NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

ItsaBass

New member
NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Sorry for the weird formatting. I'm not sure what happened.

SDC-55

I really, really wanted these when they were out. My friend had a gold 33 version.

The 33 had dot inlays, no binding, and you could not independently control the mode of each pickup. They were also available in swamp ash, in certain colors.

There was a single cut version too...but kind of ugly IMO. The DCs are ugly too, from the back. But the profile looks good IMO, and the headstock is inoffensive to me.

They were $400 (33) to $600 (55) guitars when new, IIRC. Korean build quality, but good Korean build quality. Then they were discontinued. Prices are now the same as when they were new, even 7 or 8 years later.

The Co-Ax pickups are killer. The Max-Connect bridge/tailpiece is killer. I wish both were available aftermarket, because I'd be using them on builds.

I completely missed the existence of the black burst ones back then. I wasn't even looking at 55s at the time; I was trying to decide which color of 33 I wanted, and then they were gone before I jumped on one. I saw this online, made an offer I didn't think the guy would accept...but he did.
It's coming from Japan. Might be a while.

I don't foresee many changes. Maybe add a pickguard and some black block inlay stickers...but probably won't even bother with the latter. If I ever get it refretted, I'll go with skinny vintage style frets, and have black pearloid block inlays put in at that time.
s-l1600-21.jpg

s-l1600-20.jpg

s-l1600-24.jpg

s-l1600-22.jpg

s-l1600-23.jpg

 
Last edited:
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

My buddy has one of those in a goldtop

He was trying to sell it on reverb last I heard
Interesting pickups
Neck heavy

Would love to hear your impression of it
I liked it , I didn't want to own it.
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

I played my friend's gold one extensively. That's what sold me on the pickups and the bridge.

As long as there are no problems with this particular one, I know I'll like it a lot.

Not big on the inlays. It'd look slick with no inlays, IMO. Black or black pearloid is next best.

Being able to control each pickup's mode vs. the 33 makes the guitar much more capable, at least for the way I like my guitars to be set.

I might end up putting in an extra tone control, so each pickup has one. I'm not a fan of master tone controls on multi-pickup guitars.
 
Last edited:
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

That's friggin' awesome! I actually like the inlays on that one...the "33" models look a bit plain to me with the regular dots

I have a search saved specifically for those CoAxe pickups. Guys were pulling them and selling them a few years ago, but not sure what they replaced them with.

If I thought I could resell the body and recoup enough of the overall cost, I'd buy a "33" just to scalp the pickups!
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

I had one of those briefly. I liked it a lot but ended up playing my Gibsons more. I keep having that problem.
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Nice guitar. Weird strap button.
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Beautiful guitar, but it looks neck heavy, like an SG.
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Yes, the strap button does look weird.

But the buttons themselves are actually just oversized buttons of a fairly typical shape. The part that looks weird is a metal spacer that conforms to the upper horn on one end, and is flat to mate with the strap button on the other end. Lets them put the strap button straight into the point of the upper horn.

I didn't notice my friend's being neck heavy. That said, I think the guitar would have looked better if the whole neck was moved in to the body by at least one fret, with the bridge and pickups moving back along with it.
 
Last edited:
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

killer guitar, excellent score, good luck with it

got my buddy a singlecut goldtop version that is fantastic
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

My first real guitar was a Vox so I still have a soft spot for the name.
Sharp guitar!
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Seller sent me a few pix. Looking at this packing job, I am very worried. WTF? How does this pass as proper packing? Gig bag wrapped in plastic GTFO!

s-l1600-25.jpg

s-l1600-26.jpg
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Can't blame you for being worried. Some people are really idiots.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Is it that hard to find a box? Man, I can't believe they accepted that as packing.
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

UGH!
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

I have the singlecut version in a goldtop. Cool and interesting guitars. Mine isn't neck heavy - nothing like an SG. Maybe they vary more from one to another than many guitars. Being singlecut adds a few ounces and that might enter into it too.

Totally agree about the bridge and the pickups. Great designs, both. It's too bad they aren't available separately. And so few were sold that the likelihood of finding them as parts is very slim. I've sometimes seen the 33 series models for sale but the 55s not so much.

I don't know why these guitars didn't catch on, especially with Prince playing one for awhile. Given that kind of visibility you'd think the sales would've been decent. But I guess they''re just too unusual. People like to have a little familiarity with a guitar and these really aren't like anything else.

EDIT: Here's mine.
 
Last edited:
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Gorgeous! Simple clean design. And I too, like the inlays. Just for being different. Hope it arrives ok.
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

His response to my WTF message:

Thank you for purchasing

I'm using guitar-only plastic packaging
This is safer and harder than cardboard
I use this packing material every day and send it all over the world
No problem
I also insure the guitar
If damaged in transit, I will cover with insurance
Thank you
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

His response to my WTF message:

Thank you for purchasing

I'm using guitar-only plastic packaging
This is safer and harder than cardboard
I use this packing material every day and send it all over the world
No problem
I also insure the guitar
If damaged in transit, I will cover with insurance
Thank you

Well, save that email. Jeeze.
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

I'm using guitar-only plastic packaging

Is he referring to the plastic strap he applied to the length of the guitar? LOL!

Seems to me that strap would actually create additional stress along the neck plane, making it even more susceptible to breakage at the headstock or neck joint after a good bump during transit. Hopefully he relieved the tension on the strings!

I can *almost* see this packing method working, especially if he wrapped the guitar itself in bubble wrap prior to putting it in the gig bag and then subsequently padded the contact points of the body, but this "exoskeleton" approach definitely adds a lot of unnecessary risk.

I give you 75/25 odds...75% it arrives absolutely fine, 25% it needs a luthier to repair upon arrival :lmao:
 
Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

Re: NVOXD, Incoming – Have Wanted One of These for a Long Time

well... worst case you get the bridge and the pups you wanted
 
Back
Top