pwhittles

If there is one word I would use to describe the JC120, it is "shimmering". I first heard one in college circa 1985 and I thought it was awesome. I was playing in a band and using a Dean Markley stack, but I thought a JC120 would have been perfect for many songs we did like - Just Like Heaven ... and I found out, entirely unshocking - the Cure and Smith in particular used a JC-120 in the studio quite often. And I found out Andy Summers did, too. The JC-120 is the Nile Rodgers of amps. Almost any time I heard a catchy funky relatively clean Chic-like riff/chord progression, it turned out to be a song either produced by him or where he actually played on the recording.e.g. And just like Rodgers, the JC-120 is that ultra shimmering clean sound where you instantly go (if you are a gear dood) wow sounds like a JC-120. I remember a lot of guys in our band's circle of friends thought it was a lame soul-less solid state abomination, but that's par for the course with their ilk A JC-120 would be awesome with an HD500x and Variax imo - it can offer a clean so clean and unaffected that it is almost PA-like, and it can add the best chorus you have ever heard along with reverb to any track you are laying down

Omg, did I need the update! it had ver. 1.82 now I have 2.1 !

No concerns, I was just being sarcastic. Downloading Workbench now and ill update it if it's not current This instrument inspires a lot of creativity. I find that changing tunings and guitars opens my fingers, ears, and soul to new music

I stil have not run workbench, or even plugged it in to get updates etc! That's partly out of fear. once I open workbench it might turn into an epically long play COMPUTER SESSION I love gadgets and I am totally stoked

I own a HD500X as well as a (bean) Pod HD. Fwiw, I rarely run out of DSP on either. Has anybody ever used two POD devices for a setup? I could use the beanPOD (as well as my 1986 Rat II) in the effects loop of the HD500x Otoh, could set them up serially I am assuming if I use the beanPOD pre or post HD500x, I have to make sure I don't jack up the signal too much if I set them up serially vs. using the bean as part of my external (to the HD500x) effects loop Since people hook conventional stompboxes up serially (generally speaking, this should pose no problem? Iow, a guitar input (and I realize active pickups etc. make a guitar have a higher vs. lower output) into the HD500x, using an AMPLESS preset I am sad to say my beanPOD recently stopped working, but I am going to bring it in to a service center. I believe this will work well, because the POD HD (or the HD500x) is a glorified stomp box and assuming you calibrate the input(s) and output(s) correctly, this should work well. Also, does anybody know a good Y splitter? Another option I am considering is splitting the guitar signal pre POD(s) and using the bean for left and 500X for right. I am wondering if this would require the Y splitter to also have gain boost capability, but considering all the different inputs on the PODs, I assume I could find a setting that would work perfectly with this splitting Thanks in advance for any advice, anecdotes, studies, WAS (Wild lollipop Speculation... as in my case), etc. and I will go look up the service dept

Remember that as a general rule, people are WAY more likely to complain if unsatisfied than to post how happy they are this is true of most things not just guitars thr very nature of the SUPPORT forum suggests this is the reason it's here to a large extent:'help I am having this problem...' I am EXTREMELY satisfied and I think the quality is great and I am used to some very nice guiysts a lot of people complain about the neck in the 69 i LOVE it!!! (Maple fretboard too)

SSS here and I'm happy - maple fretboard also- super happy granted my other two main guitars - PRS and Ibanez Hollowbody have humbuckers

I am in Seattle, so my biggest threat is rain or moss - not heat!!! :) As a person who is not a strat fan myself, it's not surprising I like this neck more than many strat lovers. It's DIFFERENT than a strat (most of them - different radii etc.). Personally, I might like it a LITTLE fatter back to front (although I love wide skinny's too, like my Artist model has - with ebony fretboard). What I love is the profile, the radius, the frets (I love jumbo frets, too. But these are more understated), the maple fretboard and ESPECIALLY the flat matte finish to the back of the neck. This is the first guitar I have had with this flat finish (vs. the glossy necks on my PRS, Ibanez, SX, and all the others I've had - Fenders etc.). It's a dream to play. I was surprised at how much harder high E bends are on this guitar vs. ALL my others. I guess the length is a major reason for this. I think the strings are 10's, and those are hardly thick. But that's ok. Put more effort in and get more reward out!!!

