clay-man

When you decide to buy a guitar, I think it's obvious that you're in it because you're interested in the modeling side, otherwise you probably would just buy a normal guitar. There's nothing wrong with using the mags though. I don't have a JTV, but it's fun to go back to basics now and then.

where is the grounding on an unmodded variax?

The reason why they don't have problems with the piezo with the ghost system is because of 2 factors 1) The piezo elements are entirely encased in the saddle, ergo it's not exposed to possible corrosion. 2) It has a grounding wire, unlike the stock piezos. The biggest problem with the piezos going out is that it grounds by contact against the saddle, and sometimes it goes out over time because of garbage like sweat and dirt getting in between the saddle and the piezo element.

This should work on any old model right? I'm going to switch to ghosts in the future. I'm tired of LR Baggs. I just got a new piezo half a year ago and it's already rusted, and I heard some weird crackling noises a few nights ago. Piezos crapping out is not something I want to deal with. They are 12 dollars a piece, but come on. It requires taking out my bridge, detatching the cable that goes to the motherboard, soldering, then putting it all back together. I don't want to have to do that every year.

There is a debate about the Strat models on the 2.0 HD firmware compared to the 1.9. Some people say they don't like it. Some also think 2.0 might be a bit buggy. It's all debatable and you should decide for yourself which one you prefer.

I also forgot to say that it is also the more supported guitar, obviously. It'll be easier to fix problems with a JTV than a Gen 1 Variax because the old ones are no longer in production and blah blah blah.

Of course a regular wireless system will work, but I'm sure people want to be able to use the VDI connectivity features when they think of wireless. Obviously you HAVE to go battery, there's no way you can get power unless you're wired.

from variax users to strat haters united?

I don't think it looks bad. I just wish there was a sunburst 69s with a maple. That would be perfect. Also, I don't really like the James Tyler headstock. Looks kinda like a deformed thingy. I do admit one of the reasons I like maple is just because of the look, but I do think it feels nice, doesn't get super dirty either.

Great tone. I think the JTV updates help a lot for metal tones, between the better Les Paul/humbucker modeling and the palm muting update. That's not to say you can't get a killer metal tone out of an old Variax. I can get a nice tone with Peavey Revalver's 6505, but man that sounded crisp on your video.

600

Hello. My 5 way switch is a bit goofy sometimes. Usually it's ok but if I'd were to be seriously playing it would be a problem. Any way I can fix this? Is the 5 way switch more advanced than a standard guitar 5 way switch or is it just a regular switch? Obviously it needs to somehow tell the computer which position it is in.

Easy. 1) Better piezos = better sound in the modeling. The modeling was the same originally, but even the piezos made it sound better 2) HD update. Now, this is where they actually do change the modeling. It's completely changed, nothing is the same. With the new technology in modeling hardware and software, it's going to be a no brainer. 3) Features the POD HD can do with the JTV that it can't with the old Variaxes 4) build quality is way better 5 and most importantly to me) The alt tuning knob. This is the ice breaker that makes me want to get a JTV like crazy. I fill up the model knob incredibly fast with duplicates of the same guitars but with different tunings. It gets annoying REALLY fast, and I really would love to cut down that wasted space in favor for extra guitar models I'd love to pull up on my variax alone without a POD involved. I have many models that I made that are sitting on my hard drive that I'd love to rip apart on a Variax, but a lot of times I leave them off for tuning versatility over tone versatility, because a lot of stuff I play is in different tunings. 2 and 5 are the most important ones in my opinion. I have a 600 because I can't afford a JTV. If I did get a JTV, it would be all or nothing, and that would be a 69s black with a maple fretboard, and that's at least 1.4k, and I don't even have close to 1k.

As far as routing for Variax guts, in the old Variax, some of the guitars had the Variax gut mounted below the pickguard. I believe it's a back panel cavity for all the other guitars now.

Maybe a 69s and 59. I never had a Les Paul guitar, but I find them very interesting. The closest I got is my SG, and I believe an LP is the same but with a thicker body and different shape. I'd get the 69s because I've lately been a Fender-style nerd, and the 69 is obviously the Strat style model. I love my Variax 600 but there's stuff the 69 will have obviously over decade-old technology. Not just that, but a better build quality. The only thing I don't like is the headstock, and the finish could be a little darker for my taste (I'd get the maple fingerboard 69s because I fell in love with maple when I got my 600) The only thing with the 89 that I like is that it's more like an Ibanez so the action must be pretty low, but I'll assume you can get decently low action on the other models too. I like the floyd rose but in the end it would just be a pain in the lollipop. So yeah, probably the 59 and 69s, though if I just got 1 it would be the 69s. For now I just have my 600.

You could do microtunings with 12 string models on old Variaxes. You had to use the rickenbacker model, put the 12 string strings mix to 100% then detune those. Also, I would also prefer a better haircut feature on my Variax.

Thank you! I thought no one was going to answer this topic. I'll see if it'll work.

Do you know this for sure? That's awesome if they actually do that. I made a topic a while ago asking if there's any difference because of body/scale/stuff and if the firmware calibrates the models to the specific JTV model.

I took mine off easily, the only problem I had was that the knob kept rising up past the plastic notch it has on it so I put a LITTLE bit of glue on it to hold it down afterwards.

Yes. Use regular workbench. It looks like you downloaded by the look of the screenshot of monkey. You should just be able to select the guitar you're connecting workbench with in the beginning. After that it'll download the models from your Variax and you can start editing when it's done.

Really? 100% separate? It would be dumb to run the acoustic into an overdriven amp as well. I'd say maybe do it for models but I'm sure that's too much for the DSP.

Ability to split acoustic and electric tone on a POD HD. This would require 2 outputs from the Variax, but it would be really nice if this could happen.

It's been only 2 years. That would be an awful, awful marketing strategy. If they do a new JTV model I hope it's a telecaster.

Hi, I'm not sure if this applies to the new HD firmware, but back then, global string volume DID affect tone. Very much. It acted basically like the preamp between the piezo input and before the modeling occures. How I discovered this is that when adjusting the string volumes it affected tonal aspects, most specifically on the sitar model. The sitar model does the drone sound through some type of filter, and that filter is applied by listening to the attack of the strings. When I lowered the string volume, the sitar model had a harder time applying the effect. The less string volume, the less of the drone effect. It basically sounded like a regular guitar if you pushed the volume down really far. While the global string volume acted as a preamp before the modeling stage, your level sliders on the patches is more of a post-volume. It will not affect the tone besides the output level and mix level if you're adjusting the levels of 2 pickups being on. The only time this affects your tone is when you push the level so hard it starts clipping. I suppose you can use this to fake high gain pickups but it sounds like crap clean, unless you back your volume knob down. I hope this helps. Like I said, I have no clue if this still happens in the new HD firmware since the HD firmware is absolutely a different system than the previous 1.9 firmware and all the way back.

Thanks for the info. I have a problem with the zero-point on my guitar too. I agree the 2 post thing is probably a cause for it, because I wouldn't be surprised when I push down the trem, the bridge gets dispositioned a bit causing it to go out of tune. I'm sure a mag-lok would fix that though. It's annoying having to fix the guitar up when it should be at least decent to use. I think a tusq nut and a mag-lok would fix it up though. I also might need fretwork because my action is a bit too high for my taste, and it buzzes if I try to push it any lower.