Fender Squier Vista Series Venus MIJ Japan 1997 Courtney Love Kurt Ryan Mercury

This is the rare beauty that is the Fender Squier Vista Series Venus 6 string electric guitar, made in Japan, 1997.

This sale is for the Venus, upgraded with a Fender Shawbucker (Alnico 3 Humbucker designed by Tim Shaw of the Fender Custom Shop) in the bridge position.
The rest of the guitar is all stock.
The original Venus stock Humbucker pickup is also included in the sale, along with a brand new padded gig bag, as photographed.

The guitar is in excellent used condition, with just a couple of small dings, hardly noticeable, as shown in the photos.
The guitar is in full working order.

The guitar is set up with a lovely low action (without fret buzz) and has been freshly strung with a brand new set of Ernie Ball 9-46 strings.

Delivery via Parcelforce ExpressAM tracked service, or collection from our Stockport (south Manchester) address with social distancing at the doorstep.

Full info on the Venus and it's backstory is below...

"Co-designed by Courtney Love and the Fender Custom Shop, this fresh new design embodies unique features and delicious tone!"

The Squier Venus (commonly known as Fender Vista Venus) is a signature series guitar released in 1997 and co-designed by Courtney Love in conjunction with Fender's Squier brand, under the Vista series.

At the time of its release, Love and Bonnie Raitt were the only two female musicians to have their own signature series of guitars.

Shirley Manson from Garbage played a pink Squier Venus live. Ryan Jarman from UK band The Cribs, a friend of Love's, used the surf green version of the guitar as his main instrument between 2011 and 2015.

Its shape was based on Mercury, Stratocaster and Rickenbacker solid-body guitars. It was released in two configurations, six or twelve string (the Venus XII). Colors available included black, sunburst and surf green. It was discontinued at the end of 1998.

A man named Tim George of the short-lived Mercury Guitar Company (of Atlanta, GA) has claimed to be the actual designer of the guitar, along with his company co-founder Danny Babbitt. According to George, Babbitt snuck backstage at a Nirvana concert in Atlanta in November 1993 and sold the original custom metallic-green Mercury guitar on which the Venus design was eventually based to Love. Love played this guitar in public extensively over the next several years, and it is the guitar she played in the music video for Hole's song Violet. The 6-string Venus model is virtually identical to Love's Mercury guitar, except with a Fender Stratocaster-like headstock.

Here is what Tim George of Mercury Guitars said:

"One night Danny said that Nirvana was in town and asked me if I would let him take my guitar to the show and try to talk them into ordering some! He called me from the show saying that he got back stage (We used to somehow just show the security guard the guitar and get in!) and met Courtney Love and she fell in love with my guitar and asked if he could sell it to her. "

"Since cell phones were not common then, Danny called me from a pay phone and asked if it was OK to sell Courtney Love the guitar. I said yes and he sold it to her. We were now on cloud 9. This was huge. Soon after we sold Love the guitar we went to another Nirvana show(I think in Mississippi) and got back stage again(Thanks to a guy named Spike) who looked like a cross between a bodybuilder and a Mogwai. We met the band (Minus Cobain) and presold a guitar to Pat Smear and somehow got the go ahead to build one for Kurt Cobain. This was "Off the charts" as they say and we went home in a daze. Pretty soon after this concert Cobain killed himself and Love got signed to do the Lollapalooza tour. "

"At some point before we left the Georgia house Courtney Love had called to ask for more guitars for the tour. This was not possible. I don t think we even replied. This was foolish because she probably woud have payed for us to build a shop or at least bought us the tools we needed."

"Some time passed. I saw the Hole video "Violet" on nigh at a bar and got to see our guitar make music video history. You will notice the Mercury 3+3 headstock in the video and the Mercury pick ups. I went to see Hole play at Lollapalooza and saw our design on the big stage and cried. A Rolling Stone magazine image of her with the guitar was next. I was happy to have given something back to music/guitar history.little did I know. "

The Venus has a one-letter, six-digit serial number printed on the neck of the guitar. Serial numbers beginning with the letter V were manufactured in 1997. Serial numbers beginning with the letter A were manufactured between 1997 and 1998.

Manufacturer
Squier

Period
1997-1998

Construction
Body type: Solid
Neck joint: Bolt-on
Body: Basswood
Neck: Maple, 25.5" scale
Fretboard: Bound Rosewood, 22 frets
Pickups:
HB pickup (bridge), single coil pickup w/staggered Alnico pole pieces (neck)