CoAxe Pickups: Interview with VOX R&D
As you can hear in my recent video review of the Vox SSC33, the Vox CoAxe pickups sound amazing. They’re dynamic, noiseless in all modes, and most importantly offer up a wide range of incredible sounds.
With the two blades sandwiching the pole pieces, you can see right away that these aren’t your typical humbucker, single-coil or P90…
Curious for more details on these mysterious creations, I got in touch with the man behind the magic- the inventor of the CoAxe pickup: Eric Kirkland, Chief Designer at VOX Guitar Development (G-Rok), in Novato, California. Read on…
Why the name CoAxe?
Eric: The name “CoAxe”, of course, refers to the orientation of the coils. Stacked humbuckers (the so-called “stacked single coil” pickups) are also coaxial, but our pickups are co-planar as well. Maybe “Concentric” would have been a more descriptive name, but it just didn’t sound cool enough.
Tell us about those blades, poles and coils!
Eric: The arrangement of the coils is significant, as is the position of the blades between the coils. The inner sensing coil, with its load of six poles, works like any single coil. Since the load of the outer noise canceling coil consists of both the six poles and the two blades, less wire is required to produce a noise signal equivalent to the noise in the inner coil. Less wire means less impedance, so the Clean and Crunch modes can be both noise-free and sparkly. (Exposed to typical ambient EMI, our pickups have less noise than a covered Gibson PAF type humbucker – and more output.)
What type of magnets are used?
Eric: Ceramic – very similar to those used in the Three-90. The higher coercivity of ceramic (compared to Alnico) makes it possible to develop enough power across the available space between the poles and the blades.
What are those “Crunch”, “Lead” and “Clean” modes, really?
Eric: Beyond the bandwidth and signal/noise advantages from the coil arrangement, we get the different voices by selecting either the tap or full winding of both the inner and outer coils. So two poles of switching are required for each pickup, or a 4PDT master as on the Series 33. Further, the Series 55 makes a third mode available by adding passive filtering to shape the Crunch sound into the more mid/less treble Lead sound. This requires another two poles of switching for each pickup, or a pair of 4PDTs.
Do you mean “4P3T” there for three-way switch in the 55?
Eric: Using standard switch nomenclature, they are 4PDT as there are only two “throws” available for each pole. In the middle position, half the poles go one way and half the other. To be more specific I should have called them “4PDT On-On-On” to distinguish them from the somewhat more common two position 4PDT, as used on the Series 33.
How does the CoAxe compare with other humbucking pickups?
Eric: It has always annoyed me to see manufacturers focus on DC resistance. IF every other component were held equal, DC resistance can give you some idea of the output level and tone of a particular kind of pickup. But since there are so many other variables, it doesn’t really tell you much except the approximate length of wire used – assuming you know the gauge. A better indicator is inductance. On the CoAxe, the inductance of the Clean mode is around 3.1 H, which is about what you would see in the single coil pickups from a certain large manufacturer whose name begins with F. The inductance of the Crunch mode is around 5.3 H, and the Lead mode measures around 6.3H.
Are the bridge and neck pickups identical, or are they wound differently?
Eric: They are just the same, and the appropriate levels are dialed in by height adjustment. We tend to run the neck pickup relatively far away from the strings to balance it with the bridge pickup and avoid interfering with the string vibration.
How do the CoAxe pickups differ from the Three-90 in the Virage?
Eric: The Three-90 has three conventional (side-by-side) coils that are combined in various ways to create the different sounds. Two adjacent coils are combined in series for the ‘lead’ voice, the outside coils are combined in series for the ‘crunch’ voice, and two adjacent coils are combined in parallel for the ‘clean’ voice.
The Three-90 gives a great range of tone change across the modes. For the CoAxe, however, we wanted to increase the output level of the ‘clean’ mode for a more aggressive single coil sound. Also, we wanted to add some emphasis to the attack on all modes, so we went with a separate polepiece for each string in the sensing coil.
Thanks to Eric for generously sharing his expertise!
Additional Resources and Updates:
- Click here for the Wiring Diagrams for VOX Guitars 22, 33, 55, 77 and Virage II.
- The 4PDT On-On-On switches used were the Salecom T80T845‐ZBQE‐H and the OTAX F4TPA11 (click for data sheets). The Salecom was more common than the OTAX.
- Click here for the Service Notes on the 4PDT On-On-On Mode Switch
- Parts Is Parts acquired the VOX parts inventory for these guitars after they were discontinued.
June 8, 2017: More information on components from Eric:
The same bridges were used across the board on Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, and US guitars. The earliest Fujigen Virages used a tuner with a shield shaped back plate, and of course the Three-90 pickups. Almost everything else used CoAxe Modern pickups and round back tuners. Only the HDC99 and a few US Custom and Japan Custom guitars used the CoAxe Vintage, and a tiny handful of US Custom guitars used different tuners – Sperzel or Hipshot. G-Rok set up a few earlier guitars with later parts for artists, and some of these are probably floating around out there somewhere.
June 12, 2017: Information from Eric on the difference between Vintage and Modern CoAxe pickups.
The physical differences are that the sensing coil of the Vintage has screw poles instead of solid slugs (for less load), and more turns of the same wire to reach a similar inductance to the Modern (though with a higher DC resistance). The Vintage has more of midrange emphasis than the Modern, slightly lower output, and still better (well, more anyway) highs than a traditional humbucker.
Vox SSC33TB Guitar - Planet Z
May 18, 2011 @ 8:45 pm
[…] you can hear in the video, you can get an incredibly versatile range of sounds out of the pair of CoAxe pickups, with the Clean and Lead modes. The volume pot is an Alpha 500k audio taper, with no […]
vox ssc 33 oder yamaha aes 620
December 19, 2012 @ 9:01 pm
[…] Der Vox Test ist ja auch sehr positiv. Besonders interessant sind die CoAxe-Tonabnehmern https://www.planetz.com/vox-coaxe-interview-with-vox-rd/ Wenn ich es richtig verstehe ist das ein neuer Versuch die Brummfreiheit bei Single Coils zu […]
February 9, 2014 @ 4:13 am
Hi i have three of these guitars 2 x 55s and a 77, i was just wondering if there was any info on reconmended pick up heights?
February 10, 2014 @ 10:27 am
Hey Bill,
Thanks for being such an enthusiastic user of our guitars!
The CoAxe produces a relatively strong magnetic field, so if the pickups (especially the neck pickup) are too close to the strings, the strings (especially the bass strings) can’t vibrate properly. So height adjustment will be more like a traditional single coil than a traditional humbucker.
A good starting point would be to set the neck pickup between 1/8″ and 3/32″ from the E strings, with the strings fretted at the 22nd fret. Then adjust the bridge pickup to for the volume balance you prefer.
Eric Kirkland
VOX Guitar Development
February 10, 2014 @ 12:24 pm
Thanks Eric for checking in!
-John
February 11, 2014 @ 11:58 am
thanks very much : ) nice to have an answer from the genious himself . on a slightly different point i was wondering if you or any one had any info/specs of an acoustic v2000dr i also have , but cant find out anything other than they were build in japan in 2010, dont know how many, type of electronics/woods etc any help would be great
February 11, 2014 @ 12:02 pm
just checked what i ended up with on the guitars and it looks like ive set them all at 1/8 at the neck so i must have been doing something right : )
August 26, 2021 @ 9:45 pm
Hello would you have a wire diagram of a vox sac 55 guitar I m changing the top toggle switches and a few wires are off please send it to wstingray75@aol.com thanks
June 23, 2014 @ 7:26 pm
Great interview! It inspired me to get a custom Vox Butterfly made here in Japan at Fujigen. It’s a great guitar playing, sounding and looking guitar EXECPT that the low E-string sounds farty with the neck pickup. I’ve tried adjusting everything to fix it except flatwounds which aren’t really a solution for me. Is it possible I got a dud?
June 24, 2014 @ 1:34 am
are they still making them then?
June 26, 2014 @ 8:06 pm
I looks like a limited edition run, but at avg. $3000 (US) there are plenty left it seems. Recently the price seems to be dropping, though. If you want one, contact me and maybe I can help.
June 27, 2014 @ 10:05 am
i always thought the custom shop was in the US?
June 28, 2014 @ 6:29 am
Do you have any info on them?: )
June 28, 2014 @ 2:51 pm
I had assumed they were made by Fujigen, but learned recently they were actually made at another Japanese factory that is supposed to be even better. Interestingly, Diamond pedals are made there, too.
Try a search for Vox Butterfly using Yahoo! Japan to see some offerings.
January 28, 2015 @ 1:02 pm
Eric…can you direct me to more info on the xlm pickups on the sdc22? Any info like in the pics above?….I am curious as to how the 2 tones are made with the pickup…i understand the leadhumbucker mode is the mini humbucker..but when in the other mode its very single coil like so are coils tapped?..split? or it is in parralel?I ask because i wonder how they are so quiet in both modes(i understand the full humbucker mode but the thinner mode is so quiet?) thanx
September 7, 2015 @ 7:17 am
Dear Eric
first of all congratulations for creating such beautiful and innovative guitars. I am considering purchasing a Vox Virage and I am cosidering two different models:
1) Vox Virage (first series) with Three-90 pickups (all mohogany)
2) Vox Virage II, butterfly, with Coaxe Pickups (spruce top and mohogany back and sides).
Unfortunately I cannot try those guitars. So I would like to have your opinion on which one would be more appropriate for someone like me that plays mostly Jazz and Blues. I am especially interested in the comparison between the two pick-ups. Which is one is warmer and better suited for Jazz?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Bests
Federico
June 4, 2017 @ 8:27 am
Eric…i have 3 vox guitars..love them but on the ssc33 the g string tuner is losing tension and it always goes out of tune,,,anyway to get 1 tuner? thanx aleh in denver colorado.
hsuru4u at yahoo dotcom
March 4, 2014 @ 12:51 pm
I own an original Virage. I love it, but have been really curious about the CoAxe pickups; the way they are described here make them sound like they would be an improvement over the Three-90, but I would obviously like to hear them side-by-side before committing to putting them in my Virage. Is there a demo video out there somewhere that does this? Also, how would I purchase the CoAxe pickups if I chose to do so? I can’t find anything about buying them on their own on the Vox site.
March 4, 2014 @ 12:53 pm
Hi Sam,
I’ve never had a chance to hear them side-by-side. I’ll get in touch with Eric to see if he can weigh in.
