Community: Message List

Re: How many of us use our V1 Variax as our main guitar now?

support@line6.com — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:14:10 GMT

V500 is still my main axe on stage... but I've added a Roland JK3 and two mag pu's to it. Among modeled sounds, I use only acoustic tones and semi-hollow flavors...

Re: Operation of Variax 500, 600, 700 Tone Control. Sounds thin full up.

support@line6.com — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 06:13:36 GMT

Hi,

I have a Variax 500 as well and notice the same thing.

Here is my explanation:

from 5 to 10, the tone control of the Variax mimics a "variable cable capacitance".

It shifts down the virtual "resonant frequency" of your virtual pickups, making them beefier sounding, as if you were adding a length of cable (and the related capacitance) between a guitar with passive pickups and the input in which you plug it.

Explanations about resonant peaks of guitar pickups, if necessary (scroll down in order to see the graphs showing how capacitance changes the tone):

http://buildyourguitar.com/resources/lemme/

A cable is a kind of giant capacitor. Typically, each foot of cable adds 50picofarad to the circuit and lowers the resonant frequency of the pickup.

When the cable is long enough (around 6m / 1000 picofarad), the resonant peak of the pickup falls in the range enhanced by most guitar loudspeakers: the sound becomes creamier and apparently louder. IOW, the cable reacts as a passive mid enhancer...

Here is another link about it:

http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/cables.shtml

The tone pot of the Variax mimics this effect, while a regular tone pot with a "real" pickup does nothing else than flattening the resonant peak from 10 to approximatively 3/10. You can see it here:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/stop-ignoring-those-knobs/

FWIW: my answer is based on hundreds of actual tests with "real" magnetic pickups and on extensive experiments with my Variax (IOW: it's not a supposition; it's something sure IME).

HTH,

Re: Variax 500 tones

support@line6.com — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 07:01:04 GMT

Hi,

Sorry for the delayed answer.

AFAIK, there's no other bodies available than those already stocked in the Variax. All you can do is mix and match them differently thx to the Workbench.

For a SG emulation, try one of the all mahogany bodies (LP Jr or LP Special). It might be a bit bass heavy but it's the closest thing to a SG.

Re: Variax sounds metallic

support@line6.com — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:20:07 GMT

It's probably the "pluck" produced by the piezo transducers (I know it by heart, I have a Variax 500 since 2003). Some FX's and amps enhance it. Playing through Line6 modeling diminishes it. There's no way to cancel it totally since it's due to the hardware used. The design of the JTV is supposed to have solved this issue.

Possible tricks against it:

1) try a pre-distorsion EQing set around 1khz and scoop the mids drastically with the highest Q factor available;

2) plug the axe in Line6 devices only;

3) adapt your playing: avoid dead notes and palm muting (that's what I've refused to do);

4) don't use too much gain with Variax modeling (that's what I tend to do);

5) don't focus on this issue: even under high gain, it disappears in the mix once the guitar is played on stage - that's why my Vax is still my main tool for live gigs after almost 9 years of use. :-)

Re: JTV through a modelling amp

support@line6.com — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:48:42 GMT

I have a 2003 Variax 500 and it sounds the most convincing... through Line6 amp modeling.

Through other modeling devices that I (have) own(ed) (Vox, Boss, Zoom) it sounds ok but different, with less realism.

Through normal amps, it's a hit or miss thing. My Vox AC15 is the best one for this axe. My customized Marshall JTM or Fender Hot Rod don't like it : they enhance the Variax "core tone" in a not so pleasing way and can even make it sound frankly "fake".

To my ears, my solid states Carlsbro is not dynamic enough for Variax acoustic models.

I know the JTV is not a Variax 500 but it's still a Variax, after all... :-)

HTH,

Re: No signal from Variax when using batteries.

support@line6.com — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 07:04:36 GMT

Find a voltmeter and verify that your 6 batteries effectively give 9V. It might seem stupid but I've a problem of short cut with my batteries EACH TIME I put them in my Vax 500. I must systematically "rotate" them with my fingers in order to recreate the contact between poles. If one battery only is misplaced, there's no voltage...

Re: ?(8>*}?!?... Why doesn't Line 6 model PRS guitars, and...

support@line6.com — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:14:32 GMT

You're too kind with my lame hypothesis, Sir... :-)

But it's really a pleasure to talk with you, Gelée-Ouïte

[au fait, j'aurais dû me douter que je discutais avec un francophone en voyant les accents sur les lettres de ta signature, mon ami du Québec... Moi je suis du Nord de la France. Au plaisir de te lire quand je passerai (ce que je fais hélas très irrégulièrement, faute de temps)].

Re: ?(8>*}?!?... Why doesn't Line 6 model PRS guitars, and...

support@line6.com — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:32:45 GMT

Yes, I understand. You're totally right in your explanations and you make me realize that I haven't been so clear in my previous post. Let's try to reword it...

If the Variax models tend to be dark, it's not a problem for us users because...

1) some vintage guitars like those modeled in the Vax are actually dark too (not all of them: I've recently repaired an early L Series Strat whose pu's were still extremely bright, while another L series owned by a friend of mine sounds much darker);

2) anyway, we, users, can't compare the Vax models to the real things, most of the time, because owners of vintage guitars are pretty rare. For example, the two L series mentioned above are the only ones that I've been authorized to play these last 30 years.

On the contrary, a modern guitar could be directly compared to the Vax model - and those who ignore the influence of cable capacitance on tones, for example, would then conclude than the Vax modeling is not faithful...

IOW, there's 2 benefits in the fact to model only vintage guitars:

1) those who can't touch the real thing can at least play a satisfying copy;

2) those who are anal with their tone but who don't understand technical parms have less chances to be frustrated by Line6 since they generally don't own real vintage models to compare with the Vax...

I don't know if this explanation is clever or if it's totally stupid but it apparently translates what I was trying to say.

Regards (and thx a lot for your efforts to write in French, my friend).

Re: ?(8>*}?!?... Why doesn't Line 6 model PRS guitars, and...

support@line6.com — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:00:44 GMT

I shime a bit too late but here is my POV of Variax 500 owner/user since 2003: Line6 has not modeled a PRS nor any modern guitar because it wouldn't suit the overall "voicing" of the Vax (which is rather dark and warm, in order to tame some "piezo" characteristics which would be annoying otherwise).

Re: Strange behavior of tone knob (JTV 59)

support@line6.com — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:52:17 GMT

It's something that I notice in my Variax 500 since the 3rd firmware update...

I think that the behavior of the tone knob has been designed to work like that:

from 10 to 5: the knob emulates an increasing "cable capacitance", as if you were adding a lenght of cable between your guitar and amp (because yes, when you add cable capacitance between a passive pickup and an amp, it shifts down the resonant frequency and reacts like a passive mid boost, producing a bit more level).

From 5 to 0, the knob works like a regular tone control.

It's a way to make the tone control a bit more interesting and useful, since a regular tone pot does nothing but flattening the resonant peak between 10 and 3 or 4.

FYI, it's not a fantaisist hypothesis : it's something that's I've reproduced with real electric guitars, when I've intentionally changed the capacitance of my cables in order to measure their effect on the tone.

Hope to be useful... :-)