Fender Squier Venus

This is an amendment to my previous review. I have swapped the stock pickups out, putting a custom-made Strat pickup in at the neck and a Harmonic Design Vintage Plus humbucker in at the neck. The HD allows for coil tapping, so I had a push-pull pot put in.

With the pot pulled out, I can now get a single coil sound at the bridge that is as sharp and biting as my Telecaster. I the middle position, I get a good Strat "quack." The humbucker gives me serious crunch and the neck gives me a nice mellow tone. This is one versatile guitar now. I may sell my Telecaster, except I always regret selling a guitar after I've done it. But this Venus has everything I want.

As stated above, the Venus was versatile to begin with, even more so now.

Still a joy to play. The neck is so sweet. Using Roto-Sound round wounds, .011-.052. Basswood body is so light compared to my Tele.

Built Fender tough. I always like to have a backup, in case a string breaks. My only complaint is that the strap button on the horn tends to come loose.

No experience. I suppose the warranty is voided now that it's been hot-rodded.

Great guitar. Get one while you can. I've been eyeing a sunburst model on eBay. In which case I will definitely sell one of my other guitars.

Made in Japan, in the late 90s; 22 frets; bound rosewood fingerboard (unusual for a Fender); basswood body; two pickups -- single coil at neck, humbucker at bridge, controlled by toggle switch; one volume knob (no tone knob); pearloid scratch plate; string thru body/Tune-o-matic style bridge; Kluson vintage-style tuners; body is halfway between a Rickenbacker and a Strat, in my view. It is really a unique looking guitar and gets a lot of attention, especially in the sea foam green. Not a lot of features, but intentionally so.

This is a really versatile guitar. I play oldies from the '60s and '70s; pop, but also r&b and funk. I play through a Vox AC15 and a Fender Bandmaster and outboard reverb unit, all of which go into a 2x10 cabinet loaded with a Weber VST Blue Pup and a Weber P10Q. Stompboxes are limited to a Vox Valve-tone and a Vox Distortion Booster. Not noisy at all. The single coil at the neck is great for rhythm and the humbucker has got quite a bit of bite. It gets a little too loud when I switch to the humbucker. Don't know what sort of adjustments need to be made to balance the volume between the two.

This guitar is set up as nicely as my American Standard Strat and Telecaster. Beautiful neck. As noted above, I think the pickups need adjusting. I might replace them with Harmonic Design pickups, which I have in my Tele. That would make this bugger really sing, but it's not a top priority. Toggle switch seems a little flimsy, so replacement is possible. I may replace the Strat-style volume knob with a Telecaster knob, so I can do volume swells with my pinky a little easier. Still, for the price, this is a really impressive production and a super bargain.

I just got it yesterday, so we'll see. I did a two-hour gig right out of the gate, and it performed beautifully. Will it become my favorite guitar? I don't know.

N/A

I've been playing for 33 years. I love guitars, especially Fenders because of their quality and affordability. This is a unique looking guitar, a real attention-getter. I had been considering a Fat Strat, because I didn't have a guitar with a humbucker. This fit the bill for a lot less money. It's really lightweight, which I like. I can see how some people might consider it a "woman's guitar," but that's their problem. Courtney Love deserves a lot of credit, 'cause from what I've read it sounds like she had a big hand in designing the Venus (the idea for the name was someone else's). Love the way the strings come out of the body. It just looks so funky. If somebody stole it I'd curse and swear. If I ever found out who, I'd sic Courtney on them, ha ha. Boy would they be sorry. Then I'd probably go get another one. These things still go pretty cheap on ebay, probably because of the Squier name, but that won't last for ever. Would definitely consider getting a 12-string Venus. Maybe next year.

1997 Japanese (not Korean or Mexican!) odd shaped.. Courtney Love designed thing-a-majig. Basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, bound fretboard. Surf green finish with matching headstock. Tune-o-Matic bridge with strings thru body. Pearloid pickguard, 1 humbucker, 1 single coil, 3-way switch, volume knob.. gig bag. Very very simple guitar.. probably one of the simplest out there. Nothing fancy.