-John
June 23, 2014 @ 7:20 pm
Sam,
I bought a Virage1 and felt the three-90s sound round, and are VERY responsive to pick attack. Then I read this interview and decided the CoAxe would be better suited to my style. They do have more attack and clarity like it says in the interview, but I find the CoAxe to be more versatile. The output is more consistent across each mode, too. Basically, if you like humbuckers I think the Three-90s are the way to go, but if you prefer single-coil sounds the CoAxe are a better bet.
Incidentally, I decided to sell the Virage 1. It’s a deep cherry single-cutaway in good condition, but it will probably have to be shipped from Japan!
September 7, 2015 @ 7:18 am
Dear Adam
since you have tried both pick-ups, would you be able to suggest which one is warmers and better suited for Jazz and Blues. Thanks
federico
September 7, 2015 @ 2:35 pm
When you say “warmer” you mean more low-end and softer pick attack? I also play jazz and blues, but wasn’t satisfied with the attack of the Three-90s in VRG1. However that could also be due to the build of the guitar, not just the pickups. The VRG2s are built in a different factory, and in my opinion are more resonant that the VRG1. They are louder and woodier sounding unplugged. Either pickup should hear this, but try a Virage II Butterfly with Three-90s if you can. The sell for less than ¥150,000 here in Japan.
September 9, 2015 @ 12:37 am
Thank you Adam
I will look into that. I will let you know how it feels after I have found one. In case can you give suggestions on where to find a good used one for about Y100.000?
thanks
September 9, 2015 @ 5:14 pm
Here’s a white single cutaway with CoAxe pickups. It’s a public auction from a seller in Kyoto. You’re in Italy, Federico? Do you have paypal?
September 10, 2015 @ 7:36 am
Thanks Adam. It is very beautiful. The problem is that I do not speak nor read Japanese so that participating to an auction is a bit out of my range of possibilities.
I have just found a nice used double cut with Coaxe (butterfly) very close to where I live, so I think I will try that.
Then, based on how I like it, I might look for a Vox Virage Custom Korina. It looks really nice.
Thanks again
April 5, 2016 @ 10:10 am
Hi Adam. Are you still in Japan? I’m looking for a Virage II.
Thanks.
April 8, 2016 @ 3:56 pm
Here’s an SC in white, used. http://auctions.search.yahoo.co.jp/search?auccat=&p=vox+virage&tab_ex=commerce&ei=utf-8
April 8, 2016 @ 3:56 pm
http://page24.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/q111447610
April 8, 2016 @ 4:00 pm
http://www.j-guitar.com/product_id740245.html
April 9, 2016 @ 3:17 pm
Thanks Adam! I’ll check these out.
March 4, 2014 @ 12:56 pm
One other question: are there any tremolo systems that can be mounted on the Virage? Or does Vox have plans to develop one? I would assume it would be a Bigsby-style unit. The lack of that option is really the only thing that stops the guitar from being perfect for me. Given the success with which Vox updated a class 335-ish design here, I’d be very interested to see what they would do with a tremolo.
Thanks for enduring my Virage barrage. This is the only page I’ve found that addresses my specific question.
March 25, 2014 @ 1:49 am
I was wondering if I could get full schematics for these marvelous instruments. I am trying to wire my sdc 33 as original. vox guitar wiring is difficult to come by.
Thanks
March 25, 2014 @ 2:46 pm
Here’s a link to the latest revision of the harness drawings for all models in the series. Note that the 55, 77, and Virage II have basically the same electronics, but with longer cables between the mode switches and pickup selector on the semi-hollow models.
[…edit – dropbox link died. i duplicated the files here: https://www.planetz.com/guitar/VOX%20HARNESS.zip …]
March 25, 2014 @ 2:51 pm
Thanks Eric! I’ve duplicated that file here, in case the dropbox link ever stops working:
https://www.planetz.com/guitar/VOX%20HARNESS.zip
-John
May 15, 2014 @ 8:55 pm
I just picked up a Trans Amber HDC-77, and I’d like to start out by saying that I LOVE this guitar. The ability to get true single coil, P-90, and humbucker sounds without switching guitars or amp settings is heaven. That being said, I have one problem with mine: I think that the bridge pickup is too high, because it just sounds a little too “hot” for me (I.e. too early of a breakup on the 3 bass strings). I’ve tried to lower it, but I can’t seem to get the screw to turn, in either direction. Should I take it to my trusty luthier, or is my fate sealed, as they say. Again, fantastic guitar, just one minor problem. I’m eagerly awaiting your response.
May 16, 2014 @ 6:16 am
Congratulations on the new 77- beautiful guitar!
Those pickups are certainly height adjustable. You turn the mounting screws clockwise to lower them, for less output. You may try turning them counter-clockwise at first, just to get the screws moving.
Make sure you are using the right size of screwdriver, to fits the screws well, so you don’t damage them as you apply the force necessary to get them to “unstick”.
If you still can’t get them adjusted, your trusted luthier friend should have the right screwdriver- and I can’t imagine him charging you for the help, as it should take about 2 seconds.
Good luck!
-John
June 14, 2014 @ 11:33 pm
Hi , i have a Koa HDC 77 , amazing guitar ! can i get a replacement bridge anywhere ?, i would just like to have a spare . again amazing guitar , I find having the pick ups fairly low into the body makes the guitar breath more , more tone and sustain is defiantly achieved by this , and by reading this article and learning about the hot magnets now i know why 🙂 awesome guitar , well done
June 17, 2014 @ 8:54 am
Hi John.
I don’t know if replacement bridge is available for purchase- I’ll contact the guys at G-ROK and inquire.
That Koa 77 sure is a beautiful guitar – enjoy it!
-John
June 17, 2014 @ 1:06 pm
Thanks for the kind comments on the Koa 77! Unfortunately, we just don’t have any stock of bridges (or much of anything else) to sell. Not to worry, though. If you have any trouble with the bridge, let us know and we’ll find a way to get it taken care of. One thing to keep in mind – though the aluminum bridge base is a unique part, the saddles are made to Gibson TOM (“Nashville”) specs so suitable replacement are available from a number of sources.
June 17, 2014 @ 1:16 pm
Im in the uk , i have emailed the old uk supplier to see if they have any(long shot) I would just love to have spare, I’m pretty sure thats were a lot of the sound comes from , even acoustically its rings beautifully , its has a glistening top end !! I will probably buy another one at some point but you just dont see them for sale even second hand over here anymore ,( i think Prince has had a lot to do with that)
June 17, 2014 @ 2:17 pm
I was also wondering , what were the output of the pickups ?, and how many approximately of the limited Koa models were made?
thanks in advance
john
June 19, 2014 @ 3:25 pm
I just checked with our planning/purchasing guys – it seems the run was limited to 80 pieces. As for output, its difficult to give a meaningful figure. The max. DC resistance (full sensing coil + full NC coil) is around 8K, but the output and tone are quite different from, for example, a PAF-type pickup with an 8K DCR. Output voltage would probably be a more useful figure, but there are so many variables (distance from string, string diameter, picking force) that we’ve never tried to measure it.
June 17, 2014 @ 3:57 am
Will VOX be offering a bass guitar featuring the CoAxe pickups?
If not, can one purchase CoAxe bass pickups?
June 17, 2014 @ 12:56 pm
A few years ago, we designed a short scale bass with a CoAxe pickup on a Virage-type body. I think the combination worked well – the CoAxe seemed to give the short scale some needed clarity. We sent the only prototype to an artist for his feedback, though we don’t have any current plans to launch a production model.
June 17, 2014 @ 5:32 pm
Can one purchase 4 string bass CoAxe pickups?
I would gladly donate my services as an in-depth reviewer for a CoAxe equipped bass, medium scale, semi hollow body, two pickup, 17.5mm spacing (bridge), (2) 3 way tap switches, (1) phase reversal switch (pull pot Tone control), (2) Volume controls (concentric), (1) 3 way pickup selection switch.
June 19, 2014 @ 2:24 pm
Sorry – the pickup was a one-off as well.
Just curious – you prefer 17.5mm bridge spacing on a 4 string?
June 19, 2014 @ 9:11 pm
I admit to abhorring the 19mm Fender Standard spacing. I prefer the narrow spacing once found on the majority of inexpensive Asian imports, like the Teisco / Kawai, as well as other non-Fender basses (Hofner, Rickenbacker, Guild, Carvin, Alembic). Many who have become accustomed to narrow spacing on their 5 and 6 string basses are realizing that the FSB w-i-d-e spacing is far less ergonomic and an impediment.
October 12, 2014 @ 6:01 am
Any hope of CoAxe bass pickups coming to market?
June 18, 2014 @ 7:17 am
Here you go chaps dont know if they have them in stock but you never know : )
http://www.guitar-parts.com/catalog/vox-guitar
June 19, 2014 @ 2:25 pm
So that’s where they went!
June 22, 2014 @ 7:28 am
Im just hoping i never need one for the three i have two 55s and a 77, im guessing from the new vox web site they have all been discontiued, a shame great guitars, but the spaqres issue, pots etc might now be an issue
Who is Onehippie? - Page 3881 - MyLesPaul.com
September 6, 2014 @ 2:41 pm
[…] to the 'unique design'. Here's an interview with Vox R&D. Second paragraph states; CoAxe Pickups: Interview with Vox R&D – Planet Z __________________ "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert […]
September 18, 2014 @ 5:33 am
Hi,
i have a sdc-33 in black. its a fantastic guitar. sometimes i miss the “P90” option on my 33.
Is it possible to mod the 33 to a 55???
I think to buy new switches is not a big think ;]
Greetings from Hamburg…
moto
September 18, 2014 @ 9:56 am
The P-90 crunch sound is achieved by adding some passive filtering to the lead sound. It’s the exact same pickup with the same wiring for the tap and full-windings. So yes, it seems like you could modify your 33 by replacing the switch, and adding the necessary resistors/caps in the crunch position to match the SSC-55. The 55 also provides independent selection for each pickups – this would require drilling new holes in the body, etc.
