How To Date Your Fernandes Guitar By Serial Number

How to Date Your Fernandes Guitar by Serial Number

Fernandes guitars are a Japanese brand of electric guitars that have been producing high-quality instruments since the 1960s. They are known for their vintage-inspired models, such as the Revival series, which are replicas of classic Fender and Gibson guitars. Fernandes guitars are also popular among rock and metal players, who appreciate their heavy-duty hardware and powerful pickups.

How to Date Your Fernandes Guitar by Serial Number

If you own a Fernandes guitar, you might be curious about its age and history. Unfortunately, dating a Fernandes guitar is not a straightforward task, as the company did not use a consistent serial number system for most of its production. However, there are some clues that can help you narrow down the approximate year of manufacture of your Fernandes guitar.

Check the headstock shape and logo

One of the easiest ways to date a Fernandes guitar is by looking at the shape and logo of the headstock. Fernandes guitars have gone through several changes in their headstock design over the years, which can indicate different periods of production.

• The earliest Fernandes guitars had a Fender-style headstock with a Fernandes logo that resembled the Fender logo. These guitars were made from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, and are considered to be the most collectible and valuable Fernandes models.

• In the mid-1980s, Fernandes changed their headstock shape to a more original design, with a hooked end and a smaller Fernandes logo. These guitars were made from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, and are also highly regarded by collectors and players.

• In the late 1990s, Fernandes changed their headstock shape again, to a more rounded and modern design, with a larger Fernandes logo. These guitars were made from the late 1990s to the present day, and are generally considered to be of lower quality and value than the older models.

Check the serial number location and format

Another way to date a Fernandes guitar is by checking the location and format of the serial number. However, this method is not very reliable, as Fernandes did not use a consistent serial number system for most of its production. In fact, many Fernandes guitars do not have any serial number at all, which makes them impossible to date by this method.

• Some of the older Fernandes guitars have serial numbers on the neck plates of the Revival series Stratocasters and Telecasters. These serial numbers are usually four or five digits long, and can be used to date the guitar by comparing them with other known examples.

• Some of the newer Fernandes guitars have serial numbers on stickers on the back of the headstock. These serial numbers are usually six digits long, and start with either 0 or L. The first digit indicates the year of manufacture, while the second digit indicates the month. For example, a serial number starting with 012 would mean January 2002.

• Some of the Chinese-made Fernandes guitars have serial numbers on stickers on the back of the body. These serial numbers are usually eight digits long, and start with either C or G. The first digit indicates the factory code, while the second digit indicates the year of manufacture. For example, a serial number starting with C9 would mean 2009.

Check other features and details

If you cannot date your Fernandes guitar by the headstock shape or serial number, you might be able to date it by checking other features and details that can vary depending on the year of manufacture. For example:

• The type of tuners can indicate different periods of production. The older Fernandes guitars had Kluson-style tuners, while the newer ones had Gotoh-style tuners.

• The type of pickups can indicate different periods of production. The older Fernandes guitars had vintage-style pickups, while the newer ones had modern-style pickups.

• The type of truss rod cover can indicate different periods of production. The older Fernandes guitars had Gibson-style bell-shaped covers, while the newer ones had Fender-style bullet-shaped covers.

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