Well as soon as I brought it home I ripped off the strings and pickups.. it's got a Gibson 500T in the bridge now and a Fender Custom Shop '54 Single-Coil in the neck.. great great rock tone. Played through a double-half-stack setup, a Marshall JCM800 with a 4x12 loaded with 25-watt Greenbacks, other side is a Marshall JCM900 with a 4x12 loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s. (i like marshalls). I use these pedals: Big Muff Pi, DS-1, Boss Super Phaser, Vox Wah-Wah, ADA Flanger, and two Boss DD-3 Delays. I like pedals too. No rackmount gear at all except for a wireless fed to the pedals, and a Korg Tuner. I LOVE THIS GUITAR. I've also got a G&L Legacy, a Strat Plus, and a Nashville Tele (with Seymour Duncans), I play rock, alternative, fusion, modern rock, and I also teach. This guitar has some nice sustain and great action, and the tone is very full and rich in humbucking mode, very woody and strat-like in the single coil mode (because of the '54 of course). Great great sound. I would have liked a tone knob for Jazz, but that's what my other guitars are for.

Don't know, don't care.

Sure, why not?

Fender aren't the best, but certainly not the worst.

Killer guitar. If you find one, try it out.

Squier is essentially known for making very low-budget versions of Fender's axes. So low budget, in fact, that they won't put the Fender name on it unlike the Mexican & Japanese imports. In this case, I give Squier a big thumbs up for coming out with an original design (as with the others of the Vista series) that Fender does not offer. Unfortunately, they only did it for a year. The quality of this guitar is much above average than the Squier strat & Tele copies. Courtney Love (of Hole)apparently helped design the Venus, but I can tell you that this ain't no "chick" guitar. Mine is glossy black with white pearl pickguard. The headstock is black also, nice touch.

Features, however, are not a strong point on this guitar. Essentially its got 2 pickups (single coil-neck, humbucker-bridge) One volume knob, NO tone knob, 3-way selector, tune-o-matic style bridge, and string-thru-body design. The strings fan out as they go from the bridge thru the body which adds a nice aesthetic touch. But don't look for a whammy bar, coil tap, or lots of extra ornamentation.

Ya know, this thing sounds pretty good. Especially for the price. The humbucker may be a little weak, but works well for this guitar and mixes well with the bridge pickup. I don't usually use a tone knob anyway so I don't miss it. This guitar can run with the big boys, but may need a little (and only a little) help from an EQ pedal or gain boost. I could coax everything from blues to thrash and be fairly convincing. It excelled at chunky riff-rock and bluesy soloing. Still, it ain't a Les Paul or a true USA Strat with regard to tone so I can't justify a "10", but it's the best thing I've heard from Squier.

I really like the neck. It's thicker and rounder than a Strat or Tele. The frets also feel bigger, a plus in my book. The fretboard and fret job was way above average for a budget guitar. Good action, no buzzing. As a matter of fact, I didn't know I wanted a Venus until I tried it in the store and felt how well it played. It felt that good! I usually gravitate toward fairly expensive guitars, but this one suprised me enough to add it to my guitar collection.

I don't know how rugged Squiers are. Except for a flimsy-looking bridge, this guitar looks and feels as durable as my Strat & Tele (both USA) and more durable than the Japanese Jazzmaster. However, it wouldn't be my weapon of choice in a Royal Rumble.

Don't know. They don't make these anymore so I'm not sure about the availability of parts.

For the money, this is a GREAT guitar. It may rank as one of the best buys, dollar for dollar, that I've seen. I have 26 guitars and most are much more expensive and allegedly of better quality. I will still pick this one up and play around with it and really like what I hear. They may be hard to find soon because they've been discontinued, but I bet in 25 years that they will be thought of as old Danelectros are today.

O.K, this guitar only has a 3 way toggle and a single volume control. The PUs are a single coil in the neck position and humbucker in the bridge position. Theres no whammy bar, and the strings go through the body behind the tail piece. I don't call that a lot of features.

This has quickly become my favorite axe, it has a great "mutated" strat sound. Very responsive to playing. The middle position has a cool jangly sound, and the single coil is great for blues and jazz playing. I think this guitar would be good for just about any style.

Nothing to bitch about here, because its in perfect shape. Has good action and a comfortable body. The body is finished with a sunburst and is very light (basswood), which makes it easy to handle.

I haven't had it long enogh to determine how well it will stand up to years of use, but I imagine it will be just fine for gigs and recording.

Haven't had the need to contact Fender yet.

I bought this guitar as a package deal with a Squier Super-Sonic. I orginally planned to sell the Venus right away, but after I played it I decided I liked it better than the Super-Sonic (which is still a nice axe), and have since decided to keep it.

