bob1474

Hi macrwormjim. I was thinking that would be the ultimate solution. Not a hard project for me at all. By chance do you remember what brand\ specs ytou replaced them with ? Thanks in advance, Bob

Hi amsdenj. Thanks for the reply. That's the first thing i do when getting any Variax. Re - flash, do the factory models settings thing and all that. As mentioned, i pumped up all the models to max output in workbench.  Tried with  my PODhd500, straight through to amp, with power kit and battery trying to eliminate any silly items, even though I knew those things were not the gremlin.  Lowered the pickups and all that. I can live with it, but since my 69 does not exhibit the same symptoms and is well balanced between mags and models, I did not know if this model, since it's a "shredder" type axe, was just built that way. If i run into another i can compare, but that isn't an option at the moment. Bob

Acquired aJTV89F.  I already have a JTV69S where I've been very happy with the volume balance between the mags and models when switching from one to the other.On the 89F, however, the mags are WAY too out of balance withe model volumes.  When playing any model and then switching to mags, (without switching any amp or POD settings) they are VERY overbearing. Even turning the volume knob halfway down still has them too loud. The models are pumped up in workbench. Before going loony, since this doesn't happen on my 69, i would like to ask if these pickups are just that much hotter by nature, or does that indicate I have a problem, and if so, is there a solution?  Thanks for any advice

Might want to clarify a bit on my last post just in case. When i mentioned "grouped togther" I meant in the Banks-such as "user bank 1" the patches in the intended song should be placed "as a group" ( 1A-1B,ect).

Hi- I've had good luck "lining up" patches for a song. In other words-if I'm going to use several different patches in 1 song- I put them in order in the set list. Seems like when i do that, it takes a much shorter change time because it does not have to "search" as long for the next patch.  As long as they are "grouped" together, you don't have to "repeat" any patches- say verse-chorus-verse-bridge-verse-chorus, you just need the 3 patches & you can "bounce" between them. See if that helps.

I"m usually very easy going, but that just seems so illogical not to go backward compatable on this, it just burned me a bit. Check reverb.com for gear. I'm mostly on there now instead of Ebay. Bob's Variax & stuff.

Great- bye bye then to my 2 new hd500x units and back to the hd500's. You could at least stated that in your promo package BEFORE people dropped bucks on a "NEW" inproved unit ! Slowly and cautiosly backing away from Line 6 after this really bad R & D decision. I'm thinking if you want people to use MORE of your new products, you'd at least make them compatable with the older items. In my case, i use  Variax 600 and 700 series guitars, and WAS going to go with JTV's also, but this info shot that in the A@%^. So i would have tp have 2 sets of PODs for each series of guitar,pretty silly. (I know the JTV will work with the  HD500, at least you got that much right after much customer comments, but that does not bring the original Variax line into the fold with the HD500x). Is there even a whisper of a chance someone there will see the light?

O.K.   bye bye to my 2 new hd500x units and back to the hd500's. You really didn't think about that while R & D was is session ?  Slowly and cautiously backing away from Line 6-too bad.

Beware when updating to a POD500x if you use a gen 1 variax (not JTV). It will NOT communicate with Workbench anymore, just workbench hd,which, if you don't have a JTV, is usehless. You'd have to go back to using the interface.

This is by far the STUPIDEST thing Line 6 has ever done!!!!!! What about peple who use both older and JTV guitars ?   If this REALLY dumb idea is to try to get us to buy new gear and then find it doesn't work with our older gear to try to get us to buy more new gear (JTV) you have JUST LOST ME as a line believer.. I thought you were really on to something., guess you don't care about the people who got you this far. Yamaha tell you to do this ?

Clay-man, as Charlie-Watt says If you've done the locking tuners, nut sauce, checked your intonation and sdjusted the springs, you SHOULD not have any problems. I, without exaggerating, can trem down till the strings are pretty loose and still be stable.  You can also look into a Trem-lock system that returns the bridge back to a fixed position-works really well, have used them before, except I am stable enough not to need one.  I have my bridge adjustment set as follows. The 2 bridge height srews are completely down into the body  as far as they will go for stability-even if you have to adjust the neck position with shims to get the right playability on string height) The individual string height adjustments on the bridge are kept as close as possible to the bridge plate (same reason). I adjust the 3 springs tension to keep the bridge plate parrallel to the body. that leaves me with about a half step up and full down trem action. The idea is to keep and physical movement of potentially moving parts to a minimum, especially the string height screws. Should do the trick. Let me know if any of this helps.  Same thing for the 600. Never used a graphtec nut, but have heard good things about them and if they are anything like the piezo's, they should be very nice.  Bob

My favorite is the 600. I also have a 500 (least fav body style) a 300, 700 and a couple of 700 acoustics. I play and work on these a lot for people so I tend to keep an "example" of each around. When the JTVs came out of coarse i thought they'd be the cat's meow. Got hold of the 69 and the 89 hard tail. Shortly after let go of both. mostly due to the sounds of the new models but also the "appeal". I know this is all relative to personal taste, but why the pickups if you already have the model ? I guess i just like the simple clean looks of the older models, also to this day gets lots of questions. No problems with any older model staying in tune, make the right adjustments, a little nut sauce on the bridge and locking tuners-whammy to your hearts content. As far as the sound, added graphtech piezos. I was able to do an apple to apple comparison and the graphtecs vastly improved the overall performance on my 600, getting ready to change out the 700 electric a little later. Just my opinion. As far as the JTV series-the street price drop should tell you something.  Not complaining, Line 6 is a great innovator and my go to rigs.

