Copyright 2002, 20th Century Guitar Magazine
 

They said it couldn’t be done…
                    Over 6 years in the making…
                                        Finally, what everyone has been waiting for…
                                                            How to date Fender amps by serial number!!

Okay, I know you’re all just dying to skip ahead to the serial number tables but try to contain your excitement and read through the article first.  I promise the tables will still be there after you finish reading.  Besides, no article in the Dating Fender Amps by Serial Number series would be complete without some interesting information, n’est ce pas?

FUN FACTS
Oddlings – Yet another printing error has surfaced, this time from the FEI (pre-CBS) days.  A 1957 tweed Vibrolux was reported with a tube chart printed with circuit “5E3” (tweed Deluxe)  instead of the correct 5F11 (see photo).  Clearly Fender wasn’t afraid to use incorrect parts when they were in a bind.  We also received a report of a tweed 5G12 Concert.  The 5G12 Concert is the earliest version from very late 1959 and early 1960 so the existence of a tweed example, while extremely rare, is certainly plausible since Fender was making lots of tweed amps during the same time period.  It’s unknown if the tweed covering was a mistake (“Oops, I thought this was a 4x10 Bassman cabinet that I was covering”) or intentional, perhaps as a special order.

Non-Schumacher transformers – It’s been universally accepted that Fender only used Schumacher transformers on amps made in the 1960s and 1970s.  These are marked with EIA code “606” which is the company number for Schumacher.  Well, this universal “truth” was debunked when we found a bunch of amps with transformers made by the Better Coil and Transformers company.  These are marked with EIA code “831” and are most prevalent during the 1966-68 time period.  Some examples include a '66 Princeton Reverb and ’66 Pro Reverb with Better Coil output transformer, a ‘66 Deluxe Reverb and ‘67 Twin Reverb with Better Coil reverb transformer, and a 1968 Vibro Champ with Better Coil trannies.  These units look, and apparently sound, just like the Schumacher-made units so it’s easy to overlook that “831” code.

Working at FMI – I was able to interview a fellow (who wishes to remain anonymous) who worked at Fender in 1972-73 in the amp department.  Although his job was somewhat limited, his recollections provided some really fascinating insights to how the amps were built.  For instance, he confirmed our assumption that the amp chassis were put into stock after being stamped with serial numbers and that the chassis were pulled from the stock bins randomly (just as with Fender guitar neck plates).  He recalled, “We just went to a big bin every morning and loaded our wheeled rack with a batch of whatever chassis we were working on that day.  The boss came around and said what we'd be building.  The chassis weren't used chronologically.  Probably the same as the pots and transformers that we just dug out of the boxes.  I think in the corners of the boxes were older pots remaining from earlier dates... leftovers.”

Regarding production he recounted the following information:  “I think I remember being 'pushed' to come up with 30 of the simpler chassis (Super Reverb?) per day.  I think the better, older hands did 35 a day.  Like I said, there were 5 or 6 of us at the benches every day.  But it wasn't always 'cool guitar' amps, sometimes I was making Fender Rhodes Satellite amps on bent aluminum, sometimes only Champs.  I remember two 'suits' from upstairs standing behind me occasionally doing time studies.  They actually held clipboards and stopwatches to measure how long it took for me to attach various parts.  Of course I tended to hurry more when they were
there, and I would fumble more, too.”

Another really interesting fact was that he recalled that the eyelet boards were loaded/wired/soldered in Mexico!  “I remember the circuit boards were pre-made, from Mexico, easy to screw into the chassis.  Same with the little rectifier boards.  When we had filled our cart we'd wheel it over to the Chicano chicks.  They were something to behold, all chatting away while soldering so quickly, it didn't hardly seem like they were looking at the amps. After that the foreman would add the tubes, turn 'em on and set the bias.”

