psarkissian

8-Ohm jack to 8-Ohm jack. Do not use the 16-Ohm. http://line6.com/support/manuals/412vsb

1) Use the battery for now and connect my Standard to my Helix via the guitar jack? Yes,... but use a TRS (Tip/Ring/Sleeve) guitar cable between the guitar and the Helix. 2) Use the supplied ethernet cable and connect guitar to the Variax connection on the back of the Helix without fear of damage? NO,... the CAT5 cable that came with the guitar is for connecting to the interface device for using with Workbench HD and to do firmware updates,... and NOT for playing thru. Or should I be patient an wait for the correct VDI cable? Yes,... the VDI is for playing thru.

Poly. I'm told the factory isn't into nitro.

You have a bridge that has texturing on top?

What kind of cable is used for the speakers? Instrument cable? Bridging balanced outputs? Are they being fed to a mixer or pre-amp? There could be a phasing problem that is attenuating the signal.

Does it sound out-of-phase and/or attenuated?

The XLR is for going into mixing consoles and recording gear the use balanced inputs. A/B is for switching between the XLR and 1/4". Recommend not engaging phantom power on the mixer when using the XLR output on the XPS. Otherwise, use the 1/4" signal line.

Not quite so in this case,... Typicial diode drop is due to trying to run VDI with battery still inside. But yeah, that too what Charlie said, only way fewer incidents of that. And depending on which diode,.... no, not any diode will do.

PIV (peak inverse volt) spec has to be correct, or it will blow again. Current is trying to flow the other way. Take the battery out before plugging into the VDI cable.

In a nutshell,... it's less about the cost and more about the impedance. Impedance matching is everything, when it comes to signal path between devices. Regular XLR mic cable is 50-Ohms,... not to be used as Line 6 Link cable. Line 6 Link, AES/EBU (Audio Engineering Society/European Brocast Union) cable is 110-Ohms,... is used as Line 6 Link cable. There are standards set by the AES/EBU that manufacturers follow for impedances, for running these kinds of signals, for these kinds of cable lengths.

Yeah, what crusinon2 said.

We do,... availability is good that way. I use a standard set of tools to work on these guitars.

No. The set nut for the posts use the same size wrench. I think the screw holes on the back side of the head might not line up. Overall, a different dimension of guitar than a Variax Electric or a JTV. I haven't seen the tuners you want to use so can't be 100% certain. I would want to have the guitar and tuners on my bench to better evaluate.

Correct,... there's a interface widget and cable for doing Workbench HD and updates through Monkey. That stuff will be in the manuals.

"Thanks for the Pro perspective - I appreciate the staff taking time to post here"--- No problem, JTV's are one of my specialties here. I'm here to try to keep your gear from ending up on my bench if it doesn't have to. Rock on!

Register the amp in your account and log a ticket with customer support, get a return authorization, have the authorized service center contact me. Don't void the warranty by going inside of it yourself.

Use the EH version of the EL84's when possible. With power stage tubes, they have to be matched pairs, that's crucial.

Yes. Effects boards (including Helix) with VDI jack will power JTV,as part of its function through the VDI cable. Be sure to use the actual VDI cable with the XLR shells on both ends. http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/115205-Line-6-Variax-Digital-Cable There is also the TRS cable, for when you are running with the battery,... http://store.line6.com/accessories/cables/variax-trs-cable-15.html ... TRS is used on many kinds of guitars like ours, with active electronics.

What sort of noise? How is it jumping around? Recommend registering the amp in your account, then log a support ticket. fflbrgt suggestion is a good one. Use the patch "Like Buttah", it's a clean setting, so whatever anomaly is there won't get masked by effects.

Agreed. I get where you're coming from,... irks me too. There are a number of reasons for it, and I see all the maladies on a daily basis, not just the frets, and not just here at Line 6. And by now you're familiar with my lengthy curriculum vitae as well.

I just got done handling a guitar from Australia that was custom made for Stevic McKay, by a top luthier. I too has sharp edges. But the reason for that isn't the same as crusisinon2 says,... at least in this case. Sharp edges, because of the climate difference, so the ebony shrank a smidge, just enough to feel the frets. JTV's are built in Korea (unless it's specified as a US model),... of almost equidistant, and even more different climate. Some climate differences worse than others. And before you say lollipop, check it out with the like of Dan Erlewine,... I'm sure he can get into more particulars than I have time or space for here. I also agree with crusisinon2, I too have seen some real slock out there. We had a fret spec that was a smidge off, but that was rectified some time ago. The present fret spec has been better. If it wasn't they'd hear about from me, and they all know it, since I work on these and this is one of my pet peeves with these. "... the tech noticed some buzzing on the high frets (above the 14th) which seems to be due to some waviness in the neck"--- If it's at fret-14 and/above, then it's not waviness in the neck,... it's called "over-bowing", and is a result of the relief not being set right at the truss rod. You can check with Dan Erlewine on that too. Set-Up's are done at the main distribution hub, and depending on the retailer, gets checked over again and adjusted for climate differences for that geographic locale. When I do a repair, I do the set-up for the end user's location climate.

"If the neck isn't properly positioned relative to the bridge, the intonation will be off and that is not acceptable at all"--- Yes, very much so. "The adjustment range is there to dial in a properly installed neck"--- Yes,... and it will take some work to get it right. Not easy, but can be done by someone with the right tools and experienced at this sort of thing. So yes, what Charlie said,....

Alt Tune will function in a limited way, as there are limits to what it can pitch track. And if the fundamental pitch is off, the Alt Tune may have a time staying stable. I get back guitars from other parts of the country, sometimes tuned down for travel. Sometimes they don't track well until I tune it up. If you have tuning or intonation problems due to scaling of a 3rd party neck, then that can exacerbate the problem when you add Modeling and Alt Tune to it all. And Charlie is right, with a 69, 1 to 2mm,... might be able to tweak it and find a sweet spot. 1/4" is much too much. I do caution people about being care about this sort of thing. Hybrid technology like this is seldom forgiving of modifications. Hope it it's fixable and comes out okay.

Factory strings are D'Addario XL110.

Yes, the brand of tube for the power stage, was listed as Sovtek, but the one we approved was EH. EH owns the Sovtek factory, but the EH labeled ones get extra testing and QC for the likes of us and other picky clientele. Updated that early today (see the link a couple posts up). http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/amplifiers/vacuum-tube-valves-primer-reminder-r811 ... and I'll be adding to this every now and again as the necessity and opportunities arrive. The tube amp primer is an informational for general edification. So please don't go into the insides of a tube (valve) amp, unless you have had some serious training on this stuff (like I have). I don't want to read anyone's obits prematurely.