There is no perfect Government. Capitalism allows the innovation to have the gear we are discussing now in the first place. Haven't seem any gear like this coming out of a communist country, have you ,Comrad?  (all in fun)

Hi. Concerning the changes to the nut spacing on the early JTV69's- Is there a serial # "refernce point" dociumented that we could reference for when the change was implimented?

Hi- Actually, All i did was use, as I always do, a bit of "nut sauce" on the string contact points, and since I already had locking tuners on the 600 neck, did not need to alter  anything else. Peachy!!!    Bob

picked up a electronic dead 600. Put the neck on my JTV69.  Works great-Very happy-no mods needed.

Hi- JTV69-just replaced the stock neck (rosewood) with a neck from a Variax 600, which I always liked. No mods needed. Plays like a dream now and intonation is spot. Haven't had a chance to play the JTV with the stock maple neck. Anybody know if that neck is different than the regular stock neck ?  (closer to 600 style?)

The JTV's have 2 custom banks, as do the older variax line. same thing- you can save any model anywhere on any of the banks, just 10 handy banks to store mdofied models if you didi not want to modify the existing banks. My question nw relates to calling up those banks (factory and modified) from podhd500.

Call me stupid-.using HD500  Are you saying any "forced" settings in a patch going to the Variax in the HD500 will call up the factory settings for that model, say spank 1, even if i have altered spank 1 through workbench and saved it on the Variax?

Knew you could overwrite ALL, just trying a simple explaination. Did not know however, about retention of the original factory sounds and ability to access through POD. How does one do that ? any special codes needed ? or other tweeks?  thanks

The older variax line has 2 "custom" settings on the model selector, where you can store, wait for it!! 10 custom settings!! (5 in each) So you can develop any guitar you want through workbench(tunings included) and save it to any of the 10 spots, thus letting you preserve the original sound in the "normal" banks, so you can put all your alt tuned models in the custom slots to be called up instantly. I believe the electronics in the 300 and 600 are the same(Identical), and the 500 and 700 are the same (I believe as the previous poster mentioned-on the latter the boards are shaped slightly different to accomodate the guitars internal structure. This is indicated when you do a firmware/software update/re-initialize. Monkey will use the 300-600 mode or the 500-700 mode. I believe the latter had a bit more processing and other goodies, but the madels are identical. Note: rolled back my JTV 69 to earliest version and can notice the difference in the acoustics especially. But then you lose the HD goodies in 2.0. Keep experimenting, I guess.

Thanks for the input on the roll back-haven't rolled back past 1.8,  but might give it a shot sometime this week. to see what happens.

Opinion time ?  I work on, play and have ALL of the Variax line, including a JTV69. Most of the time I use my 700 acoustic for "acoustic" gigs, (Duh) and I keep going back to my 600 for electric stuff, even over my 700 electric,( like a poster earlier, I guess i'm just a Strat guy at heart.) which still includes a lot of acoustic patches. Picked up a JTV69 looking for a leap forward. Fairly disappointed with the new HD acoustic models, and I've really tried to like them, even compared recordings under the same circumstances. Perhaps I'm not ready yet to hear the changes, but in any case,they are not as pleasing to my ears as the old models, even after tweaking with workbench. Had a friend put a 600 neck on his JTV with great playability results, but still- the acoustic models just are hard to pin down. Will keep trying because i want to like it, but in the end maybe Line 6 should offer a "retro" batch of models for us weird people who were and are happy with what they accomplished earlier.Even after rolling back from HD no real joy.. Street price of the JTV should tell them they need to do something!! Everything is subject to personal preference.

To add to the 600 tuning problems metioned. I put locking tuners on mine, use a touch of nut sauce (great stuff) on the string contact points. I use light (10g) strings and can trem till the cows come home without tuning problems. I keep the trem "floating" parrallel to the guitar body, gives me about half a step up, and seems to be,after experimenting, the best location. Also keep the string height adjustment close to the "bottom" as the angle of the strings is decreased. I Use 3 springs (stock). Also replaced stock string "tree" with roller type, but really have no opinion on wether that affected anything, as it stayed in tune before that change.  My 700 electric, with the use of nut sauce and the above mentioned adjustments (except the tuners, the stock Gotoh tuners seem to be fine) reacts the same way. Same with the JTV69- now if only the models...........

Shure- roll back the acoustics in HD to the 700 acoustic sounds let US mess with them from there.  

AHHH-my pea-sized brain acting up again!!!  makes sense, also will make my life a bit easier, since I use both the 600 and 700 models. Never hurts to ask!!!  thanks, bob