The Vox 55 Series Guitars With a US street price of $1299.99 including a semi rigid case, the single cutaway, LP inspired Vox SSC-55 and the double cutaway, SG inspired Vox SDC-55 included a number of key design elements derived from the innovative Vox Virage guitar.

Two Piece Solid Body Construction The Vox SSC-55 and SDC-55 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 55 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 maple to create the guitar's top and a portion of its rim. The same technology then shaped a second block, this time either mahogany or ash, 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-55 "ash blonde" guitar shown at right, the seam on the rim of the guitar where the top and back meet is clearly visible. Four combinations of wood and finishes were available for the 2010 introduction of the SSC and SDC 55 Series guitars. The single cutaway SSC-55 was offered in TeaBurst (ash top/mahogany body), Vintage Cream (ash top/mahogany body), Black (maple top/mahogany body) and Gold Top (maple top/mahogany body). The double cutaway SDC-55 was offered in TeaBurst (solid ash), TransRed (solid ash), Black (maple top/mahogany body, and Goldtop (maple top/mahogany body).

CoAxe pickups in a TeaBurst Vox SSC-55 Guitar

3D Contoured Body Like the Virage, the SSC-55 and SDC-55 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 55 Series to better conform to a player's body whether seated or standing. Vox CoAxe Pickup The CoAxe pickups in the SSC-55 and SDC-55 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 33, 77 and 99 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 The SSC-55 and SDC-55 not only shared the CoAxe pickups with the Virage, they also shared its controls, switches and wiring harness. A pair of three position Mode Switches facilitated the selection between single-coil, soapbar or humbucker tones for each pickup. A master volume control, master tone control and a conventional three-way pickup selector (bridge-both-neck) 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-55 and SDC-55 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™ Cast Aluminum Bridge Vox Super Smooth Custom Tuners - Wave Motif Tuning Peg Photo Courtesy Parts is Parts (partsisparts.net)

Neck The Vox SSC-55 and SDC-55 were equipped with a mahogany set neck with a bound rosewood fretboard and "wave" motif inlays. 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).

New Finishes Added in 2011 SSC-55 Single Cutaway: BlackBurst over Flame Maple, TransRed over Flame Maple, TransAmber over Flame Maple, SiennaBurst over Flame Maple and TransBlack/Semi-Solid. SDC-55 Double Cutaway: BlackBurst over Flame Maple, TransRed over Flame Maple, TransAmber over Flame Maple, SiennaBurst over Flame Maple, TeaBurst over Ash & Mahogany, TransRed over Ash and Mahogany, and TransBlack/Semi-Solid. Country of Origin The Vox SSC-55 and SDC-55 were designed in America by G-ROK of Novato CA and built for Vox by SPG Musical Instruments of Incheon Korea.

.....Additional Resources SSC-55 & SDC-55 Owner's Manual SSC-55 & SDC-55 New Product Bulletin - 2010 SSC-55 & SDC-55 New Product Bulletin - New Colors - 2011 SSC-55 & SDC-55 New Product Bulletin - More Colors - 2011 Vox Product Catalog, page 32 - 2011