The independent guitar workbench

Know your guitar.
Love how it plays.

Enter your serial number to find out when and where your guitar was made. Then dial in the setup and make it yours.

Where’s the serial? Usually on the back of the headstock; on vintage Fenders, the neck plate; on acoustics, inside the soundhole.

Free and instant, no account needed. 7,000+ serials decoded a month across 23 brands.

Popular decodersSquierFenderMartinGibsonIbanezYamahaAll brands

Nick, the guitarist behind Owning A FenderBy Nick, a London guitarist with 15+ years of setting up guitars. Meet Nick

Nick’s sunburst Fender Special Stratocaster with a maple neck and tortoiseshell pickguard
From Nick’s collectionFender Special Stratocaster

Example result Decoded

MX21123456 · Fender

2021 Made in Ensenada, Mexico

01 / Start with your guitar

No serial to hand? Start with your guitar.

Factory setup specs, a free step-by-step guide and the cheat sheet made for it.

Choose your guitar

Your guitar

Stratocaster

Tremolo, pickups & the complete setup

Everything for the Stratocaster
FreeFactory setup specsAction, neck relief and pickup heights for the StratocasterSee the Strat specs Free guideStratocaster setup guideFree and step by step, with exact specsRead the guide $19Fender Setup Cheat SheetExact Strat & Tele specs4.7 ★ average rating · 206 purchases · 30 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Telecaster

Saddles, twang & tuning stability

Everything for the Telecaster
FreeFactory setup specsAction, neck relief and pickup heights for the TelecasterSee the Tele specs Free guideTelecaster setup guideFree and step by step, with exact specsRead the guide $19Fender Setup Cheat SheetExact Strat & Tele specs4.7 ★ average rating · 206 purchases · 30 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Squier

Get more from your everyday player

Everything for Squier
FreeFactory setup specsClassic Vibe and Affinity models in the specs lookupOpen the specs lookup Free guideSquier setup guidesFind the right guide for your Squier seriesRead the guide $19Squier Setup Cheat SheetSeries-specific Squier specs4.7 ★ average rating · 234 downloadsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Bass

Jazz Bass & Precision Bass essentials

Everything for bass
FreeFactory setup specsPrecision and Jazz Bass models in the specs lookupOpen the specs lookup Free guideFender bass setup guidePrecision and Jazz Bass, step by stepRead the guide $19Bass Setup Cheat SheetPrecision Bass & Jazz Bass specs4.5 ★ average rating · 156 downloads · 19 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Jazzmaster

Offset setup, circuits & bridge fixes

Everything for the Jazzmaster
FreeFactory setup specsAction, neck relief and pickup heights for your JazzmasterOpen the specs lookup Free guideJazzmaster setup guideFree and step by step, with exact specsRead the guide $19Fender Setup Cheat SheetSetup steps and offset hardware checks4.7 ★ average rating · 206 purchases · 30 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Jaguar

Short scale, floating bridge & vibrato

Everything for the Jaguar
FreeFactory setup specsAction, neck relief and pickup heights for your JaguarOpen the specs lookup Free guideJaguar setup guideFree and step by step, with exact specsRead the guide $19Fender Setup Cheat SheetSetup steps and offset hardware checks4.7 ★ average rating · 206 purchases · 30 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Mustang

Short scale, vibrato & bridge buzz fixes

Everything for the Mustang
FreeFactory setup specsAction, neck relief and pickup heights for your MustangOpen the specs lookup Free guideMustang setup guideFree and step by stepRead the guide $19Fender Setup Cheat SheetSetup steps and offset hardware checks4.7 ★ average rating · 206 purchases · 30 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Acoustic

Action, humidity & string choice

Everything for acoustics
FreeFactory setup specsMartin, Taylor and Yamaha models in the specs lookupOpen the specs lookup Free guideAcoustic setup guideFree and step by stepRead the guide $19Acoustic Guitar Setup Cheat SheetTaylor & Martin model specs4.7 ★ average rating · 134 purchases · 21 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Gibson

Les Paul, SG & spotting a fake

Everything for Gibson
FreeFactory setup specsLes Paul, SG and ES-335 models in the specs lookupOpen the specs lookup Free guideLes Paul setup guideFree and step by stepRead the guide $19Gibson Setup Cheat SheetExact Les Paul & SG specs4.8 ★ average rating · 111 purchases · 17 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Epiphone

Les Paul, SG & Casino setup

Everything for Epiphone
FreePickup heightHumbuckers, P-90s and the CasinoRead the article Free guideEpiphone setup guideLes Paul, SG and Casino specsRead the guide $19Gibson Setup Cheat SheetFor Les Paul and SG-style Epiphones4.8 ★ average rating · 111 purchases · 17 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

PRS

Core, S2 & SE setup and strings

Everything for PRS
FreePickup height calculatorPRS pickup heights and specsOpen the calculator Free guidePRS setup guideTremolo, stoptail and Silver Sky checksRead the guide $19PRS Setup Cheat SheetExact specs for Core, S2 & SE lines4.5 ★ average rating · 87 downloads · 7 verified reviewsGet the cheat sheet · $19

Your guitar

Ibanez

RG, S, JEM & AZ setup and strings

Everything for Ibanez
FreeEdge tremolo setupBalance and troubleshootingRead the article Free guideIbanez setup guideAction, tremolo and relief specsRead the guide FreeBest strings for IbanezTop picks for RG, S, JEM and AZRead the article

02 / The workbench

Free tools and reports

All free tools
Factory specs lookupAction, relief and pickup heights by modelFreeWhat’s it worth?A free value range for your guitarFreeValuation reportA personalised valuation for your guitar$9History reportYear, factory and era in a keepsake PDF$4.99Action height calculatorFind your string heightFreePickup height calculatorBalance your outputFree
Fender Setup Cheat Sheet cover shown on a guitar workbench; supplied as a digital PDF

Best seller · The Fender Setup Cheat Sheet

Less searching. More dialling it in.

Keep the measurements and step-by-step setup order beside you. A practical reference for your Strat, Tele or offset.

4.7 ★ average rating · 206 purchases · 30 verified reviews
Get the setup guide · $19All setup guides

Digital download · Print it or keep it on your phone

From Nick’s workbench

03 / Field notes

Good advice. Within reach.

Browse the journal

Start with the essentials

The reference pages to keep coming back to.

01Truss rod adjustmentUnderstand neck relief02Guitar action heightMeasurements & a printable chart03Guitar string gaugesChoose a set for your playing style

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