I haven't checked the firmware, since I plugged it in and played as soon as I got it. I'm not sure but I think Sweetwater probably updated it, but not sure. I will plug it in soon! I have only seen the maple fretboard version with the black body. If there is a sunburst with maple fretboard out there I amnot aware of it. Im not a huge sunburst fan, but it would be nice to have the choice

Nice! I am a huge Townsend fan. In general, my favorite guitarists are rhythm or song oriented, not flashy technician soloists - Townsend, Marr, Giraldo, Ramone, Weller, Schon, etc. Btw, Townsend used a Gretsch 6120 (a gift from Joe Walsh) on Who's Next (and the next album). Most people don't realize this because he didn't play it live (said it wouldn't stay in tune long enough for a concert. Considering the way Townsend played a guitar - this is not surprising

Again, "not everyone can hear it" etc . But here's the rub... when the listener is "BLIND" iow they do not know if they are listening to ash or mahogany or particle board or cement THEY cannot hear it either. over and over and over and over and over again There is a reason why studies are conducted DOUBLE BLIND. Because subjectivity and even subconscious or subtle cuing can affect results. So, again, here's what I am trying to explain people CANNOT tell the difference this has been demonstrated over and over again but that's when the study is conducted blind OBVIOUSLY, if you are told "This is a superbitchenmagicwood guitar and it sounds warm!" ... you hear warm and you are told "this is a muckyentwoodjehosophat" and it sounds bright ... you hear bright this has been demonstrated in the audiophile world for decades. they will take a cheap stereo and have people review it then, they will put it in an expensive box with a top brand name (they used to do this with Bose all the time when it was the "it " brand. now many audiophiles HATE bose, but I digress) and the SAME PEOPLE will rate the stereo substantially higher "wow, I can really hear the difference" except... there is no difference. go ahead, show me a double blind study where people found Mahogany to be (insert marketing terminology here) and basswood to be... (...) etc. it NEVER happens people are able to discern individual tonewoods at about the same rate they would by CHANCE. iow, the emperor has no clothes but sure , "I can tell the difference. I'm special".

You are right They have the Reso G and Blues G They are different from the way I tune it (I tune high E to 'g' not 'D' ) but you are correct. They ARE open G tunings

I received my 69s from Sweetwater this morning! I opted for the maple neck/maple fretboard/SSS option. First, the setup done by Sweetwater (and/or how it comes from Line 6) resulted in a guitar that is nearly perfectly setup to play out of the box. I ordered a PRS from them a ways back and I ended up taking it to my luthier for a set-up. The action was too high, the intonation was off, yada yada :( As a contrast, the setup on the 69s is nearly perfect. I think if the action was any lower, It'd be buzzing, the intonation is near perfect and with 2 hrs of pretty hard playing (no dive bombs with the tremolo but basic tremolo work and lots of hard playing) it was still in tune. Feel: First of all, I have heard some wanking about the neck. I LOVE the neck. The unfinished maple back is incredible (I far prefer it to glossy mahogany etc.) and the frets, the maple fretboard etc. are wonderfully responsive. The frets are well dressed, every note rings true, it sounds in tune all over the fretboard. The weight and balance are good, the knobs etc. easy to use. Sounds: the mags sound great. I've never wanted a strat, and I'm not a Fender (or a Gibson) guy, but it definitely has the Strat quack going on and all 5 pickup settings sound good, no string sounds too loud or soft compared to the others, etc. I played it mostly dry or with a little reverb. I did some effects (playing through a HD500x into a small practice amp) as well, and they sounded great. I have a HD500x and a 1986 Pro Co Rat2 and all the effects sounded great with the guitar. As for the models, they were great as well. There were a few acoustic ones that sounded a little harsh but I attribute that to being played through an amp vs. direct into a PA etc. I bet when I plug my HD500X into my computer (which I have some nice speakers with) and fool around, the acoustic settings will sound great. The tele wasn't AS twangy as I associate with "real" or good clone teles, but it was still excellent. I'm not a Gibson guy, but the Lesters all sounded like what I heard when I played a friend's LP. I have not dug into Workbench yet (very excited to create my own models) nor did I use the Variax cable yet (I used the basic guitar cable) into the HD. The tunings worked well. I especially liked playing a baritone banjo and doing slide etc. type stuff with the open D. I wish it came stock with open G, but I will program that. I have heard some complaints about the headstock. I think that's partly due to everybody is used to the Fender headstock, so if it looks different it looks "off" automatically. I like it. No complaints there. The tuning pegs are great. The tremolo is great. I don't have really any critiques either of it as a "real" guitar or as a modeling guitar. It sounds great, it feels great, and it looks great. For reference, some of my other guitars - my main Axe is a 1980 AS200 Ibanez Artist model. I prefer this to the ES-335 (it's similar in many respects to the ES-335 and was designed as an "ES-335 kiler." Many respected guitarists prefer it to the ES-335, as do I. I've had it since 1985 I also have a PRS SE Custom 24. Great guitar. Definitely the best action of any of the my guitars. I have a cheap Chinese tele clone that i LOVE - SX Furian Ash (all ash with a natural wood finish). I've had "real teles' before, and I'd easily compare this to any real tele I have played. It is not AS refined, but it sounds very good and has great fat frets and a nice neck. it's neck is glossy and I definitely prefer the matte neck on the Variax. I have some other guitars, but these are my main axes. My next will probably be a Gretsch 6120 (the guitar that Townsend used on Who's Next and imo a MUST have.), and a custom Chinese Gibson'esque LP/ESP hybrid (probably with Bigsby) from DHGate (I can't use Ali Express since I am in WA state) I will have built to my specs. If I was currently playing in a band, the 69s would undoubtedly be my main axe. When I did play in bands, my main axe was my Ibanez. Imo, this is simply an awesome guitar.