Export models – We’ve confirmed that Fender amps were distributed by Hagström in Sweden.  Not only that, but to meet Swedish safety codes, Hagström removed the external voltage selector switch (fitted to all blackface and silverface export models) and hardwired it internally (see photos).  Notice that the original Fender back panel was removed and replaced with a Hagström panel.  One has to wonder where all those factory original export back panels are!  Maybe they’ll show up on eBay.  Another interesting tidbit is that a lot of Fenders were imported into Australia in the late 1950s and early 1960s that were stock 110-volt (domestic US) units.  The Australian Fender Distributor then installed 240V - 110V stepdown transformers in the bottom of the cabinets.

Mid-1968 Super Reverb export model modified by Hagström for the Swedish market.  Note the removal of the voltage selector switch and hard-wiring.  Also note the vertical black lines on the control panel (found on earliest silverface amps) and the large ceramic power resistors coming off the power tube sockets which indicates the AB568 circuit.

I Didn’t Know That! – Some Fender amp expert I turned out to be.  I just discovered that the silverface Bandmaster speaker cabinet (the big, tall one without tilt-back legs) is ported (see photo).  I thought they were completely sealed units.  I guess this is what the 1969 catalog refers to as “large, individual specially designed baffles.”  And all along I thought the big n’ tall silverface cabs were just a macho thing to compete against the awesome looks of a Marshall half stack or full stack.  But really, these cabs were large because they were of a “special design” that “greatly improves tone and volume without distortion, and permits optimum performance of the speakers.”  At least that’s the reason according to the ’69 catalog.

Also, another thing I’ve never seen before is a what appears to be a shipping tag of some sort (see photo).  Note the check boxes for DOM (domestic US model), EXP (export model), CSA (Canada model), STD (standard) and SPEC (special).  I have to wonder how often Fender used the SPEC check box and what features a “special” amp or cabinet would have?!  Since the new owner would have likely removed this tag immediately upon arriving home, I’m amazed that the one in the photo has remained intact since mid-1968!

PRODUCTION
Along with dating amps by serial numbers, we were interested in determining production totals, if possible.  There is some debate about how to interpret the production code information on late ‘50s to mid-1967 tube charts and Greg Huntington is still working with those.  One thing we know for sure is that production codes can help date an amp to a particular month within a given model run.  Greg and I also disagree about determining production from serial numbers.  I will present my hypothesis here and let Greg present his side of the story in a future article.

Unlike serial numbers used for most Fender guitars and basses, we know that serial number sequences are unique to a particular model or a family of models of amplifiers.  This is similar to the early ‘50s Telecaster and Precision Bass having their own unique serial number system.  Because the serial numbers are for a particular model and that chassis were stamped sequentially, is reasonable to assume that the serial number infers the Nth unit manufactured.  Some caution is advised since it is likely that not all chassis were used due to defects or that duplicate serial numbers may have been stamped.  Since these two scenarios are probably a very small percentage (or fraction of a percent) of total production, I’ve chosen to ignore them.

Another caveat is that it’s impossible to determine the production totals for “family” models, that is, models that share a common chassis.  These “families” are:  the Vibrasonic (6G13) and blonde Showman (6G14); the narrow panel tweed Super, Bandmaster, and Pro; the brown Vibrolux (6G11) and blonde Tremolux (6G9); the blackface Vibrolux (AB763) and blackface Tremolux (AB763); the brown Super, Pro, Concert and blonde Bandmaster (6G7); the silverface Super Reverb and Bandmaster Reverb; the blackface Pro, Concert and Bandmaster; the Vibro Champ and Bronco; the non-master volume Twin Reverb and Dual Showman Reverb; and the master volume Twin Reverb, Quad Reverb, Super Six Reverb, Dual Showman Reverb, and Vibrosonic Reverb.  There is no way to separate out production for these models, but with enough data, we might be able to do some frequency distribution and such to determine a rough estimate.