-John
January 25, 2015 @ 3:42 pm
Hi..can you go into what is needed to mod your 33 to a 55 pickup switch wise? thanx
January 26, 2015 @ 11:12 am
I don’t know the specifics. It’s a different switch- a 4PDT On-On-On as Eric described. And there’s a passive filtering network there – you can see the details in the schematics here: https://www.planetz.com/guitar/VOX%20HARNESS.zip
-John
January 28, 2015 @ 12:58 pm
can maybe this person elaborate on the sdc22 pickups and how they function to get the 2 sounds?There is no info online
February 6, 2015 @ 2:32 pm
Hi Alex,
The SDC-22 pickup is much more “normal” than the CoAxe, and has two adjacent coils like most humbuckers. The thing that makes it different is the loading – the pole screws are larger diameter than usual, increasing the inductance. The two sounds are simply series and parallel, but because of the higher loading the parallel voice is less of a level drop compared to a standard humbucker.
February 6, 2015 @ 3:00 pm
this is kind of what i had thought….they sound very good…in both positions..i wonder if having separate switches for each pickup would be valuable in the middle position where each pickup can be either series or parr…i mean it may not be worth the effort…
February 5, 2015 @ 3:50 pm
I am 4 days away from receiving my [used] SSC-55 and I am really excited about it. I owned one of the first year Virages and I loved that guitar – sold it in a moment of stupidity. There are few guitars that I “remember” how well they played. Out of about twenty or so guitars I have owned, that Virage and a Strat built by John Cruz are the only two…
Sad to see the SSC/SDC series having ended production…but looking forward to having mine.
February 5, 2015 @ 4:26 pm
i have just bought a ssc22 and the guitar is sweet…no neck dive like the sdc33/55 guitars…i tried a 33 recently and was not overly impressed with the pickup sounds…the mod switch(only 1 on the 33) varied very little and was very subtle on the guitar to make any impact to me. I have yet to try the 55 series..but i came across a used sdc22 and was blown away by the pickup tones..the mod switch made a ton of difference and the pickups are very knarley and scream as humbucking but get very straty and tele like when the mod switch is engaged….I am considering adding another switch so there is one for each pickup..does anyone have the schematic for the 22 series?…i am guessing this can be done easily…thanx..
February 6, 2015 @ 2:40 pm
You’re in luck – this mod can be done easily. Just install a pair of the kind of 2-position DPDT switches people often use on guitars, and follow the wiring on the stock 4PDT. (Wire the left DPDT like the left half of the 4PDT, and so on.) There’s a link to the hookup diagrams higher in this thread.
February 6, 2015 @ 2:57 pm
Thank you….so i can keep the switch that is there now..it is a 2 way mini toggle….and add another same switch? I am sorry i am new to wiring….i take it both pickups are wired to the 1 switch so are you saying i would need 2 NEW switches(look same(on/on) but different lugs?? and wire each pickup to each switch? Thank you for the info
February 16, 2015 @ 7:37 pm
Eric…i would like to convert my 33 to a 55 swiching wise..any link to a wiring diagran to do this?..hsuru4u@yahoo.com is my email..
i take it i would have to do these things>
1) remove the 2 position toggle
2) drill second hole for another toggle
3)get 2 3way toggles for this mod like the one i remove but with 3 positions vs the 2 on the 33
4) figure how to wire it and add any other resisters or caps to the switch to get the p90 effect?
any clue how i could do all this?thanx..
July 15, 2015 @ 7:54 pm
I also have a 33 and would like to convert to the 2 three on-on-on switches like the 55 or 77. Can anyone help. Great little guitar but could be greater with that ability.
February 21, 2016 @ 9:35 pm
Hi Eric,
A CoAxe pickup came in for install on a customer’s guitar. I tried the above setup. a normal 2 position on/on DPDT switch. So, in one position the black wire goes to ground and the red wire is the signal out. In other position the green wire goes to ground and white is the signal. I got this to work but there is an electrical noise when I touch the metal parts on the pickup. If I’m in the Red hot, black ground(shield) and I connect the green and white wires (together) it goes away but the coil resistance is low. So, Eric can I get which wires need to be connected for the humbucking full sound and which ones need to be put together for the humbucking single tone.
thx Eric,
Ernie
February 23, 2016 @ 12:18 pm
Hi Ernie,
I think you’ve already go the basic idea. For the thick sound, red = hot and black = ground. For the thin sound, white = hot, and green = ground. You won’t need to tie anything together, as the coil junction is made at the pickup itself – the little loop of hookup wire on the opposite end of the output lead. Not sure about the noise issue. Do you get noise when touching the poles, or the blades (or either)?
February 23, 2016 @ 6:43 pm
Hi Eric,
First, thanks Eric for responding so quickly.
So, with the red wire being hot(signal) and the black wire and shield both going to ground I get about ~ 7.4Kohms but I can hear a low volume high freq. electrical noise( like a strat single coil). If I touch the blades or the pole pieces it is audible. I find if I short the other two leads green and white together it is gone. This happens for the thinner tone (~ 4Kohms) also.
Are the blades and pole pieces connected to the shield (bare stranded wire) ?
Anything, I can check with an ohm meter or inductance meter?
Any suggestions Eric ?
Again thanks for helping me with this. I appreciate your time spent on this.
Note: I also have a Variax 700 Acoustic that I heard you were a part of – it’s versatile and fun to play. :0)
February 23, 2015 @ 11:52 am
Have these guitars been discontinued? I have been looking around and cannot find any sign of them on the vox website (or signs of any vox guitars for that matter). I have a SDC33 and was looking to get a SSC55.
February 23, 2015 @ 2:21 pm
Yes, unfortunately, I believe they are no longer being produced.
-John
April 17, 2015 @ 10:38 am
Just got my SDC-55 and I’m finding the pickup height adjustment screws are already bottomed out. Pulled one out and it’s 1 3/8″ long. The action was set rather high out of the box (not unexpected), but after lowering it the strings actually touch the bridge pickup. Anyone have advice on where to get shorter screws so I can put the pickups at a more modest height?
June 25, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
Hi can anyone suggest the best treble bleed values for these guitars ? 🙂
August 25, 2015 @ 9:15 pm
I have a Teaburst SDC 33 that I would love to convert the pup switching to the same as the 55…. if there are any further details (cap/resistor/etc. specs) posted I would love to read about it.
LOVE my 33….I think I’d love it more with the additional switching ability.
Thanks!
September 2, 2015 @ 4:12 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Eric sent us the wiring harness schematics last year, with all the switch wiring and cap/resistor values (for the Vox 22, 33, 55, 77 and Virage II). Here’s that link again: https://www.planetz.com/guitar/VOX%20HARNESS.zip
-John
September 4, 2015 @ 4:43 am
Hi, thanks to all for a really interesting article. I’m in England but can’t get a wiring diagram for the ssc55, any way you can advise how I get one. Also, as the 55 achieves the p90 sound using filtering, could I not get a similar effect by using EQ on my ssc33? I am thinking of buying a 55 in addition, but need some justification if you think of anything!, thanks nick strum.
September 4, 2015 @ 9:18 am
Hey Nick,
Here are the wiring diagrams: https://www.planetz.com/guitar/VOX%20HARNESS.zip
These show the filtering cap/resistors to achieve that p90 sound.
-John
September 4, 2015 @ 10:17 am
Hi John, thank you so much for taking the trouble to send this. I can’t open I the zipped file at the mo as on vacation and my tabled seems unable to do it. Now I have a reason to look forward to going home! Any view on the p90 sound it gives? Listening on utube makes it difficult to evaluate. Love your videos, so clear and focused on the article in hand rather than the usual let’s shred. Best wishes nick
September 4, 2015 @ 10:20 am
It just gives a nice, useful, different sound character- doesn’t really turn it into a whole different pickup 🙂
-John
September 7, 2015 @ 3:30 pm
I just want to add here that i have 3 ssc22 guitars(red/white and black)..the play ability and sound is excellent.the bridges are amazing and the setup it easy and they stay in tune. I also have a ssc33 which is killer…and i have a set of coaxe pickups with the ssc55 switches in a fender thinline guitar which sound amazing(took the p90’s out). I am amazed at these guitars daily and think they all sound unique and play like butter.
September 13, 2015 @ 4:27 am
Hi guys i have a few vox guitars, two 55’s and a 77, just wondering what anyone would recomend as to treble bleed values??
September 16, 2015 @ 5:34 am
ok just fitted a standard issue circuit 130k resister and 0.001uf orange drop, came in paralel, but changed to series , seems to have done the job if anyone interested 🙂
September 16, 2015 @ 6:13 am
Cool! CoAxe pickups are a bit hot, aren’t they. Turning them down to about 8-9 will clean up my Little Lanilei or VHT amps, but it’s a big jump and the sound does seem to get a bit dull. I spent a lot of time tuning the treble-bleed for my Bill Lawrence Keystones to avoid this. What kind of amp/pedals are you using, Bill?
September 16, 2015 @ 3:30 pm
running into several vox amps, “blue” series ad10vtx valvtronix and an ac15, no pedals with the ad as sims are in there, sadly as a vox fan i use an ice9, and delay lab along with ehx soulfood and a couple of fuzzes , fuzz face clone and a tonebender mk1 clone.
Got several ssc55’s a hdc77 even got one of the v2000dr acoustics they made in 2010 🙂
September 16, 2015 @ 5:21 pm
I have a Vox cable to match my Virage2!
Do you get your drive from the pedals, more so than the amp? Recently I find myself using the guitar’s volume for that more, even with my drive pedals like the Open Road engaged . That cleans up just like an amp. If I need to fry or BBQ the sound, I’ll use a Tweak Fuzz or Manifold Drive, respectively.
Did you do the treble-bleed on the HDC? I’d like to try it on my semi-hollow, but the operations looks like a real PitA.
September 17, 2015 @ 2:17 am
I tend to use the valvtronix most so no pedals , but with the ac15 i love the clean/breakup point so between 10/11 oclock on the channel volume and use the pedals for dirt.
Yes put the treble bleed in the hdc as well, it is a pain ive done it on hollow bodies before ,but i have always been able to get the pot through the F hole to do the soldering.
For some reason on the Vox i couldnt get it out so i did it with it still half way into the body.
The other thing is the wiring loom is very short and tidy, which meant i had to release all the other controls to drop into the body to allow me to get the volume pot to the F hole.
