The only way to try to narrow the date range of your specific instrument is to remove the neck and check the butt end of the neck heel for a production date. Once again, there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. Further negotiations between Fender and Japanese guitar factories took place. The charts below detail the most common Fender serial number schemes from 1976 to the present. This arrangement benefited Fender because it removed the Greco Fender copies from the Japanese market, which were selling in Japan at much lower prices than the American made Fenders and it also benefited Kanda Shokai because Kanda Shokai could then distribute Japanese made Fender branded guitars in Japan. Kanda Shokai owned the Greco brand name and one of the conditions of the Fender Japan agreement was that Kanda Shokai cease production of its own Greco Fender copies. one piece maple neck, round position dots, Kluson keys, serial number on neck.
Yamano Gakki was known for once being part of Epiphone Japan. ELECTRIC VIOLIN OTHER ELECTRIC INSTRUMENTS ELECTRIC MANDOLIN The Fender. DATING JAPANESE-MADE FENDER INSTRUMENTS SERIAL NUMBERS CIRCA JV + 5 digits, 1982-1984 SQ + 5 digits, 1983-1984 E + 6 digits, 1984-1987 A +. Fender began negotiations with several Japanese musical instrument distributors and reached an agreement with Yamano Gakki and Kanda Shokai to establish Fender Japan. 2007 was another transitional year for Japanese-made Fender instruments, with the return to the Made in Japan country-of-origin identifier on the serial number decal. Fender was also losing sales in Japan to Japanese guitar brands such as Tōkai, Greco and Fernandes and the establishment of Fender Japan would benefit Fender sales in Japan, as well as overseas. In 1997, Fender transitioned to a serial number decal that included the words Crafted in Japan above the serial number.