For the uniquely serialized models, the production estimates using my hypothesis, can be determined from the serial number tables.  This info may make some vintage dealers cringe when they find out how common some of these amps really are, but that’s just tough noogies.  For example, the serial numbers for 5F6 and 5F6-A Bassman amps run from BM00001 to BM04600 therefore we can conclude that there were about 4,600 units made.  How about those rarebird Vibroverbs?  Well, the serial numbers for the brown Vibroverb run from 00100 to 00600  indicating a total production of around 500 units, and the serial numbers for the blackface Vibroverb run from A00100 to A05300 indicating a total production of around 5,200 units.  The brown Deluxe is less common at about 4,800 units made (serial numbers run from D00100 to D04900).  Anyway, you get the idea.

Just remember that if you’re interested in production from a “family” model listed above, you cannot use this method.   For instance, the serial numbers for tweed Bandmaster (3x10) run from S00001 to S03700.  At first glance you’d think there were about 3,700 Bandmasters made, but you’d be wrong.  Remember, this model shares a chassis with the narrow panel tweed Pro and Super.  Therefore, the only thing we can infer is that there were 3,700 tweed Bandmasters, Pros, and Supers made in total.   Sure, you could assume that if production was equal between models that there may have been 1,233 units of each model made, but currently we don’t have the data to support this kind of inference.

DATING
The tables are pretty much self-explanatory, but here are some guidelines to keep in mind when using the tables to date your amp.  First, the tables should be used as a guide only.  You’ll still need to look at various features and date codes to absolutely confirm a year of manufacture.  Large overlaps in years may be due to lack of sufficient data (late 1940s to mid 1960s) or simply that the stamped chassis were used way out sequence (mid 1960s to early 1970s).  Some, but not all, export models don’t fit exactly into the sequence given and are usually from a year or two later than the serial number would otherwise indicate.  Silverface amps without the “A” prefix are generally from the 1970-71 time period and the dating tables can be used to date them if you add an “A” prefix.

Please note (this is very important) that there are many exceptions to the “rules” I have outlined here.  Though rare, there are some amps with bizarro serial number letter-prefixes and/or missing expected prefixes that don’t fit the tables.  Thankfully, these aberrations are pretty rare.  Just as with Fender guitars, you’ll find serial numbers that should fall in a certain year… but don’t.  Example:  Vibrolux Reverb with serial number A756254 should be a ’77, but the latest date-coded parts date it to 1978.  Some serial numbers have a letter prefix plus 4-digits instead of the usual 5- or 6-digits.  Likewise there are some serial numbers with an extra digit (usually a zero) after the letter prefix.  Again, these are rare and exceptions to the norm.

Finally, if you don’t see a particular model or year listed, it is because 1) there wasn’t enough data to generate a dating table or 2) it falls under the “universal” scheme for A6-, A7-, A8-, A9-, B-, or F-series serial numbers.  In the case of early tweed amps, there simply isn’t enough info available at this time to accurately date these by serial number, though some rough guidance is provided.  Same goes for Princetons made after 1966.

Don’t get all bent out of shape if you see a model that wasn’t “supposed” to be made in a certain year.  Case in point; we have documented two factory-original non-reverb blackface Deluxe Amps from January 1967.  The model was supposedly discontinued in 1966.  Remember, FMI didn’t like to waste anything (witness the Custom and Swinger guitars) so using up the remaining AB763 Deluxe chassis wouldn’t be a surprise.

