Community : Discussion List - Variax Transplants

I need to transplant Variax 300 circuitry into a Variax 500

support@line6.com — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 01:46:20 GMT

I have a Variax 300 in perfect working order. I also have a Variax 500 with a back system board. The Variax 500 is a better neck and body. I would like to transplant the insides of the 300 into the 500 body. They are not the same. Has anyone done this? Does anyone know of any resources that might help me with this? Give me your thoughts. Does anyone have a Variax 500 system board they would like to sell?

Need advice: Strat transplant-can I blend strat pups with variax sounds simultaneously?

support@line6.com — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:46:55 GMT

Hello all, first time poster...just some background, I have been doing 300+ solo shows a year for the past 8 years (and a dozen or so per year with my band), and most of the time for my solo show I use a Variax electric. I've owned 7 of them over that time...a blue 700, a bunch of black or red 300s...and now have settled on two sunburst 500s. I can definitely say from experience...the build quality and especially the reliability of the electronics is much, much better on the 500s over the 300s. I had lots of problems with every one of my 300s...they simply aren't made to withstand 300 live dates a year. But so far, over the last 6 months, I've had no problems whatsoever with the 500, which is why I decided to buy another one to to a transplant.

I am a Strat guy and always have been. I love the sounds of the Variax, especially the Martin Jumbo acoustic that I have tweaked over the years that I use 75% of the time during my solo shows. I'm convinced I can't get a better acoustic sound through a PA than this particular model; I've tried the Graphtech AcousticPhonic system on a Strat (still have it in fact, it's on eBay right now...just doesn't do it for me although it's awesome)...I've tried electric/acoustics...nothing sounds more like a micked acoustic through a PA than this model on the Variax, other than micking an acoustic, which isn't practical and I don't like playing big acoustic guitars all night, plus I'm kind of a "one man band" type of act, using a loop station, so to be stuck with a micked acoustic all night just isn't an option.

But...I hate the look of the Variax, and the feel of it. The body is too small...the neck is just...well, you guys know. Great sounds, uninspiring guitars, especially if you've always been married to a certain type of guitar.

Anyway, I've educated myself on the various transplants...Jeff Miller (who happens to live 45 minutes from me), other "stratovariax" projects...that beautifully done white strat by Marco in Brazil:

http://www.vettaville.nl/vvvariaxcon1.html

But I haven't found any of them that actually allow you to blend the two systems together. So my question is...why can't I just put the circuit board, bridge, all 3 knobs, TRS and RJ45 connector in my strat, especially if I'm not concerned about how it looks or having 6 knobs and extra jack holes drilled...and have 2 cables coming out of the strat, through my pedal board and into the PA? I do all my solo gigs sitting down...I could use a Y cable as well I'm assuming, just combining the 2 outputs at the first input on my pedal board...that way when I have a loop going from the Variax acoustic, or my favorite Jazzbox Gibson L5 setting or whatever...and then while I'm soloing, just turn up the strat pickups and have the 2 sounds blended together, or turn down the Variax volume completely, half and half, etc? Am I missing something here? I've just never found anyone that's done it like this, and I'm assuming it's because most people that have done transplants are trying to "hide" the Variax knobs as best they can, and use an a/b toggle switch. I'm not worried about how it looks, this is my full time job and I just want my favorite strat to play every night, to have the Variax sounds inside of it, but I don't want to do the A/B toggle switch to have one or the other. Am I asking too much? Lol

If my assumption is correct, and there is nothing stopping me from doing this, I would probably just sacrifice the 2 tone knobs of the strat, making tone 1 the vax volume, tone 2 the vax tone, and then have the model selector knob off to the side of those knobs, somewhere between the edge of the pick guard and the input jack. I did see one project where they just made a special little extra pick guard and had all 3 knobs lined up next to the strat knobs...looks kinda dorky, but like I said, I'm not that concerned about the look...I just want the variety of tones, and the ability for them to be used simultaneously. Here's a link to the one I'm talking about: http://guitarrepaircentre.net/index.php/work-portfolio-mainmenu/modifications/19-varistrat

In fact, after looking at this one again, I don't see a toggle switch, so maybe this one proves that it can be done? And I'm guessing to have them completely "blendable", I would have to install a separate 5 way switch for the Variax, so that when I make changes between the magnetic pickups with the strat's 5 way, it doesn't change the model sound on the Variax that I'm blending with? Maybe that is overkill, asking too much lol?

Sorry for the long post, I'm just kind of "typing out loud" trying to think this through. I have all of the parts ready to go, I'm going to get started on it in the next couple of days, I'm just trying to find the best way to go about it. I'm also horrible at wiring/soldering, so I may end up taking it to someone, if I can provide them clear instructions and insight on how it's been done before. By the way, if there's anyone in the Dayton/Columbus/Cincinnati/Indianapolis/Northern KY area that knows how to do this, other than Jeff Miller (he's apparently had enough of this madness!), let me know!

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions. I will be documenting this whole process and will post pictures and info on the progress. The strat in question is a lovely faded Sonic Blue mim strat with a well worn in maple fret board. I decided to do this transplant 6 months ago, and I'm really excited to have located a second 500 as the donor...I just don't want to screw this up!