Google intructions, but basicaly you attach cotton to the shafts of all the controls before you pop them into the body , then use the cotton to pull them back into place when you ve done 🙂
December 25, 2015 @ 3:19 pm
Hi guys a I have been trying to get a replacement maxconnect bridge for my koa hdc 77 . Thanks 🙂
January 4, 2016 @ 12:01 pm
Hi folks does anyone have any info on the hdc99? im thinking of adding one to my collection. Looks like its got rounded horns ala 335 and quilted top and back
February 3, 2016 @ 1:47 pm
I have an sc33 which is so incredible I love it. I do luthier work and bought my sc33 second hand. The question I have is the top flange of my pickups are warping upwards and I can’t seem to fix it. Can I get replacement flanges? Or use some type of adhesive to reseat them ? What can I do ? Thank you for your time.
February 3, 2016 @ 2:20 pm
I had the same thing happen on one of the pond I have,I just super glued it down again leaves a white residue but can be scrapped off
February 3, 2016 @ 2:22 pm
One of the one’s, don’t know where pond came from ?
February 3, 2016 @ 2:52 pm
Did you remove it first or just glued down the side?
February 3, 2016 @ 4:05 pm
just down the side, it was just lifting at the front, took me ages to figure out why the strings were rattling, they were hitting the lifted edge
October 19, 2016 @ 9:36 am
Hey I have seen that same problem on some of these guitars. One guy said he had good luck using a heat gun to flatten out that part, but I would be extremely cautious using that method.
June 10, 2018 @ 10:58 am
I tried this and got some success initially, but they have pulled the glue from the sides again and are now worse than before. If I pull the top flange will I risk pulling any windings from the pickup? Could I make a replacement out of some other material? Something less prone to warping.
April 8, 2016 @ 3:36 pm
Love vox guitars…..
May 3, 2016 @ 10:19 am
Another coaxe question, on a few of the vox guitars i have the adjustment screws are pretty stiff, as they are not exactly robust ,(could have been bigger, the heads at least) and appear to be made of cheese they are getting pretty ropey after a few adjustments, so my question is what size and thread are they so i cabn try and fing some more appropriate, screws?
May 15, 2016 @ 3:41 pm
Oh and re above what do the set screws actually screw into below the pickup?
Thanks
August 8, 2016 @ 11:58 am
Pickup adjustment is an issue for me, too. It’s hard to get the right balance of top and bottom strings. I once removed the pickups, and saw the screws mount directly to wood. There’s a lot of padding under there, so you might try removing that to get them lower.
BTW, I just won an auction for another Virage 2 Butterfly, and thought I was getting the same guitar with a single cutaway and different finish, but this one has ADJUSTABLE POLE-PIECES!!!
August 8, 2016 @ 12:28 pm
Hi Adam –
Where are you winning these Virage II Butterfly guitars? I’m still looking for one. Have one you want to sell? 🙂
October 13, 2016 @ 1:33 am
Chris, I’ve done evaluated both Virages, and think I’m ready to part with one of them. If you’re still looking, my gmail is “greyblooz” at.
October 13, 2016 @ 6:55 am
Hi Adam. Just want to be sure you saw my email?
Chris
August 8, 2016 @ 1:03 pm
really just into the wood? sounds like a crap idea, if you over tighten thats easily stripped. RE butterfly bloody hell :), im looking for one too lol, but good for you, not sure how the adjustable pole peices would work on the pickup design.
Such a bloody pity they stopped making these.
There are no spares or anything, and those bridges i can imagine as they are cast might get broken eventually and there goes a perfectly good guitar
October 19, 2016 @ 9:45 am
I have a Virage single cut, also with adjustable pole pieces on the Co-Axe pickups. This particular guitar also has Kluson-style tuners with black tulip buttons installed, from the factory. It has an ash top with some type of rosewood back and sides I’ve never seen another like it, possibly it’s a one-off? These are great guitars, even the cheaper SSC33s but it seems hard to find any production details on them, it doesn’t help that they were made in three or four different countries… Japan, USA, Korea, and Indonesia. I like the SSC33s as they are lighter weight that the Korean-made SSC55s.
One thing I would like to find out is what top woods are on the differenmt SSC33 models, does anyone know? The ash is easy to spot on the yellow and teaburst models, and supposedly the black ones are mahogany while the gold tops are maple caps, but I don’t know about the red and silver models & would like to find out. These are undervalued guitars and I predict that the Virage line will be collectible someday. It’s a real shame that Vox didn’t give these guitars more of a chance in the marketplace. I think they introduced them right after the crash in 2008, which probably hurt the launch quite a bit.
October 19, 2016 @ 11:33 am
I have 2 sdc22 guitars that are a great value and play well..are light and balance well compared to the sdc33 guitars i have tried.
I also have a ssc33 teaburst that i loveeeeeeeeeeee..its light…plays excellent and sounds amazing. I too bought the vox coaxe pickups with a whole ssc55 switching controlls attached for to put into my fender thinline that had 2 p90’s in it.
I want to get another ssc33 if i find a good deal but…wonder too about the weight of the other ssc33 models like the gold and black and silver ones….also i wonder if the neck shapes may vary. I remeber having a few fly deluxe guitars that were same models in diff colors and each had very diff necks…and weights..it was odd to me and i sold all but the 1st one i bought that i loved. I have sold it since but the ssc33 teaburst i bought fits me perfect.
October 19, 2016 @ 11:44 am
The SSC33s I’ve played varied in weight but none were obnoxiously heavy. What I wish is that these guitars had larger neck profiles.
October 19, 2016 @ 12:09 pm
The double cur sdc33’s are neck heavy and that bothered me. Th double cut 22’s were excellent and not like that but may be thinner cut woods.Mohagany…
I like the look of the gold top ssc33 and creame..
The woods that top the mahogany body of this model vary depending upon the finish: Black and GoldTop versions are maple, while the TeaBurst and Vintage Cream versions are ash.
October 19, 2016 @ 12:24 pm
I read that the black ones were all mahogany, and I think that is correct. Kind of like the Les Paul ‘black beauty” guitars which were solid mahogany. The red ones, I’m not sure.
October 19, 2016 @ 11:45 am
Also I found some of the double cut models to be neck-heavy.
September 27, 2016 @ 3:17 pm
hi guys bit of a problem ssc55 i have two,,, this one has been put away virtually untouched for three years,,,,just got it out and seem to have lost the neck pick up signal somewhere absolutly dead,, in all modes ,,,any ideas or fault finding tips??
thanks in advance
September 27, 2016 @ 4:52 pm
It’s probably the switch. I had the same issue with my Butterfly custom, but the signal came back after jiggling either the pickup selector or the three-way tap. Hope this brings it back to life.
September 27, 2016 @ 5:50 pm
Funny – My ssc-55 does the same thing if I don’t play it for a while. Seems though that once I start playing it regularly, the issue goes away after a day or so.
September 28, 2016 @ 2:25 am
Well ive managed to pull off a wire from the mode switch now ,,while taking it out to see if i had a lose connection :),,,,so will reflow the solder on all the wires to the mode switch. very small gauge wire and very crowded on there
September 28, 2016 @ 3:06 am
ok well reconnected the wire i know i managed to break off so back to square one,,,neck pick up very faint signal reaching the amp bridge blows your ears off. tried cleaning the pickup selector contacts with a peice of paper pulled between them soaked in contact cleaner fluid ,,no good
September 30, 2016 @ 4:57 am
God i hate guitars grrr something so simple like a pick up circuit and still cant trace the problem,,,,neck pick up still producing 20% of the signal as the bridge (which is normal),,,no obvious lose wires on the mode switch ,,,uses the same volume and tone pots,,,,pickup selector switch cleaned and lightly sanded,,,
Does anyone know id the earths on the pick ups are directly soldered onto the base plate ?
September 30, 2016 @ 7:02 am
well i re soldered all the connections from the neck pick up,, including all the feeds and everything else on the mode switch,,,,still the bloody same.
Out of frustration gave the pickup its self a smack from the front and hey presto its back,,,,only to slowly fade in and out as i strum,,,hard strum it comes back then fades out mmmmmmm im lost
September 30, 2016 @ 10:04 am
ok update two ,not that anybody will be interested :),,its not hitting the pick up that appears to bring it back to life,,indicating a lose connection, if i gently touch one of the slugs with some thing magnetic ie te alan key you get with the guitar it springs into life,,,WTF ,, im confused
October 19, 2016 @ 9:50 am
I have a similar problem on my Virage, but in my case I know that it is the pickup selector switch, it’s intermittent when the bridge PU fails to come on, but flipping the switch a few times seems to make it stop. I was going to replace the switch until I looked at it… some kind of modern switch with a circuit board attached to it that looks quite complicated. I suppose it can be replaced with a conventional switch and circuit.
October 12, 2016 @ 8:27 am
ok ive narrowed it down to the pick up itself i think,,,,fades in and out,,or completly silent,,,but with a sharp tap it comes back to life.
anyone any ideas of the wiring on these things on the pick up itself? or has anyone stripped one down?
November 24, 2016 @ 10:33 am
Anyone any ideas on my pick up problem?? 🙂
June 8, 2017 @ 9:45 pm
Hi Bill,
I asked Eric at G-Rok about your issue. He replied that it doesn’t sound like the usual problem with oxidized contacts in the mode switch, but he didn’t want to try to diagnose anything without having it on the bench. He had this suggestion for you:
“He still has weak sound, so the first thing I would look at would be the coil connections at the eyelets on the pickup base. I suspect something that is supposed to be ground isn’t quite.”
Hope this helps. Good luck!
-John
October 13, 2016 @ 5:47 pm
I love coaxe pups on my SSC33, so I bought a pair of coaxe for another build- Can anyone tell me what the lead colors indicate and how the switches work? Best I can tell, Black and Red are probably the overwound taps and white and green are the underwound, but i could use some confirmation. I have a thread going over on Seymour Duncan in case anyone can help!
http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?315449-Hoping-that-you-gurus-can-help-me-combine-2-4P3Ts-into-a-single-2P5T&p=4029652#post4029652
Thanks in advance-
Michael
October 14, 2016 @ 4:34 am
there is a wiring diagram in this thread some where,,,,,here you go
https://www.planetz.com/guitar/VOX%20HARNESS.zip
November 28, 2016 @ 5:19 pm
Bill,
Thanks so much!
Interesting sidebar is that my scc55 has a treble-bleed, but not seeing it in the diagram- wonder if it was retrofitted?
Much appreciated.
