Sometimes I am just puzzled by my 59 (plink content)

[Rocco_Crocco]

I purchased a JTV59 a couple years back. It suffered from the 6th string plink issue, but only when palm muting, and only on Lester, Spank and T Model presets. Oddly, the issue would vacillate between being barely noticeable to nails on a chalkboard.

 

I filed the 6th string casing, which actually made the plink less noticeable, but it was still there enough that I had to avoid using those models while playing with my band.

 

Next I read on these wonderful forums that some people had success by switching body types in workbench. I performed this switch-out by using the "neutral" body. This was a wonderful fix. The plink was 100% gone, and stayed gone. The only minor complaint I had from that was the Strat model sounded nothing like a Strat. No Matter, I really, really love Les Pauls with humbuckers.

 

Which brings me to today. I own a Helix, and over the summer purchased a bundle of Helix presets from forum member Fremen. Fremen is a great dude, and as a bonus he included his bundle of Variax settings from his own JTV89. Today I finally got around to loading them into my 59, merely out of curiosity. The first thing I noticed was he didn't swap out the body on the Lester model, and the settings all seemed normal except that he boosted the output by 6dB.  WTF... no plink. Not even the hint of a weird overtone, and it sounded like a Les Paul should. 

 

The Spank and T Models also had their normal Strat and Tele body style. Again, no plink. (Oddly enough, the Spank model still doesn't sound all that Stratty).

 

My experience with the 59 has been bizarre. As I scratch my head I can't help but wonder if the guitar gods are somehow offended by this modeling tech, and have installed gremlins into some Variaxes to appease themselves ;) .

 

OK maybe not, but what the hell is going on? I think I read on here that the code for each preset is a bit different from the 59 to the 89, and maybe that accounts for the plink disappearing. 

 

Anyway, anyone else whose guitar suffers from plink may want to consider borrowing presets from other users to see if that is where a possible remedy lies. 

 

Good Luck. :)

[specracer986]

I bought Freman's Helix presets, I think it was 175 of them, but didn't get anything on the Variax that I know of. Luckily, I don't have a plink issue with my JTV-69. Since that is my #1 now and all of my Helix presets have Variax settings, I'd hate for it to start acting up. The one time during rehearsal that my Variax cable quit working and then the battery went dead, our drummer asked why I don't just play a normal guitar! :lol: 

[Rocco_Crocco]

He added the Variax file a few months after he released it, and it is buried in the Pink Floyd folder. If you want it and it isn't in your files, you can go to the email Fremen sent you after you purchased the pack, and re-download the files. It will be there. It's just one file called TDR 28.09.2016.bun.

[specracer986]

Thanks. I'm pretty sure that email will be long gone. I might try emailing Freman about it. I'm generally happy with the tones I get from the stock models. But any little improvement is always a good thing. I'm glad you were able to fix the plink issue. When I first got my JTV, I wasn't crazy about the feel of the neck and frets. But after putting a Warmouth neck on it, and playing it for several months, I'm pretty pleased with it. I really hope it doesn't get buggy on me at some point. Between the Helix and the Variax, I've taken a big bite of high tech guitar playing and I don't really want to go back.

[Rocco_Crocco]

Thanks. I'm pretty sure that email will be long gone. I might try emailing Freman about it. I'm generally happy with the tones I get from the stock models. But any little improvement is always a good thing. I'm glad you were able to fix the plink issue. When I first got my JTV, I wasn't crazy about the feel of the neck and frets. But after putting a Warmouth neck on it, and playing it for several months, I'm pretty pleased with it. I really hope it doesn't get buggy on me at some point. Between the Helix and the Variax, I've taken a big bite of high tech guitar playing and I don't really want to go back.

If there is no plink in your guitar now, the chances of it developing later are slim. I have read the epic threads on the plink issue and I can't remember any user whose guitar started out OK, then developed this particular problem later.