-Nick Mitchell

www.skepcat.com

My Contribution to the oeuvre

support@line6.com — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:09:29 GMT

Variax/Xps Service Manual

support@line6.com — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:51:38 GMT

I have not seen this posted anywhere before and my apologies if it is a repost... maybe someone here will find it useful or interesting:

http://www.epanorama.net/sff/Audio/Musical/Products/Line_6/Variax%20Service%20Manual.pdf

Solving a connection problem

support@line6.com — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:40:43 GMT

So.. Having a new Variax transplant, some other guitars and even a Roland GR-55 and some axes fitted with a gk2. How to connect all those together?

I wanted to switch between the GR guutars and the variax, but without to much stuff on stage.

This is why I modded a regular AB100 switch fron Behringer to support the variax output/power. The ring connector is switchable between ground (the regular use) or +7 volts (the variax TRS power level).

It is a simple schematic using a LM317 voltage regulator and some resistors.

It works like a charm

My new guitar.. A variax transplant

support@line6.com — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:15:31 GMT

I have written a blog about my transplat variax:

http://howcome.godrop.it/post/2012-05-29-een-nieuw-project.html

It is in Dutch, but ths pics give you an idea of my work.

Variax 500 xplant upgraded to JTV

support@line6.com — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 02:59:08 GMT

STRATOVARIAX #0002 started

support@line6.com — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 13:24:46 GMT

After building the 1st strat variax: http://line6.com/community/thread/45021?tstart=0

I got the appetite so here goes my 2^nd transplant project:

The body is made of basswood with quilted maple top A grade (not the best quality) and its currently being routed for the electronics.

It's going to have a 300 guts implemented together with a Wilkinson (same as the 1^st on) floating tremolo

More info to come

Mag pickup wiring on JTVs?

support@line6.com — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 18:54:51 GMT

I should be able to answer this myself but am on vacation away from my JTVs. . .well actually I have one with me, but no tools to open her up and even if I did, it is hard to make out which wires are what.

I am picking up my second JTV xplant next week. It is actually my old purple flame, double bound tele that had variax 500 guts. Just had it updated to JTV guts and duncan pearloid p rails. I love the versatiliy the p rails add but have some questions.

1- has anyone added a 3rd pickup to a 59 or 89? I would love to have these guys be HSH and maybe put sumthin whacky in the middle. A p90, or mini hum, or maybe even a pearloids strat middle pickup.

I seem to remember my luthier finding the pickup and switch wiring weird but don't remember the reason. Maybe the switch only sends 2 wires to mobo so he didn't believe that one switch controlled it all? If that is the case I assume the pickups get connected at the board as well. I don't have a 69 to compare it to to see how the 3 pickup wiring is different than 2. I would even be willing to cram a 5 way into these puppies if I could add a 3rd pick up.

2- along the same lines. Does anyone know if it would be possible to just add a seperate switch por the mags? I would much prefer contolling mags and models seperately. Being able to lock model pick up selector in the POD helps but then I can't change model pickups within that patch. of course allowing a POD IA to send a model change to JTV would solve all of that as well.

I have a 3 pickup epi firebird that can get "stratty". I also have an epi riviera with 3 p90s and that also can get "stratty". Obviously both sound a bit fatter etc, but combining those 2 0r 4 positions with a modeled strat would be cool.

I saw a clip on youtube of a guy that had prails in an HSH strat with quarter pounder in the middle, I'd prefer something less hot than a quarter pounder, and if at all possible "cooler" of "whackier" looking.

Somehow I think a double bound in pearloid, purple flame top and back explorer would look whacky with 2 pearloid duncan custom shop p rails and a chrome mini hum in the middle. . . . .. or a chrome p90. . .or pearloid ASAT. . .. or a pearloid strat middle pickup. Filtertron may look whacky but I am pretty sure would sound just as whacky. . .

Has anyone been messing with the JTV wiring at all?

Latest Transplant Done!

support@line6.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:42:39 GMT

All finished,to a point.I will have pics soon.It doesn't look perfect but plays awsome!Word to the wise to all who are just starting=ALWAYS MAKE SURE SCALE LEGNTH IS RIGHT!!!Ran into this and not paying attention,just assumed all was well.I was able to repair what was needed but what a pain!!Also had to do many minor adjustments for playability issues.All electronics work flawless.

Setup as follows=

Strat style body,electronics from back/no pickguard(used)

New flamed maple,rosewood board(u shape to c shape to lower frets)

Lace Silver pu's mid and neck positions

Carvin C22 bridge

Vax electronics

Wilkenson lock tuners(vintage style)

TBX tone for mag pickups and Treble bleed for volume pot

Almost completely noiseless!!!!Switch from mag to vax at anytime(first time I attempted this mod,3rd vax trans).I think I am going to change to a diff body at somepoint,something more strat vintage(I just like it better) but for now I am pleased.Pics soon.Rock on!!!

transplant hang up...Tele B Bender almost done

support@line6.com — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:23:02 GMT

Ok I just about have my B bender variax Tele done. I used Graphtech saddles, and Variax 600 guts. Ok, heres my prob. I wanted my tele to look stock, to do so I removed all the pots from the circuit board, I mounted the pot in a different spot. I ran wires to the circuit board. All my pots work except for the model selector. I cannot figure out why. I even did the calibration with all the beep sequences and still nothing. I ordered another pot and still nothing. It just wants to bounce back and forth between the R-billy setting and the Custom 2 Setting. And yes I even re-flashed the it too. Nothing.... At the moment the guitar is useable for I am letting my POD HD500 select the models for me. I just cannot figure out why I cant get this to work. If you look in the pic, you can see how i ran the wires off the pot circuit board to the pots in the stock position... The middle section is where i am putting the model selector... Please help.