As kcbuck indicated, Dean guitars made in the USA follow a serial number pattern consisting of a 7 digit number with the first 2 numbers being the year of manufacture, followed by instrument production numbers. Imported Dean guitars however (ones made in Korea, or more recently, China) do not have year-coded serial numbers and have to be dated. The Guitardater Project cannot verify the authenticity of ANY Guitar, this site is simply meant as a tool to satisfy the curiosity of guitar enthusiasts. This website possesses NO DATABASE of guitars made by manufactures, instead simple serial code patterns that are available on this site and in the wider guitar community are used.

1. Dean Korean Guitar Serial Number Location

Want to know how to date your Fender guitar by serial number? Then you’re in the right place.

Fender Serial Dating. First, narrow it down by the country of origin. Serial dating is easiest for instruments made in the USA or Mexico, but is also possible for those made in Japan, Korea, China, and Indonesia. For US instruments, the serial number will start with a letter. That letter indicates the decade. S for 1970s; E for 1980s; N for. (.Search by Description, Color, Artist, Body Shape, etc.) Support. About Us; Warranty Registration; Charitable Donations. Retailer I trust for online purchases: This is the wireless system I use in every video: Guitar stands.

Just enter the number below, hit the ‘Decode’ button and our lookup tool will tell you the year your guitar is from, which country it was manufactured in, and even the plant it came from.

You can add any model of Fender guitar: Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Mustang, Jazzmaster, you name it! (scroll down below if you need help finding the serial number).

Where to Find the Serial Number on Your Fender Guitar?

The location of the serial number has annoyingly changed from model to model over the years. So where do you find it?

Locations include:

• At the top of the neck plate
• On the front or at the back of the headstock
• On the cover plate of the vibrato (on Stratocasters)
• On the back of the vibrato cover plate (on early ’50s Stratocasters)
• At the end of the heel of the neck
• Between the pick-up and the saddles (some Telecasters)

Some General Rules

The naming convention is a bit haphazard (it’s no different with Gibson serial numbers), but here are some general rules that should ring true 99% of the time – but beware, there are plenty of exceptions:

• The prefix ‘L’ at the beginning of a serial number indicates a guitar from the early ’60s
• The prefix ‘S’ at the beginning of a serial number stands for the decade of the seventies
• The prefix ‘E’ stands for the decade of the eighties
• The U.S. Vintage Series (launched in 1982) uses ‘V’ as a prefix for the serial number
• The prefix ‘N’ at the beginning of a serial number stands for the nineties
• The prefix ‘Z’ stands for guitars made in the noughties (2000 – 2010)

Note that made in Mexico Fender guitars (MIM) and made in Japan guitars (MIJ) have their own unique serial number system.

Pre-1976 Model? Check the Heel Too

Before 1976, frustratingly they often randomly assigned serial numbers. If you want to double-check the year of production year, it’s often a good idea to look at the heel of the neck (which entails removing the neck). Sometimes the potentiometers are worth checking too.

That’s all for now. We’ll keep adding more info as and when we find it.

Dean Korean Guitar Serial Number Location

Good luck!