johnnyayyy

Well that sucks lollipop...

This forum is not a great place to let Line6 know your thoughts - try posting here: http://line6.ideascale.com/

Hmmm, I see... it could probably be rewired pretty easily to get it to do what you want it to do... any competent guitar tech should be able to make it happen

We will probably never know for sure, but a possible reason they modeled a different group of guitars this time is that when they got around to doing HD modeling the exact guitars they used 10 years ago for the original Variax may not have been available. I would think they borrowed or rented the guitars to model - I really doubt there has been a 1958 Les Paul hanging on the wall in the Line 6 research labs since 2002 just collecting dust and waiting to be modeled again. Probably just a semi-educated guess - if anyone has any info on the original guitars used for the older or the HD modeling I would love to read it, and it may be a false memory but I seem to vaguely recall mention of some of the original guitars being borrowed or rented back in the day...

Not 100% on topic and if you start a new thread asking this question you will get more responses, but... Palm muting on the models is not quite 100% tho I would say it is greatly improved over the old Variax, maybe 90-95% correct now - some things you will definitely still need the magnetic pickups to pull off effectively but there they are and easy to switch to any time you need them. I recommend finding a JTV at a dealer near you and trying it out before you buy to see if it works for you, or if this is not possible you could always buy a JTV and return it within the 45 day period most online dealers allow. Tracking is good on the 6 string models, not perfect and a little slow w some noticeable latency on the 12 string models in my experience/opinion.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

This has already been answered many times in this forum. If you want to enjoy the new features you also have to accept the new tones. It is one or the other.

I just did some testing, looks like on the T-Model setting there is around 2ms delay between initial waveform peaks when comparing mic'ed track to JTV direct output track, probably not enough that anyone would ever be able to detect. http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2815/9593074975_e47ea58915_b.jpg Turning the alt tune knob down did increase the latency on the T-Model but not by much, changed to around 10ms http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/9595867818_de0c40c614_b.jpg Switching to 12 string acoustic in standard tuning the latency is around 5ms http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/9595867756_48d819f60a_b.jpg Alt tuning knob tuned to C changes latency to around 17ms http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/9595867994_6e738afe7d_b.jpg I think I remember reading that around 10ms is where latency becomes noticeable for most, so things feeling weird to me on the detuned 12 string at 17ms latency between striking a note and hearing it in my headphones is probably not just my imagination. Whether it will be enough to throw off my timing or I can compensate for it mentally and physical is a different question - when I bought my first ProTools rig I wasted a year recording and rerecording, thinking I had lost all sense of rhythm because I simply could not play in time with other players tracks for overdubbing, after a year or so of frustration I found the problem was the latency in my DAW/computer, got a different interface for recording with near zero latency, and suddenly I was able to play the way I had for all the years I spent doing analog recording before I moved to ProTools. I don't know how much latency that rig had but it was plenty to make it impossible for me to play... Will do some tests with the 12 string this week and see whether I am able to use them. EDIT: I just realized I needed to add 3 ms to the latency figures above to allow for the 3 foot distance from the JTV to the mic when I made the comparison recordings. Tele = 5ms total latency, 12 string acoustic = 8ms latency, and 12 string acoustic alt tuned down to C = 20ms latency.

Yes, that is what I meant. I definitely felt latency with the Alt tuning knob set to 1 step down, latency was gone when I turned the alt tuning off, therefore I deduce the alt tuning process is adding a bit of detectable latency. An easy test would be to make a recording of two tracks in protools or similar, one track with a microphone placed near the JTV strings to record the guitar acoustically and one track with the JTV alt tuning knob engaged output plugged straight into the recorder. Magnify the waveforms and measure the time difference between the start of a note on the mic'ed track and the start of a note on the DI alt tuned track. I am guessing the latency might become greater as you go lower and lower on the alt tune knob...? I have a JTV 89, just remembered the alt tune knob has different settings than on JTV69 and 59 so your results may vary - I think I will go measure this right now, I am kind of curious exactly how long a delay I am experiencing and if the delay gets longer as the notes go lower

You guys sound like you know what you are talking about. I will add this: I was noodling around with my JTV two days ago and was playing the 12 string acoustics, I tried turning the Alt Tune knob down a full step and I guarantee you I could feel and hear the latency between what my fingers were doing and what was coming out of my headphones. Switching back to "Standard" on the alt tune knob the latency was gone, or rather decreased to the point I could no longer hear or feel it. I have read of others complaining about the latency they experienced with the Variax but had never noticed it myself until now - likely because I have not used the alt tunings much in the past. I think maybe it would be safe to say that whatever latency is there will be noticeable and possibly problematic for some and not noticeable or bothersome for others, but it is definitely there. I do not know whether the amount of latency I experienced with the JTV would be a create a problem for me when playing in time with others, but I think it might. Will test soon...

