Hey for sure i will let everyone know and can post some pix too
One thing for certain is that you cannot re-solder
the tiny wire to the element itself (one of mine broke there) as the wire doesn't seem to be soldered at all onto the element, rather the wire is 'potted' in a mastic epoxy substance. Also i discovered the wire is quite microphonic on its own so i think the element block is purely to capture the correct string vibration and to ensure maximum signal level.
Thank you to all who have responded - i love the Variax concept and hope it keeps developing
- a big thank you to Line 6!
cheers neil