alsithi

I finally got the update to work on my DT25, after many, many attempts. Like a lot of people I cannot specify exactly how, as your mind goes numb eventually, but, in a nutshell: I failed with a cheapo midi interface, so bought a Midiport Uno which came today. (I'm not convinced it was this that made the difference though- more likely blind perseverance) I updated the M-Audio drivers, already had the latest Monkey, and connected it IN/IN OUT/OUT in violation of the 'official' advice. My pc has several usb ports, and I struck gold at the third attempt (the one I use to charge my mobile phone). While using a different usb the amp was recognised by Monkey, and showed the software as V1.0, but duing update it came up with a different error code. Anyway I switched to the other usb and Monkey recognised the DT25 but couldn't see the software version, so I went for it and several minutes later it successfully completed! I think the moral is- try all the usb ports, and (in the case of the Uno) connect the midi plugs in-in. Perhaps some manufacturers are guilty of second-guessing their customers? Either way, it finally worked so I am now a happy bunny ;)

Agreed. I only posted it because it's an example of what the variax can do in a live situation, and of course it was filmed on a domestic camera. It would also help if the keyboard player knew how to use his volume control and back off a bit, but he doesn't...and in fact for some inexplicable reason he plays guitar when I go to the 12 string bit, and most of the guitar you hear at that point is him, when he should be playing a fender rhodes-type patch

This is me using my JTV to play Stairway, going from acoustic to 12 string then Lester for the solo! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW5dt_Fyh0s

Strings are a very personal thing IMHO but nowadays I use Elixir Nanoweb 9-46 which suit my purpose. Before I got a Variax I had them on my Ibanez Saber and they managed 33 gigs without any issue at all. Believe me when I say the strings on my guitars have a very hard time of it...lol

I had the same problem- I solved it by removing the battery! Incidentally the battery was completely flat, so I will charge it and try again and see if that make any difference. I use my '69 via VDI into my HD500 so the battery never gets used (or does it?) and of course one design flaw (well, I think it is a flaw) is the battery can only be charged OFF the guitar.

Downloaded, installed, no problems, everything works. Thank you Line6!

That's right- if you don't play and sing at the same time it doesn't do anything!

I use mine for gigs - JTV69 and HD500 plugged into a Behringer keyboard combo and have had no problems at all. My main 'guitars' are a strat, les paul and 12 string, as well as acoustic, banjo and dobro depending on the song. When we play Kashmir I use DADGAD but otherwise standard tuning (except when we've played Kashmir and I forget to switch it back...lol)

Line6 states this in the latest release notes for the HD500: "Variax Workbench HD will not connect via POD HD - use the VDI/USB interface included with your JTV as a workaround" This clearly implies that a: Line6 accepts this is a definite issue which needs to be resolved, and b: It will be resolved sometime in the future. My opinion is simply that the 'fix' will be available when it is ready, but also that 2.0 should not have been released until then. However, it was, so we each have our own option for dealing with this, which in my case is sticking with 1.90. It's not a drama, not a complaint, merely an observation.

My 300 was my main gigging guitar for over a year and other than replacing the machine heads was completely trouble-free. I only replaced it with a JTV69 because I came into some cash and wanted a guitar with a whammy bar! Soundwise the 69 is superior but as a standalone model the 300 sounded great anyway.

Look at it logically. Set it up as you would your old rig. The 500 is a virtual pedal board, so try setting it up as if it was a real one!

A couple of years ago I bought a used 300 which sounded great. Last year I got a '69 which sounded even better and was a better made guitar (cost a lot more money of course) and have installed all the updates which sounded better and better, until 2.0 which made some guitars better and some worse, so of course I rolled back to 1.9. We can be (and I have been) as pedantic as we want, but at the end of the day I have a guitar that sounds great, whichever patch version I am using!

Ok let's look at the actual mathematics of this based on available data rather than wild speculation! 77 people voted, of which 32 have rolled back. That means that fewer than 60% of JTV users are happy with 2.0. Over 40% are so unhappy they rejected Line6's upgrade. What would be interesting to know is of the 35 who haven't rolled back, how many are actually satisfied with 2.0? The suggestion that only 32 JTV purchasers are unhappy with the upgrade could also be interpreted to say that out af all the 10,000(?) people who bought a JTV only 35 are currently using 2.0!

Personally I would like to see the facility to use all 8 FS switches to change patches and the output options already mentioned. More amps? Fewer would be fine by me, given the amount of customisation you are able to achieve, and I think the 8 fx blocks system (subject to dsp limitations of course) is more than adequate. My rig is a Variax (300 and a JTV69) and HD500 and there is little I can't do with it. The only aspect that I don't like is the 4 patch switching compared to my old RP1 which had 10.

I know a couple of guys who WOULD do as clay-man suggests and never bother to tune the strings, but they are morons, not guitar players. Personally I would tune mine as normal but rejoice in the knowledge that I could play through a set without having to worry about the tuning going off- something of a problem where I live as the high humidity levels we get here makes the guitar go crazy sometimes. Correct string tension is an important factor for the consistency of your playing. However even after all these years I still get blistered fingers and could easily imagine a scenario where I slackened strings off to ease the pain. There would no doubt also be a number of players experimenting with string tension in a creative way...and of course, you could simply turn the autotune off!