AVRI Serial Number Lookup

Look up your serial number

For Fender American Vintage Reissue (AVRI) Stratocasters, basses, and Telecasters. Strats and basses: enter the full V-prefix serial from the neckplate (e.g. V006838). '52 AVRI Telecasters: enter the 4–5 digit number stamped on the original 3-saddle bridge plate (e.g. 3940).

How AVRI serial numbers work

Fender began the American Vintage Reissue (AVRI) series in September 1982 at the Fullerton, California factory. The series transitioned to the Corona, California factory in late 1985.

Stratocasters and basses use a V-prefix sequential serial (e.g., V006838) stamped on the neckplate, starting at V000001. As a broad generality: V000001–V004000 denotes a 1982 guitar, V004000–V010000 denotes a 1983 guitar, and V010000–V016000 denotes a 1984 guitar. From our experience, any V-serial below V016000 was made at the Fullerton plant (1982–1984).

'52 Telecasters are different — they don't use V-serials. Instead, the original AVRI '52 Tele has a 4–5 digit number stamped on the underside of the original 3-saddle bridge plate. These ran sequentially from low numbers in 1982 into the high 60,000s by ~2010.

Fender used neckplates and bridge plates from shared bins, so we've occasionally seen mismatches between serial range and neck-date stamp. The only way to definitively date an AVRI is to correlate the serial number with the neck-date stamp and the codes on the pots.

V-Serial ranges by year

These ranges are approximate. Year of manufacture for an individual guitar is best confirmed by checking the neck date stamp on the heel of the neck (visible after removing the neck or sometimes through the neck pocket). Body dates are also helpful.