This new numbering scheme was short-lived and was replaced only a few months later by an improved scheme that identifies an instrument’s country of origin and year of manufacture in the body of the serial number. Instead, the instrument’s country of origin appears on the decal on the back of the headstock, near the serial number.

These serial numbers did not identify the country of origin in the body of the number. Only the seven-digit suffixes were actually entered into the database. The “10” prefix was designed to identify the first year of the second decade of the new millennium, and while it appears on the instrument decals, it was not captured in Fender’s operating system. The numbers for each year typically overlap, as there is always a transitional period between successive years and as necks that are made and serial numbered late in any given year are used on instruments assembled in the early months of the following year.Īt the end of 1999, the serial numbers transitioned from an “MN” prefix to an “MZ” prefix with the “M” designating Mexico and the “Z” designating the 2000s.Ī new serial-numbering scheme was adopted toward the end of 2009 using the number “10” as a prefix, followed by a space, followed by seven digits. Instruments made between 19 carry “MN” prefix serial numbers, with the “M” designating Mexico and the “N” designating the 1990s. How can I find out when my Mexican-made instrument was manufactured?ĭATING YOUR MEXICAN-MADE FENDER INSTRUMENTįender began producing instruments in its Ensenada, Mexico, factory in 1990.

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