Yeah, I had a stressful time updating my guitar but I really feel bad for you, not sure what I would have done if my guitar had completely died. According to the Line 6 Workbench HD FAQ the USB dongle is, well, here's the quote: "The Variax Digital Interface that came with your Tyler Variax is the best interface to use with Workbench HD. You’ll need a fully charged battery and a 1/4 inch guitar cable plugged in to power up your Variax. Any other Line 6 device with a VDI input will also work." Now that says it is best for using Workbench and I can't argue with that, at the moment it is the ONLY way I can access workbench. But for updating the guitar's Firmware which I believe requires large amounts of high speed data transfer over a looooong period (as opposed to the short bursts required for most Workbench use) I find the POD to be way superior. Which sucks because as you point out, not everyone has a POD with VDI or access to one. I say it is best to find a friend with a POD or buy one and return it after your update instead of trying the update on the dongle, your dead guitar and others I have read about in the past and my failed attempts to use the dongle led me to this opinion. I remember similar problems updating Vetta amps and only one connection (Midisport Uno) being approved by L6, and at one point L6 posted an official message saying something to the effect of "attempting to update your Vetta firmware may brick your amp and we can't fix it, do any reflashing at your own risk" After reading that I never did a firmware reflash on my Vetta again and have been nervous about it every time I reflash my Variaxes/JTV. Somewhere in the PSarkissian posted firmware update .PDFfrom this week it says "slip up here and you will have to send you JTV back to us for repair"...

Yikes...

You should be able to add a simple jumper with an on/off switch to control the neck pickup similar to the switching in the Fender Deluxe Players Strat and others - in position 1 on your 5 way you can switch the neck pickup on for neck + bridge, in position two you can switch the neck pickup on for all 3 pickups. Wiring diagram is here: http://support.fender.com/service_diagrams/stratocaster/013-3000_02A_SISD.pdf Sounds similar to what you plan for the Firebird but with switching added for the middle PU instead of the neck

If your new 2.0 Rickenbacker does not sound good... what amp are you playing it through? And do you have a real Rickenbacker handy to compare it to?

Obvious solution: 1. buy a used Variax 300 for next to nothing (usually around $200) 2. install Variax 300 guts in JTV next to JTV guts 3. Add an A/B/ switch to choose between old Variax sounds and 2.0 sounds Or just play the Variax 300 when you want the old sounds Or just leave 1.9 installed and enjoy it. Or reinstall the firmware when you want to change between sounds Or tweak the 2.0 sounds in Workbench til they sound exactly like the 1.9 sounds (someone will eventually do this and provide the results as a download, thus becoming a hero to a few here ( I would start by rolling off the tone knob and decreasing the volume in 2.0, that should get you in the ballpark). Or work the EQ on a POD HD til it sounds like the old tones. I know, I know, "But the EQ in the POD HD is labeled in % and I can only use and EQ that is labled in Hz or Db!". Adapt/evolve or die, as they say... or: "you must choose, but choose wisely, for as the real grail brings eternal life, the false grail brings death" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iW504DdEDo

