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Despite the constant trend for all things retrograde, a few guitar companies actually want to push the design of the instrument forwards. You can now add Vox to that list.

It doesn't take an expert to see the blatant influence of this design: the Gibson ES-335 – one of the finest hybrid designs ever merging the archtop history of Gibson with its then new-fangled solidbody electric the Les Paul. But to dismiss the Virage DC as just another ES-335 clone is seriously missing the point.

Construction

The familiar symmetric ES-335-ish outline has been downsized by approximately 10 per cent, giving us a width of 368mm (14.5-inch) instead of 406mm (16-inch), and an overall body length of 446mm (17.5-inch) as opposed to 483mm (19-inch).

The Virage is all made of solid wood – not maple laminates. It's created by complex computer-controlled routing programs that actually carve two halves – top and bottom – inside (including a unique partial centre block) and outside.

Along with the deeply dished, violin-like top carve and more polite but still heavily dished back, the whole form is gently curved. Imagine having an ES-335 in playing position on your lap and being able to wrap it around your body.

The two halves are jointed seamlessly; you can just see the differing grain of the ash on the body sides through the semi-translucent 'ash blonde' acrylic gloss finish. Both halves seem to be two-piece, with off centre joins that really don't ruin the fun and are probably better from a structural viewpoint.

But this body geometry is fantastic: as futuristic as the Parker Fly but way easier on the eye. The build also results in a featherweight guitar that feels like it'll vibrate all by itself. The closest craft (outside of way more expensive hand-carving) has to be PRS's Hollowbody, but we have to say the curves here are more fluid.

"The guitar truly holds its own in illustrious company and is simply stunning from design to execution."

The clever bit is combining such modernism with the essence of a 50-year-old shape, with classic features like the double white binding that's burnt into every guitarist's personal hard disk and filed under 'cool'.

The careful balance between old and new continues with what is a completely standard mahogany neck, a very comfortable full 'C' profile (approx 20.6mm at the first fret, 23.2 at the 12th) with bound rosewood 'board and three-a-side, quite retro-style headstock back-angled some 10.5 degrees: shallower than a Les Paul, more extreme than a PRS.

The heel is scooped away and the binding continues not around the heel but in a contrasting curve – unusual, but from a playing viewpoint it is perfect. The binding is very clean, likewise the fretting, which is approx 2.7mm wide x 1.05mm high: a nice old feeling medium jumbo wire.

The inlays are cleanly done too with the centre black 'wave' motif (echoed on the custom tuner buttons, the headstock logo and the double f-holes) contrasting the mother-of-pearl offset blocks. Even the headstock has a classicism to it that, with the large Vox silver logo, looks purposely backwards. It's a very considered, thoughtful design, and that's just the chassis!

Aside from the tweaked tuners, it's the cast aluminium bridge that's most profoundly custom designed. The anodised look is immediately classy and it's like a wrap-over bridge, in terms of its fixing to the bright nickel brass posts, but 'unfolded' so the strings anchor at the back extension rather than underneath the unit.

Overall height adjustment is easier than the Gibson standard via an Allen key hole, not a large slot, and like a tune-o-matic/stud tailpiece combination you can easily palm mute behind the saddles.