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766 Views 8 Replies Latest reply: Jan 22, 2012 3:45 AM by wolbai RSS
wolbai Just Startin'
wolbai
177 posts since
Mar 30, 2010
Currently Being Moderated

Jan 14, 2012 7:50 AM

JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

Having my JTV 59 now for 1 month. And that guitar has started to deliver what I was looking for.

 

As a Cover Rock musician I wanted to reduce my number of guitars (1 Single Coil, 1 Les Paul, 1 Acoustic) I used to play when giging. For the Acoustic sounds I also wanted to use them within a song on the fly.

 

Yesterday I started to rehearse "Here comes the sun" with my band. With my Acoustic guitar I would have played it with a capo on the 7th fret and some tuning before and after the song, because the capo brings the guitar out of the regular tuning.

 

With the JTV 59 I use the Martin 1967 6-string model (and some effects) and the Alternate tuning feature. Now I play it in the open chord position.

I did a quick recording on that. You can here the body resonance of an acoustic guitar - grazy to me. Well - my playing could have been more precisely and the guitar is slightly out of tune, But the sound and the ease of use blows me away:

 

http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=11364076&q=hi&newref=1

 

This guitar is so amazing in functionality, diversity of sounds and I love its look and feel (especially the neck for playing in a high position).

 

Just wanted to share my joy with you guys.

 

wolbai

  • lindsayward Just Startin'
    lindsayward
    156 posts since
    Mar 7, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 18, 2012 5:00 PM (in response to wolbai)
    Re: JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

    Thanks for sharing

    I was thinking recently that - apart from the US model (which I haven't tried) - I honestly wouldn't want any other guitar instead of my tobacco burst JTV-59. Unless of course, I could have a really expensive one - sell it and buy the 59 and a house .

    Versatility + Simplicity is really a massive advantage with Line 6 gear. I have the POD HD500 as well, so I've got every tone I could want in two bits of gear plugged together with one cable. Can't beat it, I think.

    • wolbai Just Startin'
      wolbai
      177 posts since
      Mar 30, 2010
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 18, 2012 11:12 PM (in response to lindsayward)
      Re: JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

      I have the TSB too. I love this guitar, although I need to do some modification by my luthier:

       

      - I will install a cream white pickup switch washer for cosmetic reasons,

      - The frets are too high for me and I hope this will also reduce some slightly intonation issues with open chords (especially the D-chord).

       

      The slightly intonation is not a manufactoring issue. Other guitars have sometimes the same "problem". But that is the nature of string instruments (like a piano). And there are different workarounds on that as to be found in the JTV forums. By pressing the fingers strongly on the fret (which I do) the intonation at the specific position will increase and vice versa. So there is some realsitic hope that the fret dressing will also minimize the slightly intonation to an acceptable level.

       

      The simplcity + versatility of Line6 equipment is amazing. But the equipment can lead user also into the opposite direction, meaning it can be very complex. Because there are many - for starters sometimes too many - possibilities to configure the rig to your specific needs. I run through that learning curve with my DT50/212 + HD500. I am very satisfied now, but was not from the beginning.

       

      wolbai

      • kenchristiansen Just Startin'
        kenchristiansen
        7 posts since
        Feb 3, 43005
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 19, 2012 9:10 AM (in response to wolbai)
        Re: JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

        Good posts here... I got my JTV-59 TSB last June... after all the switching issues were fixed (about a 3 week period), I immediately brought it to my luthier... frets too high, setup, etc...  aside from lowering the action as much as possible, they said it was a pretty darn good guitar...  no intonation problems that I have noticed... I have had NO problems since and use it at gigs ALL the time... NO PROBLEMS... the ability to change tunings on the fly is fantastic.  I see a lot of suggestions for the variax models on the forum and a lot of them are good....  for me, I would have liked a thinner neck, but I have adapted to this one and still use one other guitar for the floyd rose...  My thoughts on what they should have done besides minimizing the switching issues last year are there should have been a hard shell case option like the one that comes with the USA version... I don't know about you others, but I don't believe in carrying a guitar in a "gig bag".... no way...  I got a Gator case that has worked pretty well... Bought it at same time as guitar after discussing it with my Sweetwater rep as to which one would be best fit.... seems like people have fine tuned that since then, but mine does work.... 

        • wolbai Just Startin'
          wolbai
          177 posts since
          Mar 30, 2010
          Currently Being Moderated
          Jan 19, 2012 2:05 PM (in response to kenchristiansen)
          Re: JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

          Hi Mr. Spock (43005),

           

          never thought that I could talk to an Alien in this forum. But Line6 seems to do a pretty good marketing job by attacking future markets!

           

          I do not think that the slightly intonation issue with my JTV 59 is a general problem of these guitars. I have only found one post in these forums which goes in the same direction (open chords) somewhere mid last year. And I am pretty shure I can fix it with my luthier. And apart of that: ears are different ...