I believe this the Venus {and the whole Vista series} was only made for about 2 years. I'm guessing this was made in '98 considering I bought it in '99. I got it for $200 with a gig-bag in "Richmond Music Center"...an authorized Fender dealer. The features are great on this guitar if you're into a solid rock guitar. It's got a humbucker at the bridge and an Alnico single coil at the neck. The basswood body is nicely complimented by the maple neck which has a larger radius fingerboard than most Fenders. It has Fender Classic tuners to give it a nice neat look instead of having strings in your face every time you put your head down. This guitar would usually come with a gig-bag...as most Vista series guitars did. I'd say the features on this guitar are perfect for a player who's just getting their first serious guitar or just wants a simple, but effective guitar.

This guitar suits my musical style perfectly. I play everything from punk to metal...and some ocassional grunge. I play through a series of different effects including an MT2 Metal Zone pedal by Boss, a Danelectro Fab Tone distortion, a DOD Ice Box chorus, a Dunlop Crybaby wah, a DOD Grunge distortion, and a Brownsville metal distortion. All of these effects go into my Fender Deluxe 112+ and ocassionally my little Gorilla CG20. The guitar cuts through all of this with a great sound.It's got a twangy sound...very Fender but with it's own charm. No matter how often or how much you drop it, it'll always sound great and stay in tune.

The action on this guitar is very good. It's set up exactly how I like it, very close to the neck. I've never had any problems with the pickups...I doubt I would ever remove or adjust them. The bridge is an oddity for a Fender....but it suits me very well considering that I never use the tremolo on any of my other Fenders. The guitar came flawless but since I've gotten my hands on it...that's all changed. I dropped it a few times while playing. No serious damage was done, just a few scratches and dents in the black finish.
I have only one complaint about this guitar's electronics. I replaced the selector switch due to the stock one dying out on me. Another thing is that before I had this done, the imput had to be fixed and replaced several times. I've had other guitars that were alot worse though. But it did run me a good $50 do get the switch and imput replaced.

The Venus is my main live guitar and can definetly withstand some beatings in the mosh-pits below. I'd seriously have to say that the finish on the Venus is probably the most durable feature on the guitar. You can jump on this thing, flip head first off of your amp with it, and even jump into violent, brutal crowds with it. And still, the finish will shine.

I own 2 other Fenders aside from the Venus. A Japanese reissue Olympic White Mustang, and a 60's Strat in Burgundy Mist. Fender is a very reliable company with very nice and helpful dealers. I've brought my Fenders in for several different things and every time, they're there to help and repair. Most Fenders come with a life-time warranty if you buy them from an authorized dealer. If not, the product is under warranty with the store you purchased it from. That could be a year, 5 years, a day...who knows.

When I heard Fender was making a Courteny Love designed guitar, I knew I had to have it. Sadly, when i scrapped up enough money to buy it, it was discontinued. But luckily, I found one in January of '99. Since then, it's been my favorite guitar. My other guitars include a reissue Mustang, a Strat, an Epiphone Korina Explorer, a fake strat copy made by "Suzuki" {which is now covered in all sorts of stickers =O)}, a honer classical acoustic, and an old Giannini {dates back to 6/68..?} acoustic guitar that hardly even plays.
If you ever get the chance to pick up a Venus, I suggest you do so. If Fender ever reissues it, BUY 10 OF THEM!!!!

Fender Squier Vista Venus (co-designed by Courtney Love)

- Vintage single cell pickup
- Stock Strap Buttons
- Volume Pot
- Mother of Pearl Pickguard
- Input/Output socket
- 3way pick up switch
- 6 string
- color headstock with decal
- Maple neck (9.5' radius) 22-fret Rosewood (25.5'scale length) Mother of Pearl markings
- Adjustable string through body bridge
-Solid Body

came with soft back pack style case (a hard case was never made to fit this guitar)

I love this guitar. I like to play rock so it suits me well. It gets real loud. I have played everything from Led Zep, to Hole, to Fleetwood Mac, to Limp Bizkit, to Sublime on this guitar. It works for just about everything.

This guitar was in mint unused condition when I got it. It was tuned and adjusted for me. It was on display in the front window. Aparently for a long time, just waiting for a little Courtney Love fan to take it home.

This guitar can take a beating. I play the shit out of this thing and it still looks beautiful. However, if I was playing a gig, I would take an extra guitar with me. I tend to break the strings a lot.

The guys who sold it to me were extremely friendly. They knew the guitar had to be with a Hole fan so I got it with the case for free. Plus $100 dollars knocked off the price of StratoCaster, aslo purchased. I have gotten the strings replaced a few times but nothing major.

