How do I read a Squier serial number?Short answer: the prefix letter is your best clue, but Squier serials are famously messy — don't expect an exact date. What the prefix tells you Letter prefixes normally indicate factory/country: a leading letter (like E or N) plus the digits is the standard pattern 1. But Alan Ratcliffe, our Guitar Doctor, warns the E and N prefixes were supposedly reserved for US Fenders, yet were "somehow also used for some Japanese models" — the famous E/N snafu 2. So a prefix alone won't nail it down. "Made in Japan" vs "Crafted in Japan" on the headstock matters: MIJ points to the early Fuji Gen era, CIJ usually means Tokai or Dyna Gakki later on 4,5. studmissile notes Fuji Gen necks are the ones people hunt for 4. Why your Bullet number doesn't add up Records are poor: Fender kept "horrible records" and changed numbering illogically over the years, especially on cheaper offshore models — your Bullet's plain digits with no letter prefix may simply predate or bypass the documented schemes 1. Check elsewhere: serials can also appear on the headstock front or neck plate; also look at headstock logos and the "Made in..." text for clues 1,2. What actually works Date by features: pots, pickups and neck dates (under the neck plate) often tell you more than the serial 5. Ask Fender directly: emailing Fender with a specific serial sometimes gets a response 3. Dedicated Squier dating guides explain the schemes in more detail than the Fender site 1. If the threads here don't cover your exact number, post it with pics and let the community take a crack at it. From these forum threadsSquier serial number (2009): Why Squier serials often don't decode cleanlyEarly Japanses Fender Squier Strat ? (2009): E-prefix Squiers and the US/Japan serial confusion explained80's MIK squier (2014): Korean Squier dating limits and asking Fender directlyfender telecaster serial number (2012): Crafted-in-Japan vs made-in-Japan headstock cluesfender serial number (2012): Japanese serials: check pots and neck dates instead