M
December 17, 2016 @ 7:31 am
Yes must be ,,, i fitted one to one of mine
October 19, 2016 @ 9:51 am
Just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for posting the wiring diagrams for these guitars, it’s a real lifesaver.
New Guitars From Vox – Planet Z
May 4, 2017 @ 10:39 am
[…] Update May 18, 2011: Also see my in-depth review of the SSC-33, and for more about the CoAxe pickup system, see my interview with Vox R&D’s Eric Kirkland. […]
June 2, 2017 @ 1:29 pm
Thanks again to Eric Kirkland and everyone else who contribute to this thread- It inspired an awesome Tele to Les Paul Junior build and you can read about it here-
http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?321068-Have-found-my-Holy-Grail-Tele-to-P90-pup-and-it-s-not-a-PRail
Peace,
Mickey
June 2, 2017 @ 1:32 pm
Nice work, Mickey! Cool project!
-John
June 7, 2017 @ 4:30 pm
is anyone on this forum from vox? Was hoping to get a new tuner for my ssc33 as one keeps going out thanx
June 7, 2017 @ 4:32 pm
Eric used to check in now and then, but it’s been 6 years since our interview, and several years since these VOX guitars were discontinued.
That said, I can reach out to him to see if he’s available to respond.
Cheers,
John
June 7, 2017 @ 4:52 pm
i see that..are they the same as the hdc77 virage guitar for the ssc33? and are all same piece or diff heights for diff strings? thanx for the link
June 7, 2017 @ 4:40 pm
No ,,there are hardly any spares about because they didnt make them long,,thats going to be a problem for us as i have three 2 x 55’s and an hdc77,,i did post further up this thread somewhere a link to a place that had the only spares ive ever come across ie switches,, briges etc they may have some,, but i think your going to end up replacing the lot with a set from somewhere else unfortunatly,,, im just waiting for one of my cast alluminium bridges to break then im in the shit
June 7, 2017 @ 4:42 pm
if you get hold of him John can you ask about my pickup problem? thats in here somewhere above,, it just fades out until you touch one of the slugs with anything magnetic
June 7, 2017 @ 4:43 pm
well if anyone can ask around it would be appreciated….its my g string tuner.They are so unique looking its hard to find anything even close
June 7, 2017 @ 4:45 pm
here you go,,,this is the only place i ever found with spares http://www.guitar-parts.com/catalog/vox-guitar
June 7, 2017 @ 4:57 pm
Thanx Bill…i have 2- sdc22 guitars and a ssc 33… so i may as well get a set….are they all same size in each position so interchangeable in each string.?
June 7, 2017 @ 4:47 pm
looks like they have them $12 each
June 7, 2017 @ 4:54 pm
thanx….are all interchangeable so same height for each string and across the hdc77 virage and the lower line ssc33? $12 apiece or 60.00 a set…sets a better deal
June 8, 2017 @ 1:09 am
Good stuff looks like they have bugger all left of anything,,as i said we may be in the shit in future re spares,,,ive actually got one of a limited number of acoustic gutars they made at the same time and that has the same tuners on it. My main concern other than a dodgy pick up on one of the guitars are the cast bridges ,looking at how they are mounted i can see them easily breaking if they get a bang,,and then left with having to fit some other type of bridge and tail piece
June 8, 2017 @ 9:17 am
I really would like to offer coaxe in builds for my customers and it’s really a shame that vox doesn’t offer them- I don’t know how patents work or what is black or white, but I had a pickup winder contact me and offer to make a pup like the coaxe- How alike, I don’t know and I have an extra set, so I didn’t take him up on his offer, but I will be glad to pass on his info if you are interested.
June 9, 2017 @ 9:59 am
Maybe you could have the pickup winder guy have a look at your spare set to measure them, etc. It would be a shame if that innovative pickup design became unobtanium. I snagged a spare set off of ebay a couple of years ago, occasionally guys will replace them with P-90s and sell the set.
June 8, 2017 @ 9:39 am
seymour duncan P rails are a similer idea
June 9, 2017 @ 11:31 am
Yes, if I get a hound wound version it will be based on my unused set-
Regarding prails, they are attempting the same thing and they have a lot of users who like them- But to me, they weren’t particularity good at either sound- Of course, scale length, wood, string gauge and the sound you are after are all different, so the only thing I can say for sure is the coaxe works better for me (and I love SD products- Cool rail is my favorite hot strat).
June 9, 2017 @ 12:14 pm
I tried the P-rails in a shop one time and was not that impressed. I’m with you — the CoAxe pickups really work for me — I’m a single coil guy at heart but love the increased girth you can get with the coil tap options.
June 8, 2017 @ 9:42 pm
I have an update from Eric at G-Rok (VOX guitars R&D):
He confirmed that “Parts Is Parts” (http://www.guitar-parts.com/catalog/vox-guitar-parts) bought out the parts inventory for these guitars, and that’s about the only source for something like a replacement tuner. Even G-Rok ran out of those long ago. Also he said he doesn’t think there are any new pickups or bridges available anywhere- so the best source for these parts, sadly, would be cannibalizing complete guitars.
On the topic of bridges/tuners/pickups across the various product lines, he said:
“The same bridges were used across the board on Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, and US guitars. The earliest Fujigen Virages used a tuner with a shield shaped back plate, and of course the Three-90 pickups. Almost everything else used CoAxe Modern pickups and round back tuners. Only the HDC99 and a few US Custom and Japan Custom guitars used the CoAxe Vintage, and a tiny handful of US Custom guitars used different tuners – Sperzel or Hipshot. G-Rok set up a few earlier guitars with later parts for artists, and some of these are probably floating around out there somewhere.”
It’s not great news, but hopefully this is helpful!
-John
June 8, 2017 @ 11:09 pm
Thanks much for the information John (and Eric). This is the first I’d heard of the “vintage CoAxe” pickups. How would I know which type are in my guitar, would the “vintage” pickups be the ones with the adjustable pole pieces, and that’s the only difference between the two?
June 9, 2017 @ 9:12 am
as far as im aware the hdc99’s where the only ones fitted with the less “hot” vintage pickups they also have rounded horns like the virage,,similer to an es 339,,along with a few custom shop guitars
June 12, 2017 @ 12:55 pm
Update from Eric, on the Vintage CoAxe pickups:
“The physical differences are that the sensing coil of the Vintage has screw poles instead of solid slugs (for less load), and more turns of the same wire to reach a similar inductance to the Modern (though with a higher DC resistance). The Vintage has more of midrange emphasis than the Modern, slightly lower output, and still better (well, more anyway) highs than a traditional humbucker.”
June 12, 2017 @ 2:34 pm
Interesting — thanks again John. So then I guess my Virage has the “vintage” pickups since it has the adjustable pole piece screws. It may have been some kind of custom order for artist as it came out of Nashville. I’ve seen very few guitars with those pickups in them, I can think of maybe two or three than I’ve seen photos of. I haven’t compared the two types of pickups side by side, but from memory my guitar doesn’t sound that different than the SC33s and SC55s I’ve played. I just bought another Vox with CoAxe pickups in it so I will be able to compare the two soon.
June 12, 2017 @ 2:47 pm
OH what have you bought up now? 🙂
June 13, 2017 @ 1:53 pm
https://reverb.com/item/5450467-vox-virage-ii-butterfly-custom-with-original-hard-case-sale-ends-friday-6-9-17
June 13, 2017 @ 4:25 pm
Now I see who snagged it while I was chatting with Chevin about buying it. 🙂
June 13, 2017 @ 9:30 pm
mea culpa
June 14, 2017 @ 5:18 am
No worries. That’s the way it goes. 🙂
June 9, 2017 @ 4:17 am
Thanks John and Eric,,sorry to be a a pain but could you ask if there is any way of providing diagrames or pictures of the internals /connections of the coaxe pickups themselves ie not the wiring diagrames but the bits inside ,so i could strip it and see whats going on.
On a different note i wish i could afford to find either an HDC 99 or a custom shop though being broke after being laid off two times in the last few months and fighting to keep the house,,not uch chance of that
June 9, 2017 @ 8:49 am
why did vox stop making these guitars? I also find the ssc33 lighter then its counterpart ssc55 in same color…
June 9, 2017 @ 8:50 am
i mean…were they poor selling guitars? just wondering..
June 9, 2017 @ 9:12 am
The guitars did poorly in the marketplace. I’m guessing that was because of a combination of different factors, they rolled them out just as the 2008 financial crash was unfolding, and also I think that the Virage line was probably a little overpriced for the market. The other reason they perhaps did not sell was because of the design, a lot of guitar players are conservative and just want guitars that look like Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls. I think it’s a real shame that Vox pulled the plug on these guitars so quickly. I think if they had been on the market a little longer they might have caught on.
I would be really curious to know the production totals on these guitars, especially the higher-end Virage, HDC77 and HDC99 models. These are all future collectibles IMO. The Virage line had so many custom variations which is interesting.
June 9, 2017 @ 9:30 am
virage was/is overpriced to me too…the ssc22 was a great guitar with mini humbuckers(i think) in them- i still have a white and black one.. and the ssc-33 i have is fantastic player (tea burst) looker and sounding guitar. The fact they came with gig bags was great too…my fav bridge and the weight is nice on all of them.The only ones i didnt bond with were the sdc 33/and 55 as they were neck heavy and neck dived alot on me with all i tried..the ssc 33 won out for me even compared to the ssc55 because for some odd reason the 55 single cut in same color weighed alot more then the ssc33. I did sell off my red ssc22 last year and had a ssc22 sunburst i sent back(new) because it was ugly in person..lol…anyhow what i like it that they all use same bridges and tuners and are made very well….like old 1990’s schecters.
June 9, 2017 @ 9:43 am
Yes I tried some of the double-cut SC33 and SC55 models and also found them neck heavy. The single cuts balance beautifully though. The reason I ended up with a Virage was because the necks on the SC33s are too thin of a contour for my tastes. The Virage neck is a C shape also but slightly thicker.
June 9, 2017 @ 9:33 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roGPqhxVhsc
one of my fav players of vox…
June 9, 2017 @ 9:34 am
i like her white vox guitar alot…..what model is it?
June 9, 2017 @ 9:51 am
Her guitar is a Virage II, ash body, white finish. There is one like it on ebay at the moment although this model has the older pickups, otherwise it’s the same guitar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vox-Virage-SC-Ash-Blonde-Brand-New-in-Original-Box-Manufacturers-Warranty-/142365692764?hash=item2125a8135c:g:sfEAAOSwT-FZA7nL
You could always buy a cheap SC33 or SDC33 and swap the pickups if you wanted the CoAxe sound.
