Fender Squier Venus

An early model from what I can tell via the joy of Wikipedia. Sea Foam green with white pearloid pickguard, matching headstock as well. The humbucker has been replaced with a Kent Armstrong pickup and I'm currently doing it up. Beautiful shape to it.

I fell in love with this once I saw it, it had everything I required mainly simplicity. The fact that all there is is volume and nothing else to me meant the world as that was what I had been dreaming about for several years.
The singlecoil I'm gonna have to replace because of a lack of care via previous owner (i.e. rust) but the new humbucker on mine kicks like a mule (in a good way)

Since I mainly play acoustic playing for the first time was like cutting through hot butter. No flaws that I could see except for the problems via previous owner. Even though it's ten years old and possibly been through a lot it hasn't really shown up anywhere.

I'm hopefully going to use this guitar for some live playing, it's ten years old and going strong and has obviously been gigged before, from careful deduction I believe the rusting that has occurred has been from sweat as it is mainly over the top of the pickguard/singlecoil. The previous pickups have been removed and I'm planning on removing the singlecoil soon and replacing it so obviously the hardware hasn't truely stood the test of time but that's mainly down to abuse. The base has had a considerable dent put into it but the finish has at no time come off. My only concern is the small strap buttons. The first time I slung it on my shoulder it almost landed with a bump.

Customer support I'm sure now is non-existent for this model although there are various "fan" websites out there offering tips and help via old Fender pages and of course good ol' wikipedia.

I've been playing on and off for about 10 years now, I previously owned a Epiphone Les Paul and comparing that to the Venus I probably shouldn't have bothered with it. I hadn't heard about this guitar until this year and a chance encounter on the web so I purely bought this for its design and a little feeling of fate. The Venus is probably the lightest guitar I've ever tried out/used and it's shape is something special. I love its pickup setup and I love its simplicity. Obviously for some this is its downfall but its a great guitar and one I'll be keeping.

See all other "features" comments please. I'm tired of typing.

I like it okay. The pups need to be swapped out at some point. But it suits my needs. The selector switch is bad and the pot is scratchy. Buying it used, I expect that kind of thing. I play in a variety type rock band currently, that plays everything from Motown and classic r&b to classic rock and country rock. I am a frontman/rhythm guitarist, and for such a short list of features this guitar delivers pretty good tone on many songs. I play it thru a Fender Princeton 650.

Seafoam green model. I like it a lot. I get lots of positive comments on it at gigs. Overall a well made guitar for the money.

It's put together very well. I have had it for 3 years and the only complaints I have are some of the electronics. But I always have a back up.

Used no warranty.

Playing for nearly 25 years. Mostly Classic rock, Country, some original material as well. I love the funky look of this thing. The best thing about it is the neck. It's a nice thick C and it's bound. It's my favorite neck of all the electric guitars I own. If I had it stolen, I would try to replace it, but they are getting more rare and harder to find.

Made in 1997 or 98 in Japan. 22 frets. S/H pickup config. Not sure what kind of pickups are in it. They seem much better than typical Squier p/u. Basswood body I think, with maple neck, and rosewood fretboard. Mine is a sunburst with shell pickguard. Gotoh bridge setup. No accessories with mine. Bought it used at a Pawn Shop from a guy who had no idea it was anything but a typical Chinese, Korean, or Indonesian Squier. His loss, my gain! Designed by the infamous Courtney Love, but I'm not holding that against this fine guitar. Only one volume control with 3 position switch for the S/H pickups. Very simple, which is fine with me.

I've always loved the idea of having a guitar with both a single coil and a humbucker for versatility. Finally got one and love it. I'm not big on pedals. I suppose I'm inspired by Angus Young and Ian Mackaye to play mostly without all the toys. I usually just cut my amp's distortion up to about 5 or 6, but I do occassionally run it through a Boss DS-1 and an EQ pedal for a little more beef with the Humbucker engaged. The single coil (again, don't know if it's stock or not) is great! It is very clean and warm. It has a very nice bluesy tone. The humbucker leaves a bit to be desired, not as much crunchy tone as say a typical Les Paul. The bolt vs set neck may account for some of the lack of crunch. Don't know. I may change the humbucker. But the middle blended position is really nice sounding.