Eh, this thread was to talk about my personal ordeal, this is the first time I have ever realized this but even if 1000 people say they had no problems with their update it doesn't make my ordeal any less grueling or make my piezos stop KLACKing or make my 12 strings track or give me back the day I spent reflashing or unbrick Chuck's guitar or or or... I wish we could have a separate thread for everyone saying they didn't have any problems, but really I am happy for you and your easy firmware update. The funniest part of my story (to me) is that the update went perfectly for me the first time I did it, I just didn't realize it at the time because my 12 strings instantly stopped tracking and I started hearing the KLACK noise I had never noticed before. With all the reports of people hating the sound of their guitar with 2.0 I assumed my firmware was corrupt and reinstalled it all those times without needing to. My Strats sounded awesome the first time I did the update, my Rickenbackers and Les Pauls sounded great too, everything sounded great except the 12 string tracking and the clacking. I started this thread to help people avoid the mistakes I made (reinstalling the firmware so many times unnecessarily trying to get rid of problems that were part of the new firmware and the guitar itself and attempting to use the USB dongle when I had a perfectly good HD500 sitting right there were my 2 biggest mistakes IMO). As for tuning down to D, my band has always tuned down to D and when started using a Variax I just kept doing that out of habit tho I suppose I could have tuned it any old way I wanted and corrected it with Variax pitch change. The string tension is not really much less as I usually use heavier strings to compensate for intonation.

Yeah, you are right - IN MY EXPERIENCE and IN MY OPINION the USB widget sucks. Well, maybe it's not the widget... maybe the firmware sucks... or the update process sucks... or Monkey sucks... but something in there that makes us have to repeat the firware install endlessly, only to brick some peoples' guitars. SOMETHING REALLY REALLY SUCKS and my best guess based on my experience and the experience of others I am reading here it made sense to blame the widget. I am sorry widget, it's not you that sucks, it's us. Well those of us who had to do multiple reinstalls and lost our data due to the midi port timing out or whatever. If only we were doing something differently everybody's guitar would have updated perfectly, right? I am not at all pissed off, sorry if I came across that way. As I said, I think the 2.0 update is an improvement. I am glad I had the HD500 to use for my many MANY reinstalls, if not I think I may have had to send the guitar back to Line 6 for repair like others here will be doing. To be 100% fair, my HD500 timed out the first time I updated my JTV the day I received it, I did the update a second time that day and it worked fine and it worked perfectly the other dozen times i did the incremental rollbacks and updates trying to get my JTV to work properly ( the problem was never a bad install, just some flaws in the firmware in general and some that had gone unnoticed previously in the guitar itself) and I am judging the USB widget based on it failing the only 2 or 3 times I tried using it... who knows, maybe I could go try it again and it would magically start working properly - it works fine for Workbench, maybe it was just a fluke that it failed every time I tried to use it. So, not pissed, not really frustrated, just of the opinion that if the system is failing for so many there is probably something wrong with the system that needs fixing. i wwas never pissed when doing my updates or troubleshooting tho I did get a slight panicky feeling every time a firmware install failed. I am glad you were able to use the USB widget to good effect and save your guitar from a bricking. I am only mildly annoyed that I had to find the widget in my garage, charge my battery, install my battery, and hook up a bunch of new cables (okay, 2 new cables) just to access Workbench on my guitar, but still not angry and never was during the entire process or while writing about it. I do not need to be angry to be of the opinion something sucks, sorry if this was not clear. Let me revise my statement... IN MY OPINION the USB widget is clunky in many ways and IMO vastly inferior to using a POD for updates and IMO should be avoided if at all possible. Reasons: 1.You have to charge a battery to use it. In all the years I have been playing Variaxes, last night was the first time I have ever needed to wait for a battery to charge or install nay batteries at all. Clunky and inferior. IMO. 2. Two cables are needed to make the widget work, as opposed to one when using the pod. Clunky and inferior. IMO. 3 The cable for the widget is made of stiff plastic that wants to stay in the folded shape it was shipped in, thus making it difficult to move the guitar around while it is updating. Clunky and inferior. IMO. 4. Based on my experience and the experiences I have read in these forums the widget has a much higher midi error code fail rate than a Pod. Unuseable. IMO. IN MY OPINION users should avoid using the USB widget until the firmware update bugs are worked out (I doubt this is ever going to happen) and use a POD only when updating their JTVs. I thought it was understood everything written in these forums was the only the opinion of the person doing the writing, will try to include more IMOs in the future.

Hmmm, coool, good idea - will pick some up next time I go to Home Depot. Thanks for the tip!