June 9, 2017 @ 9:57 am
Lord koos thanx…..but still too rich for my blood for that guitar. I get what i need from the ssc33 teaburst i have. It id was like $600 i would buy it..lol….maybe one day if i sell some of my other gear….still…dropping that much $ on one -i cant do it. I have a set of the coaxe pickups with switches and jack from a ssc55 i got off ebay like 2 yrs ago for cheap and will be putting them in my 2-p90 tele thinline this year as a project so maybe the whole thinline thing will give me a diff tone from the coaxe pickups??…
June 9, 2017 @ 10:10 am
Around $1000 is a good price for a Virage in my opinion, that’s what I paid for mine, it’s a totally unique model that has become my #1 gigging guitar. I have a Duesenberg Starplayer TV which formerly was my favorite gig axe, but the Vox is much lighter, more ergonomic and more versatile. Compared to other brands at the $1000-1200 price point, the Virages are a bargain for the quality you get. They are a notch above the SC line IMO.
I gotta say I don’t understand Vox’s marketing. Now they have a shitty-looking model out called the “Starstream” for $800 which has typical humbuckers in it. I don’t know why they abandoned the SC line.
June 9, 2017 @ 10:11 am
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-VOX-Starstream-Electric-Guitar-with-Onboard-Effects-Black-Black-w-Gig-Bag-/232188278663?hash=item360f7ff787:g:VB4AAOSwyLlXo-e0
June 9, 2017 @ 10:16 am
Dont get me started with vox’s downhill slide in the guitars and the modeling amp area. The older blue vr vtx amps were killer even the vtx150 was awesome but now the amps are cheap toys and made like crap and sound even worse..that new thr like boombox looking thing that resembles a ladies purse is so ugly and lame it makes me sick. I think they must have new management and idiots higher up that dumbed down the company? or? I remember when the black diamond amp was shown at namm show in like 2008/10 or there abouts and then they killed it…that was the demise of vox.
June 9, 2017 @ 10:32 am
Agreed i have an ac15 and four “blue” valvtronix,,,though must admit my fav at the moment is a bluguitar amp1 ive had for a few months,,,i keep looking out for a virage at a reasonable price but not sure wether its worth the money to upgrade from a 77 to be honest
June 13, 2017 @ 3:47 pm
Hi guys, was wondering if you could help me.
I’m in the process of trying to mod my SDC 33 to the switching configuration of the higher models (55/77) and I have everything except the switches which I’m trying to order.
The only issue is that there are 3 specific types of 4pdt on-on-on switches (explained in a section of the link below); type 1, 2 and 3. I imagine it’s either type 2 or 3 if the wiring diagram specifies “NOTCH DOWN” but I just want to try make sure before I start.
I don’t know if it would be at all possible for you to find out which one of these the guitars in fact use?
Please respond as soon as you can cause I’m on a bit of a time limit here haha thanks!
http://hermeticoguitar.blogspot.co.za/2012/07/wiring-diy-part-03.html
June 13, 2017 @ 4:37 pm
Here are some comprehensive service notes from Eric for the mode switch for the Three-90 and CoAxe pickup: https://www.planetz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/MODE-SWITCH-DIAGRAMS.pdf. He shows examples for the Salecom T80T845‐ZBQE‐H and the OTAX F4TPA11 toggle switches.
The web page for the Salecom T845 On-On-On is here: https://www.salecom.com/en/product/Toggle-Switches/t8401.html. You can see from the “Term. Conn.” list in the chart, it is analogous the type 2/3 in the hermeticoguitar page.
The OTAX F4TPA11 was less commonly used by VOX, and the datasheet doesn’t list the terminal connections but you can figure them out from the dotted lines in Eric’s diagrams: http://www.otax.co.jp/ehome/pdf/01.pdf
June 13, 2017 @ 4:42 pm
That is absolutely perfect, John! Thank you so much! I’m gonna go put in my order and you have a great day, man.
June 14, 2017 @ 4:50 am
If anyone has any info on how the internals of the the coaxe work be most gratefull,,,see problem in above posts :),,,switches and loom ok so its a problem with the pickup itself,,,very strangley its does not come back to like with a tap , like a lose connection,,but if you touch the slug with something magnetic ie the steel hex adjustment wrench the pickup springs to life but only for a period of time,,,very annoying.
So im looking for info on the internal workings,,,connections etc so i know what should be happening when i take the pup apart.
I know i have a few other vox guitars to use but i like this one lol
June 14, 2017 @ 12:49 pm
Bill- We thought we had a dead pup because the wiring is unconventional and I wanted to be sure you’re not confused as we were.
Black is full coil start
Green is tapped coil start
Coil connection is hardwired- You can’t split coils.
White is tapped end
Green is full coil end
June 14, 2017 @ 1:02 pm
nope 🙂 the wiring is untouched,,it worked a few years ago when i got it new,,went under a bed for a few years and when i got it out the problem was there,,,its odd because if it was a loose connection it would spring to life when banged not gently touched with steel
June 14, 2017 @ 3:46 pm
Very sad-
However, you may be able to help all of us if you decide to repair-
-A pickup winder has offered to make his own version of a coaxe-
-I don’t know how patents work, so I don’t know how that works
-But I could put you in touch and it would be nice if he could do a repair for you that leads to something like a coxe for the rest of us-
Of course, I wish Vox would just wind a few 5-10 sets would keep me busy for a while:)
ZS
June 14, 2017 @ 7:30 pm
Wow, this thread is suddenly very active all recently! The lack of spare parts available really makes committing to theses guitars a big risk and poor investment. I was lucky when my MaxConnect bridge was defective, the store in Tokyo just cannibalized another Virage for replacements, but then that guitar was hanging there in the shop for months without a bridge like a john who lost his pants in a burning wharehouse (did I spell that correctly?)
The only insurance is independent fabricators like Vintage Vibe Guitars. Pete Biltoft can fabricate anything.
Once I need a strat-neck pickup with 50mm spacing instead of 52mm. That was one of the best pickups I ever owned, and I only sold it because I knew he could make me another if I ever needed and with more less winding, different magnets or whatever I want. Another time a friend wanted those weird staple magnet pickups in old Les Paul Customs…and I think he drew the line there. He does have other original pickup designs that are worth checking out.
My experience with CoAxe pickups is that you don’t need all three modes (I almost always use the center “P90” mode). Pete could make you a dumbed-down CoAxe (“NoAxe”?) that would fit into the the Virage without having to do any routing. That could potentially be a very cool thing in place of the stock pups. They’re not for everybody, obviously, or they would have kept on making them.
I wonder would would furnish a replacement bridge though ???
June 14, 2017 @ 11:46 pm
I don’t find paying $1000 for a Virage to be a “big risk” or “poor investment”, because I use my guitars, & play them on gigs, not to speculate on their future value. Mine pay for themselves eventually, and they are great guitars that are fun to play. I don’t see why the bridges would be prone to breaking unless you’re really careless & I’m pretty sure it would cost you less to buy a cheaper model for parts than to have Pete Biltof fabricate a replacement. I use both the single coil and P-90 sounds all the time on my Virage, only rarely use the third faux humbucker position.
June 15, 2017 @ 12:24 am
My Virage 2 Butterfly Custom has been my main guitar for rock, reggae, blues, jazz and country for the last two years. I paid ¥200,000 for mine new (30% off), but now it’s PRICELESS to me. Good luck finding one for a grand outside Japan where they are unconventional and therefore undervalued. I don’t think you can blame their commecial failure on Lehman Bros…guitarists can be as investment bankers. I scored a second Butterfly Custom for $700 to keep as a spare, but the neck, tone and even some features where different (see my previous post here.) Everyone one of the Custom models I’ve played is a bit different from the next. So I flipped that one, too. Actually, I almost sold them both until I realized I got a really special one on my first try, despite the defective bridge screws…and scratchy volume pot. Fortunately the guitar was still under warranty.
BTW, a pair of custom Vintage Vibe Guitar pickups wouldn’t cost much more than the prices listed on their site. That would surely be preferable to canabalizing one of these rare birds for spares, and a terrible waste of “great guitars that are fun to play,” IMHO.
June 15, 2017 @ 9:50 am
Not sure what you mean about prices outside Japan, but there are NOS Virage guitars on ebay for $999. I paid a grand for the one-off custom Virage II I found, which I love, and a little under $1200 for a Virage II Butterfly model which I have not received yet. I consider that to be very fair prices for what these guitars are. I wasn’t suggesting anyone cannibalize a Virage for parts, which would be silly, but the cheaper SC33s use the exact same bridge, tuners, knobs and pickups and they can be found for under $400. Why buy something from Pete when you can find the real thing?
June 15, 2017 @ 11:37 am
Four Virage guitars sold in march for under a grand in March: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=vox%20virage&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684
June 15, 2017 @ 5:10 pm
Most players want what their heroes play, and I’m no exception. I bought my Virage after seeing a clip of Isaiah Sharkey playing Actual Proof on a Virage with Chris Dave. (Now he plays an ES-335 with D’angelo…) Maybe now more chicks will start buying Virages after seeing that cross-eyed lady playing one with Billy Sheehan, but even though four were sold in March on FeeBay, Virage’s are still not popular guitars because they’re not symbols of idolatry like a Strat or Les Paul. Most guitarists are as conservative as a Lehman Bros. This is even more true in Japan where sameness and conformity are prime directives. A rival guitarist I know bought one. I called him a “copy cat.” He couldn’t understand why that’s bad. So it’s not uncommon to find a Virage selling for less than the equivalent of $1000 here. People buy them cause they look cool, but less experienced players don’t know how to get a good sound out of them. They make look like Gibsons, but Gibsons they ain’t. I’ll bet those four guitars you found are auctioned off within a year for less. People on this thread I imagine are smarter and more open minded — not fools easily swayed by hype. Anyone who has the courage to play a Virage would also have the stones to experiment with different pickup designs in one, too. There’s no way buying an SDC is a cheaper source of replacement pickups, and not necessarily the best either. http://www.vintagevibeguitars.com/
June 15, 2017 @ 5:42 pm
I think you’re missing my point. If you buy an SC33 for replacement parts, you not only get the real CoAxe pickups, you also get a spare bridge, spare switches, tuners and and knobs. Pretty good deal if someone is worried about having spares. I know Pete makes good stuff, but so do a lot of other guys, you’re starting to sound like a shill for him. I love the CoAxe pickups so see no need to change them out, if I want a different sound I’ll play a different guitar.
