Fender

V + 4–7 digits. Two sub-eras: pre-2012 V-prefix (original AVRI line, 4–7 digits) has no year encoded and must be dated via pot codes / listing context. From mid-2012 onward (AVRI II era), V + 7 digits encodes the 2-digit year in the first two post-prefix digits (e.g. V1612345 = 2016). The decoder applies a plausibility gate of 12–29 on the leading pair; lengths or leading pairs outside that gate fall back to no-year.

MN followed by a single year digit (0–9 → 1990–1999) and a 4–6 digit sequence.

MZ followed by a single year digit (0–9 → 2000–2009) and a 4–6 digit sequence.

VS + 6 digits with YY + 4-digit sequence.

DN + single year digit + 4–5 digit sequence. Matched before the bare D-prefix so the two-letter form wins.

DZ + single year digit + 4–6 digit sequence.

S + single year digit + 4–6 digit sequence. Used on the post-1976 decade-prefix headstock decals.

E + single year digit + 4–6 digit sequence.

Z + single year digit + 4–6 digit sequence.

Fender Custom Shop 5–6 digit serials. No year encoded.

HR + 5–6 digit sequence. Used on Custom Shop Masterbuilt instruments; "HR" is the builder-initials convention the Custom Shop uses for select masterbuilt runs. No year encoded in the serial — the masterbuilt certificate of authenticity is the primary dating document.

CZ + 5–6 digit sequence. Custom Shop prefix introduced in the 2000s; predecessor to the XN American Custom prefix. No year encoded in the serial — use the COA.

MS + 2-digit year + 4-digit sequential rank.

R + 5–6 digits. The R-number is assigned when the neck blank is cut, sometimes years before the guitar ships — so no year is encoded.

XN + 5 digits sequential rank. Successor to the CZ prefix. Sellers often drop the XN prefix when listing.

JV + 5-6 digit sequential. Made for the export market starting with the 52/57/62 Stratocaster and Telecaster reissues — the "Japan Vintage" program was Fender's response to the vintage-reissue demand that helped re-establish the company's reputation post-CBS.

SQ + 5-6 digit sequential. Companion to JV — the Squier-branded version of the Japan Vintage program. This is the ONLY Squier format that Fender-brand dispatch routes through; later Squier serials use the separate Squier brand matcher.

Bare numeric neck-plate serial from the pre-decade-prefix era. 4-5 digits = 1954-1963; L-prefix + 5 digits = 1963-1965; 6 digits on an F-plate = 1965-1976. Year ranges overlap heavily across years because Fender used pre-numbered neckplates as they came off the production line, so the serial alone can't pin the year without cross-referencing the neck-heel date and pot codes.

L + 5 digit numeric neck-plate serial. The "L" was reportedly a mistake originally intended to be a "1" for the 100,000 range and stuck. Bridges the gap between the 4-5 digit pre-L era and the 6-digit F-plate era.

8-digit bare numeric under Fender brand. Rare legitimately — most post-2000 Fenders use US/MX/JD prefixes, and pre-1976 neck-plates are 4-6 digits. An 8-digit numeric is most often a US-prefix (US+6-9 digit) serial with the "US" accidentally dropped. Year is not encoded.

Short 4–5 digit number stamped on the bridge plate of American Vintage Reissue models. Only claimed when the model hint clearly indicates an AVRI reissue (the word "vintage" plus a body-style token, or a quoted decade like '52 or '60s).