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!

When my band plays 'Stairway' I seamlessly shift from acoustic guitar to electric 12 string and finally a les paul without taking my hands off the instrument, but having the facility to guarantee all are in tune is abusing technology? Unfortunately I don't have a roadie to hand me the pre-tuned guitars on stage, otherwise I probably wouldn't be asking the question.... I also know a keyboard player who criticises my singer for using a Voicelive 2, completely missing the irony when he plays his Nord, Casio and Yamaha synthesisers.

If autotune is feasible, and at the and of the day that is the only question I am asking...IF it can be done, then you only have to look at the facilities offered by the Peavey AT system to see that it would eliminate a lot of the other problems people are talking about. Their software offers the same kind of tuning options that the JTV does but apparently without some of the drawbacks. If Line6's answer is 'No it isn't going to happen' then that's fine- I just want a response either way.

I find it odd that my ideascale post has attracted negative votes. Who in their right mind would OBJECT to having a guitar with the ability to tune itself?

I've submitted an idea as you suggested- well if you dont ask, you don't get!

I don't see any difference between pressing a button to tune the guitar either to concert pitch or an alt tuning. All I am asking is whether it is a possibility that Line6 could provide this facility. I would rather have my guitar in tune at all times regardless of the method of achieving this. Both my 300 and 69 are less reliable than previous guitars in this regard. My last gigging guitar was an Ibanez Saber and both that and even my lowly Marlin Sidewinder almost never went out of tune during sets.

Now there are a number of autotune systems available for guitar, including software versions, is there ANY possibility that this kind of system can be written into the JTV programming?

I rolled back, and will wait until they release a fully functional (for me) version before I try again. I found the HD Lester models had lost all the sustain and I don't like having to use the dongle when I've already got my HD500 plugged into the PC. I use my JTV69 for gigging and recording so i want to use the same setup all the time, something not possible with Workbench HD....yet.

The most obvious expectation must surely be that the HD500 should be able to do everything ( and more) that it's smaller siblings can, and as I understand it this is not the case. The HD500 has a number of seperate outputs but only 1 mode, and I believe I am correct in thinking the 400 has 2? Personally I would like the ability to use the 8 footswitches to access individual patches, rather than just the 4 currently assigned.

I would have thought ultimately the quality of the tone is largely down to the skill and imagination of the guitarist?

I can't take any credit for the patch- 'Peter Green Burst' - this was created by a guy called Scott Jennings and I found it somewhere on the internet. As suggested it is 'based on a '59 les paul with both pickups active @ 100%, out of phase' It does work very well! I actually use it for ZZ Top stuff, and occasionally in other songs to spice up a solo section when the mood takes me....