Purchased from: Manufacturer
Street Price: $3,199 USD with case + shipping
About:
Vigier Guitars is the French manufacturer of hand crafted
high-end boutique guitars and are best known for their "10/90" carbon
fiber to wood ratio necks that do not require a truss rod.
This Excalibur model features an alder body with a flamed
maple top, the Vigier signature 25.6” hardened maple “10/90” (10% carbon fiber
90% wood) truss rodless bolt-on neck dressed with a rosewood 11.8” radius
fingerboard featuring classic dot markers that stops with a zero fret.
Hardware:
Vigier 2011 tremelo bridge / Vigier
Oversized Locking Machine Heads
Electronics:
A DiMarzio Pickups "HSH" setup
with Neck/DP151 PAF Pro, Middle/DP110 FS, Bridge/DP155F "Tone Zone."
1 Volume 1 tone CTS 500k pots with 5-way blade selector.
Sound
Amp Used:
Bogner Alchemist 2 x 12
Cable:
Intex
Selector position Just Neck:
Warm, clear and smooth -- So clear you could use the neck
for a warm lead sound.
Selector position Neck & Middle:
A thinned out neck with added punch on
the high end.
Selector position Just Middle:
Chimey, with bell like qualities, and very kick you in the
face single coil middle.
Selector position Middle & Bridge:
An even balance between the two, with an increase
in the punch and harmonics.
Selector position Just Bridge:
Rip your face off lead. Crystal clear and bright with creamy
harmonics.
Action, Fit & Finish:
The action was low without buzz, and the intonation was dead
on. The finish was beautiful without a flaw. The guitar felt like it was built
with care and attention to detail.
Reliability & Durability:
The guitar is well built. There was no pick-up hum or
crackles from the electronics--all knobs and hardware installed snug and proper.
Impression:
Where to start? This is a guitar for the lead guitarist. It
is incredibly versatile giving you a wide variety
of different tones and pickup combinations. I had
the privilege of displaying this guitar at the Local Music Gear Magazine
booth at the Bee 3 vintage guitar show for the weekend and I must have put
eight hours on her fingerboard. I consider myself to be spoiled; I
have had the chance to play some of the worlds most extravagant guitars
made from the rarest woods and metals on earth, and this guitar would
be on the top of my list for studio and stage play for more than one
reason.
To start she is a beauty -- a very classic look
with curves in all the right places. But unlike most hotties, I love
to hear her voice. I was able to play blues, rock, rockabilly, jazz, heavy
metal and speed metal with her and get all of the right tones. Besides her
looks and her amazing tone, she never needs a neck adjustment. Vigier guitars uses a "10/90" (10% carbon fiber 90% wood)
truss rodless bolt-on neck; so you do not need to worry
about extreme temperature change, humidity, or
some roadie manhandling her. Her neck is always straight and does not
need any attention, and I think that is by far one of -- if not the best--feature
this guitar offers to the gigging musician besides her tone.
What I would change:
Not a damn thing, this guitar is perfect just the
way she is.
My advice:
If you are an Ibanez, Fender Strat, BC Rich, Dean, or any
other 3 pickup player you should really play a Vigier Guitar.
