TimothyMagnussen Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Hey there, I'm working on a Line6 Variax guitar for a client (he didn't know what model it is and I haven't got a clue as it doesn't say anywhere on the guitar, but I guess it's a 700 from pictures) and I need some help! He claimed the G string is dead, and all other work fine, but as soon as I plugged it in to one of my amplifiers (Guitar>TRS>XPS-AB>Jack>Amplifier) there is NO sound coming through it (and no, I'm not in B-mode, going acoustic) and that's with and without battery 9V and AAs in the guitar. Sometimes just when I plug it in there's sound, but then it's gone again. What can I possibly do? I can't troubleshoot something like this, it's too high-tech, there must be some easy way to see where the problem is, but I can't "flash" the guitar because the Monkey is giving problems and the only interface I have is an UX2. Please help? EDIT: No lights in the XPA-AB turn on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you aren't the best person to be working on the guitar. It sounds like your client would maybe benefit by having the guitar looked at by an authorized service center. The one string not working could be symptomatic of a failed piezo, which isn't all that uncommon with the first generation Variaxes. But it's something that a service center could take care of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Sounds like low batteries to me. That is what it does when the battery voltage gets low. I agree with Phil - if you don't know the Variax inside and out you should not be working on the electronics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I have to agree with Phil, based on my personal experience. I took a Variax 300 to my regular guitar tech/luthier who was completely unfamiliar with Variax guitars. There were two goals for the job: to replace the full set of piezos, and to diagnose and repair an electrical problem. We had agreed on a price range in advance based on his confidence that he would be able to learn enough about the instrument to complete both repairs successfully. He ended up spending W-A-A-Y more time than expected on each part of the job, and in the end the electrical problem was never diagnosed and fixed. To his credit he honoured our agreement - and lost some money. So, for the benefit of both you and your client, an authorized service centre is the best option here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimothyMagnussen Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 Yea, it's a friend of mine so I thought I'd give it a shot before we send it to Line6 in UK (apparently, there aren't any techs in Spain), so it could be a battery deficit? I've tried a whole new 9V battery, didn't work, and the power supply pedal, didn't work either. The only thing I haven't tried is 6 AAs, but I haven't got that many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palico Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 EDIT: No lights in the XPA-AB turn on... Not trying to be a smart-$$$ but is the XPS-AB plugged in? Drop a good battery in the variax and ditch the XPS-AB. The variax only needs that if you want the AB functionaliy and with TRS can be used to power the Variax. If you using a Variax with a battery you can use it like any gutiar. Probably a bad Peizo on the G string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimothyMagnussen Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 That's the thing, it doesn't power the Variax, even plugged in (the lights still don't turn on) but when I put a 9V battery in the guitar I still didn't have any sound, at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay-man Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Definitely send it to an authorized place. You don't want to try to fix something you're not completely sure about and messing it up even further. It's a whole new beast from a typical electric guitar. It's a computer too basically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatapis Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 good morning from Greece.I have the 700 variax acoustic for my work..,and i have a problem..the sound is gone and suddenly return. the piezo is ok.,the battery is ok.,the voltage is ok..i going to the shop i bought it(service)...ok...,but the problem exist.i dont know what must i do..any idea? thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatapis Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 good morning from Greece.I have the 700 variax acoustic for my work..,and i have a problem..the sound is gone and suddenly return. the piezo is ok.,the battery is ok.,the voltage is ok..i going to the shop i bought it(service)...ok...,but the problem exist.i dont know what must i do..any idea? thank you 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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