Over the years I have owned pretty much every vintage guitar known to man, and the Virage line can hold their own with that stuff in terms of sound and playability, IMO. I like having different stuff than all the other players… I’m not trying to sound like a certain guitarist like so many people want to do.
June 15, 2017 @ 5:44 pm
And you sound like you’re trying to sell some guitars here, my friend.
June 15, 2017 @ 5:56 pm
How do you deduce that? None of my guitars are for sale. if they were I would just sell them on reverb.
June 15, 2017 @ 6:25 pm
Why discourage players from exploring alternative solutions?
The only reason is loosing potential buyers for your wares.
To be honest, I did try marketing Vintage Vibe pickups in Japan several years ago, and failed because most consumers were only interested in brands like Fralin or DiMarzio. Fair enough, they make make great stuff, too. Plus maybe I just suck at sales & marketing, and couldn’t get an endorsee. And maybe the Lehman Bros were at fault, too…
However as I said earlier in the thread, I haven’t actually used VVG pickups in years. I’m a Bill Lawrence/Wilde man now, but can’t find them for sale in Japan, either.
Then when this thread suddenly sprung back to life this month, it just occurred to me that if anyone could fashion a replacement pickup for a Virage, it’s Pete Biltof of VVG. That’s it. I’m just offering suggestions for potential solutions, and maybe also some gratitude for all the great and AFFORDABLE pickups VVG made for my G&L Legacy. What are you offering?
June 15, 2017 @ 7:18 pm
I’m not offering anything — I’m not a sales rep for a pickup maker.
People here are talking about the CoAxe pickups, which is what I’m talking about too. I’m just pointing out that the lower end Vox line is a good source for Virage parts should someone need some. I didn’t see anyone on this thread looking for something different than the CoAxe pickups. People can do whatever they want, I’m not discouraging anybody. Some guys take out the CoAxe pickups and install P-90s or mini-humbuckers in their guitars, and there are several makers who make different kinds of pickups in that same size if people want to experiment. I like the way these guitars sound stock myself.
How much do you make for every VV pickup you sell for Pete?
June 15, 2017 @ 7:40 pm
I think I retained 10~20% which was actually a service fee for translating the documentation and making them easily accessible to buyers in Japan, etc. But that was almost ten years ago, and ultimately I just broke even. How much profit do you expect to make on Reverb? I highly recommend it if you’re not using it already.
June 14, 2017 @ 4:51 pm
It’s a shame that DiMarzio can’t make some form of the CoAxe pickup that would be just different enough to avoid a patent dispute… or perhaps get the patent back from Vox since they aren’t using the design any longer, although I’m guessing the latter would never happen.
June 14, 2017 @ 5:14 pm
just go buy a used guitar with them in
June 14, 2017 @ 5:32 pm
Well that’s what I would do – you can buy an SC33 or SDC33 for around $300-350, replace the pickups, and probably still sell the guitar for almost what you paid for it.
June 14, 2017 @ 5:39 pm
i wouldnt pay 300 for one without the pickups though…….if you buy one just for the pickups let me know….i would buy just the rest but not for 300.00…..
hsuru4u atyahoo.com
i have a set of coaxe pickups and switches so i could put them into an empty guitar….
June 15, 2017 @ 10:15 am
Yes nice to this has picked up :),,,the only place for us owners to talk lol,,,,any way back to the pickup i do have another 55 and an hdc77 so i guess i have a pool of spares its just anoying that i cant figure out the problem. I will strip the pickup down and have a look though short of an obvious wire dissconnection im noyt sure what im looking for ,,for example is anything supposed to be earthed to the base plate? or anything like that? see im useless 🙂
June 15, 2017 @ 5:44 pm
If you get totally stumped you could always send the pickup to someone like Fralin or Lollar and have them look at it for you.
June 15, 2017 @ 1:12 pm
Bill, I wish I knew more- But do suggest that you photo everything from multiple angles every step of the way- has saved my rear end before.
June 15, 2017 @ 1:26 pm
Good idea cheers Mickey thanks 🙂
June 23, 2017 @ 11:02 am
Does anyone have a virage with coaxe and an hdc77? or tried them together,,i have a 77 along with some 55’s,,im just wondering if a virage would be an upgrade or not tonewise,,,asthetics and built quality aside
June 23, 2017 @ 12:41 pm
Bill, I have never played an HDC77, but they look to be very close in design to the double-cut Virage. From listening to comparisons between the single and double-cut Virages I would guess the HDC77s sound extremely close to the latter. The double-cuts with two f-holes have an airier, slightly more acoustic sound to my ears, while the single cut Virages have a little more of a solid-body vibe, which I personally prefer. I doubt it would be an upgrade as far as tone, it would just be a different type of tone. The thing with the Virage line is that there are choices of different woods, whereas it looks like the 77s are all maple top models? The Virage line is available with tops of mahogany, maple, ash, koa, spruce, etc. The woods used for the backs also vary.
June 23, 2017 @ 1:58 pm
You could be right Lord,,,to be perfectly honest i do prefere the 55’s solid bodies,,, the modes of the pickups sound a lot more distinct than the semi hollow
July 16, 2017 @ 4:06 am
OK ,,well ive stripped the coaxe down,,removed the surround cover (just clips off) removed the top cover (prised off just glued down) ,,,checked all the wiring (looks good) but,,,,,,,the pickup still loses power goes down to lets say 20% of volume. Touch one of the slugs with the allan key and it regains full power,,,,,play for a bit all ok and then bang the power reduces down again ,,repeat slug touching all good,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,im fucking lost
any ideas? all i can think of is a problem with the ceramic magnets,,,but to be honest im clueless
July 16, 2017 @ 4:06 am
wheres Eric when you need him 🙂
July 16, 2017 @ 9:08 am
It sounds like there could be a short inside the pickup itself… although touching the magnet like that and having it work is pretty mysterious — perhaps when you are touching the pole piece you are grounding a connection and then it works? If you can see the slug on the bottom of the pickup, try running a ground wire to it and see if that makes it work.
July 16, 2017 @ 1:03 pm
can you explain further Lord?
July 16, 2017 @ 6:17 pm
I just love it when someone calls me Lord… 😀
I was thinking, if you are completing a circuit when you touch the slug, maybe you are grounding the pickup that way. So try temporarily attaching a wire from the bottom of a pole piece to some grounded place on the guitar circuit, and see if that makes the pickup stay on. If so, then you could make it a permanent connection maybe. Maybe there is a short in the windings somewhere. You also could send it to a pickup expert and see if it can be repaired. There is also a Vox gold top SC33 for sale on ebay cheap right now.
July 16, 2017 @ 1:08 pm
The only other thing i can think of short of tracking down another guitar for parts is maybe swopping out the faulty neck pickup,for the bridge pickup,,as i like the modes better on the neck,
And fitting maybe a minihumbucker in the bridge,,,though no idea if they would fit,,,,,,and also could i make use of the what would be redundant mode switch from the bridge circuit
July 16, 2017 @ 6:22 pm
Ah got you will try it :),,been toying with another guitar several new 33’s in italy work out £300 with postage or some 55’s about£500,,,but already got three vox’s seems a bit extreme for one shitty pickup 🙂
July 17, 2017 @ 8:48 am
lol…how many can you play at once???? answer…1!
I like vox guitars and would buy another if it was dirt cheap and a deal..if not i can only play 1 at a time anyhow
July 17, 2017 @ 10:10 am
true but its annoying when one does not work ;),and you dont know why,,plus the maple sounds different to the ash lol
July 17, 2017 @ 10:52 am
true…woods do sound diff….i can see getting a maple and an ash to compare…i have an ash tea burst 33…perfect guitar….love the weight but wonder if the maple top 33(goldtop or white) or the black one would weigh more
July 17, 2017 @ 1:39 pm
not a lot if anything in it,,ive got an ash 55 and a maple 55,,along with a 77 ,,,im more worried/pissed off about this damn pickup lol,,
July 17, 2017 @ 2:37 pm
I’ve played the maple and ash topped SSC-33s side by side & the weight difference isn’t much if anything.
July 17, 2017 @ 3:12 pm
ok thanx…no need to chase that ghost then….1 ssc33 tea sunburst is plenty
July 17, 2017 @ 4:44 pm
The maple does have a different sound though. A little thicker, less twangy and a little less bright than the ash. Not exactly like a Les Paul but kind of in that direction.
July 17, 2017 @ 5:25 pm
well then….i would prefer the teaburst so i am all set…..lol…
July 19, 2017 @ 6:58 am
Hi, Thanks for this information and the interview, it is really useful to me.
I bought an SSC33 a couple of years back at a good price and I really enjoy playing it. I think the pickups are outstanding and it is a better guitar than the Gibson LP Special that I have with “proper” P90s. Better feel, better parts and better sound in most respects at half the price.
Recently I was chatting to a guy in the same store and saying how good the pickups were and that I wish they were available as parts. He said they had a “broken” SDC33 in the stock room. It was a little dirty but the parts looked OK apart from a broken pickup switch so I bought it for peanuts and I saw the managers give a “look” when I paid. He must have thought I was an idiot ;-). I got home, cleaned off the dirt and realised nothing was broken apart from the switch and the missing back plate. So I cleaned it (not a scratch on it anywhere) made a new backplate and sourced the switch – which was hard to find as even Korg were no help. It is now in perfect order and sounds great, just subtly different from the SSC33. An SDC33 for under £100!
With the information from your site I am thinking about upgrading one of them to the SDC55/SSC55 circuit so thanks very much for your interesting blog.
July 19, 2017 @ 7:37 am
What a score, Tim! Great job.
-John
July 19, 2017 @ 8:05 am
Great score! Personally I’m not sure that upgrading to the SSC-55 circuit is worth the trouble – I have a Virage and never use the third position that has the extra capacitor to roll off some highs. I’ve also played the SSC-33 guitars in shops and thought having one coil tap switch for both pickups gave me enough tone options — having a tap switch for each pickup is cool, but not a must have IMO. But I’m a guy who likes simpler setups for playing live, I don’t like fiddling with a bunch of options.