I didn't get the guitar new, so I can't say how the original setup was. But the neck was in great shape when I got it (including the frets). Action was perfect and intonation was pretty close to perfect. That surprised me since the guitar was dinged up pretty good and came from a pawn shop. I found no flaws in the bridge or nut. One of my tuners is a little loose, but again, not being new I can't blame Fender/Squier for that. And the 3 way switch on mine shorts out sometimes. I'll probably have to rewire it. Like I said, it looks like it's been played pretty regularly, so the problem with the switch may be the result of lots of use, not workmanship. It's very light, certainly much lighter than my Strat, G400, and certainly my freakin' Jazz Bass! Overall, a great feeling, light guitar.

I'd say the guitar will hold up to regular live playing, but like anything, preventative maintenance is necessary. I don't think the previous owner did much of this. Finish is solid enough. I don't gig currently, but I'd probably use it as a backup, possibly a main guitar. I can't imagine too many gigging musicians not using a back up.

Never dealt with and mine is not under warranty. But I may contact Fender soon for specs and such since I can't find them on the website currently.

I've been playing off and on for 15 years, but only seriously now for about a year. I'd total that up to maybe 3 years of real experience I guess. I also have a Fender Highway 1 Strat (actually it's my wife's, but I play it quite a bit), Epiphone G400 Les Paul Custom, Ibanez AF75T, and a Fender American Jazz Bass. I love this guitar. Japanese Squiers are closer to the standards of the American Fenders than your typical Squiers. I think it will become a collector's item in the future when the word gets out. I think there's a perception that the Venus is somehow a "chick" guitar whatever that means. I suppose that's because of the Courtney Love connection...ugh. Well, it's not like it's a Daisy Rock or something. My wife loves it, BUT SHE CAN'T HAVE IT! The body style may be a bit different than the norm, but I think it's a quite graceful looking guitar. It is VERY light, certainly lighter than a Strat and certainly Les Pauls. The other day I was recording a bass part for a song with my Am Jazz, which weighs a ton, and then switched to my Venus to lay down a solo and I could barely tell I was holding it. Felt like the strings and frets were magically floating there before me! I love this guitar and pity the poor pawn shop owner who let it go so cheap:) But as much as I love it, I'm not prepared to give it all 10s. I just haven't found the "perfect" guitar to receive those kinda marks. So accept my 9s as perfect as I have found when all things are considered (price, feel, sound, durability, looks, etc). Go get one! Help increase the collectibility of these fine guitars.

mine is a seafoam green example, not sure of the year. You already know the specs from the other reviews(basswood body, 22 fret rosewood neck, etc.). two pickups, a three way toggle swithch and a single volume didnt seem like much in the line of features but it suits this guitar down to the ground. i love the body shape and colour, the other reviewers said it was a players guitar not something to impress people but i think that its oddly attractive shape and this colour will definetly get you noticed.
i believe the pickups are seymour duncans, not sure, since they dont actually say anything on the covers, theyre the stock ones any way. and that neck, the best. . .

in short this guitar sounds brilliant!
i use it alongside my lite-ash tele and in truth the sound of the more expensive tele doesnt even compare.
the neck single coil is beautifully bright and jangly like a danelctro or Rickenbacker, suited to indie or R.E.M style arpeggios, ska chopping or even bluesy bass runs on the low strings. The powerful humbucker packs a punch and is maybe a little too responsive to be used on full volume clean.
overdriven this guitar is a beauty, the neck has a sweet, singing quality similar to a fender strat or a danelectro. The bridge is pure Les Paul grit, you can go from playing Sweet Child o' Mine to Basket Case without touching the switch or your amp. The sustain is unbelievable, especially for a guitar of this price(probably helped by that massive gotoh bridge). i use it with a Boss OD-1 and/or an ElectroHarmonix Big Muff through my Orange AD30 and therre is no better combination