           

          The quality of the JTV 59 is in relation to the price, if think, quite good. Although the US-Version is too expensive for me, I would have paid up to another 1.000 USD to get even more qualified parts like better locking tuners or, as you mentioned, a high quality hard case. The posts in these forums shows me that lots of guys change parts like PUs, guitar necks (69), locking tuners and doing various cosmetic add ons (switch washer, pickup covers, etc.). And I do think this is not only, because we all are big boys playing with our expensive toys .

           

          Interestingly you mentioned your second guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo you are using. I do have a second guitar as backup and for songs I need a tremolo: that's my JTV 69 .

           

          Now the mechanical movements of a tremolo in a modeling guitar seems to me the most challenging thing for Line6 up to now. There are much more problems posted on the JTV69. And a significant part is regarding to tremolo issues.

           

          So with this guitar I initially got some issues too, because of frets with different heights and the already mentioned tremolo which was not able to stay in tune. The guitar will come back this week from a Line6 repair center. I do hope that the new tremolo will stay in tune in an acceptable bandwith like other tremolo guitars used to do. But the Line6 guys are very professional. They kept me as a satisfied user with their committment to customer satisfaction. And the person I got in contact with was a guitarist too and this helps a lot.

           

          So, although I got some serious troubles with my JTV69 I do believe all this is worth, because of the goodness I have seen in these guitars for me (and I can speak only for me).They do sound great to me. With some patience, persistence and modifications to my own taste, I will rock this decade with these 2 guitars -  and my Gibson, my Godins (electric and acoustic) will rest in peace in a safety place .

           

          wolbai

          • wolbai Just Startin'
            wolbai
            177 posts since
            Mar 30, 2010
            Currently Being Moderated
            Jan 20, 2012 10:25 AM (in response to wolbai)
            Re: JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

            In case if somebody is interested in:

             

            my JTV 69 came back from the Line6 repair center today. The setup was excellent and well tuned for playing in all positions.

             

            Did some testing with the tremolo and now the guitar stays in tune in an acceptable bandwith. And a cannot see or hear any mechanical rubbing while using the tremolo (icluding the piezo cables).

             

            The support guy from Line6 was very professional and highly committed to customer satisfaction.

             

            wolbai.

            • stumpsout Just Startin'
              stumpsout
              895 posts since
              Jan 28, 2007
              Currently Being Moderated
              Jan 21, 2012 10:37 PM (in response to wolbai)
              Re: JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

              In case anyone is interested. Got my JTV69 back from Line 6. It got set up, but the neck and frets are no good. It's oversanded and the strings fall over the frets still. it's slightly better than it was, but feels terrible where the high e string nut was cut in towards the middle an attempt to salvage the neck. It sucks. That neck should have been replaced, no other option. The piezo bridge buzzes, the whole guitar was a lemon aside from the electronics. Trying to polish a turd didn't work. God I'm ******..again.

               

              And it still buzzes terribly. My sock was still wrapped around it behind the nut on the headstock to try and dampen the buzz. It's been the most terrible guitar experience of my life over the last 5 months. All for nothing. i'm still with a crap guitar that has cost me a bunch of extra money and wasted a huge amount of time for nothing. Yeah, they were nice guys though.

              • zeddd Just Startin'
                zeddd
                385 posts since
                May 12, 2006
                Currently Being Moderated
                Jan 21, 2012 11:38 PM (in response to stumpsout)
                Re: JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

                So sorry to hear this stumpsout. I thought you had ended up a satisfied JTV recipient a long time back. Sorry that you've had these troubles.

                 

                Is it feasible to just change the neck with a nice strat neck? You'd end up with a nicer headstock, and could even get a maple neck if you wanted one. Under the circumstances I think that Line 6 should credit you the cost of buying a replacement neck if they are not going to replace it with a decent neck themselves.

                 

                Guitarfetish (dot) com is now one of my favorite places to shop online...

              • wolbai Just Startin'
                wolbai
                177 posts since
                Mar 30, 2010
                Currently Being Moderated
                Jan 22, 2012 3:45 AM (in response to stumpsout)
                Re: JTV 59 starts to deliver what I was looking for ...

                I think I can understand your story quite well. Mine wasn't very amusing too. It took me more than 2 months, additional costs, patience and persistance to setup the JTV 69 in a way I feel satisfied with. I had no "nut problem" and no "strings are falling over the frets problem". So in this case I was lucky.

                 

                But my frets where not in the same heights. So it was not possible to bend without killing the sustain. Especially on 15th fret and higher the frets had a curve like a ski-jump. I solved this with my luthier at my own costs. In addition I now can set the action lower which I prefer.

                 

                The most critical thing for me was the tremolo. Finally there where 2 problems with it:

                 

                - mechanical rubbing with the piezo cables: My luthier changed this in the way you can find it somewhere in the VARIAX Support forum.

                - knife edges of the tremolo were destroyed: This was done at a line6 repair center by installing a new tremolo.

                 

                This leads to the fact that my guitar was not able to stay in tune - neither with a floating nore with a fixed tremolo.

                 

                As zeddd, I suggest you to go for a new neck too. This should solve all your nut, string and fret problems you mentioned. I personally doubt that you can convince Line6 to pay you a third party neck. But give it a try.

                 

                Good luck - wolbai.

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