DATING FENDER AMPS BY REFERENCE OF SERIAL/CHASSIS NUMBERS
It is challenging to determine the precise date of vintage Fender amplifiers made prior to 1994 due to the lack of adequate documentation. However, an estimated date can be approximated. On the other hand, Fender amplifiers produced from 1990 to present have a date code that can be found on the QA sticker located at the back of the amplifier chassis.
Where to find the serial/chassis number
In older versions, the serial number is stamped on the right-hand side of the chassis. However, in newer models, the serial number is presented on a sticker.
To determine the manufacturing year of a Fender amplifier, you can utilize Fender Amps Serial Numbers Decoder or dating system PROVIDED BELOW.
On the inside of the cabinets of Fender amplifiers that were built after 1950 and before 1970, a sticker is generally attached. This indicates the type of the tubes used and their location on the chassis. Also on this sticker stamped two letters (sometimes handwritten) indicating a date code.
From 1990 All Fender amplifiers manufactured from 1990 until now, have a date code printed on the quality assurance (QA) sticker on the rear of the chassis. This black-silver sticker shows signatures or initials of employees after the finished noise and electrical tests. The last line also has a stamped or handwritten two-letter date code. Handwritten is sometimes difficult to read (see image). The first letter is the year and the second letter is month.
If no QA or tube location sticker is found or it is bad read, look at the rear of the chassis on the right side where a chassis number is punched. You can decipher the year of construction using the date decoder.
Date code from 1951 to 1969 and and from 1990
Letter Code
Vintage year
Retro year
Month
A
1951
1990
January
B
1952
1991
February
C
1953
1992
March
D
1954
1993
April
E
1955
1994
May
F
1956
1995
June
G
1957
1996
July
H
1958
1997
August
I
1959
1998
September
J
1960
1999
October
K
1961
–
November
L
1962
–
December
M
1963
–
–
N
1964
–
–
O
1965
–
–
P
1966
–
–
Q
1967
–
–
R
1968
–
–
S
1969
–
–
Some indications that you can also recognize the production year. Before the CBS era (before 1965) Blackface amplifiers were feature labeled Fender Electric Instrument. Blackface amplifiers from 1964 and some from early 1965 did not have the Fender logo on the grill cloth.
After the acquisition of Fender by CBS in January 1965, amplifiers were labeled as Fender Musical Instruments.
From 1974 a potentiometer with pressure-pull switch was added to some amplifiers.
The logo on the grill cloth of the amplifier also gives an indication of when it was produced. A logo with tail is from before 1973. After 1973 the logo was tailless. With few exceptions. As long as there was a stock with tail logos, they were used randomly in 1973. Amplifiers from that year and perhaps also in 1974 can therefore have the new or old logo: tailless (after 1973), with tail (before 1973).
There are a number of amplifiers from ’68 and ’69 announced, including the Vibro Champ and Bassman, which also had a tailless logo. However, these logos are made of plastic and slightly smaller than the metals.
Dating of components If there are no sticker or chassis number at all, the the components can also offer a solution for dating the year of construction of the amplifier. (Assuming the components is original and has not been replaced.)
Transformer With help of the EIA (Electronics Industry Association) number on the transformer, the production date can be determined. This is not the production date of the amplifier, because the transformer has already been made before and may have been for a while in storage.
The EIA number on the transformer which Fender has used the most starts with 606, followed by 3 or 4 digits. 606 is the manufacturer (Woodward-Schumacher), but a transformer from another manufacturer may also have been used.
With 3 digits, the first digit is the last digit of the decade of the 20th century. The last two digits is the week of that year. At 4 digits, the first two digits are the year of the 20th century.
Example: 606 6849 is 1968 week 49. If the production date of the transformer is now known, add at least 6 months to the production date of the amplifier. From the example, the amplifier could have been built in 1969.
Speakers and potentiometers What applies to the transformer also applies to speakers and potmeters.
Speakers Fender used Jensen speakers until 1972. In that year the Jensen production was transferred to Rola. (Rola was already a part of Jensen). When Rola started making speakers for Jensen in 1972, Rola also used Jensen’s EIA code in the beginning (220). At the end of 1972, Rola changed the code to 285.
CTS Sometimes Fender used CTS speakers in the 1960s. Between the mid 1960s and early 1970s, the CTS 10-inch Alnico was regularly used in Super Reverbs.
Eminence Eminence (founded in 1966 by former CTS employee Bob Gault) made speakers especially for Fender according to those specifications. From the early eighties these were standard in almost all tube amplifiers.
Utah Despite the fact that the Utah speakers from the 50s and 60s were of very good quality, Fender did not use them much during that period. It was not until the 1970s that these spaekers became more widely used.
But not all speaker manufacturers work with an EIA code. For example, Celestion has its own date coding method that consists of 2 letters with 1 or 2 digits. Example: GK12 is July 12, 1977. 23HA is August 23, 1956 or August 23, 1968. The Celestion dating system is included in the speaker decoder.
Potentiometers In the 1950s, Fender mainly used potmeters from the Stackpole brand (304). Halfway through 1963, the switch was made to the CTS brand (137). In 1967 Fender bought a very large stock of CTS and was used for over 5 years. Amplifiers (and also guitars) made in 1973 can therefore still have the 1967 potmeters with EIA numbers from the stock that was purchased in 1967.
More manufacturers can be found with the EIA factory decoder by searching on their EIA code or in the component list.
Please note, old Fender amplifiers may look old, but are not. For example, speakers, potentiometers or transformers may have been replaced, or the coating of the amplifier/cabinet is renewed (re-tolex).
Tolex is the flexible and waterproof vinyl material with which the cabinet or amplifier is covered. These ‘adjustments’ do not have to have an adverse effect on quality, provided that the electronic components have been replaced with the correct values and requirements.
Production period Fender models
Model
Introduction
Discontinued
Bandmaster
1953
1974
Bandmaster Reverb
1968
1980
Bassman
1952
1977
Blues Deluxe
1992
1999
Blues Junior
1990
>
Bronco
1967
1981
Champ
1948
1982
Concert
1960
1965
Concert II
1980
1987
Deluxe
1948
1966
Deluxe Reverb
1964
1979
Deluxe Reverb II
1982
1986
Harvard
1955
1963
Hot Rod Deluxe
1996
>
Hot Rod DeVille
1996
>
Princeton
1949
1979
Princeton Reverb
1964
1981
Pro
1946
1965
Pro Junior
1993
>
Pro Reverb
1965
1982
Prosonic
1996
2002
Reverb Unit
1961
1966
Showman
1960
1993
Super
1947
1963
Super Reverb
1963
1982
Tremolux
1955
1966
Twin
1948
appeared in several variants until 2012
Tube Reverb
1976
1978 (reissue 1994-2016)
Vibrasonic
1959
1964
Vibrolux
1964
1982
Vibro Champ
1964
1982
Vibrosonic Reverb
1972
1982
Vibroverb
1963
appeared in several variants until 2008
White Amp
1954
1962
FAQ
How can I tell what year my Fender Amp was made?
It is challenging to determine the precise date of vintage Fender amplifiers made prior to 1994 due to the lack of adequate documentation. On the other hand, Fender amplifiers produced from 1990 to present have a date code that can be found on the QA sticker located at the back of the amplifier chassis. To determine the manufacturing year of a Fender amplifier, you can utilize Serial Number Decoder or dating tables.
How do I find Fender Amp serial number?
In older versions, the serial number is stamped on the right-hand side of the chassis. However, in newer models, the serial number is presented on a sticker.