 10-11 years old.

You have to remember that during the early to mid 90's with no internet it was practically impossible to get any made in japan fenders without actually going to japan. Ive never actually seen a reissue mustang made in 1993 in person, although we know that some exist based on kurts.

Mine is a 69 reissue that has a T serial number and made in japan, and i got that back around 08-09, but i know it's a 94-95 because they haven't made those in awhile. In my case it was just sitting around in a warehouse or shop since then. I know the 65 reissues have been around for awhile as well, so it could simply be a situation of it sitting in a warehouse for years and with the demand for them, places started ordering them.

I experienced the same confusion with a guitar listed on CraigsList. The seller and the prior owner both thought they had a pristine mid-1990's Mustang on their hands. Turns out it was a really nice 65RI from 2-3 years ago.

I asked a similar question and other forums, and someone posted this graphic that sums up the situation visually. In 2007 Fender switched from "CIJ" to "MIJ". And they also began recycling serial numbers starting with "T".

Ah, that graph was very helpful. If MIJ T Mustangs are the current ones, my guitar must be close to new after all, I should have concluded this in the first place but the Fender Japan website I looked at didn't display any current cycled serial numbers for models made since 2006 or so. My Mustang basically does look and feel new, the one hint that it could have been old was the paint job, I always loved the pictures of the olympic white Mustangs, they were so bright looking but now that I have one the color actually looks more vintage white to me, almost as if it was in fact aged slightly, but I'm sure that means nothing.

One way to find out how old is my Fender guitar is check the serial number against the Fender serial number records. The following is a nearly comprehensive list of Fender guitar serial numbers for Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters, and Jaguars made from 1950 until the 1980s. Keep in mind that Fender serial numbers are not necessarily consecutive and the plates are easily swapped out using only a screwdriver. You can begin to date your Fender guitar by checking the serial number, then move on to the model specific pages for a more thorough view on the year your guitar was made.

How to use the Fender serial number lookup to find out how old is your Fender guitar: First find the location of the serial number. Check the back of the body on the metal plate in the middle (this is the neck plate). If nothing, then look on the front of the guitar in the center of the body where the strings attach (this is the bridge plate). If nothing, look on the front or the back of the headstock near the tuners. Second, decide if the serial number begins with a letter prefix. You'll need both the location of the number and the letter prefix (or lack thereof) to use the serial number lookup below.

Fender serial numbers from 1950 until 1955 are different than later numbers in that they are model or style specific. The Broadcaster, Esquire, and Telecaster have one set, the Precision Bass its own set, and the Stratocaster an entirely different set. I am looking for nice examples of each model of Fender guitars made in the 1950s. Let me know if you're considering selling one a Stratocaster, Telecaster, or Precision Bass from this time period: Sell a Fender.

Fender began stamping serial numbers on the metal plate on the back of the body in 1954. This serial number range is appropriate for dating Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jazzmasters from 1958 onward, and Jaguars from 1962 on. Remember that the plates are easily swapped for another plate using only a screwdriver, so it's only the first step in dating a vintage Fender guitar. If your neck plate has a serial number with more than six digits then it was not made in the 1950s or 1960s. Some of the earliest Stratocasters have a four digit serial number on the white plastic tremolo plate cover on the back of the body. I am looking for Fender guitars in the following serial number range so you can contact me here to sell a Fender guitar.

Fender serial numbers preceded by an "L": Fender guitars made between 1963 and 1965 have a letter "L" preceding the serial number. The actual year of manufacture can range wildly during this time period, so it's important to check the model specific pages to accurately date Fender guitars with L serials.

Fender serial numbers with large "F" underneath: Leo Fender sold his company to CBS in 1965. The new owners instituted a mostly consecutive serialization system comprised of 6 digits and a large stylized "F" underneath. The F neck plate style was the location of Fender serial numbers from 1965 until 1976.

Fender began applying the serial numbers to the headstock instead of the neck plate in 1976. The serial number scheme usually began with a letter prefix to indicate the decade then a series of numbers. An "S" indicates 1970s, "E" indicates 1980s, and "N" = 1990s. The first digit after the prefix usually indicates the year but there is plenty of overlap. While the first two digits following the letter prefix is supposed to be the year it was made, some were made the following year or even 2 years after. I recommend dating these guitars with the neck date and potentiometer codes.