greghall wrote:

 

Hi Rich,

 

Will the guitar work without the battery when connected to a POD X3 Live via the RJ-45 cable?

 

Thanks,

Greg

I recall Rich answering this before, that the X3L/XTL/Vetta VDI connection will *power* the Variax, but will not charge the battery. That sounds to me like the answer to your question is yes.

mdmayfield wrote:

 

On Rich's blog. Look at the screen shot.

 

New Workbench:

http://tylervariax.com/2010/06/29/306/variax-workbench-software/

There is NO Series/Parallel switch in this screenshot.

 

Old Workbench:

http://www.synthtopia.com/images/Variax-Workbench.jpg

There IS clearly a Series/Parallel switch here.

 

Rich answered my comment on the blog, explaining that Workbench hasn't changed; however, if that's the case, I would feel much more at ease with a screenshot that reflected that.

A picture is worth a thousand words.  I hope it is like you say that perhaps it might be on another tab?

I'm glad it'll never happen.  That would be like selling POD guts to shove into custom enclosures.  It makes little business sense.  They sell off-the-shelf products.  They always have.

Crusty_Old_Rocker wrote:

 

toasterdude wrote:

Pretty quickly. . .I already have the guitar being built so once I get the JTV the luthier can start work. . . if he ever calls me back! No kits though. . . . ..don't go there!

 

Just out of curiosity, are all your guitars custom made?  Or do you own a Strat, Les Paul or an Ibanez perhaps?

 

The reason I ask is that if you do play "off the shelf" guitars and the build quality of the JTV is as good as a Strat, Les Paul or Ibanez then what is your motivation for getting a custom guitar built?

 

Please don't interpret this as a criticism, you're the one who will be playing the instrument.  It's just my curiosity in the field of consumer behaviour that has sparked my interest. I too would swap out a neck on a guitar if it didn't suit me

 

Seriously, I'd like to know is it purely the aesthetics of the JTV, the branding, the lack of a particular feature (like a hollow body, cutaway or neck profile)?

 

I'd really like to know what the custom guitar that you're having built will be.

 

Cheers,

 

Crusty

Question for you. Have you ever had a guitar made pretty much exactly how you want it? Once you do, it is sort of tough to go back to off the shelf.

I used to play strat copies, and Gibson explorers. I always found it tough playing 6 songs on the explorer and then using the strat for 1 or 2. Way different necks, string spacing etc etc etc. By the time I would warm up to the strat it was time to switch again.

I bought a used 500 years ago and dug the sounds and even dug the feel enough for it not to be a problem.  The frets seemed to wear fast though. I bought a 600 and decided to change the neck as the neck on the 600 was fugly. Got a warmoth compund radius. Got comfortable with it. Saw guys like Jeff Miller, and Midi Rose building guitars that they wanted. I am too lazy to actually learn all that stuff, so I bought warmoth parts for an xplant.

Swamp Ash, AAAAA flame maple top, flame maple neck with brazilian rosewood, stainless frets, compound radius, diamond inlays. Same neck specs as the warmoth I put on my 600. It was great to be able to switch guitars and have them feel almost identical.

I also live in a foreign country and travel a LOT. The idea of having one guitar that can cover it all, has great appeal.  Having  a backup also makes sense. The 600 has been flakey and unreliable from day one. I bought a second 500 used and have that one being xplanted into a warmoth strat with lipstick tube pickups and the neck from the 600.

Right around then I learned about the JTV. Better quality models, and alt tune knob seemed very cool. Rechargable battery seemed very cool. They also look better than the ugly 600 and 700s. . . .lol. . .I am sure the build quality is great as well. Doing an xplant has nothing to do with shortcomings of the JTV.

I have grown very attached to my purple tele xplant, and the thought of it becoming "firewood" because nobody will want to play old variax tech when the JTV comes out, did not appeal to me. So I of course want to put the JTV guts into my fave axe. I still need a backup though. So I ordered 2 JTV 59s. One for the purple tele and the other I planned on doing a LP style. Planned on putting Prails in both so I have way more choices than dual humbucker.

Well the fiance started getting curious about what model of guitar I used to play, and I showed her some youtube clips of allen collins going off on his explorer. We also watched "it might get loud" and of course the whole section with the edge talking about the explorer. She convinced me that I NEED an explorer. I still have an old 80s explorer with that god awful kahler trem on it, but have not touched it in years and a friend has it on loan.

So. . . .I convinced warmoth that they could do an explorer with flame top AND back. You guessed it. Purple. Same neck specks as my other 2 but obviously with explorer headstock. Got the parts a few weeks back and the purple dye is not even close to what my purple tele finish looks like. It has definitely grown on me, and I am keeping it. Just waiting for the JTV so my guy can install the guts into the explorer and put it together with p rails. Did I mention that both xplants are double bound in pearloid and I am getting custom shop pearloid covers on my p rails?

Since I ordered the xplant parts I have bought several off the shelf guitars and also parts to do some parts casters etc. I am having fun with my gretsch, 3 danos, 2 Gibson explorers and an epi 335 that the fiance is giving me for xmas. I am happy with look and feel of the epi and I am sure the JTVs will be as good, and more likely even better. I can use these guitars at home. Use em for recording. Use em if I am ever gonna jam a few tunes with aband and don't need more than one type of guitar etc. But, if I am traveling, or may need to play a few different styles, the variax gets grabbed.

I was in south america for 3 months and only had my purple tele variax. When recording a new tune I needed strat, tele, LP gold top, and acoustic sounds. I may replace all of the scratch parts but the variax was a killer tool to have when trying to figure out a new tune etc. I am in Caracas right now, and you guessed it, purple tele xplant is with me.

I guess I think variax tech is so damn cool and advanced that having it in an off the shelf or generic looking guitar doesn't do it justice. I pull my guitar out of it's case and get a WTF is THAT. If they sell as many tobacco sunburst 59s as I think they will I would have a guitar that thousands of others also have. OTOH I am pretty confident nobody else has a purple flame double bound explorer with pearloid p rails, flame mape neck with SS frets, diamond inlays. . . .AND JTV tech.

I am sure many guys grab a strap from GC and use it for years. Not me. Snakeskin straps that cost about 180 bucks each. I have 4 now and may need 1 or 2 more.

Something about python belly cut with a purple flame tele or explorer;-)

Still waiting for a response.

Oooops. Just now noticed this only has to do with your blogs.  Sorry about that.  But now that I have your attention, any chance you could respond?  I will take no response as a no.  Thanks.