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Line6 Discontinuing JTVs?


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I just got off the phone with MF. They said the replacement guitar that I'm getting (bad model selector knob) will be part of the last shipment they expect to receive from L6 for this model. It may just be this JTV69 model but they said L6 is discontinuing the model. Any better information on this subject?

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Just like the legacy variaxes, I'm sure even though they're going to be discontinued sooner or later, the JTV's will be supported in the way of spare parts, but then, all things must pass, and eventually, no more........

 

I would imagine if they are discontinuing sooner, rather thatn later, they've got some other Yamaha option in the pipeline.

 

Now to shift those remaining units !!!

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What's going to happen to replacement and repair for JTV guitars? :/

 

I really don't want the JTV series to be hard to get service for.

Well they're not exactly easy to get service for now...my "authorized service center" is an amp/PA repair joint. They don't have a guitar guy, and I suspect many of the others out there are the same, no matter how many super-secret spec documents and magic decoder rings they're issued. And back at the mother ship, L6 has exactly one guy who works on them.

 

Which is all irrelevant anyway....Ours is a disposable economy. Companies don't want to fix things, they want you to buy the new version of the device that just crapped out. This is not going to change. The current generation of "adults" (I use that term loosely) with disposable income were all raised in a world where you get a new cell phone every 2 years as a matter of principle, not because it stopped working. And going forward, these people are the ones you market to, if you want to stay in business.

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They better have support for JTV repair going strong. That stuff isn't cheap..

Price is irrelevant, unfortunately. I'll bet you spent more money on your TV than your Variax, and how long do you think you'll keep the tube? My last idiot box lasted 4 or 5 years before it started acting up. Not worth fixing...and thats the whole idea. Make the repair cost half, if not more, than the cost of a new one. So what do you do? Toss it...and just for insurance, they hang enough bells and whistles from the new model that nobody wants to fix the old one anyway, even if the cost were minimal.

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I would imagine if they are discontinuing sooner, rather thatn later, they've got some other Yamaha option in the pipeline.

 

Now to shift those remaining units !!!

Well, L6 might not be willing to say it out loud just yet, but this is not the first report of a retailer openly announcing that the JTV line is living on borrowed time...

 

Frankly, I suspected the JTVs were done for as soon as I saw the Standard...in all it's corporate, generic "glory", lol. Maybe it's me...but they're just not pretty guitars.

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I just got one of the last lake placid blue JTV 69 guitars that MF had and redeemed the Veteran's Day sale discount of 15% which ended up being $850.00 for the guitar. Ihave to tell you after owning one of the first production model sunburst JTV 69 ( #80), this one is a ngem! It was almost perfect right out of the box. Stays in tune no matter what with the tremolo, I love the neck shape for my small hands, the original one was a bit chunky, the e-string has no issues along with the nut being cut right, and in my opnion this guitar looks kiiler. I play classic rock, southern rock, country, metal,pop or what ever floats our boat and after three rehearsals using acoustic, dobro, banjo, billy, semi's,strat,tele,lester, models this thing blew me away. I am not having any of the major warbling ghost note issues I had with the first model I owned(sold in '11). I got lucky and Loving It! 

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I think they just replaced the JTV Variax with a Yamaha model. I really don't care about because I think the James Tyler is the better guitar than the Yamaha is. I have the JTV 69 and use it with normal pickups almost all the time. I'm not much impressed with the modelling anyway (at least with the actual firmware). I use the modelling only for practicing acoustic gutiar, or fro sitar effects, etc.. But the JTV 69 is a good guitar on it's own and I like the neck and sound of the stock pickups.

Also I think the electronics in the Yamaha Variax is pretty much the same, so if there will be any software update, we will be able to install it too - hopefully.

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The Variax Standard is not meant to replace the JTVs. The fact that is using the same firmware should make that self-evident. There have been posts here for two years or so now from people claiming to hear from sales reps that Line 6 is discontinuing the JTV line, and so far they have all been wrong. I'm sure, like anything, it will cease production at some point. But as far as what I've heard from Line 6, that time is not now.

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The Variax Standard is not meant to replace the JTVs. The fact that is using the same firmware should make that self-evident.

Maybe the JTVs are done, maybe they're not...but I fail to see how this proves anything either way. If you already have functional hardware and firmware, why start from scratch when you can just dump them both into the new body? Makes the new design easier to get into production, and future firmware upgrades easier as well, since they'll only have to push out one to update everybody.

