1982 Fender Style Serial Numbers

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I re-read the ad I posted in spring of 1982 announcing the new numbering system. I noticed it said fully implemented by Feb 1. So I assume it started earlier and they gave themselves January at least to get it launched.

1982 "The Scoop" Ad (April 1982)
 
For the record L00500 has a Feb code

And don't forget this block logo with Jan code and 81 serial which is a real weirdo. Fender numbering started in Feb 82, so the Jan guitars must have retained 81 serials! This *must* have had a decal swap, yet not an updated serial.

https://www.tokaiforum.com/threads/metallic-green-gallery.26372/post-205665

I have gotten into arguments with folks that have these 1981 plates on guitars that seem newer. I’m trying to keep an open mind in case something happened I hadn’t considered. I should probably keep track.

Seven Digit Serial Number Starting With 10xxxxx Not 1981

I just assumed they were partscasters or had things switched around including decals. Hard to know on some examples.

And also these oddball 6 digits with spaghetti logos. Non replica Tele Humbucker models.

Six Digit Serial Numbers Starting with 10xxxx

So that block logo SN 1024941 would have to be January 1982 since green was not a color in January 1981, or January 1983 with someone switching a plate or some such mixup.

My metallic green ST70 is SN 1024448.
 

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What month stamp is your ST70? Must be late in the year?

Edit again - Found it, 12. Which makes the Jan MG serial likely to be correct as yours is only 50 digits earlier. Looks like the plate is legit.
 
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I don’t know what month mine was made. It’s a prototype or demo guitar. Has a handwritten code and D fretboard stamp.

When I talked with Peter Mac he pointed out that most of the ST70 guitars he had seen were clustered around that serial number.

I assumed late 1981 or January 1982.

IMG_8326.jpeg
 
Fender numbering started in Feb 82, so the Jan guitars must have retained 81 serials! This *must* have had a decal swap, yet not an updated serial.
The neck plate could've been what was on top of the neck plates stack brought to the assembly station that day, maybe the L serial neck plates were only delivered/finished next day or something. What I found particularly interesting is the "Rock'n Roll fanatics" line though:

If I learned that correctly, this is the second version of the slogan under the logo, usually found underneath the script logo, superseding the "This is the replica..." line in late 1982? If this is one of the 205 guitars, wouldn't that mean it was "converted" and returned to the wild later than the guitars with the "Strat" removed from the old slogan line? Too bad there were no headstock pics showing signs of a logo replacement.

It would make sense that the guitars that were caught up with customs in the UK and then went back to the factory for new decals would also get new serials.
What makes you think that, or do you have any insight that they got new serials? I mean, they are still the same guitars and not newly produced ones, so I'm thinking the "infamous 205" serials should all reflect that they were produced before May '82 and it looks like they do?

Unless...reading through the "lawsuit" thread again, are there any indications that these 205 guitars were released? What I can see is the June 8th reply from Justice Falconer and if I understood the legalese (probably not) right, it looks like Tokai did it formally wrong and was to try it again?

You know, maybe the reason I am seeing so many loaded on the front of the year (before July) is the seizure and lawsuit.... Wow.

That would make sense that it would stymie production.

The UK was the 2nd biggest market in the world at that time. We have only talk of an unknown number of "40 ft containers" of guitars sold in 75 stores and not real numbers but I guess sales must've been good for Tokai in the UK. That makes me wonder how much impact that lawsuit could've had, besides the "condemned 205" (which would've fit into a much smaller container) not going into stores for a while?

The reason why CBS/Arbiter became so proactive against Tokai just of all in spring '82 may have been the imminent introduction of Squiers in the UK, as the first country getting them outside of Japan (where they had been launched in April or May). That must have had an ongoing and increasing impact on Tokai orders from the UK stores (which were also intimidated by CBS/Arbiter) over the year, the changed logo probably disturbed potential UK buyers on top of that all, and of course they got offered an initially interesting alternative in addition to the important domestic market suddenly having "real Fenders" at prices competing with Tokai.

Luckily (for Tokai) Fender changed their mind by 1983 and sent (now worldwide) somewhat less attractive Squier guitars into the stores.
 
I don’t know what month mine was made. It’s a prototype or demo guitar. Has a handwritten code and D fretboard stamp.

When I talked with Peter Mac he pointed out that most of the ST70 guitars he had seen were clustered around that serial number.

I assumed late 1981 or January 1982.

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Yes sorry, i misread one of your posts on it. I believe the neck does have 12 though?
 
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What makes you think that, or do you have any insight that they got new serials?

No evidence, I was just agreeing with you that it could be a possible explanation for serial number anomalies. Could explain why I've got a block logo L12125 with a May date stamp, when by that time they had changed to the script decal. I think it's unlikely we're going to find out for sure.

The 81 MG block logo above does not have any sign of a decal change, I asked the owner - however I'm sure it would not be difficult to remove the old logo without leaving any trace. We've seen a few where the old decal can be made out, including my ST100, but they are the result of a rushed job, there may well be a lot more that were done properly with no trace of the old decal.
 

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This one is a real head scratcher, one that Cliff has sold in the past. He listed it as 1982, it's got a Jan date stamp, a spag logo but the serial is L06241. Could this be an 83 spag logo from Japan? The serial follows on from the Dec block logos with L5500-6000 I've seen. Jan 83 would be correct. But the logo!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cliffsguitarworld/albums/72157712216744856/
 
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L06241

Similar to a November date stamp I found.

Wonder if it is an 11 that is faded on the left edge?

Or January? And not UK?

My money would be on it being an incomplete 11 stamp sold outside the UK.

Screen Shot 2023-12-15 at 10.11.17 AM.png
Screen Shot 2023-12-15 at 10.12.07 AM.png
 
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Yes I don't think it's a UK guitar either.

Looks like 1=11 to me, there's no pic of the bottom of the neck but Cliff says they were 1=11 matching codes.

I'm taking it for what it is!
 
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Looks like they used some 1981 plates in January of 1982. The SS70S. I’ve wondered about this for some time.
 
The L06 one is odd for sure. If it’s January 1982 I don’t think it was sold in the UK.
 
The L06 one is odd for sure. If it’s January 1982 I don’t think it was sold in the UK.
Screenshot 2023-12-15 at 19.38.39.jpg

I wish Cliff could shed some light on this (bad pun intended) but if you look at the spacing of what I deem a '1' only partially covered by the black cable there could be another '1' next to it underneath the white cable.
 

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