No Problems here, the "swimming pool" routing doesnt allow you to play without a pickguard in the manner of a tele or a jazz bass, but it does give you the huge advantage of an almost infinite scope for modifications, witout needing to re-route the body. By only cutting the pickguard you can switch one or both of the pickups to something completely different, or even add a new pickup, you can extra pots and you even have the space to add active electronics

no problems in the last three years,except i had to replace a strap button screw with a two inch wood screw to stop it coming out. That huge bridge could sip tea through an earthquake

Never needed it. I am afraid that the relative obscurity of the instrument and the numbers with which Squeir produce budget models means that they get enough calls that they probably dont really care. Ebay and your shed is probably your best bet.

I absolutely love this guitar and in the three years ive had it i have never tired of it.
when i first saw it it was a dusty relic of the by-gone grunge era, sitting the basement of a small guitar shop for gthe last six years.
The marked price was six hundred euros but the shopowner, eager to get rid of it agreed on four hundred. When he got a chance to tune and clean it, he was already regretting it!
This a guitar that has something that so many Ibanezs and ESPs dont have, in the right hands it has Attitude, the stripped down looks and features only add to its appeal. I firmly believe that in twenety years we will see pictures on the front of guitar magazines of this guitar. Its like the sounds of Ric or Dano and a Les Paul, with the look, feel and pure balls of a Tele or Strat

My Venus is a sea-foam green model(which makes it a '98).Fairly basic guitar.It has a solid basswood body, bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, six saddle adjustable bridge, and a nice string-thru-body tailpiece. The neck scale is 25-1/4" with 22 frets. This guitar comes with a humbucker at the bridge and a single coil at the neck, a volume knob, and a three way switch. A tone knob would have been nice---more on that later. Shredders beware---this neck is not built for speed. It's more baseball-bat-like(my bassplayer friend loves it, if that means anything). I love the aesthetics of this guitar, but the body shape tends to make the guitar sit a little awkward for me. All hardware is chrome-plated nickel.

I play this guitar through a Vintage Club 50 2x12 combo tube amp. I use a korg axg 30 multi-effects in the effects loop(I use the chorus,flange,delays,etc. I put a Boss MT-2 distortion pedal in front of the amp, and it's only used on the clean channel (the better of the two on this amp). The clean channel is VERY good, the MT-2 gives me over-the-top rage, and the dirty channel does blues and rock well,but it is an overdriven sound(no metal,nu or otherwise). The sound-------The original pickups sounded thin to me.Too bright with the guitar volume all the way up, but as you turn the guitar down the tonal characteristics suck. This is where a tone knob would've been nice. While this would be great, I still think the pickups are lacking. My musical tastes are all over the place, and guitar is my second instrument(I'm a drummer with very nice equipment).I write and record at home, and given my budget, I don't have multiple guitars.I have a Takimine acoustic and the venus.I need this guitar to be versatile,and the stock pickups seemed one-dimensional to me. I replaced those with a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck humbucker and a Fender Lace sensor(I think it's called the gold---it's whichever is the chimey single coil).The original volume knob was a cheap white plastic dail.I had a tone pot added, and the volume and tone knobs are the heavy chrome knobs from a telecaster.The volume pot was also changed,it now includes a push-pull coil splitter for the humbucker.This guitar can cover a lot of ground.The structure of the guitar offers good sustain.It stays in tune well,but the intonation itself could be better.I love this guitar now,but I will score it lower because I believe most people wouldn't be totally satisfied with this thing straight out of the box.

The finish on this guitar is good,not perfect,but close.The set-up was good,and the bridge will let you adjust,but as I said,the intonation in the upper frets could be better.These guitars very eye-catching,and a magnifying glass won't ruin it for you.