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On the products page or thereabouts on the L6 site, they have a comparison chart of the JTV 69, 69S, 59, 89F, and Standard -- found it quite interesting....

 

It's dated 2015, so think it's accurate, and it reflects what we've been seeing available at places like Sweetwater, etc. The 69 is shown ONLY in LP Blue; the 69S is shown available in Olympic White, Sunburst, and Black with Maple Neck;  the 59 is shown in TSB, CSB, Black. No 59P anymore. The JTV-89 is not there, but the 89F is - still in the 2 colors. Also the Standard is listed with no gig bag -- that has come up in the forum's Standard section....

 

They are definitely changing the color offerings to less variations, but not real indications of discontinuing JTV's outright that I can see (at least not imminent) - maybe wishful thinking on my part. I bought the TSB 59 right away, then the Shoreline Gold 69S when those came out. Maybe my SLG 69S will be "rare" and collectable at some point - LOL...

 

Dave

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I owned a Variax 500 for 11 years and it was still working perfectly when I sold it last year.

 

I feel more confident with my JTV69 just because it's got terrific pickups to fall back on if the electronics decided to malfunction.  I own a dozen guitars and the 69 gets played over 90% of the time.

 

I really hope they don't discontinue them anytime soon.  I'm thinking about adding an 89F to my collection just in case. 

 

I did notice on Sweetwater's website that the JTV's that are out of stock say "It's arriving soon".  The latest date of manufacture that I can find for any JTV at Sweetwater is January of 2014 ((89F).  The rest of their in stock guitars are 2013's and even a 2012.

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Ebay is your friend when it comes to a series of Variax guitars being laid to rest.

 

I'm sure it'll circulate well throughout the internet, but hopefully they really aren't discontinuing.

I really don't want to go back to 1 option of guitar design being available. I love Strat style guitars, but I want variation in my guitar collection.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I rarely see JTV's at the local GC. Usually have only seen one there at a time. I did see a couple Standard's and a blue JTV 69 at a GC in Minneapolis on a trip this October. I wasn't impressed with the Standard's, and also not a fan of the blue (each to their own).....

 

These Variax's are not that common "in the wild" - I have seen no one else with one in my area, nor have I seen the HD500(X), and now the Helix....

 

Dave

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Sadly though, if people been getting JTVs and they're suddenly stopping now, it's further evidence of the possible JTV being dropped.

It's inevitable. Guy in another thread just bought a brand new one for $599. Hell, these things were more than twice that much initially...it's either the retailers blowing out old stock, or if they're still getting deliveries from L6, then it's the mother ship letting them go for a song. Either way, it points to "end of days" for the JTVs if you ask me.

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It's inevitable. Guy in another thread just bought a brand new one for $599. Hell, these things were more than twice that much initially...it's either the retailers blowing out old stock, or if they're still getting deliveries from L6, then it's the mother ship letting them go for a song. Either way, it points to "end of days" for the JTVs if you ask me.

 

It's actually pissing me off, honestly. They're great guitars, and I finally get mine and they're already going down with the old Variaxes.

 

They better continue support for it at least, a lot stronger than the old Variaxes.

This isn't something I'm going to use for a few years and throw out.

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The JTV doesn't become a less good guitar just because they move on. They may not put out software regularly but the guitar on it's on is what it is.

The same applies for the HD500, it doesnt become worse just because Helix is out ;-)

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The JTV doesn't become a less good guitar just because they move on. They may not put out software regularly but the guitar on it's on is what it is.

The same applies for the HD500, it doesnt become worse just because Helix is out ;-)

Shhhhhhhhhh! If too many people figure this out, the economy collapses...;)

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No matter what, my JTV 69 is a kick-lollipop strat copy.  After my guy set it up, it's stayed rock-solid, and I love the pickups when I'm not using the modeling, I love it when a new firmware update increases my functionality, but all things must pass, and the pups make it worry proof for me.  

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I love my JTV, but discontinuing production is the first step of it being faded out. They can't be like "HEY CHECK OUT OUR JTV LINE THAT WE NO LONGER SELL", it's not realistic.

 

I'm hoping that the Standard will be a bridge between the JTV series and will keep some of the support alive for it. 

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Lol, I used my x3 live in the studio for years till I dropped a dime on a 500x and L3T, mainly because it's a metal board and I'm more comfortable gigging with a stronger built board...

Other than that, without new products and new technology a company like line 6 goes by the way side...

I thank line 6 for continuing to move forward

But I will keep my HD500x and Variax for quite a while, no helix or amplifi in my future....

