A new landmark of the VOX legacy touches down. The British Invasion strikes again.
For generations and on countless stages worldwide, a VOX amplifier has sat behind guitar players, letting that classic British chime sing in all its glory. VOX is an institution in amplification, but if you’ve never heard of their guitars, it’s definitely a lineup worth visiting.
Chime as Old as Time
Few names in the musical community are as timeless as VOX. An exporter of an iconic British tone all its own, VOX’s reputation precedes it. The VOX tone goes back decades with iconic amplifiers, but somewhere along the way, a couple of guitars were thrown into the mix. After going dormant for years, these guitars finally see the light of day again for the modern player. The brilliant minds at VOX bring out the best for their amplifier fans, and now, electric guitarists can have their own piece of that sweet VOX sound.
Outright, if you’re looking for a set of distinctly European guitars, you’ve found it. VOX’s European roots (along with influences from their American musical counterparts of the time) make the Bobcat an awesomely unique instrument. Between these models, you have a selection of one-of-a-kind guitars with the sound and style to turn the heads of vintage and modern guitar fans across the world. These guitars are sleek, stylish, and tonally stellar.
Effortless Playability
With these Bobcat guitars, VOX made an effort to improve playability in this vintage design and it certainly shows. The semi-hollow double cutaway body of the Bobcat S66 and V90 is finely crafted to fit into any player’s arms. The maple plywood bodies are smooth and sleek, but the real kickers of the Bobcat models are their weight-relieved spruce center blocks. Fans of similar semi-hollow design are sure to take notice of the Bobcats’ light weight and resonant qualities thanks to this feature. This addition centers and sustains the Bobcats tonally, so strumming along with them acoustically also feels resonant and responsive. A mahogany neck and a lighter-hued Indonesian ebony fingerboard come together for a slick feel in your left hand as you strum and pick along. Almost like European sports cars, the Bobcats were made for speed, style, and seamless connections with their pilots – an absolute 1:1 ratio. No drag.
Vintage Italian, Modern English
The VOX Bobcat originally laid its roots and saw production in Italy in the 1960s. These unique semi-hollow bodies and pickup configurations were Italian originals, making them unique from popular American single-coil pickups and semi-hollow designs of their day. Today’s Bobcats’ pickups take reference from those first 1960s Italian pickups and specifications to keep a unique legacy alive. The Bobcat models differ with their pickup configurations, both single coil setups with their own style and remaining distinctly VOX. The Bobcat V90 comes loaded with two uniquely designed VOX V90 single coil soapbar pickups while the Bobcat S66 is equipped with three traditional single coils. Between these two setups, you’ll have a large selection of sounds to check out. The beauty in VOX’s vintage-style single coil designs is their capacity to span a vast tonal spectrum. While VOX is known worldwide for their warm, broken-up tube amplifier overdrive, the Bobcats are not strictly limited to heat. The versatility of an AC30 lives with these guitars, so to say, where the Bobcats’ single coils can stay cool and jazzy or cranked for high-octane bursts of distortion. VOX’s mastery in producing versatile instruments shines through in both pickup configurations.
Classic VOX aesthetic is not lost on the Bobcats. Like their iconic gold-detailed amplifiers, VOX brings a certain elegance to their guitars that cannot be replicated. Between gorgeous finishes and fine hardware, the Bobcats are stunners from the moment you lay eyes on them. VOX does not sacrifice form for function on these guitars. Tune-o-matic bridges and trapeze tailpieces ensure solid intonation and precise tuning for playing for hours on end. These guitars are not only made for the demands of today, but tomorrow and every day after. They are guitars that are eyeing a legacy.
VOX Bobcat V90 and S66 Final Thoughts
For the Bobcats, it’s been a couple of decades since their last stage premiere. VOX’s revival of these guitars is a testament to the success of a design that has not gone out of style. The Bobcat V90 and S66 deliver on the eternally classy essence that VOX instruments universally share. With a dedicated effort toward improving playability and perfecting their incredible tones, VOX has really brought something new to the table with these revivals. A VOX Bobcat is an effortlessly accessible electric guitar that holds its own alongside its amplifier brethren. It’s a tall task to fit the bill and stand alongside VOX’s legendary amplifiers, but the Bobcats measure up no problem. Whether you’re a diehard VOX fan or are looking for a great semi-hollow addition to your collection, the Bobcats are sure to go above and beyond to deliver on a classic British sound. Across the stage or across the pond, these guitars make themselves known.