I love this guitar. Usually only Courtney Love fans purchase these things now because they are so hard to find. But I got luckly. I just love my guitar so much :D

MANUFACTURED IN JAPAN - 1998 - SERIAL #A019191
FRETS - 22 - SEMI JUMBO - SCALE LENTH 25.5", WIDTH AT NUT 1.650"
BODY - SOLID BASSWOOD - PICKGUARD - WHITE SHELL
CONTROLS - 1 MASTER VOLUME, 1 (3) WAY TOGGLE SWITCH
PICKUPS (STOCK) 1 FENDER HUMBUCKING-BRIDGE, 1 VINTAGE ALNICO MAGNET
W/STAGGERED POLE PIECES-NECK
NECK - ONE PIECE MAPLE WITH ROSEWOOD FINGERBOARD AND WHITE BINDING
(9.5 RADIUS)W/MATCHING PAINTED HEADSTOCK
COLOR - SURF GREEN (POLY-URETHANE FINISH)
MACHINE HEADS - VINTAGE STYLE (CHROME)
BRIDGE - ADJUSTABLE (STRING-THRU-BODY) NON-TREMOLO

I PLAY HEAVY METAL, OLD ROCK (LATE 60'S EARLY 70'S)IT TOOK AWHILE TO GET USE TO THE ODD BODY STYLE AND PLACEMENT OF THE PICK-UPS BUT AFTER SIX MONTHS IT FEELS LIKE A GLOVE. I USE A FENDER HOT ROD DELUXE AMP. EFFECTS I USE ARE A PEAVY DELTA STOMP BOX AND ROCTECH CHORUS. I USE THE NUMBER TWO INPUT BECAUSE THE NECK PICKUP IS NOISY. THIS GUITAR IS LOUD! AND IF SET UP PROPER THE SOUNDS ARE UNLIMITED (BEST WITH SWITCH IN MIDDLE POSITION, CRANKS VERY HIGH LEAD (SUSTAIN & VOLUME) WITH SWITCH IN BRIDGE POSITION. I HAVE COME TO LIKE THIS GUITAR VERY MUCH AND IT IS NOW THE ONLY ONE I OWN.

SET UP WAS FAIR, BUT I LIKE A FAST ACTION AND LOWERED THE STRINGS THE FIRST DAY. THE PICKUPS WERE TO BASSY FOR MY EAR AND I ADJUSTED THEM TO THE SOUND I LIKE. THERE WERE NO DEFECTS ON THE EXTERIOR, INTONATION WAS EASY TO AQUIRE AND FIT AND FINISH WERE EXCELLENT. WHEN I REMOVED THE PICK GUARD THERE WERE SHAVINGS AND DIRT IN SIDE AND SOME ROUGH EDGES. WIRING AND SOLDER JOINTS WERE ACCEPTABLE.

YES! YES! YES! THE VINTAGE MACHINE HEADS ARE SO EASY TO ADJUST AND THE GUITAR STAYS IN TUNE DURING LONG ROUGH PLAYING. I REALLY DON'T KNOW ALOT ABOUT STRAP BUTTONS ETC. I USE A GLOVE SOFT 4" LEATHER STRAP. I AM ALSO DISABLED AND MOSTLY PLAY IN A WHEEL CHAIR IN MY HOME STUDIO. BEING A X-AEROSPACE ENGINEER I WOULD ALWAYS USE BACKUPS IF I PLAYED LIVE BUT THEN I DON'T PLAY LIVE.

I CALLED THE COMPANY FOR THE OWNERS MANUAL. THEY SENT ALOT OF MATERIAL AND A DECAL ALL FOR FREE. NO PROBLEMS TO REPORT. I DON'T THINK THERE IS A WARRANTY, THE ONLY INFO WAS ON FENDER GUITARS.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING 7 YEARS. I OWN A ROSS 4X4 TAPE DECK, ALEXIS DRUM MACHINE, MIC ECHO EFFECT, 4 CHANNEL MIXER, SANSUI 2 TRACK TAPE DECK AND POWER AMP WITH 2 10' 3WAY SPEAKERS, CD PLAYER, MICS AND STANDS,
FENDER MONTREAUX AMP (100 WATTS SOLID STATE - 1982), A COMPUTER WITH A CD-ROM BURNER AND COOL PRO PLUS 64 TRACK DIGITAL STUDIO SOFTWARE.
THIS GUITAR IS UNIQUE AND I WOULD BUY ANOTHER ONE, I THINK IT MAY BE DESTINED TO BE A CLASSIC SOME DAY IN THE FUTURE. I USE TO OWN A TELE AND STRAT. INFO FOR THE VENUS:INTRODUCED 1997, MSRP= $499.00, DISCONTINUED 7/98. MAYBE THE BEST AND MOST EXPENSIVE SQUIER EVER MADE.

