How to date my bass

  • Thread starter Mmcphail
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Mmcphail

Squier Talker
May 29, 2020
14
Shelby Twp., MI
I have a reddish, Affinity J Bass that has a sticker with the serial number 311701514 (China). The number looks like it may have been placed over something. I have not been able to find out any information about this bass, despite checking the usual Squier sites. Any idea what year it was manufactured? Thanks!

Mike
 
Lanaka

Lanaka

AKA GhostGuitars
Feb 11, 2020
14,184
Honolulu, HI
Usually the original SN is SUPPOSED to be defaced when they put the new serial sticker on after refurbishing, but many times they get lazy and don't. Suggest carefully peeling the sticker off to see what's under it.

While they're supposed to deface them, you could also try find the Neck's date code on the heel and the body date code in the neck pocket. Alternatively the body date may be found in one of the cavities …if they're not overpainted. Last chance are the date codes on the pots, but they'll only ballpark the build date. The neck and body codes are USUALLY within a year or two (at most) of the model year.
 
dpang2836

dpang2836

Dr. Squier
Silver Supporting Member
Jan 25, 2022
8,006
IDAHO
Mmcphail said:
Ah! Yes, it does have "USED" stamped on the top. Is there any way I can find out how old it is? Other than the SN, there's nothing really unique about it. Is there a SN under the sticker?
Click to expand...
If there is, they usually scratch out last 2 or 3 numbers, but all you need is a few numbers after the Letters to see the year.
 
M

Mmcphail

Squier Talker
May 29, 2020
14
Shelby Twp., MI
Lanaka said:
Usually the original SN is SUPPOSED to be defaced when they put the new serial sticker on after refurbishing, but many times they get lazy and don't. Suggest carefully peeling the sticker off to see what's under it.

While they're supposed to deface them, you could also try find the Neck's date code on the heel and the body date code in the neck pocket. Alternatively the body date may be found in one of the cavities …if they're not overpainted. Last chance are the date codes on the pots, but they'll only ballpark the build date. The neck and body codes are USUALLY within a year or two (at most) of the model year.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for this!
 
dpang2836

dpang2836

Dr. Squier
Silver Supporting Member
Jan 25, 2022
8,006
IDAHO
speelyei

speelyei

Squier-holic
Sep 22, 2020
2,593
West coast, USA
Lanaka

Lanaka

AKA GhostGuitars
Feb 11, 2020
14,184
Honolulu, HI
Mmcphail said:
Thanks for your help, everyone - even those who thought I wanted to date my boss. (LOL, I married her!) I peeled the sticker off & now I know the original manufacture date. Looks like a 2016. Now I wonder why it was rebuilt?
Click to expand...

Grats on figuring out it's a CY16! This means it's a Chinese Yako bass. Yako has good build reputation. Refurbs can range from needing a total rebuild with new finish, to what's more likely, is it being a return or overstock or it's past it's end of model year. In this case it's like Stratosphere in which the refurber just checked the guitar, cleaned it up, but (unlike Stratosphere) then relabeled it as Used/Refurb and sold it for cheaper (and still at a profit).
 
M

MatthewK

Squier Talker
Jul 14, 2010
52
Hobart, Australia
Refurb could mean lots of things, but I’d guess the most common would be a bad pickup/electrics etc which need to be replaced. Or the nut cut wrong, bridge off alignment - something which was missed coming out of the factory but which made it unsellable.
 
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