Dating Table  -  NOTE THESE TABLES ARE OBSOLETE!  PLEASE GO TO PART 6 OF THIS SERIES FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE SERIAL NUMBER TABLES.
For mid to late ‘70s silverface amps and early ‘80s “blackface” models, the serial numbers are date encoded much the same way as Fender guitars from the late ‘70s:

A6 + 5-digits – 1976
A7 + 5-digits – 1977
A8 + 5-digits – 1978
A9 + 5-digits – 1979

B + 5-digits – 1975, 1976

F0 + 5-digits – 1980
F1 + 5-digits – 1981
F2 + 5-digits – 1982
F3 + 5-digits – 1983
F4 + 5-digits – 1984
F9 + 5-digits - 1979, 1980

Examples:  Vibrolux Reverb with serial number A756154 (A7 = 1977), Princeton Reverb II with serial number F077698 (F0 = 1980), and Super Reverb with serial number B10753 (B = 1975 or 1976).   Note, there is enough data for B-series Twin Reverbs (and variants) to differentiate between 1975 and 1976.  These are listed in the dating table.  Unfortunately, there isn’t enough data for other B-series models to identify the ‘75s from the ‘76s… but with your help, hopefully we’ll collect enough info to do this for a future article.

Bandmaster 5C7, 5D7 (tweed)
 0001 to 0800 – 1953
 5000 to 5500 – 1954

Bandmaster 5E7 (tweed)
 S00001 to S00350 – 1955
 S00350 to S01200 – 1956
 S01100 to S01800 – 1957
 S01700 to S02500 – 1958
 S02500 to S03700 – 1959

Bandmaster 5G7, 6G7 (brown)
00001 to 01000 – 1960

Bandmaster 6G7, 6G7-A (blonde)
00001 to 02400 – 1960
02300 to 05100 – 1961
49000 to 58000 – 1962
58000 to 59200 – 1963

Bandmaster AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00001 to A01700 – 1963
 A01400 to A08000 – 1964
 A07700 to A17000 – 1965
 A16000 to A22000 – 1966
 A20000 to A27000 – 1967

Bandmaster AB763, AC568 (silverface)
 A26000 to A29000 – 1967
 A28000 to A34000 – 1968
 A33000 to A34000 – 1969
 A34000 to A45000 – 1970-72

Bandmaster Reverb AA768, AA1069, AA270, TFL5005 (silverface)
 A31000 to A35000 – 1968
 A35000 to A45000 – 1969
 A45000 to A49000 – 1970
 A48000 to A54000 – 1971
 A54000 to A59000 – 1972
 A59000 to A66000 – 1973
 A66000 to A77000 – 1974
 A75000 to A78000 – 1975
 A78000 to A80000 – 1976

Bassman 5B6 (tweed)
 0001 to 0300 – 1951
 0300 to 0400 – 1952
 0400 to 0600 – 1953

Bassman 5D6, 5D6-A (tweed)
 0600 to 0900 – 1954

Bassman 5E6, 5E6-A (tweed)
 0100 to 0200 – 1955

 BM00001 to BM00550 – 1955
 BM00550 to BM01200 – 1956
 BM01200 to BM01600 – 1957

Bassman 5F6, 5F6-A (tweed)
 BM00001 to BM00400 – 1957
 BM00400 to BM01500 – 1958
 BM01500 to BM03100 – 1959
 BM03100 to BM04600 – 1960

Bassman 6G6, 6G6-A, 6G6-B (blonde)
 BP00100 to BP01100 – 1961
 BP01100 to BP05000 – 1962
 BP05000 to BP08400 – 1963
 BP08400 to BP12000 – 1964

Bassman AA864, AA165, AB165 (blackface)
 A00100 to A03800 – 1964
 A03800 to A15000 – 1965
 A15000 to A25000 – 1966
 A24000 to A33000 – 1967

Bassman AB165, AC568, AA270, AA371 (silverface)
 A32000 to A40000 – 1967
 A39000 to A49000 – 1968
 A48000 to A58000 – 1969
 A58000 to A60000 – 1970

Bronco AB764 (silverface)
 A19000 to A21000 – 1967
 A20000 to A26000 – 1968
 A25000 to A28000 – 1969
 A28000 to A29000 – 1970
 A29000 to A32000 – 1971
 A32000 to A35000 – 1972
 A33000 to A39000 – 1973
 A39000 to A42000 – 1974
 A42000 to A51000 – 1975