Plus modeling after someone else's sound is not it for me....

I get close to a sound I like from another artist, then retweek it myself to a sound and effects that I like.

Which line six has always given me...

 

For example I prefer amplifier gain as opposed to pedals which change an amps tone

 

So I used line 6s example for a classic Ain't Talkin Bout Love VH tone which had a Plexi Lead and a Tube Screamer in front of it,

 

Then got rid of the pedal and switched the amp to a Soldono to start with and got better articulation and harmonics

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I take the Soldono, switch to a cab with the Celestion 25s in it for better warm breakup at lower gain, use a sm57 mike off access for more of that warm smooth gain...

That away I have more headroom to boost the preamp/distortion if I need too...

Then I use the gain Soldono for a clean with a little bit of dirt all controlled by the volume knob or the guitar you use on your Variax ( fenders are cleaner, les Paul's more gain)

And of course the overdrive channel for higher gain, then a full I lead channel

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  • 3 weeks later...

The JTV line may be on the way out, but I doubt that Variax is. if they were going to EOL Variax itself, L6 wouldn't have just introduced the 'Standard', or put a Variax port on the (brand-new) Helix. I would guess/hope that it means Yamaha will build some nice mid-to-high end Variaxes.

 

This may just be wishful thinking: I have an HD-25 and a Helix, and am holding back on the Variax, hoping for a new version. If they don't announce something at NAMM, I may have to give in and go through the dusty JTV-69s at Sweetwater until I get a good one :) .

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The JTV line may be on the way out, but I doubt that Variax is. if they were going to EOL Variax itself, L6 wouldn't have just introduced the 'Standard', or put a Variax port on the (brand-new) Helix. I would guess/hope that it means Yamaha will build some nice mid-to-high end Variaxes.

 

This may just be wishful thinking: I have an HD-25 and a Helix, and am holding back on the Variax, hoping for a new version. If they don't announce something at NAMM, I may have to give in and go through the dusty JTV-69s at Sweetwater until I get a good one :) .

Nobody was suggesting that they were gonna mothball the entire Variax concept...the only issue was whether or not the JTVs are gonna stick around much longer. I just don't see enough demand to justify keeping 4 different models in production. And I definitely don't think they're gonna introduce yet another Variax 2 years in a row...the Standard is still in its infancy. But who knows?
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I just don't see enough demand to justify keeping 4 different models in production. And I definitely don't think they're gonna introduce yet another Variax 2 years in a row...the Standard is still in its infancy. But who knows?

 

What gets my hopes up is that with Helix L6 now seems to be aiming more for the high-end, so a higher-end Variax would be a natural. And Yamaha makes very nice guitars when they want to. Maybe they'd even rev the modeling guts of the Variax...

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What gets my hopes up is that with Helix L6 now seems to be aiming more for the high-end, so a higher-end Variax would be a natural. And Yamaha makes very nice guitars when they want to. Maybe they'd even rev the modeling guts of the Variax...

Apples and oranges, my friend. As much as I like my JTV, the Variax is a niche product, and it always will be. In terms of volume, they'll never sell as many units as their flagship processors, no matter what the price-point is. And having too many irons in the fire is a financial disaster waiting to happen. Money makes the rules...

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Apples and oranges, my friend. As much as I like my JTV, the Variax is a niche product, and it always will be. In terms of volume, they'll never sell as many units as their flagship processors, no matter what the price-point is. And having too many irons in the fire is a financial disaster waiting to happen. Money makes the rules...

If they retire the JTV, the only iron in the fire will be the Standard. I doubt Yamaha will leave it at that.

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What gets my hopes up is that with Helix L6 now seems to be aiming more for the high-end, so a higher-end Variax would be a natural. And Yamaha makes very nice guitars when they want to. Maybe they'd even rev the modeling guts of the Variax...

 

The variax2 electronics seems to add about US$600-700 to the base guitar, so the question becomes, what price are people prepared to pay for a guitar with variax guts? If you compare it to say, a US$1300 standard strat, that means a really good quality Variax is starting at about US$1900. That's getting pretty high-end. If you want to compete with the standard strat price point, that means you need a guitar that's worth about $500-600. Hence, the Korean built mid-range JTVs. They may replace the JTVs with another Yamaha guitar at some point, but higher-end guitars are not going to sell the variax guts as much as say, a variax standard which I'm sure is an OK guitar, without being great, but without breaking the bank either, and getting more Variaxes into the wild.

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