The Vigier Guitar Story – A History
The Vigier isn’t a guitar, it’s one man’s quest to create the best guitar ever. And like most things that have undergone a French re-invention, Vigiers are pioneered to give that je ne sais quoi.
Since Patrice Vigier set up a workshop in 1978, the brand has become synonymous with innovation, bringing us the seven stringed Excalibur, carbon reinforced neck and of course the infamous fretless. They’re endorsed by a ‘family of artists’ that includes Roger Glover of Deep Purple, Butler Geezer of Black Sabbath, U2’s Clayton Adams and of course GnR’s Bumblefoot.
Their tag line of late has been “pioneers of carbon fibre technology”, but for guitarists the world over, Vigier guitars have pioneered much more. It started when the Arpege series was debued at a Paris music show in 1980. The Delta Metal finger board was also introduced this year, paving the way for the first fretless. Yet until Bumblefoot’s, then unofficial endorsement, 17 years later, only one was sold. No other fretless matches the sustain of today’s Surfretter.
Their biggest breakthrough has been the use of carbon fibre technology. But they also pioneered the first fretless; a guitar that would prove so revolutionary it took a decade for the world to catch on. In 17 years the sold only one, until it Bumblefoot used the new Surfretter and the world went mad.
In addition to these technological triumphs, Vigier have upgraded their models with other pioneer’s greatest work, like the Floyd rose enhanced Excalibur. And they’ve done their part to innovate the bass guitar releasing the Excess in 1996 with an active noise reducer on the pickups. Vigier’s scope for future thinking has seen them revolutionise guitars more than any other maker, making them some of the best in the world.
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