I did have to fix a strap button,but otherwise it's a very solid guitar.I wouldn't gig without a backup,no matter what guitar I was using.

N/A

I'm 37 years old.I've been playing the drums for 23 years,and playing guitar for 5.I have a digital 8-track,as does my friend,and we link/record often.If this guitar were stolen I would cry. It's modifications have made this guitar very versatile and unique,and the venus has a great vibe to it.The Squire Vista Series guitars were an attempt by Squire to rise up a level in the guitar comnmunity.Although Squire has factories all over the place, they only made the Vista guitars in their Japanese facilities(where they had their best quality production).The worst thing about this guitar is that it's associated with Courtney Love.Don't let that deter you from buying one of these.They only made these for two years.I think they listed for $699,but by the time I bought mine they were selling them cheap because nobody wanted to accept Squire into the club.

I havent taken the neck off to get the precise year but its either a 96 or 97. The specs from Musicians friend???? state the following..
Body: Solid basswood. Neck: Maple; 25.5" scale. Fretboard: Bound rosewood w/22 frets. Electronics: HB pickup (bridge), single coil pickup w/staggered Alnico pole pieces (neck), 3-pos toggle, master volume. Pickguard: White shell. Hardware: 6 saddle adjustable bridge with strings through body design, traditional machine heads, all nickel w/chrome plating. Being a HUGE Hole/Courtney Love fan I had to have this. Plus the string through body is so sexy!

Dont be fooled by the Squier name. This is a Fender guitar. It sounds fender, plays Fender, and looks Fender. I bought an almost new 1956 Reissue Danelectro U2 and loved the sound. Its very distorted, and the neck is about the same as a Venus. I had a premonition that the Venus would sound like the Dannie' and it did. So the sound basically is a Danelectro U2 Reissue just with more distortion. The sound is AMAZING.. Perfect for anything. Not just grunge.

Mine is the black finish, with matching black headstock. It was a little beat on the side when I got it, but hey, what do you expect for an 8 year old guitar. Its better than the Jag-Stang. I have the 95 Fiesta Red Jag-stang, and I hate to say, its all but gone caput on me. Courtney is right, she made a great guitar. It even plays Nirvana tunes better than the JS.

This guitar seems well built, the only thing I'd change is that there would be more color selection, and that the paint would be more durable

I havent had to deal with Fender yet, heheh I called them once to see if they could find me one and they said "we dont deal with those things, because frankly we discontinued them because no one liked them, they weren't very good" thats bologna. This guitar is awesome..

This was my dream guitar, besides my Jag-stang of course. This guitar was great. I recommend it to anyone. Its not just a girl guitar, although its very small and feminine. The stock pickups are great. LEAVE THEM ALONE! I dont get you people who change out the pickups, theyre fine. They're sure better than the Jag-Stang's for sure. I'd like to get the paint redone in royal blue though... hmmm wonder how much that costs? But one thing I didnt like is that when I had to change the strings, the silver stringers on the string-through body kept coming out.

This review is for what is now my daughter Madison's Squier Venus...1997, 6 String, Gloss Black w/matching headstock, strung w/.12-.52 heavy strings. This was MY second Venus...I loved the first one so much that I sold a 1996 Jag-Stang to fund this purchase...yes the Venus is better than the Jag-Stang in my opinion. Sold off my first Venus and my other Jag-Stang once I got this one and started collecting Vintage Kramer Guitars. Hung onto this one for my little girl! :)

The Venus..body shape is really unique and comfortable, a light weight but resonant basswood body, so it doesn't kill your neck/back/shoulders, neck is a sheer pleasure to play...wide, flat and comfortable w/big fat frets...unique neck back shape and flat fretboard are just hard to beat, string through body for excellent sustain characteristics. Additionally, it's a simple design and set up of options that covers a lot of ground.

