Fender Serial Number Confusion

[audiodrome]

I have a "1963" Fender Jaguar (Olympic White) with the serial number L28249. According to the Fender serial number chart, this guitar should be a 1964 (L20000-L30000), but the neck is dated Aug. 1963. What gives here?

[Spud1950]

It's really not that unusual to find this on Fenders from that era. Parts were made in advance and stockpiled. A neck made and date stamped in one year would sit around unused until it was put on a guitar that was assembled in the following year. Sometimes you find the opposite of yours. The serial number is from the year before the date stamped on the neck. If there were neck plates that already had a serial number stamped that went unused when the year changed,they were still used into the next year until they were gone. Leo didn't throw anything out!

[audiodrome]

Thanks for the info. I should have had my guitar tech guy look at the body date while the guitar was apart. Did they put dates on all Fender bodies?

[pcosmo]

I don't think all Fender bodies were dated. If yours is an original finish..take it apart and hunt for a date....Theres a cutoff date (from the cfm website information) as to when they stopped marking the bodies...

Your guitar is obviously (edit...lets make that, most likely, based on the neck date) from late 1963....


And the logic states that we know it wasn't made (or sold anyway) BEFORE Aug '63....the number on the back of the plate is less significant in my opinion....


There was a change and a difference in "slab" or "veneer" necks for stratocasters during that time...I think it occurred before your guitar was made..


I know the 62's have thicker rosewood necks...don't know for sure about a 63 Jaguar, or if any Jaguars had slab necks. When was the first Jaguar production year?

My 64 Jazzmaster has the thinner veneer.. You can tell the difference by the profile of the rosewood where it joins the neck, or just by comparing two different necks with the different detail...

The pots are dated though and electronics are sometimes unique to specific years... There are some other ways to date the bodies....

its almost like a science/detecive type work....

I like to ask the prior owner if he knows the history of the guitar, just to start....

That guitar and finish are very cool...
Read the info on the sites and consider purchasing the video that describes early Jaguars..some dealers are knuckleheads and some are not....so be careful who you listen to ....If you want to show us some pictures here...we can help....good luck

[audiodrome]

Thanks for the info! 1962 was the first year for the Jaguar and they remained very popular for the first couple of years, especially with surf and frat rock bands.

Here is a picture of my Jag (it's obvious that the finish is original)

[pcosmo]

Hi Paul...I don't think there are any differences between the 63 and the 64 Jaguar....My 64 Jazzmaster looks very similiar to your Jag...

Fender must not have changed guitars every year. I've read that Leo used almost everything American automobile companies normally have "Model years" and the manufacturers change stuff around on the "new" models. (just to sell more cars I guess...and yes aren't we gullable...That logic has helped to create the mess they are in inmyopinion) anyway....

I think it was probably made in late 63 and sold in 64...and I don't know of ANY differences in the two years anyway...so it really doesn't matter if its a 63 OR a 64 (other than maybe if you're in the marketing deparment...heh)

Are you planning on selling it in the near future? If so, and to be accurate, I'd say it's a 64. Nice axe..

hope that helps

Pete