Had not heard any mention of the Tyler bridge "slop" previously but it is causing me much grief at the moment, the side to side movement of the piezos smacking against the side of the bridge slots is causing a nasty KLACKing sound when I Travis Pick. I am planning to stuff them with something them to prevent any side to side motion until I can change to a T-O-M Graphtech and Bigsby. I don't disagree with any of that. I don't disagree with that either. Maybe I was not clear earlier - the bridges on my Variax transplants are not "locked down" Tonepros style, they are normal Graphtech T-O-M bridges that rest on top of two posts just like on any standard Les Paul. I meant the saddles themselves are "locked" on the adjustment screw that keeps them from physically touching one another and transferring vibration the way Strat saddles might - sure my saddles are transferring vibration into the TOM housing but the mass of the housing though small it might be I believe is enough to stop the transfer of vibration enough to prevent warbling that might be caused by saddle crosstalk in a Strat bridge. I have never experienced any warbling/saddle crosstalk in my Variax Transplants, tho I do seem to recall noticing it in the original Variax before doing the transplants and switching to the Graphtech bridges - this was long ago so I may not be remembering it correctly but I am 90% sure I did have warble and crosstalk back then with the stock Variaxes. I have been using my Vax transplants for a few years with the Gtech bridges and Bigsbys and they stay in tune perfectly. I have been using my Vax transplants for a few years with the Gtech bridges and Bigsbys and they stay in tune perfectly. But again, not really "locked down", though the bridge in the Tele does not move at all due to a tight fit in the bridge support pins. I do put graphite in the nut and keep the Bigsbys lubricated... the strings simply do not hang up on the bridge saddles. Maybe they will some day when the grooves are worn deeper but I have put lots of miles on the Tele in particular and so far zero tuning problems. If I do develop problems I will either flatten the tops of the saddles and cut new grooves for the strings or replace the saddles, but for now I swear by the GraphTech T-O-M. I do like the rounded/domed design of that bridge/thumbwheel combination you show, might be a good idea to grind a stock T-O-M and thumbscrews to give the bridge some movement. I do not think the bridge itself moving is a problem with a Variax/JTV piezo setup, it is the piezos moving around inside the bridge housing itself that sounds terrible to me - fixing this is my next project on my JTV. If I can get my JTV to play and behave the way my transplants do... with the new 2.0 firmware the JTV might just be the ultimate guitar IMO.

"No issues whatsoever" is how the update should have been for everyone, but then what would we have to talk about here? To keep this thread on message and simplify things a bit (TL;DR): 1. DO NOT use the Workbench USB widget to do the 2.0 update. Use a POD instead or risk bricking your JTV. The USB widget SUCKS. 2. DO NOT physically tune your JTV down a full step to D. The 12 strings will not track properly. This is "being looked into" by Line 6. 3. If you manage to successfully update to 2.0 firmware and connect to Workbench you will need to do the Spank bug workaround fix to make the Spank setting sound right. 4. If you manage to successfully update to 2.0 firmware and connect to Workbench, DO NOT attempt to change the body type on a preset, there is a bug in Workbench that will render that tone silent. 5. If you are hearing some crazy KLACKing sound coming from your JTV that you did not notice before it is due to increased sensitivity in the modeling to nuances in playing style combined with a poorly made bridge with piezos that flop around in their slots. I am working on a fix/shim solution for my bridge saddles, will report any success I have at remedying the situation. You may never notice this problem, it is only bothersome for me when aggressively Travis Picking. 6. The 2.0 HD firmware sounds much better IMO.

So... more like a real Strat then :D I hear you though on preferring the 1.9 version, until I had a Variax I hated Strats and could never get a sound I liked from them. After years of noodling around with the Variax I found myself using the Spank 1 position as my main tone and decided to buy a real Strat to match that tone, tried a bunch of different Strats but could not get even a decent useable sound, much less anything similar to the Spank 1 tone I knew and loved but eventually with some Custom Shop Fat 50s pickups I am getting a tone I prefer by far to the Spank 1 tone of 1.9 firmware and by a bit to the 2.0 Spank.. In other words, to each his own... after they fix workbench HD to allow use with my HD500 I plan to do some experimenting on the Spank tones, I am betting the ultimate Strat tone is in there with some minor tweaking.