Installed aftermarket pickups, Seymour Duncan Cool Rails in the neck and a Trembucker Spaced JB in the bridge. Sonically...it's awesome for any style...blues rock metal jazz...whatever...excellent Vintage Sound w/the JB and a nice Neck Sound w/the Cool Rails. As previously stated...it covers a lot of musical ground.

Pretty damn good...typical Fender Japan...high quality. Little bit of paint bleed on to the neck binding on the headstock...pickguard is warping (unfortunately), bridge is an excellent Tune-O-Matic w/string through body like a tele (SUPER SUSTAIN), flat and beautifully "striped" rosewood fretboard...looks/feels great.

The string alignment on this thing is nearly perfectly centered, a problem I had to correct on my previous Venus. Overall...there are no legitimate complaints on my part as to fit/finish quality.

NO PROBLEMS!!! ROCK SOLID!!!

A very well built guitar...finish is sturdy and has held up well for 7 years. The design is so simple and straight forward that little could go wrong. Simple maintenance and care will help this thing last a lifetime.

A discontinued Squier guitar...who are we kidding...WARMOTH, GUITAR CENTER, ALL PARTS, eBay...there's your support!

This is one underrated & underappreciated guitar. It's a quality made Fender Japan guitar, it's super user friendly, low maintenance and plays like a dream...additionally...it's unique body shape with a simple design & great features (string through body w/tune-o-matic, 12" radius, fat low frets, sc & hb p/u, volume only) which make it a real no brainer. If you're looking for a nice looking and playiing guitar ...this is the guitar you want. If you want a guitar to play and enjoy...not to "wear" to impress your friends...here you have it.

This review if for the guitar that I just gifted to my 9 1/2 year old daughter, Madison...may it be a source of great enjoyment to her through the years, as it has been to me!

I bought this guitar used and have owned it for three months. The Venus guitars are part of the Vista series guitars, and all were made in Japan. These guitars were in production for only 2 years, 1997 and 1998. Mine is a 1997, with a awsome black finish. It has 22 frets, one volume control, 3-way switch to switch between the one single coil and one humbucker pickups. Solid wood body, I think its Basswood, a fixed bridge, and string through body with rosewood fingerboard. I like the matching color headstock.

I play blues and some old rock and only bedroom practice for now. The stock humbucker sounds terrific to my ears and I mostly only use it. The single coil pickup makes my tube amp buzz and sounds thin to me. I like to use reverb and this HB screams with it on.

The Venus guitar neck is what sold me on this guitar. Its mostly a flat fingerboard with a 9" radius and jumbo frets. This desgin allows me to bend the strings forever without any fret buzz! The black finish is superb, very smooth and excellent luster. The neck pocket looks tight, no obvious gaps.

The black finish looks great, but it doesn't appear to be as hard a finish as the Strat. I think it will dent easier, so I'm more careful with it. If you tend to dent your guitars, stay away from black, it shows scratches more just like a black car would. But it looks so nice when polished.

Don't know, I bought this guitar used on Ebay.

I really enjoy playing this guitar. Its lighter than my Strat and the neck is right for me. For the price I paid, its a quality guitar and well worth the money. Definitely would buy another one to replace it if it were stolen, in any color. This guitar rocks!

a surf green venus! with the pickups and bridge it was born with...the knob is okay...i use the settings that makes the guitar sound warm...the middle and up...its features enough for me

it sounds GREAT! warm and nice. Sounds cool with open power-chords.
i play alternative rock/indie and it suits the style perfectly. with distortion added it also kicks ass...maybe not that aggressive but nice and noisy. its just what i wanted!

i havent made any modefications. i havent really played a lot with modifications but maybe i should start doing that. but so far im very satisfied with the settings.

the knob has teased me form the start...you need to press the knob down and up several times to get the up knob setting to work...i dont change knob position during songs so it hasent been a problem. right now i use the venus so much that i cant send it to repair. but ill do it if the problem gets worse.
thats the only problem i have run into

the place where i bought it has prised me to repair the little failure with the knob for free...i would call that good service!

