marcwormjim

I have an 89F and assure you this seems to be a recent problem to do with how that page has been set up.

Select Variax Standard or Shuriken as the hardware/product and the Workbench HD software for all SKUs will show up.

The Variax is a Swiss Army knife: It’s not going to replace the right tool for the job, but it’s great to have in the field (gigging and recording). Though, if you’re just playing at home and using the Variax to feel like you’ve replaced a variety of guitars, you’re likely to eventually ditch it for the one you miss most.

Please walk us through each step of what you’re doing once the guitar is connected within the Workbench HD software; in case there’s a non-intuitive step you may be missing or skipping (e.g. “Download to Variax” as one of the last steps). Did you log a support ticket, yet, in case this is a hardware/software issue?

Line 6 switched to ebony boards during the CITES rosewood scare a few years ago. “Arislaf’s Realistic JTV bundle” on the vguitar forums is a nice tweak on the 2.0 models. I’ve owned three 89Fs (one at a time) since 2013 - Feel free to PM me with specific questions.

Do you intend to do this work yourself, or have someone do it? I doubt Alan at Sustainiac will be willing to attempt it, but Axel Rudich (deceased 2006) and Dennis Anesi proved with the Adrian Belew Parker Fly that you can get the Sustainiac and Variax circuits to play nice with each other, so long as you know what you’re doing. You’ll likely get more of a response posting this at vguitarforums. Just in case you’re looking for someone to take on this kind of project, some names that come to mind include: -Gary Brawer in San Francisco -Dayn Warren in Seattle -Gary Zminicki in Michigan -Patrick Cummings in New York

Generally, a “bad piezo element” is replaced, rather than repaired. I imagine the service center had either a spare Graphtech element or ordered one.

k

Ah. Sounds like nothing’s changed in the last six years. I’ll just stick to the plan to mod my old 89F (assuming no one else chimes in in support of the US line between now and then). Thanks, gents.

Hi, all. Does anyone have insight into the ordering process for a US JTV (e.g. build time vs quoted time, options other than color, etc). I ask because I have a Korean 89F that I’m considering refinishing, but will happily order a US model instead if I can request lighter blanks be used for the build, or if there’s any choice in woods used. I understand if specs other than a limited color selection are non-negotiable - I’ve just never seen owner experiences posted to go by.

I liken the 89 neck to a Wizard III. Others may disagree. Also note that Variaxes tend to weigh more than their counterparts with less hardware under the hood. 1. Everything transmits over VDI. Unofficially, you may use any generic CAT5 cable of desired length. Officially, use only official cables. 2, 3. The factory firmware tunings on the 89 are silkscreened on the tuning knob, but may be programmed to be whatever you like. 4. Don’t know why you’d want to replace the physical knob, but it would just be a matter of finding the part. 5. It’s a floating Floyd Rose with pull-up routing; range determined by your setup. 6. All JTVs are powered via either an onboard lithium-ion battery or via VDI. Powering via 1/4” requires a proprietary breakout box. 7. As I recall, Plugging 1/4” and VDI simultaneously is actually required when using the Workbench software independent of a POD/Helix USB interface (the 1/4” jack turns the guitar “on” and allows for real-time monitoring of tweaks) 8. Yes. You may program your Helix/POD patches to have the physical Variax controls slave to preset values In the unit.

Yes; it seems the particular Tele Thinline and Les Paul Black Beauty guitars used for the Gen 1 modeling were no longer available to Line 6 when they built their Gen 2 library. Count me among the many who felt they botched the “HD”/warts-and-all/no-quack Strat model, as well. Fortunately, you can mix and match components and model levels in Workbench to get in the ballpark of the 1.9 models.

On paper, it’s as simple a mod as on any other 2 humbucker guitar: The pickup selector switch sums the start wires for each humbucker in parallel in position 3. By using an additional switch to send the humbuckers’ series connections to ground, the selector switch instead receives the split coil signal for all switch positions (making 2 and 4 redundant). Some 89 owners have utilized Tripleshot rings to achieve this option and more. The issue with any mod to the Variax’s magnetic pickup circuit is that a single mistake can spell disaster that only Line 6 can remedy, and even then at their discretion. Officially, Line 6 would likely advise you to use the Variax for its intended purpose of creating a model bank in which switch positions 1 and 5 are the 89 humbuckers and 3 is just a tele. But being as I’m not Line 6, I’m curious to see what you end up doing.

We’re rooting for you. Great work, so far.