I also dislike the look of the alt tuning wheel on the 69, had still decided I was to going to get myself a 69 and was shopping for a used one til I saw the 89 on sale at Sweetwater for $699... Erm, the 89 has a 5-way switch... Oh man, a nice transplanted Strat with JTV guts... that would be very sweet indeed. I have the 89 and am not 100% in love with the neck (and the bridge SUCKS!), I am plannning to check the dimensions on an old Ibanez Wizard neck I have laying around and if it fits I might do a swap. Interesting, I have never heard this and have exactly the opposite experience, but my Graphtech bridges are T-O-M style and not Strat saddles so maybe more stable with less inter-saddle vibration transfer... I think the hot setup for me on the JTV89 is going to be a Ghost T-O-M with a Bigsby, yeah the Bigsby is going to look out of place on the 89 BUT 1. no one else is ever going to see the guitar, I only use it for recording and 2. I don't care :D Originally I really really REALLY wanted the JTV89F but realized recently it would not have been the best choice for me - I love the feel of a Bigsby way more than the feel of a Floyd Rose trem(or a standard Strat trem or any other tremolo for that matter) and have not had a Floyd eqipped guitar for many years but have a Bigsby on most of my favorite guitars (a Vintage Gretsch, and a Tele and Gretsch replica Variax transplants), a Bigsby is almost an extension of my body at this point and I always find myself reaching for it when playing guitars that don't have it.