Champion 800 (tweed)
 01 to 1000 – 1948-49

Champion 600 5B1 (tweed)
 01 to 1300 – 1948-49
 1300 to 1700 – 1950
1700 to 5000 – 1951-52
5000 to 5500 – 1953

Champ 5C1, 5D1 (tweed)
 5500 to 6600 – 1953
 6600 to 8000 – 1954
 8000 to 9999 – 1955

Champ 5E1, 5F1 (tweed)
 C00001 to C00800 – 1955
 C00800 to C03100 – 1956
 C03100 to C06000 – 1957
 C06000 to C08800 – 1958
 C08800 to C12500 – 1959
 C12500 to C15500 – 1960
 C15500 to C16800 – 1961
 C17000 to C19000 – 1962
 C19000 to C21000 – 1963
 C21000 to C23000 – 1964

Champ AA764 (blackface)
 A00100 to A02000 – 1964
 A01900 to A05200 – 1965
 A05200 to A12000 – 1966
 A12000 to A12200 – 1967

Champ AA764 (silverface)
 A12200 to A13900 – 1968
 A13900 to A18000 – 1969
 A18000 to A30500 – 1970
 A30500 to A32000 – 1971
 A32000 to A35000 – 1972
 A32000 to A42000 – 1973
 A42000 to A50000 – 1974
 A50000 to A63000 – 1975
 A63000 to A85000 - 1976

Concert 5G12, 6G12, 6G12-A (brown)
00001 to 02400 – 1960
02300 to 05100 – 1961
49000 to 58000 – 1962
58000 to 59200 – 1963

Concert AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00001 to A01700 – 1963
 A01400 to A08000 – 1964
 A07700 to A08800 – 1965

Model 26 Deluxe (woodie)
 100 to 1500 – 1946-48

Deluxe 5A3, 5B3 (tweed)
 001 to 800 – 1948
 800 to 1900 – 1949
 1900 to 3000 – 1950
 3000 to 5400 – 1951
 5400 to 6800 – 1952
 6800 to 7300 - 1953

Deluxe 5C3, 5D3 (tweed)
 0001 to 1500 – 1953
 1500 to 3600 – 1954
 3600 to 5300 – 1955

Deluxe 5E3 (tweed)
 D00001 to D01400 – 1955
 D01400 to D03000 – 1956
 D03000 to D05000 – 1957
 D05000 to D06800 – 1958
 D06800 to D09000 – 1959
 D09000 to D10000 – 1960
 D10000 to D11000 – 1961

Deluxe 6G3, 6G3-A (brown)
 D00100 to D00900 – 1961
 D00800 to D03800 – 1962
 D03800 to D04900 – 1963

Deluxe AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A00500 – 1963
 A00500 to A02800 – 1964
 A02800 to A05600 – 1965
 A05600 to A06100 – 1966
 A06100 to A06500 – 1967

Deluxe Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A00300 – 1963
 A00300 to A03900 – 1964
 A03900 to A13000 – 1965
 A12000 to A19000 – 1966
 A19000 to A24000 – 1967

Deluxe Reverb AB763, AB868 (silverface)
 A24000 to A26000 – 1967
 A26000 to A28500 – 1968
 A28500 to A33000 – 1969
 A31000 to A33000 – 1970
 A33000 to A34500 – 1971
 A34500 to A37000 – 1972
 A37000 to A39000 – 1973
 A39000 to A42000 – 1974
 A42000 to A43000 – 1975
 A43000 to A45000 – 1976

Dual Showman AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A01400 – 1963
 A01400 to A01700 – 1964
 A01700 to A04300 – 1965
 A04300 to A08000 – 1966
 A07800 to A12000 – 1967

Dual Showman AB763, AC568 (silverface)
 A12000 to A12500 – 1967
 A12500 to A15000 – 1968