Bra, snark away but this is not about you or me, and this is not my theory. Many very savvy physicists, luthiers, players and gear heads have been saying this stuff for decades like you, I listened to what the industry wants us to believe, because there are billions of dollars at stake, but you are making all sorts of assumptions. You assume sarcastically for example that 'Line 6' which is of course not a monolithic entity but a company with many people within it Doesn't believe when I am telling you and I find it more likely that there are probably some people at Line 6 that tonewood's are mythology and probably some people who disagree. cool! but that's tangential to whether it's reality I would love to still believe in the romantic and appealing notion of Tonewoods but I cannot ignore the dozens of Counterexamples I've seen demonstrated to me as well as the underlying physics which are very compelling when I see people who are convinced they can tell the difference suddenly lose that claimed ability when they are presented with that test presented in a double-blind manner and when I see a person play a beautiful guitar and then saw off essentially the entire body of the guitar and it still sounds exactly the same I can't ignore evidence that sitting right in front of me regardless I'm not trying to convince you and I could not care less what your opinion is. my statement that I made was that it was being presented as a indisputable fact in this thread that Tonewoods affect tone in an electric guitar using electromagnetic pickups and I am simply saying that to be charitable that is best - ARGUABLE Unlike many people who have sunk costs into Tonewoods and thus have a vested interest in the truth being a certain way , I have no dog in this fight and I would love to be wrong because it would reinstate the wonderful romantic notion of Towerwoods and I find the idea very appealing! however it's pretty telling that with all the $$$$$$ made from charging more for Tonewoods, that no advocate thereof has presented proof, and it would be quite simple to do caveat emptor. Believe what hat you want to bepiece but remember that there are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamt of in your philosophy my PRS is no less beautiful because the wood in the body is not affecting the tone. I prefer maple necks and I'm stoked to get my maple fretboard 69s tomorrow i like the feel of maple fretboards, I prefer the dynamics which improves my Playing so there is a feedback loop there - maple will 'sound better ' in that respect even though it's not the maple- it's the symbiotic relationship it has with my left hand that makes the difference I appreciate your enthusiastic recommendations but I'm reasonably confident that Line 6 will soldier on making awesome products without us and it's not that Tonewood in the guitar's bodies make a difference in the sound carried by the electromagnetic pickups ( again I am agnostic vis a vis piezos) but it is a fact that there are a metric buttload of factors that go into making a guitar cry and sing and clearly the tyler variax's have plenty of that sweet mojo compression waves are what they are I am also heartened that there are people who can discuss this topic without snark, bile and evasion of the underlying physics that offers an explanation WHY Tonewoods don't matter there is so much already written on this fascinating topic so if you really do care, seek out the truth. It can wait

