That’s old enough to be available used, but not necessarily desirable in the landscape of hot-rodded Super Strats, take-your-eye-out angular guitars, or the tone-laden early-era Stratocasters and Les Pauls of classic rock, all of which were in favour at the time. This was long before the vintage guitar boom of today, and it’s important to remember that when Kurt laid eyes on the Competition Mustang, it was only just over 20-years old. Part of Kurt’s attraction to Fender’s short-scale/student models such as the Mustang was their availability combined with often low asking prices. As Nirvana were in Los Angeles recording Nevermind at Sound City Studios, it’s most likely that Kurt acquired the Competition Mustang during this time.Ĭloser inspection of the Smells Like Teen Spirit video reveals what appears to be the curved profile of the original Mustang bridge, along with what looks like a matching single coil bridge pickup still in place According to Julien’s Auctions the Mustang was purchased at some point between 19, and was used during the recording of Nevermind. Kurt bought the guitar from Voltage Guitars in Hollywood. Regardless, this additional layer to the finish is what gives Competition Blue/Competition Burgundy its name. In some images, Cobain’s guitar looks turquoise, in others, a much darker blue. The finish name comes from the addition of a purple tint, most visible around the edges of vintage Competition Mustangs, and as photos have demonstrate, sometimes resulting in an apparent almost-burst effect, or conversely, as is the case with Kurt’s Mustang, a much less prominent, more solid colour. To add to this confusion, the 2012 Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang (a part replica/part umbrella homage to Kurt’s love of the Mustang) was issued in Dark Lake Placid Blue, with a light blue Competition racing stripe included.Īs with many examples of guitars from this period, ageing over time combined with eye-tricking video and stage lighting (in Kurt’s case), and possibly even discrepancies from its original production means that not all Competition Burgundy paint jobs are equal. Kurt Cobain’s Competition Mustang was finished in Competition Burgundy - a confusing title, as for all intents and purposes, it closely resembles Fender’s Lake Placid Blue which is what Kurt’s guitar is often labelled. As well as changing the body from a slab to include a forearm contour, Fender introduced its Competition colours: three finishes (Competition Orange, Competition Red and Competition Burgundy), complete with contrasting ‘racing stripes’ across the bass bout of the body, continuing across the back of the guitar.

In 1969, Fender introduced a number of updates to the Mustang - its student model which launched in 1964 and evolved from the Duo Sonic. It wasn’t his first rodeo with a Mustang Bleach-era shots, (including the album cover) show Cobain’s first Mustang mainstay, which began life as a stripped-bodied ’Stang that went on to feature a homemade vinyl record scratchplate and a Soundgarden sticker before it had multiple finish changes (white and blue) before finally meeting a similar fate to so many of Cobain’s early guitars. However, between its release in August and arrival at the top spot on the Billboard charts the following January, the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit clocked up relentless hours of airplay, all of which featured Cobain and his unusual, but extremely cool-looking Fender Competition Mustang.

Indeed, when Nirvana returned to Reading in 1992, they headlined, and the Jag is the electric guitar that took pride-of-place for the majority of the set. Just months before, Nirvana made their daytime appearance at the UK’s Reading Festival, where Kurt brandished his black ‘Vandalism’ Fender Strat, and during this time you’d be just as likely to spot him playing the distinctive, heavily-modded ’65 Jaguar, which has a fascinating story in its own right.

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