Dual Showman Reverb AA768, AA769, AA270, TFL5000 (silverface)
 A13900 to A16500 – 1968
 A16500 to A22400 – 1969
 A21700 to A25600 – 1970
 A25600 to A37000 – 1971
 A37000 to A50500 – 1972
 A50500 to A68000 – 1973
 A68000 to A99999 – 1974
 A81000 to A99999 – 1975

 B01000 to B15000 – 1975
 B15000 to B68000 – 1976

Harvard 5F10 (tweed)
 H00100 to H00500 – 1956
 H00500 to H01400 – 1957
 H01400 to H02000 – 1958
 H02000 to H02600 – 1959
 H02600 to H03400 – 1960
 H03400 to H03500 – 1961

Musicmaster Bass CFA-7010 (silverface)
 A00100 to A04100 – 1972
 A04100 to A07900 – 1973
 A07900 to A09500 – 1974
 A09500 to A09800 – 1975
 A09800 to A10500 – 1976

Princeton 5B2, 5C2, 5D2 (tweed)
 2500 to 3600 – 1953
 3600 to 4400 – 1954
 4400 to 4700 – 1955

Princeton 5F2, 5F2-A (tweed)
 P0001 to P00350 – 1955
 P0001 to P01100 – 1956
 P01100 to P02400 – 1957
 P02400 to P03000 – 1958
 P03000 to P04300 – 1959
 P04300 to P07000 – 1960

Princeton 6G2, 6G2-A (brown)
 P00100 to P01000 – 1961
 P01000 to P05100 – 1962
 P05100 to P07200 – 1963
 P07100 to P09900 – 1964

Princeton AA964 (blackface)
 A00100 to A02500 – 1964
 A02500 to A07000 – 1965
 A05000 to A10400 – 1966

Princeton AA964 (silverface)
 A10000 to A11000 – 1967-68
 A11000 to A15000 – 1969-70

Princeton Reverb AA1164 (blackface)
 A00100 to A02100 – 1964
 A02100 to A07500 – 1965
 A05500 to A14500 – 1966
 A14000 to A18700 – 1967

Princeton Reverb AA1164, B1270 (silverface)
 A18500 to A19500 – 1967
 A18900 to A21500 – 1968
 A21500 to A25500 – 1969
 A24000 to A25000 – 1970
 A25000 to A26000 – 1971
 A26000 to A27500 – 1972
 A27500 to A30000 – 1973
 A30000 to A32500 – 1974
 A32500 to A34500 – 1975
 A34500 to A36000 – 1976

Pro 5A5, 5B5, 5C5, 5D5 (tweed)
 01 to 600 – 1948
 600 to 1100 – 1949
 1100 to 1700 – 1950
 1700 to 2500 – 1951
 2500 to 3500 – 1952
 3500 to 4800 – 1953
 4500 to 6000 - 1954

Pro 5E5, 5E5-A, 5E5-B (tweed)
 S00100 to S00800 – 1955
 S00800 to S01200 – 1956
 S01200 to S01800 – 1957
 S01700 to S02500 – 1958
 S02500 to S03700 – 1959

Pro 5G5, 6G5, 6G5-A (brown)
00001 to 02400 – 1960
02300 to 05100 – 1961
49000 to 58000 – 1962
58000 to 59200 – 1963

Pro AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00001 to A01700 – 1963
 A01400 to A08000 – 1964

Pro Reverb AA165 (blackface)
 A00100 to A02700 – 1965
 A02700 to A09200 – 1966
 A07000 to A10200 – 1967

Pro Reverb AA1265, AB668, AA1069, AA270 (silverface)
 A10000 to A10500 – 1967
 A10500 to A12000 – 1968
 A12000 to A13300 – 1969
 A13400 to A14500 – 1970
 A14500 to A15000 – 1971
 A15000 to A15600 – 1972
 A15600 to A17200 – 1973
 A17200 to A19700 – 1974
 A19700 to A20000 – 1975
 A20000 to A21500 – 1976

