Just an observation...

[C-4]

I know that there are a lot of fine smaller guitar companies building fine guitars today.  This is not to knock them, but to simply see differences in how they chose to complete their guitars compared to how Vigier does it.

I have been reading lately how american guitar builders are now "roasting" the guitar neck wood slabs in kilns as an option which may be added to an order, so as to be able to use figured wood necks without fear of them warping while employing the old-fashions steel bar type truss rods. These same luthiers kiln-dry their other woods as well.  Why didn't they plan ahead and start air-drying their lumber?  Do they feel it takes too much extra time?

Yet Vigier necks are figured and not "roasted".  I have read that the company has had no neck complaints due to the natural drying process and the carbon fiber neck reinforcement technology it has been using these many years. Interesting!

Also, these same american companies are using Japanese Gotoh hardware on their guitars, while Vigier guitars use proprietary hardware built expressly for them, and especially referring to their ball bearing trems among other hardware parts, designed by Patrice.

Isn't it interesting to know that these other companies have chosen not to design their own hardware.  Is it because they could not come up with a great revolutionary idea?  Or is it that they could not be bothered trying to improve the guitar hardware as it already existed?

Yet Patrice found ways to improve the hardware, and especially his trem designs!  Hmmm

Having owned some of these american small company guitars earlier in my playing life, prior to finding out about Vigier,  I cannot understand why anyone would not want all the improvements made by Patrice's company over a slightly different looking guitar using less expensive and generalized hardware.  These are just a couple of casual observations I was thinking about after reading the article on neck roasting.

Just a couple more reasons among the many, why I am so glad I chose Vigier over these other guitar companies.  

Joyeux No?l et nouvelle ann?e heureuse ? chacun ? Vigier, ? leurs familles, et aux utilisateurs des guitares de Vigier.

  

 

 

 

 

[1Patrice Vigier]

Whouaouuuuuu!!!!!!! Thank you for your nice comments.I agree with you We do use Gotoh machine head on the Excalibur Custom because machine heads are not crucial for this model. In general we prefer Schaller that are, in my opinion better made.As you understood, we do not make our hardware because we want to make a new hardware but because we did not found what we need to reach our goal (whatever it is).Roasted neck looks very nice and it is true that it brings dimension stability but as per Victor (research department) it makes the wood more breakable. At Vigier we do not need stability because of the time we take to dry our wood and because of the carbon fiber (that in addition bring better sound balance).Independent luthier versus big manufactures?The big manufactures understand the "need" of the public for "hand made" guitar, this is why they offer this pseudo option at a crazy price while there is, as you mentioned, independent luthier that makes great guitars for sometime less money. If you are looking for a nice guitar and traditional (not like Vigier), they are in my opinion a good alternative.

[C-4]

Thank you Patrice. For me, there is no alternative to Vigier.  I've tried the rest, but I'm so happy that I found out about the best..VIGIER.  I cannot wait to get my Vigier Pink Excalibur! My only regret is that I found out about your company later in my playing life, and not sooner.  I've been playing for 55 years, and 50 of them professionally.  I guess that is the price I had to pay for being exposed to all the marketing hype done here in america all these years.   I just, in the last two years, came to find out that European built guitars are so far ahead of everyone else in tech designs, manufacturing with top quality and offering far more for the money then any guitar company I have dealt with in my lifetime of experiences. It is just my personal opinion based on 55 years of playing, that while american made guitars used to be the better made instruments years ago, that is just not true today, even though it has been drilled into the heads of so many younger and older players by advertising.    Sure, some american made guitars are great, but not as great as they used to be.  Some look really fine, but looks can be deceiving at times.  Some of the nicer looking guitars have no soul, sound like white bread tastes, and are actually just average in the build department.  They are just re-hashed designs already done many times before in a slightly different way for many years already.   That, to me, is NOT innovation.  It used to take me longer to find just the right guitar with the right tone that spoke to me, when out looking to buy a custom made guitar. Some are just slightly altered models of the standard production models, built in a different building with a fancy name on the building and a higher price tag.  I found out that even some famous players, playing recognized big company models have a private luthier of their choice, actually build the artist's signature guitar that he or she actually uses, when doing a deal with the larger companies to produce this signature model in quantity for the buying public!   Most all of the smaller builders here just are making slightly different interpretations of the standard stuff using the same old methods.  No innovation here either, just a different look. European built guitars, such as Vigier, are unfortunately a well-kept secret for the most part, although more players are finding out about Vigier every day, as an alternative to the "industrial" custom made stuff players "thought" were the pinnacle of guitars.  Many guitar makers are living off the past reputation of guitars that were produced decades ago.  Today, they are just churning them out by the gazillions.  The more experienced players here in america are fast coming to learn that these guitars are not for them anymore.   This is 2010, not 1959. Certain old world methods for building still hold up, such as air drying for years, the woods to make a great guitar, rather then fast drying them in a kiln.  Guitar making in america is like eating a McDonald's hamburger any more.  After awhile you need to find something more nourishing to eat... like fine French food and French wine. However, in my case, it is better late then never at all.  So I guess the expression, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is not always true after all.   I've learned a few new tricks in the last two years that have made me very excited about my continued playing. :) Thank you Patrice for teaching me a lot of these new tricks. :) Stephen