Erm, accidentally posted before I was finished typing... hey, my post was kinda like the 2.0 rollout, went out before it was ready... Not sure I would call it "Success", but here's the rest of the story: Tested guitar on each reflash and re-reflash, I think I did a total of 10 reflashes that day - it took hours and hours and all the reflashing did nothing to solve the problems I was having. Day 3. Decided to try using the Workbench widget instead of the HD500 to connect to Monkey and attempt a reflash. Had already been charging my battery for 36 hours, popped it into the guitar and connected to the Workbench Widget and did a "reinstall latest" to 2.0, chose "do not save presets" and began reflash. Halfway through reflash received error "XXXXXX update failed - midi port timed out" or something to that effect, the same error I keep seeing people post here. Powered down the guitar to re-initialize the board, reconncted to the Workbench widget to reflash, changed device in Monkey to reset Monkey, tried the update again, halfway through update failed again, same error code. Repeated the disconnecting, repowering,resetting Monkey procedure and tried reflash with widget again this time choosing "update from file", halfway through update failed again, same error code. LESSON LEARNED: IF you have a POD HD500 or another POD with a Variax connection DO NOT USE THE WORKBENCH WIDGET TO CONNECT THE JTV FOR FIRMWARE REFLASHES/UPDATES!!! It seems to work fine for Workbench use but is IMO a lollipopping pile of lollipoops for firmware update/rollback/reinstall use. I AM NOT HAPPY LINE 6. BAD WORKBENCH WIDGET DESIGN AND WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SPEND HOURS FLASHING AND REFLASHING. Messe around with guitar, the 12 string out of tune anomolies are caused by physically tuning the guitar down a full step to D. Support has said the guitar is calibrated to be tuned to standard E tuning only and attempted to dismiss the problem, I pointed out that all previous versions of Variax software worked perfectly with full step downtuning (I have been using my Variaxes tuned to D for years and the JTV has worked fine since I got it tuned to D, the problems began when I upgraded to HD 2.0. Have been told tech is looking into it. SO after all these tedious flashes and reflashes with no improvements I figured this is probably as good as the new firmware is going to sound and decided to tune up to standard tuning and give the new sounds a fair listen. At standard tuning the 12 strings immediately sounded GREAT. Good Job L6. After some noodling around I discovered what was causing the KLUNK/KLACKing noises, the Piezos do not fit snugly into the slots on the bridge and when they move from side to side they strike the side of the slot causing a big KLACK!. I will be shoving something in there to hold them in place (already tried but haven't found anything small enough to fit into the space, the point of a toothpick is just barely too thick, a staple is too thick... will keep searching), til I fix this problem I am mentally tuning out the KLACK!ing while I play. To hear the KLACK! plug the JTV into a medium or high gain amp setting and gently pull the string side to side at the bridge, you will see the piezo move a little from side to side in the slot and when it hits the sides of the slot it makes the KLACK! My Variax transplants both have nice GraphTech tune-o-matics so this KLACK! sound is all new to me, didn't notice it before 2.0 HD firmware because A. I didn't give the guitar a huge going ove til I updated the firmware and B. the new firmware seems to be more resposive to every little nuance of playing which will of course include the piezo slipping and sliding around in the bridge slot. I hereby give the Tyler bridge with its sloppily mounted loose floppy piezos an F, total fail, you get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir! Should have held out for the JTV89F... will probably replace the bridge with a Graphtech T-O-M (and maybe add a Bigsby while I am at it !) if shimming the piezo gaps does not work. There goes my resale value...I AM NOT HAPPY, LINE 6. TERRIBLE LOLLIPOPPING BRIDGE DESIGN. Well, maybe the design is okay on paper but the measurements/tolerances on the slots or the piezos is bad as they would be okay if they just fit together better. Either way, FAIL. BOOOOOOO... I know, I know, you are saying "Okay Johnny, if you are so unhappy with the guitar just sell the JTV and go buy a similar product from a different manufacturer!" Okay Line 6, I apologize. Please take me back... I GOT NOWHERE ELSE TO GO! Apart from all the issues I think the HD 2.0 Firmware sounds really good. While reflashing I gave the old strats a listen and I think the people who prefer the sound of the 1.9 Strats are like the people who prefer the sound of the X3 compared to the HDpods, maybe that os what you are used to so you like it more and it still works fine so go to it, but I A/Bed both the 1.9 Strat and the 2.0 HD Strat to my real Strats during hours of endless reflashes and the 2.0 Strat CLEARLY sounds more like my real Strats in all pickup positions. I never used the Spank 2,3,4, or 5 positions much in the previous versions of the firmware, they sounded okay but didn't work for me and what I was doing. The Spank position 1 in the old firmware has become my go to guitar, I have never been a Strat guy but my JTV with 1.9 turned me into a Strat fiend in the last couple of months, I now own 4 real Strats and a Japanese Strat copy and I am tempted to buy another that is on Craigslist at the moment in search of "The One" but I think I may have already found it - one of the Strats I own currently has Fender Custom Shop pickups, I installed them in an attempt to make it sound more like my JTV for recording. Well, it ended up sounding better than the JTV, like WAY better than 1.9 and a good stretch better than 2.0. I currently have THEE ultimate classic Strat sound I was looking for and a bunch of normal darn good sounding Strats to compare my JTV to and IMO JTV 2.0 HD is MILES closer to the real thing than 1.9 ever was. Of course, I don't have a 1959 Strat to compare the JTV to so maybe HD 2.0 sounds exactly like the Strat Line 6 modeled, if so I simply prefer the sound of my much newer Strat with the Custom Shop (Fat 50s) pickups to a real 1959 Strat, but what I am saying is the HD 2.0 sound is really in the ballpark and with some tweaking of amp sounds will likely sound very close to my real Strat - IMO this is NOT true of the Spank sounds in version 1.9 and earlier. In all the reflashing I also notice the Spank position 2 and 4 sound really good UNTIL I connect to Workbench - at that point I have to do the workaround to make those positions work properly, and even with the workaround I am not 100% sure that the Spank 2 and 4 sound exactly the same as they did before I connected to Workbench so after my last few reflashes I am not connecting to Workbench til the Spank bug is fixed, I am pretty happy with the sounds of the stock 2.0 models at the moment but will do more experimenting in the future when it is "safe" Taking into account the improved tones, the crazy pitch tracking problems with the 12 strings, the annoying Spank bug and the widget requirement for Workbench connection (like many I will be much happier when I can use my POD to connect again) I give the 2.0 HD upgrade a "D" Fix the 12 string tracking, the endless reflashing and the Spank bugs (and fix the bug I discovered last night where changing the body type on a model kills all sound in that patch while you're at it) and let me connect with my POD and I will revise the grade to an "A". Added note: I think my guitar was probably fine on my first flash to 2.0 firmware and probably all the other reflashes as it sounded improved over 1.9 right from the first time I went to 2.0 and every time I went back to 2.0. I did the zillion reflashes because of the other reports of bad sound in this forum, I thought it might be firmware corruption causing the poor pitch tracking and KLACK! sounds, but I believe the poor pitch tracking is just part of the new firmware and now know the KLACK! sound is due to the crummy bridge. Hmmm, now I am wondering if stabalizing the bridge saddles will affect the pitch tracking... I already have a string damper at the nut and behind the piezos...

The Graphtech works GREAT, the output is higher than the old Variax piezos but that can be adjusted in Workbench. I will probably be replacing my bridge with a Graphtech also. Why are you replacing yours?