Jazz Serial Number Question

[CamdenRob]

A question for Fender experts...

I'm looking at a Jazz bass with a serial number beginning with an E and then only 5 digits? all the numbers on the Fender website have an E and then 6 digits?

There seems to be a couple of threads on TB and also the Fender forum about these maybe being instruments designated for the export market?

Anyone else got a jazz from the early 80's with an E and 5 digit serial number? I notice the 82 Jazz Andy Baxter just sold also has this serial number format.

I emailed Fender and they were unable to confirm this was a genuine fender instrument? They were insistent that all jazzes from this period had the E followed by 6 digits format...

Any insight would be appreciated.

Cheers

Rob

[CamdenRob]

After a bit more research and googling... Someone on TB suggested adding a 0 after the E in the serial number.

I've put the serial of the bass I'm looking at, the Andy Baxter bass and a serial number from someone asking a similar question on TB with an extra 0 into the guitar dater project website (how reliable a resource this is I do not know?). The results are all the same indicating an early 80s Fullerton plant Fender...

Another obvious angle is that its a fake... although if you were making a fake would you not make sure that you were using the correct serial number format? seems a bit of an obvious oversight.

This research is just me flailing around on the internet though, a real expert opinion would be greatly appreciated.

Rob

Edited October 4, 2013 by CamdenRob

[CamdenRob]

Apologies for replying to my own post again but a guy on the Fender forum called 'brotherdave' has written a superb reply to someone asking a similar question to mine, I've posted some extracts below.

"This serial question comes up a lot. It is possibly an export instrument and that is an export serial.

An E+5 numeric serial doesn't compute based on any online serial tables. However most online serial guides for USA made Fenders address domestic distribution serials almost exclusively and that makes them useless in evaluation of export instruments."

"CBS Fender used different serial number formats on instruments produced for export to foreign distributors. The oddball serial format locked export instruments out of the Fender warranty in North America. These are "orphan" instruments that Fender/CBS sold to offshore distributors who operate their own support systems independent of Fender's. It is the same instrument as one with a USA serial in every detail except the serial format is different and they are excluded from the Fender warranty. That is still the case today as foreign distributors must maintain their own support and warranty systems. There is no Fender warranty on export instruments, but the distributor instead assumes the administration and expense of warranty service. The different serial format also prevents an instrument made for USA distribution from landing in an overseas service center for warranty service at the expense of the foreign distributor.

Also export models were almost always shipped to the distributor without a case included and the distributor either cased them in their own cases or left it up to the consumer to buy one at extra expense. Anytime you see an export serial instrument being sold as coming with the "original" case it probably should not be the same case that came with USA instruments of the day. This is for sure true for instruments imported through the UK by Selmer for Europe. Selmer had their own domestically produced cases that they used instead of the ones Fender included with instruments sold in the USA. I'm extremely skeptical of an export instrument with a Fender USA case the seller claims as coming with the "original case." It probably isn't the original case. It might have happened, but export instruments were shipped without any case so far as I know."

"These instruments should also have the deluxe Schaller tuners with the "F" logo on the back, which I can not see. It should also have a "Fender" angled script logo engraved on the 4-screw neckplate which I also can not see. Between the bottom two holes on the neckplate (under the script) there should be a tiny hole for micro-tilt adjustment access. When the neck is removed, on the neck paddle facing the neck pocket there should be a rectangular sticker with 6 ruled lines and blanks numbered 1 through 7 for inspection marks. Often there will be a neck code stamping across several of the lines and initial marks on one or two lines. The paddle should also have the round metal micro-tilt device contact insert. There may be a single code stamp along with inspector initials made by a black marker in the body neck pocket. Sometimes the initials obscure the stamping characters. The metal stop device for the micro-tilt should be mounted in the neck pocket area also. I can't see the electronics but I know the knobs are wrong which bothers me a bit. The one piece pickguard/control plate design with headstock truss-rod adjustment access is correct for 1983 and was carried over along with the push-on Stratocaster type knobs labeled either "VOL" or "TONE" into the first Ensenada plant instruments while the micro-tilt was not carried over to Ensenada."

The bass I'm looking at conforms entirely to everything said in the last paragraph.... Its a shame this guy doesn't actually work for Fender then I'd be 100% after all it is just an opinion on a message board... still if it's true it's a good bit of info for early 80s Fullerton Jazz basses.

Rob

[foal30]

My E + 5 digits is an export model. It's a boner from 1989 so maybe that numbering system went for quite some time.