Vigier guitars and basses

About me:

Throughout history musicians have often been a catalyst for change. Patrice Vigier is one man who has not been bound by tradition in his search for improvement.

Since 1980, Patrice is obviously a guitarist who has put his playing ambitions aside to make "the best guitar ever". The Arpege, the Passion guitars and the Nautilus : the first ever built in 19 presets memory EQ electronic, are some of the most famous models that made Vigier’s reputation all over the world.

In 1993, Vigier was nominated for "Most innovative guitar" awards in the USA with the Excalibur guitar.

The first Vigier fretless guitar featuring the Delta Metal fingerboard was also introduced in 1980. For 17 years Vigier only sold one, it is only recently that it got for his biggest pleasure, an interest from guitarist. Today, the Vigier Surfreter is still the only one fretless guitar with a long sustain.



Patrice and his dedicated team of craftsmen have been producing superb quality hand built guitars for over 20 years. His breakthrough ideas and innovative use of materials, namely carbon fiber in the neck have aroused much interest. As Patrice Vigier says, "If you remove a section of wood from the neck for truss rod, you reduce the amount of natural sustain and resonance.

The hardware has been redesign too. Instead of the usual hardened steel knife-edge fulcrum points that pivot on the height adjustment pots, a clever ball bearing mechanism slips into the sockets previously occupied by the knife edging inserts. With this system there is no friction, therefore no wear.

This Year, Vigier celebrates the 13th anniversary of the 10/90 neck system, 10% carbon, 90% wood. The necks are lightweight and have strength, stability, sustain, and a lack of dead spots not normally found in conventional guitar. The benefit instantly obvious - notes ring louder and longer, and as for the tone; the finest quality maple provides that. Nowadays, this system is being more and more used by other manufacturers, who claim to be its discovers !

If Vigier succeeded all over the years in heaving up to the level of the best constructors, it is because they know how to conjugate passion and innovation without sacrificing quality...... ..