instrument production history, production dates have been applied to various components.
Production dates have been penciled or stamped on the butt end of the heel of the neck of most guitars and basses.
The neck date simply refers to the date that the neck was produced.
Given the modular nature of Fender's production techniques, a neck may have been produced in one year, placed in a warehouse and remained in stock for a period of time, and then subsequently paired with a body to create a complete guitar in the following year.
For instance, many of the MIJ/CIJ Telecasters have the serial number on the bridge and they start with an "A".
so, 1994); a Fender USA guitar serial starting "Z3" would "theoretically" mean 2003 (Z = 2000, 3 = in the 3rd year... For example, the US Fender serial number DZ575xxxx, would designate a Deluxe (the "D") guitar made in 2005.They were designed to help identify the approximate manufacturing date of the guitar.For example: a guitar whose serial number begins with the letter and number "E8", would have "theoretically" been manufactured in 1988 (E = in the Eighties, 8 = the 8th year...So, obviously a neck date, while being helpful in providing a date range of production, cannot be a definitive reference.While there have been periods where dramatic changes have occurred, for example: the transition periods between Leo's Fender and the CBS years, as well as the transition between CBS' Fender and the current ownership, generally speaking, most models are feature specific and do not change from year to year..A full 25½" scale length, lead and rhythm circuit switching with independent volume and tone controls, and a floating tremolo with tremolo lock, were other keys to the Jazzmaster's character.The tremolo lock can be manually activated to keep the entire guitar from going out of tune if one string breaks. The bridge and tremolo construction is very different from that of the Stratocaster and gives the Jazzmaster a different resonance and generally less sustain.The body is larger than that of other Fender guitars, requiring a more spacious guitar case.The Jazzmaster had unique wide, white "soapbar" pickups that were unlike any other single coil.Regarding quailty, I have owned many of both these Japanese guitars and it is a fallacy that the than the Mexican made guitars and rival many of the USA models.The JV and SQ guitars, as well as some of the E series, had USA parts (mostly pickups, switches, and potentiometers) that were shipped over to Japan to help speed up production while the new USA plant was being set up in Corona, California.Its appearance is similar to the Jaguar, though it is tonally and physically different in many technical ways.The contoured "offset-waist" body was designed for comfort while playing the guitar in a seated position, as many jazz and blues artists prefer to do.The early series are the most popular for collectors.