Quad Reverb CFA7104 (silverface)
 A33000 to A37000 – 1971
 A37000 to A50500 – 1972
 A50500 to A68000 – 1973
 A68000 to A99999 – 1974
 A81000 to A99999 – 1975

 B01000 to B15000 – 1975
 B15000 to B68000 – 1976

Reverb Unit 6G15 (brown, blonde, blackface)
 R00100 to R00900 – 1961
 R00900 to R02600 – 1962
 R02600 to R04800 – 1963
 R04800 to R07400 – 1964
 R07400 to R09800 – 1965
 R09800 to R11000 – 1966

Showman 6G14, 6G14-A (blonde)
 00001 to 00350 – 1960
 00200 to 00800 – 1961
 00800 to 01500 – 1962
 01500 to 01800 – 1963

Showman AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A01400 – 1963
 A01400 to A01700 – 1964
 A01700 to A04300 – 1965
 A04300 to A08000 – 1966
 A07800 to A12000 – 1967

Showman AB763 (silverface)
 A12000 to A12500 – 1967
 A12500 to A15000 – 1968

Super incl. Dual Professional (tweed)
 01 to 400 – 1946-47
 500 to 1200 – 1949-51
 2000 to 4300 – 1952-53
 4500 to 5500 – 1954
 5500 to 6100 – 1955

Super 5E4, 5F4 (tweed)
 S00100 to S00800 – 1955
 S00800 to S01200 – 1956
 S01200 to S01800 – 1957
 S01700 to S02500 – 1958
 S02500 to S03700 – 1959

Super 5G4, 6G4, 6G4-A (brown)
00001 to 02400 – 1960
02300 to 05100 – 1961
49000 to 58000 – 1962
58000 to 59200 – 1963

Super Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A00600 – 1963
 A00600 to A06000 – 1964
 A05900 to A13000 – 1965
 A11000 to A20000 – 1966
 A20000 to A27000 – 1967

Super Reverb AB763, AB568, AA1069, AA270 (silverface)
 A26000 to A29000 – 1967
 A27000 to A35000 – 1968
 A35000 to A45000 – 1969
 A45000 to A49000 – 1970
 A48000 to A54000 – 1971
 A54000 to A59000 – 1972
 A59000 to A66000 – 1973
 A66000 to A77000 – 1974
 A75000 to A78000 – 1975
 A78000 to A80000 – 1976

Super Six Reverb CFA7106 (silverface)
 A33000 to A37000 – 1971
 A37000 to A50500 – 1972
 A50500 to A68000 – 1973
 A68000 to A99999 – 1974
 A81000 to A99999 – 1975

 B01000 to B15000 – 1975
 B15000 to B68000 – 1976

Tremolux 5E9, 5E9-A (tweed)
 0001 to 00650 – 1955
 00650 to 01000 – 1956
 01000 to 01300 – 1957
 01300 to 01700 – 1958
 01700 to 02700 – 1959
 02600 to 03300 – 1960

Tremolux 6G9, 6G9-A, 6G9-B (blonde)
 00100 to 01000 – 1961
 00900 to 04200 – 1962
 04200 to 05900 – 1963

Tremolux AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A00500 – 1963
 A00500 to A03700 – 1964
 A03200 to A05700 – 1965
 A05200 to A08000 – 1966

Twin 5C8, 5D8, 5D8-A, 5E8, 5E8-A (tweed)
 001 to 500 – 1953-55

 A00200 to A00725 – 1956-57

Twin 5F8, 5F8-A (tweed)
 A00010 to A00725 – 1957-59

Twin 6G8, 6G8-A (blonde)
 00001 to 00100 – 1960
 00100 to 00225 – 1961
 00225 to 00400 – 1962
 00400 to 00525 – 1963

Twin Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A01200 – 1964
 A01200 to A04300 – 1965
 A04300 to A07000 – 1966
 A07000 to A10400 – 1967