Sorry I don't buy it And I am far from inexperienced but this is not about my Bona fides - I've run sound for major label bands, I've worked closely with a world class luthier (who make guitars for some of the most well known guitarists) Science is science. It doesn't care who you are And the psychology of confirmation bias etc plays a part in why you believe I used to believe the same thing. Heck, it SEEMS like wood affects tone EXCEPT when you try to PROVE IT DOUBLE BLIND EVERY SINGLE TIME - the 'I can hear the difference' advocate (remember I WAS one) is challenged double blind... They can't tell the difference It's just like ESP people will swear up and down they have it - but when it comes time for controlled testing? FAIL every time I would LOVE for Tonewoods to be real... And God knows they are for ACOUSTIC guitars. And maybe they are for piezo's. I haven't studied the science But when it comes to an ELECTROMAGNETIC POTTED PICKUP - sorry, that signal is unaffected by tone wood. I guarantee you I could play 6 acrylic and 6 mahogany guitars, and if you could not see them and I didn't know which I was playing (so I couldn't subconsciously attack the strings differently) , you would not be able to discern which is which Heck, I'll substitute cement, beer barrel wood, or particle board It WILL affect the ACOUSTIC tone of an electric guitar ... And 95% of the trine a guitarist is noodling away in practice he CAN hear the guitar itself ACOUSTICALLY, which helps reinforce the belief since wood WILL affect that again, as the above poster did, you can post link after link where people will assert this without evidence as the above person does but again with millions of dollars at stake nobody can show in one double-blind study TONEWOODS actually make a difference! And it has been demonstrated many times they do not Confirmation bias, subjective hearing (we don't hear passively. We LISTEN actively, more so the more musically experienced we are) One suggestion - study compression waves Get a good physics textbook

I'm seeing assertions that guitar wood affects tone. For the record, I think the evidence and the science demonstrate this not to be the case. I'm open to a double blind study to the contrary but I've been waiting a long time for that. Assertions are groovy but I'd just like to point out it is NOT accepted fact and a lot of us disagree ( when speaking of potted electromagnetic pickups and the amplified signal created

Pressing the Buttons right now at Sweetwater - a 69 Dent and Scratch (looks to have a little scratch on the pickguard) with the Maple Fretboard (I far prefer the Maple Fretboards) and SSS setup!!! I am very excited. I have been lurking here for months and am confident I will love it. It has the new tremolo (round vs. U shaped entry for the bar) I have researched and I am getting it with the cable since I also use a HD500X My other main guitars are my Ibanez Artist Model Hollowbody AS200 1980 Model bought in 1985. This is my main axe. It was invented as an answer to the ES-335, and in many's opinions (mine also), it is superior to the Gibson hollowbody. I would never make the trade! That's why I have held on to it since I bought it for a couple hundred (!!!!) in 1985 I also have a PRS SE Custom 24 that I just love. And a cheap chinese Telecaster, an SX that imo is the best value in guitars out there!!! You cannot go wrong with an all swamp ash body, maple fretboard tele clone for $130! I have a couple of others as well. My next guitar will probably be some sort of custom model off of DHGate.

Thanks. I am starting a support ticket. My PLAN was to buy a pedal board (Maybe a MK II Shortboard) used for $120 and a new power adapter (I assumed it was broken, especially because the plug was chipped) and be "gig" ready for 160. After I found out the Pod was bricked, I ended getting a CHERRY HD 500X for $380. Box, documentation etc perfect. He hadn't even upgraded the firmware in the year he bought it. Absolutely CHERRY. I was leaning towards the HD500, but the HD500X does look better, has more pedals, and better quality, more DSP, and more input/output. I plan on getting a Variax, so the Variax input is a plus. I have also SOME confidence the HD500X sounds better than the 500. I have been following the debate and supposedly the models (which are just computer software) are the same, but with the extra DSP and different components I guess it's POSSIBLE it could affect the sound. The only way to know FOR SURE is to measure output like they do with speakers. The placebo effect is strong, so subjective analysis leaves me cold, but mebbe if we had some double blind confirmation that the HD 500X ceteris paribus was sounding better... I pulled out the Pod because I just bought a PRS guitar and that inspired me. I also just found out the Ibanez I have had for 30 yrs is also worth quite a lot, and I am ready to expand my axe collection. If I can get the Pod HD Desktop fixed for a reasonable price, selling it on Ebay will help recoup the cost of the HD 500X. It could actually make the HD 500X CHEAPER than if I had bought the shortboard and the adapter and it's obviously a better system to play with.

No sign of life whatsoever. No screen illumination etc. It is NOT my power adapter. I tried it with two POD (HD500 and HD500X) and it works fine. It was working fine and I simply hadn't used it for a long time, maybe 6 months or more. It was in a climate controlled environment, no shocks, spills, etc. It simply is a lifeless brick. I tried holding down the left arrow button to no avail. The entire time it was dormant, it was unplugged.