Having ordered an Excalibur Supra guitar sight unseen, unplayed, I had been cautioned that I might be taking a chance by some other guitarists who never buy before they try.
I felt confident that I was dealing with the very best guitar company available, having owned all types of Fenders from stock to master built, andersons, Suhrs, et al.
I decided that I wanted a version of Shell Pink as I have owned guitars in all the other colours that I had wanted previously, but for Shell Pink. Lina at Vigier took the time to communicate with me, answer all of my questions, and send me samples of that shade of pink available, even though Vigier had never done a pink guitar before. (I found out that Youri de Groote's guitar is a shade of rose.)
I finally looked for just the right shade I had in mind for the guitar and sent it to them. They sent me back 3 versions of that shade which they had painted. Once I chose the shade I liked most, it was all over but the waiting.
The guitar came in with the perfect shade I had desired with a matching headstock, white pearled pickguard, matching white pickups, and set up way beyond what I had received from any other guitar company prior to that. The tonal versatility was amazing! It took me about one minute to realize that Vigier builds the best bolt-on neck guitars in the world. After playing mine for just a while, Fenders, and andersons felt like lower class builds and more toy-like then a pro guitar should feel to me. The Suhrs are not bad, but still a distant second from the Vigier. Of course this is just my opinion, but I have played for 55 years and continue to play professionally. I have owned the other guitars mentioned above. They are considered very fine guitars by those who own them, but compared to Vigier, there is no comparison for me.
What really impressed me right away was how the guitar vibrated without being amplified and sustained endlessly anywhere on the fretboard. It felt like a guitar that had been played continuously for 50 years. Extremely resonant, open and loud for a solidbody guitar played unamplified. The feel of the neck is to die for as well, and the fret dressing was flawless.
The attention to every detail of the guitar was stunning to see. Patrice and his crew of luthiers really do build very special guitars and basses, way above what a knowledgable person would think a guitar company would go out of it's way to do. Sorry I could not include any pictures, but Vigier did take a few before sending the guitar, as well as the Guitar Asylum, the dealer through which it was purchased. Unfortunately, I have no camera.
So thank you Patrice, Lina, and the entire Vigier company family for your amazing workmanship and attention to detail.
