But how do you date a Fender amp transformer code? First, find the transformer - it’s usually a plain-looking metal box screwed to the amp chassis. But there’s still hope! You can get an approximate idea of when an amp was built by taking a look at the transformer. In some cases, an amp may have lost its tube chart, or you may not be able to read a serial number anywhere else. The brand has also never released records of the total number of amps they made from the 1940s to the 1970s. Fender didn’t always assemble amps in sequential order. Though Fender’s serial numbers are fairly specific, they aren’t always accurate.

These letters are part of Fender’s production date coding system (more on that below), and that system is the same across different models. In many cases, though the serial numbers are unique to each model, they are prefixed by two letters. The serial numbers Fender uses are unique to each model, so determining when an amp was made can be more difficult if you also can’t determine the model.

Whether you’re looking at an older Fender Champ amp serial number or trying to date a newer amp, you probably know that you need to look for a serial number first. Are Fender Amp Serial Numbers Generic or Specific? But decoding your serial number will help you at least get an approximate idea of when the amp was built. Fender’s numbering of their amps isn’t always 100 percent accurate - in some cases, amp casings were pre-stamped with serial numbers before assembly and then built out of order. If you’re trying to find out how old your amp is, you might be asking “How do I check my Fender serial number?” Fender serial dating isn’t especially difficult, although the result you get is often only an approximation of the year an amp was built.

Fender Princeton 112 Serial Numbers