The Vox 33 Series Guitars With a US street price of $699.99 including a gig bag, the single cutaway, LP inspired Vox SSC-33 and the double cutaway, SG inspired Vox SDC-33 included a number of key design elements derived from the innovative Vox Virage guitar.

Two Piece Solid Body Construction The Vox SSC-33 and SDC-33 combined a fully carved solid body with the 3D contoured "wrap around" architecture originally developed for the Vox Virage. The manufacturing process for each Series 33 guitar body began with two solid blocks of wood. A computer controlled (CNC) router was used to meticulously shape the outside of a block of either ash or mahogany to create the guitar's top and a portion of its rim. The same technology then shaped a second block, again either ash or mahogany, to form the guitar's back and the balance of the rim. Once completed, these two solid wood components were joined together to create a fully carved solid guitar body. On certain finishes like the semi-translucent SSC-33 "SiennaBurst" guitar shown at right, the seam on the rim of the guitar where the ash top and meets the mahogany body is clearly visible. Four combinations of wood and finishes were available for the 2010 introduction of the SSC-33 and SDC-33 Series guitars. The single cutaway SSC-33 was offered in TeaBurst (ash top/mahogany body), Vintage Cream (ash top/mahogany body), Black (mahogany top/body) and Gold Top (mahogany top/body). The double cutaway SDC-33 was offered in TeaBurst (ash top/body), TransRed (ash top/body), Black (mahogany top/body, and Goldtop (mahogany top/body).

3D Contoured Body Like the Virage, the SSC-33 and SDC-33 employed what Vox called a "3D contoured body" (see side profile photo above). Not only are the front and rear of the guitar arched, the body as a whole drops away from the plane of the neck and in effect curves around your body as you play it. This allowed the 33 Series to better conform to a player's body whether seated or standing. This 3D contouring also determined the "rim depth" or the thickness of the body at the outer edge of the guitar. At its widest point, the rim depth of the SDC-55 was ~1¾" (43mm) This slimmed to ~1¼" (32mm) at the lower strap button and ~1" (26mm) at the crest of the cutaway. Vox CoAxe Pickup The CoAxe pickups included in the SSC-33 and SDC-33 (pictured at left) were designed by Eric Kirkland, lead designer at G-ROK, the Korg division dedicated to Vox guitars. Originally designed for the Virage II, CoAxe pickups were also incorporated into Vox's 99, 77 and 55 Series guitars. The unique design of the CoAxe pickup featured two concentric coils: a central sensing coil and a coaxial hum-cancelling coil. The CoAxe's central sensing coil allowed the pickup to produce a myriad of classic guitar tones. Six fixed "slug" pole pieces accentuated string attack while increasing overall output. The coaxial hum-canceling coil surrounded the central coil, eliminating electrical interference while preserving the pickup's treble response.

Controls Unlike the Vox Virage, 99, 77, and 55 Series guitars which offered individual three-position switches for each CoAxe pickup to select single-coil, soapbar, or humbucker tones, the 33 Series took a more simple approach. Despite sharing the same pickups, these guitars employed a two-position master switch to toggle between "Clean" and "Lead" settings. A master volume, master tone, and a conventional three-way (bridge/both/neck) pickup selector were also included. MaxConnect™ Aluminum Bridge The MaxConnect™ bridge was originally designed by G-ROK for the Vox Virage guitar. The bridge was a precision cast, satin finish aluminum assembly weighing a scant two ounces. Vox claimed it had the longest range of saddle adjustment of any bridge on the market, allowing correct intonation from the lightest to the heaviest of string sets. It also offered easy, "straight-in" access for restringing the guitar. Two brass studs, anchored to the guitar's body, secured the bridge to the body and allowed precise string height adjustments. Vox Super Smooth Custom Tuners The tuning stability of the SSC-33 and SDC-33 was enhanced by the Vox "Super Smooth Custom Tuners," originally designed by G-ROK for the Vox Virage guitar. Each tuner set was composed of six individual, sealed units with chrome-plated cases. Their satin finished, wave motif pegs matched the satin finish of the MaxConnect™ bridge (see photo at right).

MaxConnect™ Aluminum Bridge Vox Super Smooth Custom Tuners - Wave Motif Tuning Peg Photo Courtesy Parts is Parts (partsisparts.net)

Inverse Heel Joint Extends Access to the Upper Neck SBE Strap Button Extender - SDC-033 Only

Neck The Vox SSC-33 and SDC-33 were equipped with a mahogany set neck with an unbound rosewood fretboard and dot markers. It had a 25⅛" (638mm) scale length making it ⅜" longer than a typical Gibson and ⅜" shorter than most Fenders. The neck had 22 medium jumbo frets, a synthetic, self-lubricating nut and an 11.8" (300mm) fretboard radius. The neck was ~1.69" (43mm) wide and ~0.83" (21mm) deep at the first fret and ~2" wide and .90 (23mm) deep at the twelfth. A hand carved, custom set-in neck joint with an inverse heel allowed greater access to the upper frets (see photo at left). SBE Strap Button Extender (SDC-33 only) The Vox SBE Strap Button Extender delivered improved instrument balance when playing the SDC-33 standing up with a strap. New Finishes Added in 2011 SSC-33 Single Cutaway: TransRed over Ash/Mahogany, Silver Top over Maple/Mahogany, BlackBurst over Ash/Mahogany SDC-33 Double Cutaway: Vintage Cream over Ash, Silver Top over Maple/Mahogany, BlackBurst over Ash Country of Origin The Vox SSC-33 and SDC-33 were designed in America by G-ROK of Novato CA and built for Vox by Rira, Surabaya, Indonesia.

.....Additional Resources SSC-33 & SDC-33 Owner's Manual SSC-33 & SDC-33 New Product Bulletin - 2010 SSC-33 & SDC-33 New Product Bulletin - New Colors - 2011 Vox Product Catalog, page 35 - 2011