Hi all,

       I have a variax 700, I usually use slinky 9 / 42 strings and have my tremolo setup floating. I'm a college lecturer / recording engineer who has also set up guitars for over 20 years. The variax is a superb guitar in every way, apart from the most basic aspect........it will not stay in tune. I hope the guys at line 6 read this because it is staggering that such an amazing instrument has such a massive flaw. (the size of this massive flaw cannot be exagerated. A guitar which will not stay in tune is useless).

       The problem only exists if the tremolo is set to float (the whole point of a great tremolo like the LR Baggs unit....and the whole point of buying a variax 700 as opposed to the much cheaper 300). After using the tremolo, the tuning will be raised or lowered.....it will not come back to the correct pitch....ever. If you dive bomb or even just dip the pitch of a note on any string.....on releasing the tremolo bar the guitar will be flat by up to -12 cents. If you pull back on the tremolo bar to raise a note and then release the bar, the tuning will be up to 12 cents sharp. An interesting point is if you tune the guitar and play without tremolo......perfect tuning. This means the problem is not the machine heads.

Many people on the forums have suggested to each other the following, but I think I have found the reason....and nobody is going to like the answer.

Lube the nut - This in reality is not a solution. A well crafted nut will not need lube. The 'bone' nut on the variax 700 is not bone...a synthetic bone substitute maybe, but not bone. I've seen other people describe it as chewing gum it is so soft.

File / reduce the depth of the nut - At 5 mm the string contact with the nut is too great. Using a file to reduce this contact area down to 2.5mm is a good idea.

Install a new nut - a Gibson type drop in from graphtech or an earvana nut (£35 option).

Install a set of locking machine heads - Reducing the winds on the tuning post to a half turn improves tuning stability (£60+ option).

Increase string tension - changing to a heavier set of strings eg from a set of 9s to 10s (£5 option).

Increase spring tension - making sure you use all 3 springs on the rear of the tremolo.

Cut the 'condoms' off the springs - Variax is the first guitar i have ever seen with these fitted to the springs. I would love to know why they are fitted (Health & safety?) as you cannot operate the tremolo at all with them on.

The first thing I had to do setup wise was cut the plastic 'condoms' off the springs in the tremolo as they do not allow the tremolo to operate (literally) without a horrible crunching sound and feel. I have shaped the nut.....no difference. Tried heavier strings and resetup the guitar.....no difference. I usually use a set of 9s with 2 springs on the tremolo, so i tried a set of 10s with both 2 springs and then 3 springs on the tremolo.....no diference.

The problem seems to be constant no matter what you do to fix it in the area of machine heads / nut / strings and springs. The problem lies with the electronic cables connecting the tremolo/piezos to the brain unit in the guitar. If you look at the back of the tremolo with the cover removed you will see a thin cable and a ribbon cable attached to the tremolo. These cables go around the tremolo unit and through a hole in the body of the guitar to the brain section PCB.

If you watch the back of the tremolo closely as you operate it through its full range, first one way and then the other, you will notice the unit never returns to it original position due to the resistance of the cables/electronics. The stiff cables are in contact with the tremolo.

This is a serious flaw in the design of the instrument. A smaller light weight / very flexible connection between the tremolo PCB and the Brain PCB, which stays close to the base plate of the tremolo (which moves a short distance) and out of the way of the block/springs (which move a great distance) is needed.

The result of trying to acheive tuning stability with the tremolo floating, would for the average guitarist result in an extra £100 minimum to the price of the instrument, plus around another £100 in repeated setups and fitting of parts. Only to realise it is never going to happen.

This is a major disapointment as I have been sold a product which is superb in one way (sounds) and totally useless in another (staying in tune)....It is not fit for it's purpose!

I would love a reply from line 6 on this as the 700 is a professional instrument at a price of around £1000. I think line 6 know about this problem. None of the videos demonstrating the instrument on the line 6 website have any use of the tremolo unit. It is probably the reason why the guitars come with the tremolo mounted flat against the body when you buy them.

I would also like to know the purpose of the spring condoms?.....was that a bodge to help tuning stability?....in 30 years of playing guitar and 20 years of setting them up professionally I have never....ever seen any other guitar with these things fitted to the strings.

Come on line 6 guys, have the balls to reply to the customers who have commited to buying the flawed product and time/upgrades, searching for a variax 700  that stays in tune.

                                          Andy Smith                 www.myspace.com/humstrumbangtwang