MusicRadar

Along with its double-cut sibling, the SSC provides an entry point into Vox's new ranges.

1 of 4 » View in gallery

• Review

We last looked at Vox's all-new high-end electrics back in 2008, and we liked what we saw. The Virage SC was a scaled-up single-cutaway, and the DC a downsized ES-335-inspired design, each using a unique approach to semi-hollow construction and round-your-body contouring.

Vox is now broadening the offer in both style and price to three new series - 33, 55 and 77 - alongside updated originals. Just like the critically acclaimed Japanese-made Virage, the new guitars were designed and prototyped in the San Francisco-based G-Rok design shop.

"We develop the guitars in 3D CAD [computer assisted design] and write the CNC machine code right in our facility," explains Rich Lasner, G-Rok's vice president of development. "This ensures that the factory, Indonesian in this instance, will run the same programs and produce a high-quality guitar affordably."

We've got our hands on the solid-bodied SSC-3 which, along with its SDC-33 cousin, acts as the entry point into the new ranges.

The SSC-33 shares its unique top contouring with the SDC, making it almost as slight with a little more girth to support the single-cutaway format. It also has a slightly larger appearance.

Around the back, the heel is scooped away, this time with a half-moon style carve that provides a comfortable area for the palm and allows good higher fret access.

On balance, both 33s differ significantly in the feel department. The SDC's unsupported neck joins at the 19th fret in similar fashion to the Gibson SG, and fans of that design will feel right at home with the pitch of the SDC's neck. The SSC, on the other hand, joins at around the 15th, which gives it a more solid, Les Paul-like feel in hand.

Like the SDC, the SSC is no heavyweight, measuring 43mm at the rim, but it's perfectly manageable under any gigging rigour; it's also decidedly less bulky than another modern single-cutaway, the PRS Singlecut, which is at 49.5mm at the rim.

Acoustically the SSC rings out with intent and you can really detect added zing emanating from the MaxConnect bridge.

We have two different sounds represented by the 33's dual modes: clean and lead. The clean mode takes on a Fender-like stacked single-coil tone, while the lead mode is slightly narrower sounding than a classic PAF-style humbucker.

The SSC's lead mode isn't the hottest we've heard, but a little coaxing with some preamp gain brings the 33 to the rock 'n' roll party; that humbucker-like girth with extra sizzle around the edges and a slight percussive quality that's due in no small part to that resonant MaxConnect bridge.