Top Thirty

With a reputation for finely honed, modern and progressive guitars, Vigier is hardly a new maker. And with his Excalibur design celebrating a significant birthday, we take the start-up model out for a spin

- Dave Burrluck

Last year was Vigier’s 40th anniversary, quite a milestone for any maker, which in different times would have been celebrated. While we couldn’t pop a cork for that birthday, we can at least honour one of the finest – and now 30-year-old – modern bolt-on designs, the Excalibur. It marks a significant point in Vigier’s history, replacing the almost experimental, pioneering, but there designs of the company’s first decade with a much more conventional style.

“The way the guitars looked was one more reason why people were reluctant to try Vigier,” said founder Patrice Vigier back in 2012. “I made my choice: what is important is that people play the instruments or at least want to try them. If they’re reluctant to do that because they don’t like the shape, it’s a pity, especially if the guitar is good. And I think the guitars are good. I don’t want them to dismiss Vigier because of the shape – that’s why I went to a more traditional design.”

The Indus first appeared back in 1998 and stripped down the Excalibur, not least with its textured black finish – the complete opposite of posh. As we pull our sample from its mountain-climb-ready gigbag, we’re transported back to those heady days. Has anything changed? Quite a lot, actually.

UNDER THE HOOD

Vigier’s relentless pursuit of perfection continues inside the guitar