# So I played a Shawn Lane Vigier today...



## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Apr 24, 2009)

...and I gotta say it's one of the nicest things I've ever held in my hands. The Excaliburs were nice, IMO not worth the price tag; but the Lane model was phenominal. I wish they made a lefty model! 

I played a Suhr modern too and those were really nice! I think overall Vigier might very well be more my thing though...


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## OrsusMetal (Apr 24, 2009)

I wish they built more guitars with the no radius, flat fretboard.  I envy you. I'd really like to try one of those out.


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Apr 24, 2009)

The flat radius is amazing! It makes the neck insanely fast and comfortable.


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## OrsusMetal (Apr 24, 2009)

Well I'm glad to hear someone else that thinks so! My ESP is being converted to a flat radius.


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## MFB (Apr 24, 2009)

Doesn't Stanley Jordan use a flat radius Vigier?

According to Wikipedia, he uses a Vigier Arpege with a flat fretboard



> Stanley Jordan's main guitar was built by Vigier Guitars in 1982: it is an Arpege model on which Vigier made a flat fingerboard, allowing it to have a very low action (0.5/0.7mm). The low action facilitates the tapping technique.


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## vontetzianos (Apr 24, 2009)

Seriously not helping my Vigier GAS, but I'm glad you liked it. The shawn lane model is one of the nicest guitars around.


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## MTech (Apr 24, 2009)

The lane is one of the ugliest strats I've ever seen/played... but it's also one of the best playing ones I've ever had the pleasure of getting on as well


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## drmosh (Apr 24, 2009)

how much are vigier guitars anyway? I can't find a price list, I must suck at google


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## daemon barbeque (Apr 24, 2009)

drmosh said:


> how much are vigier guitars anyway? I can't find a price list, I must suck at google



About 2,5k euros. Indus is the cheapest one and it's around 2k.


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## hufschmid (Apr 24, 2009)

I've played many Vigier guitars, very nice indeed, great quality 

The Carbone 90/10 neck reinforcement is a great idea 

This is how its done...

Basically this means that 10&#37; of the overall neck is a big carbone enforcement, not a simple filled up groove...


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## Daggorath (Apr 24, 2009)

I played an excalibur the other day and it was fantastic cept for the middle pickup which pissed me off and made picking uncomfortable and hybrid picking impossible. Then again, you can get em without. Then again, I aint got 2 grand to blow =[


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## maliciousteve (Apr 24, 2009)

I've played a Lane too. I couldn't get used to the flat radius. It was a bit uncomfortable for me but the build quality was fantastic.

however I love the excaliburs. I wish I had the money for one.


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## Harry (Apr 24, 2009)

Man, I'm scared to play a flat radius guitar because I fear I'll never be able to play a guitar with a radiused fretboard again


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## drmosh (Apr 24, 2009)

daemon barbeque said:


> About 2,5k euros. Indus is the cheapest one and it's around 2k.



not too bad really, thanks for the info!


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## shadowlife (Apr 24, 2009)

I owned a SL Master a few years ago. The flat radius and shorter scale made playing almost effortless, but i absolutely hated the pickups, and didn't care for the trem. I also prefer 22 fret guitars.
That said, it (like the other Vigiers i've owned) was an amazing instrument.


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 24, 2009)

shadowlife said:


> I owned a SL Master a few years ago. The flat radius and shorter scale made playing almost effortless, but i absolutely hated the pickups, and didn't care for the trem. I also prefer 22 fret guitars.
> That said, it (like the other Vigiers i've owned) was an amazing instrument.



What's wrong with the standard PuPs out of interest? I'd love a 'Lane sig simply because it would allow me to play something approximating guitar with my dodgy fingers but if I ever forked out for one in the first place, I guess a set of BKP's wouldn't be unwarranted.


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Apr 24, 2009)

I'm pretty sure they are dimarzios. Air classic in the neck and something something for the bridge


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## shadowlife (Apr 24, 2009)

Unknown Doodl3.2 said:


> I'm pretty sure they are dimarzios. Air classic in the neck and something something for the bridge



Both are Air Classics- they obviously worked for Shawn, but they were way too thin sounding, and not hot enough for me at all. Most people i know who've had a SL have either changed the pickups or had to re-eq everything in their signal chain to get the sounds they wanted.


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## Durero (Apr 24, 2009)

OrsusMetal said:


> Well I'm glad to hear someone else that thinks so!



+1 on the flat radius!!! I can't stand non-flat fretboards.


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 24, 2009)

Well, Shawn didn't like PuPs with massive amounts of output so clearly mileage is going to depend on the exact tones you want and the music you play (I know the Ibanez he used were only around ~10k output so clearly diehard gain freaks will have to replace them).


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## Dusty201087 (Apr 24, 2009)

I really want a Vigier but I really don't see me getting anything one  I inquired a few people about the seven string and it's basically a custom priced guitar, and as much as I want one, it's not "ideal" so therefore in my mind not worth the custom price. Eventually I'll probably break down and buy one though 

I will get a SL master though, even if I never play it and hate it, I will hang it in whatever studio I have (no matter how pathetic it is) and it will get the same treatment as my number one. Why go to all the trouble and expensive? Because Shawn Lane is to me what the bible is to a church 

I'll also have one of those sexy Guthrie Govan sigs 



Harry said:


> Man, I'm scared to play a flat radius guitar because I fear I'll never be able to play a guitar with a radiused fretboard again



I'm kind of afraid to try it because I know on my classical the flat radius makes a lot of chord shapes that are pretty easy into mind numbing, finger destroying tasks. But that could just be an error in my classical technique 

Not to hijack the topic but does anyone else find chords (full chords) a lot harder on a flat radius fingerboard?


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 25, 2009)

ShadyDavey said:


> Well, Shawn didn't like PuPs with massive amounts of output so clearly mileage is going to depend on the exact tones you want and the music you play (I know the Ibanez he used were only around ~10k output so clearly diehard gain freaks will have to replace them).




He used a pretty soft Lace Sensor set for a long time, but other keys to his sound were thin picks and a delay unit with a short, quiet repeat. Sometimes when he was playing Indian Fusion with Jonas Hellborg he would turn the volume up on his delay pedal to make it more pronounced, or use a reverse delay pedal when he was doing his Sitar impression.


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## WillingWell (Apr 25, 2009)

I thought he used Jazz IIIs? Those are pretty thick picks.


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 25, 2009)

He did. Check the Shawn Lane tone thread out for exact specs of his gear.


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 25, 2009)

WillingWell said:


> I thought he used Jazz IIIs? Those are pretty thick picks.



He isn't using a Jazz 3 on the Paris DVD,he is using something thinner, it visibly bends when he picks like those Fender Thin picks do.


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## troyguitar (Apr 26, 2009)

I really like playing on my classical and on my fretless which has a flat fingerboard. With any luck, I'll be in France sometime later this year and will get to try out a Vigier!


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## right_to_rage (Dec 28, 2012)

Esp Griffyn said:


> He isn't using a Jazz 3 on the Paris DVD,he is using something thinner, it visibly bends when he picks like those Fender Thin picks do.



Although in either his Power Licks or Power Solos DVD he says that he likes to use red jazz 3's.
edit: apologies for the necro-bump, been gasing for this guitar and didn't check the thread date.


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## redstone (Dec 28, 2012)

daemon barbeque said:


> About 2,5k euros. Indus is the cheapest one and it's around 2k.



Vigier Excalibur Shawn Lane signature Naturel, touche palissandre | Effect On Line - Guitare On Line Lyon


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