July 19, 2017 @ 1:40 pm
Thanks for the advice. Like you I like to keep it simple. The 55 adds more options but I guess the question is how many of them are really useable and useful options. Thanks to John’s sharing of the key information at least I can consider the change, otherwise I wouldnt know where to start 😉
August 3, 2017 @ 1:22 pm
Can i just clarify ,,what modes are available in the 33? single coil,,p90,,or humbucker,,,clean, crunch or lead if you will
August 3, 2017 @ 2:24 pm
Clean and crunch, but both pickup taps are controlled with a single switch, so you can’t mix & match like on the higher end models. That’s not much of a deal breaker for me personally. Also I pretty much never use the “lead” setting, which is simply the crunch/P-90 mode with a tone cap added to roll off the high end. It doesn’t sound that good to me, I just use the tone knob if I want to change the treble.
August 3, 2017 @ 3:00 pm
Ah that explains it ,,for some reason i thought the tone shaping was on the humbucker setting,,,i have a few 55’s and a 77,,,just recieved a new 33 from italy for a bargain £130 ,,,for spares ,,was the thought,,,but actually its pretty damned good,,,and sounds different to the others.,,,maybe the solid ash body
November 22, 2017 @ 12:11 pm
OK finally got round to checking my dodgy pickup with a multimetre,,,had readings of between 50>100 intead of around 5>7 as it should be,,,,,,,,,any ideas what could cause this on a pickup??
November 29, 2017 @ 7:44 am
no elecrical geniouses then ,,if i could spell it :),,,,i knew it was a risk after they stop making them getting bloody spares grr,,,what would cause a pickup to show such high resistance?,,wheres Eric when you need him
November 29, 2017 @ 8:21 am
You’re seeing 50 to 100k with the multimeter on one of your bad pickups and a reading of 5 to 7k on one of your working pickups? A reading of 0 would indicate a short, and a reading of infinity would indicate a broken wire. I’m not sure what 100k would indicate — a partial break? I don’t have any experience with that! I wonder if a custom pickup maker could re-wind it for you, or if the VOX inner/outer coil design is too unusual. Maybe try calling Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe Guitars and discuss it with him. A quick search for pickup repair/rewinding turns up Lindy Fralin, Seymour Duncan’s custom shop, Revel, etc
November 29, 2017 @ 8:52 am
thanks John ,,stupid question what would infinty look like on the meter?,,but yes on that particular guiar bridge reads about 7k and 5.5k depending on mode as it should do,,the neck has this problem,,,in past posts ive mentioned it dropping out and coming back to life when i touch a slug with the alan key supplied with the guitar,,,,i have another three coaxe equiped guitars and no problems with those
November 29, 2017 @ 3:58 pm
On an Analog multimeter, infinity will be at the opposite end from 0.
On a digital meter, it may read 1 or 0L or ∞- it depends on your meter. Check the manual.
Infinity means open circuit, no connection, so it’ll look the same as when you just separate the multimeter leads in open air.
November 30, 2017 @ 3:39 am
thanks again John,,,i think he only thing i can do is hope something pops up on ebay over the next few years,,,pretty remote though
January 2, 2018 @ 7:12 pm
anyone seen one of these before ,,bigsby and tunamatic?
https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s—4EbVokM–/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1512689792/sztpykevkasbt9p46lpq.jpg
January 4, 2018 @ 7:41 am
Interesting- I don’t know if VOX ever officially produced the Virage II DC with a bigsby or if someone modified that guitar. I recall Erik Kirkland telling me he was NOT a fan of bigsby style tailpieces, but he may have been asked to do it anyway by the marketing dept.
John
June 10, 2018 @ 11:11 am
The top flange of my pickups are warping and gluing them down has not worked. Has anyone else found a solution to this? If I pull the top flange from the pickup do I risk pulling any windings attached to the top flange? I am considering making a new top flange that would be less prone to warping and would be open to material ideas.
February 9, 2019 @ 12:42 pm
If anyone ever has a spare coaxe pick up going please let me know,,,still havnt fixed the one ive got problems with 🙂
March 6, 2019 @ 2:57 pm
You can special order them for $124 through https://www.partsisparts.net/catalog/vox-hdc77-guitar-pickup-coaxe-500005000013
I know it says HDC77 but I believe all the Coaxe were the same except for the 99 as it was Vintage wound.
March 6, 2019 @ 7:08 pm
not in stock though
March 10, 2019 @ 1:37 pm
They normally don’t carry it in stock but you can special order one. Even ordering one and waiting a month or two might be faster then by chance, waiting for someone to part a guitar out or who replaced their Coaxe pickups.
March 10, 2019 @ 2:49 pm
what do they go for on eby usually?
March 11, 2019 @ 11:30 am
I’ve only seen the pickups come up for sale used maybe three times in the last couple of years as most people leave them in the guitar. Best bet is to special order them or buy a used Vox 33 guitar as it was the cheapest model that came with the pickups.
March 11, 2019 @ 11:46 am
i noticed those 33 guitars have been expensive on ebay and gc lately..like 100.00 over what they should be which is odd. Even cheap sterling guitars are overpriced on ebay used. its crazy.
August 3, 2021 @ 1:44 pm
Here’s a cool podcast with Rich Lasner and Eric Kirkland.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1742115/8813548
They start talking about the Virage from the around the 9:00 mark.
August 3, 2021 @ 2:38 pm
Cool! Thanks for sharing the link.
November 7, 2021 @ 6:48 am
What is the color code for the leads on the. CoAxe pickup? Is it possible to split this pickup with a 3 way or toggle switch?
I bought a broken neck guitar to harvest the pickups but can’t find a a wiring diagram.
September 17, 2022 @ 8:01 am
I dont know if we still have a few people in here lol
a few years ago i posted about a knackered coaxe on one of my guitars 55, its all in the thread, anyway i finally got round to replacing it with a p90 two lead pick up, just a live and metal shield earth, i assumed that the live would just feed the full unaltered signal when mode switch in the middle position,,the tone altered for humbucking using the cap and resister on the switch down position and no doubt the single coil up position would be dead.
seems to have worked BUT!!! i now have a terrible out of phase sound when the pick up selector is in the middle,,,
any thoughts or is gobbledeygook lol
September 18, 2022 @ 9:15 pm
Hey Bill- it’s hard to say from here. I guess the best thing to do would be to unsolder the pickup wires, and temporarily use alligator leads so you can easily experiment with different connections and configurations. Hopefully you can figure out what’s going on, even if you don’t totally understand why. Then you can resolder the wires. Good luck! -John
September 20, 2022 @ 3:30 pm
lol yes you could be right ,,its a bugger to figure out even with the wiring diagrams. the only alternative is to strip a pick up from the 33 i have , but to be honest i prefere this to the 55 maybe the all ash body,,but to be fair having a 33 two 55’s and a 77 its doable but a pity ,,,as we all thought when they went out of production spares would be a problem
September 20, 2022 @ 3:35 pm
Hey John i completley forgot you worked for Korg,,,just wondering if you could do a little digging for me 😉 ,,, i have a vox v2000dr acoustic 2010 i think from memory. very little online about them other than it was a one off run of 25 units in a few different models and specs, rumoured to have been built in the takamine factory,, any info would be great
September 21, 2022 @ 3:06 pm
Hi Bill,
I reached out to Eric Kirkland about your vox v200dr, and he responded:
“I think there were only a very few of those acoustics to make it to the US market. There’s a long and frustrating story behind them, and I would have to look up the drawing releases to even get the dates right. But the short version is that we proposed a couple of new cutaway acoustics back in 2008. This would have had a new contoured neck joint that made playing the higher frets much easier, but still joined the body at the 14th fret on the bass side. This neck joint required complex machining, though, and after making a few prototypes the factory (Terada, at this stage) decided it wouldn’t work in their production process and withdrew from the project.
I didn’t have much to do with the acoustic program after that, but would sometime be surprised to see a new VOX acoustic displayed at NAMM or Messe. These were usually well-made non-cutaway dreadnaughts. I think most of them were made by the Headway/Deviser factory. The details varied. I know there were some with different woods for the rims and backs, a very unconventional choice. Others were more straightforward, and except for the headstock were much like any other higher-end Japanese acoustic.”
Hope this helps!
-John
September 22, 2022 @ 8:34 am
thanks John , thats interesting,, good to know you can still get in contact with Eric
September 22, 2022 @ 8:42 am
i wouldnt say the one i have is made from odd woods though, rosewood back and sides sitka top mahogany neck,, has the same tuners as the virage series, No T1090023. Strange how there could be different people doing different things in a company ,,
September 29, 2022 @ 5:28 pm
Eric followed up again:
“I was looking through some old files yesterday and found a couple photos of non-cutaway acoustics from Terada in early 2009. So Terada may have been the source for the guitar in question”.
Here are those photos:
https://www.planetz.com/sophie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TeradaJanuaryD.jpg
https://www.planetz.com/sophie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TeradaJanuaryOM.jpg
October 1, 2022 @ 4:49 am
excellent 🙂 thats the very beasty i think ,,, thank Eric for me,,now if i could just sort out my coaxe pick up problems i will be happy lol. i think im going to just replace both pickups with some P90’s take out all the pots and switches and save whats salvagable for spares
October 1, 2022 @ 4:55 am
Its all very strange that so little is known , as they were not cheap RRR price was £2000 on these lol
October 1, 2022 @ 12:56 pm
oh is that the same factory as the Virage were made? rings a bell
October 3, 2022 @ 5:50 am
For future reference i think ifound the problem with the coaxe pickup ive been having
i have four of the guitars and on nearly all of them at least one pickup cover, ie the plastic top peice has warped and bent. On looking at the pickup i removed and replaced, the top cover is glued down onto the windings , as the “cap” lifted and warped i think it stretched the winding wire and broke it
February 19, 2023 @ 10:42 am
@John Cooper – I have a Vox Virage Three-90 and the neck humbucking mode does not work. The single coil and p-90 seam to work. Instead of humbucking it just makes a hissing noise. Do you have an idea of what is wrong? Do you have a complete Virage Three-90 diagram? I only saw the diagram for Virage II (Coaxial).
February 19, 2023 @ 1:30 pm
Hi Jeff- I think this is all I have for the Three-90: https://www.planetz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/MODE-SWITCH-DIAGRAMS.pdf
Hope that will help you track down the issue!
-John