Q: What is 'radius' on a neck?
A: Radius refers to the amount of curve on the fretboard. A smaller number (i.e. 9.5") has a more pronounced curve than a larger number (i.e. 12"). Players who emphasize chording may prefer more round necks, while players who do a lot of bending may prefer flatter necks.
Q: What is the nut width on the Variax electric guitars?
Variax 300: 1 11/16"
Variax 500: 1 5/8"
Variax 600: 1 5/8"
Q: What is the difference between maple (i.e. Variax 600) and rosewood (i.e. Variax 300) fretboards?
A: Maple tends to be a bit brighter in tone, while rosewood tends to have a bit more sustain. Maple fretboards have some type of lacquer finish, as rosewood is traditionally unfinished.
Q: What is "neck scale"?
A: Neck scale is the distance from the bridge to the nut. All Variax electric guitars have a scale of 25.5"
Q: What fretwire is used on the Variax Electric guitars?
A: The closest fretwire in common use is the Dunlop 6130 wire, but it is not exactly the same wire.
Q: What size allen wrenches are used on the Variax electric guitars?
Tremolo arm and saddle height adjustment: 1.5mm
Bridge height: 2.5 mm
Truss Rod: 4mm
Q: What kind of finish is used on the Variax?
A: All Variax instruments use a polyester (yes, polyester) finish.
Q: What type of glue is used in the hardware?
A: Hide (i.e. horse) glue
Q: What gauge D'Addario strings are on the Variax electric guitars?
E: 10 (High)
B: 13
G: 17
D: 26
A: 36
E: 46 (low)
Variax Bass 700/705
B .130 (five-string model only)
E .100
A .080
D .065
G .045
Q: What is the hole diameter for the tuning gears?
A: The Variax guitars accept the standard 10mm (13/32nd") tuning gear.
Q: What happens if I use different brand or gauge strings on my Variax bass or guitar?
A: The results will be the same as changing string type or gauge on an analog bass or guitar. The Variax guitars are no different than most other guitars regarding setup and maintenance; the may need to be set up for different gauges play correctly, or seasonally to counteract climate changes. The Variax will accept any common string gauge for that instrument type.
Q: Do the Variax guitars have a low or high output impedance?
A: All Variax guitars are low impedance, and should be treated like they are active instruments.
Q: What are the default custom positions?
Contents of Custom 1 Knob Positions: Knob Position / Pickup Selector Position & Original Model Location
Custom 1/1 Acoustic/5
Custom 1/2 Reso/4
Custom 1/3 Acoustic/4
Custom 1/4 Reso/2
Custom 1/5 Reso/1
Custom 2 Positions feature hybrid models and alternate tunings created from Variax Workbench,Knob Position / Pickup Selector Position & Custom Tuning
Custom 2/1 Spank with R-BillyTron Bridge Drop D
Custom 2/2 R-Billy Sparkletop with R-billy D'almond Bridge & Middle Open A
Custom 2/3 T-Modle F-Hole with Lester/Bridge Open D
Custom 2/4 Special Bird with Chime Toaster/Middle Open C
Custom 2/5 Tricone Reso Open G