Twin Reverb AB763, AC568, AA769, AA270 (silverface)
 A10500 to A11300 – 1967
 A10500 to A16500 – 1968
 A16500 to A21400 – 1969
 A21400 to A25600 – 1970
 A25600 to A37000 – 1971
 A37000 to A50500 – 1972
 A50500 to A68000 – 1973
 A68000 to A99999 – 1974
 A81000 to A99999 – 1975

 B01000 to B15000 – 1975
 B15000 to B68000 – 1976

0100 to 3400 - 1970

Vibrasonic 6G13, 6G13-A (brown)
 00001 to 00350 – 1960
 00200 to 00800 – 1961
 00800 to 01500 – 1962
 01500 to 01800 – 1963

Vibro Champ AA764 (blackface)
 A00100 to A02000 – 1964
 A01200 to A08100 – 1965
 A08100 to A16000 – 1966
 A16000 to A20500 – 1967

Vibro Champ AA764 (silverface)
 A19000 to A21000 – 1967
 A20000 to A26000 – 1968
 A25000 to A28000 – 1969
 A28000 to A29000 – 1970
 A29000 to A32000 – 1971
 A32000 to A35000 – 1972
 A33000 to A39000 – 1973
 A39000 to A42000 – 1974
 A42000 to A51000 – 1975
 A51000 to A53000 – 1976

Vibrolux 5F11 (tweed)
 F00001 to F00300 – 1956
 F00300 to F00900 – 1957
 F00900 to F01500 – 1958
 F01500 to F02800 – 1959
 F02800 to F04000 – 1960
 F04100 to F04400 – 1961

Vibrolux 6G11, 6G11-A (brown)
 00100 to 00700 – 1961
 00700 to 03700 – 1962
 03400 to 05500 – 1963

Vibrolux AA763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A01300 – 1964

Vibrolux Reverb AA864 (blackface)
 A00100 to A00800 – 1964
 A00800 to A03600 – 1965
 A03600 to A08300 – 1966
 A08300 to A10700 – 1967

Vibrolux Reverb AA864, AA964, AB568, AA270 (silverface)
 A10700 to A11000 – 1967
 A11000 to A12000 – 1968
 A12000 to A13700 – 1969
 A13700 to A23400 – 1970
 A23400 to A24500 – 1971
 A24500 to A25000 – 1972
 A25000 to A27000 – 1973
 A27000 to A31500 – 1974
 A31500 to A33000 – 1975
 A33000 to A34000 – 1976

Vibrosonic Reverb (silverface)
 A44000 to A50500 – 1972
 A50500 to A68000 – 1973
 A68000 to A99999 – 1974
 A81000 to A99999 – 1975

 B01000 to B15000 – 1975
 B15000 to B68000 – 1976

Vibroverb 6G16 (brown)
 00100 to 00600 – 1963

Vibroverb AA763, AB763 (blackface)
 A00100 to A05300 – 1964

YOU CAN STILL HELP!
Sadly, these tables do not mean that our research is finished.  We still need more data to fine tune existing dating schemes (including the overlap in the "universal" A+6 digit and F series) and to provide dating tables for missing models and/or years.  Also, we’re still researching the “mystery of the production number” on the tube charts of late ‘50s through mid-1967 amps.  Please continue to send submit info to us via e-mail.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed information to make these dating tables possible.  We hope you find them useful!!

Special thanks to Sixten Forsén at EDGAR Audio in Sweden for the information and photos, to Sam Hartley for the information and photos, to Greg at Retro Sound in Australia and Paul Mastradone for the excellent info.

Extra special thanks to my co-researchers, Devin “The Tweed King” Riebe and Greg Huntington, for their invaluable assistance with collecting data and information about Fender amps.

About the author:  Greg Gagliano is going on vacation.  You can try to contact him by e-mail, but don’t be surprised if you get a pre-recorded message.