Vox Virage DC Richie Sambora
Vox Virage DC Richie Sambora
While the British brand Vox is mostly known for its iconic amplifiers, it was also behind some wildly creative and personal guitar designs — some of which have become true rock classics. The Phantom was seen in the hands of Tom Petty and Ian Curtis, the Teardrop (or Mark VI) remains closely associated with Brian Jones, and the curious Guitorgan — capable of producing Hammond organ-like tones — has appeared with Counting Crows and on countless film soundtracks.
In 2008, Vox revisited its storied past and, alongside a new Phantom with built-in amp and effects, launched a more serious line of professional-grade instruments. The release was backed by endorsements from several high-profile artists, including Prince — who played his HDC-77 on stage numerous times — and Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes), who toured extensively with his Virage. Richie Sambora was also among the lucky few, and this Virage DC, signed by the Bon Jovi guitarist himself, became part of his vast personal collection.
At first glance, the Virage DC looks like a slightly scaled-down ES-335, but its real innovation lies in the pickups — a Vox exclusive developed with Steve Blutcher of DiMarzio. Each pickup features two rails and six pole pieces and can be configured to emulate three distinct pickup styles via a switch: a humbucker using both rails, a single coil using one rail, and a P90 using the six pole pieces. With nine tonal configurations in total, it’s easy to see how a versatile player like Sambora — who can evoke an incredibly wide range of sonic landscapes — would find this instrument invaluable for quickly dialing in the right tone without losing creative momentum.
Richie Sambora
(1959)
Band: Bon Jovi
Main guitar: Fender Stratocaster Signature
Must-hear track: Livin’ On A Prayer
This is how the history of rock goes: for every Mick Jagger, there’s a Keith Richards. For every Steven Tyler, a Joe Perry. For every Robert Plant, a Jimmy Page. For every superstar frontman who sets crowds on fire, there’s a brooding, endlessly cool guitarist holding down the fort — stepping into the spotlight only for brief, explosive thirty-second bursts.
Richie Sambora joined New Jersey-based Bon Jovi in 1983, just a few months after the band was formed. From the start, Sambora’s playing and personality perfectly complemented frontman Jon Bon Jovi. Together, they formed a songwriting duo that would produce some of the biggest hard rock hits ever — songs that are still staples of radio airplay. Their real breakthrough came in 1986 with the album Slippery When Wet, on which Sambora co-wrote nine of the ten tracks, including the three mega-hits: Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, and Wanted Dead Or Alive. Sambora’s playing on the album is fast, precise, energetic, and inventive — clearly influenced by Van Halen like most guitar heroes of the time, but with a unique touch all his own. His gift for impactful arrangements shines through in the use of a twelve-string on Wanted…, the pitch shifter in the solo of You Give Love A Bad Name, and, of course, the iconic talkbox in Livin’ On A Prayer.
From then on, the band skyrocketed to global stardom, playing to massive crowds of euphoric fans around the world. Bon Jovi’s genius was in maintaining relevance across decades, consistently finding success with new generations of listeners. The band topped the charts again in 1994 with Always, and once more in 2000 with It’s My Life — also co-written by Sambora — proving their staying power with a younger audience that still follows them to this day.
Struggling with personal demons, Sambora was forced to leave the band in 2013, right in the middle of yet another world tour. Since then, he formed the band RSO with his former partner Orianthi and has shown a growing interest in the Telecaster and Esquire models — a notable shift for a guitarist long associated with flashy superstrats during his Bon Jovi days. Richie Sambora’s musical journey is far from over, and it likely still holds many surprises in store.
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