i own a fender jag-stang,mexico strat, an old crappy framus strat copy(i love it anyway,an old original 70'ies hofner surf guitar, and a les paul standard. i own a fender jazz deluxe tube-amp.
at the time my venus is my primary guitar. i use this baby when i record and play live and it kicks ass!
i really love it! my next buy is going to be a japanese fender jaguar...im looking forward seeing if it can match my Venus.
this is really a good guitar for the price

1997 6 String Model in Black w/matching headstock. If you're researching this model I won't bore you w/specs...as they're listed in the other reviews. This is my second Venus...I love the first one so much that I sold a 1996 Jag-Stang to fund this purchase...yes the Venus is better than the Jag-Stang in my opinion...but they are two completely different guitars to compare. Why do I like the Venus so much...well..the body shape is really comfortable, the neck is a sheer pleasure to play, string through body for excellent sustain characteristics and the unique neck back shape and flat fretboard are just hard to beat. Additionally, it's a simple design and set up of options that covers a lot of ground. Only other guitar that I've found as much joy in playing is a 1989 Ibanez S540 w/a Mahogany S Body, Maple Fretboard Wizard Neck and a Floyd.

As I previously stated...it covers a lot of musical ground. Mine has a 1980's Dimarzio Stacked Single Coil in the neck (from a USA B.C. Rich Gunslinger) aND a Dimarzio Super Distortion F-Spaced in the bridge. Sonically...it's awesome for any style...blues rock metal jazz...whatever.

Pretty damn good...typical Fender Japan...high quality. Little bit of bleed of pain on to the neck binding on the headstock...pickguard is warping...unfortunately...bridge is fine but prev owner didn't keep it too clean it appears. I spent an hour and a half cleaning this thing as soon as I bought it. The rosewood fretboard was dry and dirty so I cleaned it and oiled it up and it looks/feels great. Guitar wasn't abused...just looked as if it had been played very little and had never had the strings changed from when it was bought. I will say that the string alignment on this thing is nearly perfectly centered, a problem I had to correct on my other one. Overall...there are no legitimate complaints on my part as to fit/finish quality.

This is one sturdy guitar...no Floyd Rose so it's good to go in a live situation. Always keep a back up if you're performing. Finish is good, seems to be holding up nicely on this 5 year old guitar. The design is so simple and straight forward that little could go wrong. Simple maintenance and care will help this thing last a lifetime. Body is basswood which is suppose to be ding prone...but both of mine have held up fine w/o any substantial marks.

Talked w/them a couple of times and they were informational...if I wanted something I'd look for it locally rather than direct order from Fender...or I'd order from Stew Mac or Warmoth. No warranty on a 5 y/o guitar.

Been playing about 13 years...own another Venus, Jag-Stang, B.C. Rich USA Gunslinger, Ibanez Bensalem PA USA S540, Peavey Reactor USA Tele, Alvarez Yairi DY53, 1978 Marshall JMP 50W 2x12 Combo, Ibanez TS9 Turbo, Boss Metal Zone...

Knew what I was getting in buying this guitar...I've been looking for another in good shape at a reasonable price for 2 years now. The seafoam green goes for way too much simply because it is the color associated w/Courtney, as well as it being a cool Fender color. Sunburst is nice, but I've got one in that color already and I almost bought a black one in 1998.

Simply an underrated & underappreciated guitar. It's quality made, super user friendly (plays like a dream)...additionally...it's unique body shape and simple design & great features (string through body w/tune-o-matic, 12" radius, fat low frets, sc & hb p/u, volume only) make it a real no brainer. I'll take both my Venuses (and the Ibanez S540) to the grave w/me. ;) It's just a great value to price item. If you're looking for a nice decent guitar w/o having to sell plasma or pimp yourself or beg borrow and steal for a "Fender" or any other "label" on the headstock...this is the guitar you want. If you want a guitar to play and enjoy...not to wear to impress your friends...here you have it.