Feb 10, 2012 2:09 PM
Variax sounds metallic
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Help please! When I play the some of the electric models on my Variax 700, especially with some distortion, there is a metallic sound faintly behind the strings I'm playing. Think of the banjo sound played along with a telecaster for example. Reducing the tone control helps somewhat but this shouldn't happen. I tried changing strings, reflashing the memory and updating the software. Any ideas out there?
It could be the springs that holds the tremolo block (you can find them in the back of the V700). Try to put something in between the spings and the plastig plate that covers them that could dampen the springs. I have done this myself and i think that helped
Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately it is a hardtail bridge. I think frenchfries answer hit it right on the head.
It's probably the "pluck" produced by the piezo transducers (I know it by heart, I have a Variax 500 since 2003). Some FX's and amps enhance it. Playing through Line6 modeling diminishes it. There's no way to cancel it totally since it's due to the hardware used. The design of the JTV is supposed to have solved this issue.
Possible tricks against it:
1) try a pre-distorsion EQing set around 1khz and scoop the mids drastically with the highest Q factor available;
2) plug the axe in Line6 devices only;
3) adapt your playing: avoid dead notes and palm muting (that's what I've refused to do);
4) don't use too much gain with Variax modeling (that's what I tend to do);
5) don't focus on this issue: even under high gain, it disappears in the mix once the guitar is played on stage - that's why my Vax is still my main tool for live gigs after almost 9 years of use. :-)
Thank you! Unfortunately this has been my suspicion all along and I've been trying to ignore it. Rolling back the tone control seems to help and I agree that the benefits of the Variax outweighs this "minor" problem. The problem was extremely noticeable with my Roland JC-120 and I had to stop using the amp for that reason. I now use a Bogner Alchemist (also a Line 6 product) which definitely reduces the "plucking". I occasionally use my PodXT live with it and it bleeds through it also. I'll take your advice and not focus on it. Thanks again.
change the pickups to graphtech.
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