Vox SSC-55 SS Trans Black

The Vox SSC-55 SS is one of the more unusual instruments from Vox's return to the electric guitar market in the early 2010s. Introduced as part of the Series 55, it takes design ideas developed for the Virage and combines them with a chambered body construction, a set mahogany neck and Vox's distinctive CoAxe pickup system. The "SS" designation refers to the guitar's Semi-Solid construction, and this version was offered in Transparent Black.

The Series 55 guitars were developed as modern instruments rather than reproductions of Vox's historic designs. The SSC-55 uses a single-cutaway body with pronounced contouring, a set mahogany neck and an ebony fingerboard. Its 638 mm (25.125") scale length sits between the traditional Gibson and Fender scale lengths. The 22-fret neck has a 43 mm nut width and uses an inverse-heel neck joint designed to provide unobstructed access to the upper frets.

The SS version is internally chambered, combining a relatively lightweight construction with the sustain and focused response expected from a solid-bodied electric guitar. The mahogany body is topped with ash, while the MaxConnect bridge is coupled directly to the body through its mounting studs. The bridge was designed with a wide range of saddle adjustment to accommodate accurate intonation across different string gauges.

The most distinctive feature of the SSC-55 SS is its CoAxe pickup system. Developed specifically for Vox's modern guitar range, the CoAxe design uses a central sensing element combined with a coaxial hum-cancelling coil. Each pickup has its own three-position mode switch, providing three different pickup voices: a single-coil sound, a P-90-style sound and a humbucker sound. This is different from conventional coil-splitting, as the three modes are part of the pickup's dedicated design rather than simply switching a humbucker coil on or off.

The pickup system is particularly flexible because the neck and bridge pickups can be configured independently. The guitar has a master volume, master tone and three-way pickup selector, while the individual mode switches determine the character of each pickup. The result is a relatively simple control layout with a broad range of available sounds.

The Series 55 was part of Vox's modern guitar development under G-ROK, with the instruments manufactured in Korea by SPG Musical Instruments in Incheon. The combination of American design development, Korean production and unconventional electronics was characteristic of this generation of Vox instruments.

The SSC-55 SS was introduced alongside the solid-bodied SSC-55, with the semi-solid version distinguished by its chambered construction and Transparent Black finish. The finish allows the top to remain visible around the edge of the body, creating a natural contrast that functions visually much like binding.

This particular SSC-55 SS is in excellent condition, with only very light signs of use. It has no repairs and is fully original. It comes with a hard case with stickers and a strap fitted with strap locks.

Specifications

• Model: Vox SSC-55 SS
• Construction: Semi-Solid, internally chambered
• Body: Mahogany
• Top: ash
• Neck: Mahogany, set neck
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Scale: 25.125" / 638 mm
• Frets: 22
• Nut width: 43 mm / 1.7"
• Pickups: 2 × Vox CoAxe
• Pickup modes: Single-coil, P-90-style and humbucker
• Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone, 3-way pickup selector, individual pickup mode switches
• Bridge: Vox MaxConnect
• Tuners: Vox Super Smooth Custom Tuners
• Finish: Transparent Black
• Country of manufacture: South Korea
• Manufacturer: SPG Musical Instruments, Incheon
• Weight: 3.43 kg
• Condition: Excellent, very light wear
• Originality: Fully original, no repairs
• Included: Hard case with stickers, strap with strap locks

The guitar has been fully checked and set up in our workshop and is ready to play.