The switch has died. It won't change between models. It works OK on the magnetic pickups but when in 'Variax Mode' it doesn't work. It's likely a software issue but I've upgraded the firmware and it's still there. It seems like the problems they had at the start of the year continue.....

BTW, my reply was to your previous post re sounds when the battery is discharged. Sorry to hear you have other problems.

Hi all - I have been reading and keeping up with all the posts on this thread which are quite extensive at this point.

Anyway - I need to share this bit of info based on this previous set of remarks regarding the battery dying on the person who just got his long awaited 59KN  (Korean - I use this to distinguish in my postings between the Korean models and the US models.

Okay - with all that crap out of the way.  The design of ALL JTV guitars is that you CAN leave the 1/4" jack plugged in, HOWEVER you MUST turn the volume to OFF.  When the volume is in the OFF position, it shuts down the battery consumption after 2 minutes.  This is one of the better design features to help prevent what happened to you leaving the guitar plugged in.  I hope more people know about this feature as it was discussed early on last year.

Another way to achieve the same result is to just turn the modeling off by pusching the Model knob so that the light goes out.  This actually does turn the guitar into a completely passive style guitar like a typical Les Paul, Strat or any other non-active guitar.

Lastly - even if all these suggestions are not used and the guitar IS left "ON", the battery when fully charged should not be dead after one night.  These rechargeable batteries for US or Korean are the same in every way and from my personal experience know that you do get at least 20 hours of "ON TIME" before the indicator gets down to just one dot.

I hope this helps you and anyone else reading this post who might not have known the guitar has these features.

Take care,

Neal

I just wasn't overly impressed with the bulk of the modelling. The other thing is the acoustics themselves never sound the same two days in a row...it's weird. To be honest, I've only really played thru my PODxt and I really want to try it out in my Peavey Classic and see if the valves make it warmer or closer than thru the xt before I make a final decision. I'll be selling it for about £950.

Hi Matt - I had a JTV59-BLK with a W1101 serial number - 99% perfect but hit the switch problem - (for clarity - it only exhibited the random model switching issue twice and both times it worked fine after just being disconnected and powered off and on  - so nowhere near as often as your issue is occurring) - sent it in for repair - 3 and a half weeks later it returned having had the user interface assembly replaced (ie: the Model and Alt-Tune pots) and the switch cleaned. Within an hour of getting it back the switch problem re-occurred. Called my dealer who offered me a replacement as he had just received a load of JTV59s from Line6 - so I accepted a JTV59 TSB which arrived next day and they took away the JTV59-BLK. The TSB was visually flawless BUT electronically had a whole host of issues - noise with the mag pu's, noise on some modelled sounds, then intermittent switch issue and stuck switch issue. The new one has a serial that starts W1104 - so it is a very recent one. Called dealer and Line6 and this has now gone back for repair - and I will probably be without it for 2 weeks.  I hope they get the issues resolved. I know there are people who have received 2 JTV59s with no issues, yet I have now had two with electronic issues. It seems the switch issue - whatever it is - is very tricky to identify and fully resolve. But the newer TSB had a load of other issues that should have been picked up before it reached the dealer.

I am frustrated and disappointed but I realise that both my dealer and Line6 want me to have a fully functioning JTV59 - I am sure Line6 want this issue resolved as much as the rest of us.

I am sorry to hear that you have also hit this problem - and it does seem more common than you would expect particularly with the UK supplied 59's.

I hope you get your problem sorted but don't be surprised if it takes several weeks - and don't be surprised if it re-occurs when you get it back.  I hope it doesn't for your sake - but it happened to me so could easily happen to someone else, as the switch issue does seem to be truly random and there doesn't seem to be a guaranteed fix for it yet - certainly from my experience.

Best Regards

Eddie

Hey wahwah666, I too am surprised that you aren't finding the modelling impressive, the models completely exceeded my expectations.  I think what Nick was referring to would happen if you are using VDI cable, I have never owned a POD XT Live so I don't know the differences or similarities between that and the HD500.  I can tell you this though, using the VDI cable with theHD500 will carry the models on one channel and the magnetics on another so unless you pan the final stage in your signal chain hard left or right depending on whether you want to hear magnetics or models you will hear both.  If this happens, even if you don't use alternate tunings you will hear a blend of the models and the pickups which would obviously hamper your ability to assess how good the models sound especially the accoustics.  And of course when you are checking out the accoustics you are going full range right?  not through an amp model.  Sorry if these suggestions seem like a no brainer, but my experience with this thing so far has been such that every gig or rehearsal I take it to blows away the other musicians, they think it's magic.   Personally I don't know how much more strat or tele you could make these models, the same goes for the rest of them.  I will say that on some of the Jazz box guitars there seems to be a lack of attack while picking.  I'm not sure if it's part of the model or a smidge of latency on those particular models, but I don't experience any latency on any other models so I'm hesitant to think it's that.  I hope you get it sorted out becuase this guitar really is amazing.

You just replied to me because I'm the last post I take it?  I'm really not sure what your point is here.  Are you trying to say you can do it all with your fingers?  I just don't get your point, what do you mean?

Any guitar can be played through any amp.  That's how all these great guitarist players get their own sound, they find a combination of guitar(maybe with some modifications), amp and effects to get a sound that they like.  They don't do it so that the sound will be associated with them but that often happens if it's a really good tone.

Keeping in mind that some strats sound a little different than others and the same can be said of any type of guitar, strats tend to have a certain sound, as do les pauls and ricky's and so on down the line.  That's why Line 6 made these guitars and that's why we are all buying them.  Heck if I could get a banjo, accoustic and sitar sound out of my strat or Paul Reed Smith just by getting good with my fingers I would have saved the $1400.  I've been playing for almost 40 years but I haven't managed those techniques yet. 

Just got my 89 at long + mcquade. Guitar works great. I was a little surprised however that the strings have to actually be in tune to standard before the alternate tunings worked properly. I just plugged and played without tuning and all the alternates sounded like ****, until I plugged my guitar into a tuner.