This instrument was made in 1998 in the now defunct Fender Japan shop, great quality all around, many people (including me) think better than the more recent U.S. Models. 22 Frets, Solid Basswood Body, Maple neck w/bound rosewood fretboard, "fat" frets, lucious "feels thinner/flatter than it is" 9.5" radius neck, passive angled Fender SC in the neck, mine has a Seymour D JB in the bridge, one volume, one three way switch, Gotoh Tune-O-Matic Bridge, String through body (offset waist- very comfortable to play) finished in 3 color sunburst w/pearl p.g...

Stock HB sucked-very low output and grind. The neck single coil was quite usable. It suits the style and sound of whatever you want to use it for and sounds quite diff from a strat or tele...thank God! I run it straight into my stock 1978 Marshall 50W JMP, which gives it a great rock or blues tone, if I need to get heavier I just plug in a Boss Metal Zone...No Qualms at all w/sound or tone.

Pretty damn fine. I adjusted everything to my liking. The only fault here was the pick up alingment over the angled bridge hb, then again, hasn't string/pickup alignment always been an issue w/Fender? A couple of new guide slots filed into the orig bridge pieces fixed it fine. Finish is kind of soft as is the wood but not to the point of bitching about. Fender could have graced us w/an Alder body and made a better impression.

Sturdy, dependable and so simple in it's design that I can't imagine any major problems happening. I've had mine for a little over a year w/o and issues. This is an extremely underrated guitar in almost all categories...maybe the Courtney Love/Squier thing stands in the way of objectivity?

Called them a couple of times, they were kind of stupid but I felt if I needed something I could get it. I'd go local before dealing w/the manufacturer anyway.

I've had this instrument for about a year and have grown to love it so much that I sold my Strat and a lot of my effects due to my love of the sound and versatility of the Venus. The string through body bridge, bridge hb and incredibly playable neck make this thing a joy to pick up. I've already arranged the purchase of another Sunburst one for a backup before they disappear. It's the missing link for those who want something other than a Strat or Tele but still crave the playability and sound of a Fender. Simple, sophisticated and most of all UNDERRATED! Get over the arrogance of the Squier/Courtney thing and snag one when you can, especially if you can get the price I did. Excellent Value all around!

I bought this guitar new in 1998. It was made in China. 22 frets solid body One volume control, 3-way switch One single coil, one humbucker Passive electronics. Maple neck. Finished in SURF GREEN - love that color! The body is shorter and wider than a strat, but similar. Reminiscent of Rickenbacker body shapes. Fixed bridge, string through body. non-locking tuners. thin neck, with rosewood fingerboard. Nice white binding. Came with gig bag.

I play mostly American/roots rock with a small combo. I've played Strats before, but like this better. I can get the strat sounds with the single coil pickup, but the humbucker gives me more options. I have a Fender Champ 25 amp, and use a Danelectro Cool Cat chorus pedal. I don't have problems with unwanted noise from the pickups. I get the rich full sound with the humbucker, bright sound with the single coil. It would be nice to have volume knobs for each pickup. I don't miss the tone knob, I always left it at the same setting anyway. I like to control the tone at the amp. This guitar has sustain!

Guitar was set up great, the store where I bought it checked the setup and put on new strings for me. The pickups are fine as-is from the factory. No faults.

Seems very durable. Its a simple setup, so what could go wrong? I use it without a backup guitar.

I have never dealt with Fender, but my local dealer is tops.

I have to admit what attaracted me to this guitar was the unique shape and the fabulous color (surf green only available on this and the Jeff Beck Strat - howscome?) I wanted more sound options than I was getting from the Strat, but I will always be a Fender man. I wanted something unique, Strat and Tele shapes are much too common. (I was glad to see Fender bring out the Cyclone and the Tornado - they need a more varied product line.) So the Venus fit what I was looking for. The way it played was a bonus - I love the sustain I get with it, and the action is smooth. The only thing I would change is the controls - add a second volume control. I don't think I'll ever own a tremolo equipped guitar again - its too much hassle for the few times that I use a whammy bar. (I miss it on "Hanks Panky," by Tommy James.)I would buy it again, in fact I would like to try the 12-string version. P.S. - I know or care little about Courtney Love or her group Hole, other than if she helped design this guitar, I like her style.