JamieCrain

Hi, it is 2.23. In workbench the models are correct, but in Firehawk app they are completely muddled.

Yes thanks. What about the other issue though - The firehawk app getting all the preset banks mixed up? Any thoughts ?

Just a quick update on this - I have recently discovered (a bit late), that the "Controlled by Firehwak/Variax" option in the Firehawk app seems to be a global setting. i.e. change it once, and it applies to all presets regardless of what is saved in the preset. As far as I can tell, this isn't described in the Variax manual. I might be mistaken too, but this seems to be the only global setting in the whole Firehawk app, hence why I missed it for so long. Upshot is, I need to set up my Variax Shuriken AND Firehawk based on whether this setting is on or off for all presets, and not deviate. I still haven't worked out why the FH incorrectly names the model banks in the app - any thoughts welcome how to fix this.

Thanks, yes I’ve checked that. I’ve also discovered that the problem happens if I manually change the model on the guitar using the knobs. E.g. I rotate the model to User I and I expect to hear a certain model/tuning combo. I seem to get one or the other but not both until I change the tuning knob as well as the model knob. Or, I have to flick the blade switch up and back for the correct sound to flow through.

Hi all, I've had my Shuriken for about 3 months now and I still can't work out how presets work when using the dials on the guitar and wondering if there is a problem. For example, when i use the Shuriken with my Firehawk FX and switch foot presets, the guitar seems to select a random model from the guitar's User banks i.e. the selected model on the guitar doesn't carry over from preset to preset. If am playing in Drop D, and the change to a new FH preset, the tuning suddenly becomes drop A (or something else). I can only get the Shuriken to use the correct model if i rotate both the model knob and alt tuning knob/selector switch back and forth after changing patches. Naturally this means the guitar is practically unusable for any song where I need more than patch. I have checked the FHFX - no the FH preset does not have a Variax model selected. There is no reason I can find that explains why the guitar chooses something different. THe other thing I have noticed is that if I use the FHFX to assign a Shuriken model, all the model names are labelled incorrectly. e.g. if I tell Preset 1 to use the SPank 1 model in the FH app, the actual model selected will be something else. The only time it is correct is if I select one of the User banks. Maybe these things are related, perhaps not, but it sure is making it hard to use. Any tips would be gratefully received!

I wanted to know this too, but in the end just got the 250. Compared to my other 25.5" guitars, it feels tight, and the drop tunings are pretty good. My hands are too small for the 270, so the 250 feels better anyway. And if it feels better, you play better!

Well I had the chance to listen to both setups. In my mind, there is no question about what sounds best: 2 x single cabinets (in stereo) is miles better than a single stereo cab like the 212+ or FH1500, for stereo effects. The stereo effects from two speakers within a single cab are almost imperceptible, even with a 'wide' stereo setting, compared to the 2x single set up. I have my answer!

Well maybe not "half", but certainly could lose 3-4mm off the top. Just enough for it to sit at or just below the saddle.

One thing I would like to see is: When you lower the saddles on the Shuriken, you don't get the two little grub screws poking up from each saddle. They really irritate my palm! I am thinking about ordering some spares off ebay and cutting them in half so they don't sit higher than the saddle itself. Unless anyone has another solution?

Just to limit confusion, I would go with standard E tuning, and emulating D. At least then the labels on the tuning dial would make sense.

This is very interesting. I have been coveting a certain pearl white Shuriken from the Rockshop in Auckland for some time and was thinking about getting it shipped over to Oz but eventually got a metallic silver one here in Melbourne. The one I picked up had been in the shop for a long time and it had just a very minor layer of dust. No evidence of much playing at all. I doubt it is filler, that would be poor QC, and I've never seen that on a new guitar. However, looking at the rosewood it seems very dry. It it were to be cleaned and then oiled (lemon oil), perhaps the blemishes would disappear? When I do this to my ebony and rosewood fretboards on my other guitars, any blemishes seem to disappear and the whole thing looks much darker. If the issue is just the grain of the wood having 'character', it might be passable as the body is the Ash version so you want to see the natural grain. A few blemishes might be nice. On the silver version I have, blemishes aren't so good, thankfully there aren't any... Good luck with your decision!

Hi all I recently acquired a FH1500 and it performs as expected, but have come across an issue. When I adjust the Mid dial on the top of the FH and turn left towards the 9 oclock position, the amp cuts out completely, and the message "Thermal Shutdown" scrolls across the LCD. Sometimes, after a few seconds, the amp comes back to life, sometimes it requires a reboot. It only happens on the Mid dial (so far as I can tell), and at any volume, after any time. So I'm fairly sure it is not actually a heat issue, it's a glitch. I've tried the downgrading the firmware to 1.0 and then back up to 1.3. No change. Anyone seen this before? Any fixes? Is it serious?

Interesting, thanks. Having 2x212+ cabs must sound MASSIVE. Getting a 212+ is obviously a much simpler set up than 2x112, which is appealing. The cost is a little more but there's more features for sure. I'm not likely to become an IR guru, I expect I'll find something in the Helix that I like. The one stereo trick i use almost all the time is add a ping pong delay with a 20ms delay to the end of my chain, and short feedback (one delay) panning full left/right to my speakers. This makes the guitar sound like there are two in the room. It's the same trick that FM radio stations use - it makes the music sound so much fuller.

Nice. That's exactly what I wanted to see. If only a major pup manufacturer would partner with a mainstream guitar manufacturer, we might see some real change. Exactly! And perhaps the lack of modern models proves my point about variability. Seriously though, this is about product marketing. It would make me feel better, as a user, if I saw a model that was based on a modern solid body guitar. it could simply be called "modern high output" or "modern mid output". Just my 2 cents.

Thanks, It does have the Stevic models loaded, I've been editing them. They appear under the "Special" model. in WBHD and I recognise all the names from the Outlier album. It's all the others that are out of sync. But what I might do is save all the presets on my computer and then do a firmware update and then reload them. Will do. He lives just down the road so I guess it's possible!

Yes, although when I plug in my Shuriken to Workbench, it recognises it as a JTV59 and the names of the model groupings are out of sync, e.g. all the Lester patches sit under Spank. Dunno why.

I'd describe my 7 string as a Beast. So it seems the only adequate description of an 8 string would be Beast Lord, which is obviously much more beastly. True, but I suspect that the difference between them is actually pretty minimal, hence why no pickup manufacturer has created true swap in/out pickups, because a player would discover that instead of there being dozens of pickups to choose from, all with fancy names to appeal to each type of player, there would be perhaps three types with perceptively different tones. Line 6 could add a couple more "89-type" pups to Workbench, and give them a fancy name like "Beast Lord 8", to appeal to players like me. It wouldn't sound very different perhaps, but it would feel better.

Well yes, except that Line 6 markets the Shuriken as able to model 6, 7 and 8 string guitars. So methinks it reasonable that Workbench should have a couple of options there, even if it's just for looks.

Hi all, I know a lot of guitarists like traditional models that are like 70 years old, but I have to say I'm a little disappointed that the Shuriken Variax/Workbench HD doesn't have more than one "modern" pickup option, being the JTV Bridge/Neck. I have zero interest in putting a 1950s piece of tech, even virtually, into a modern high-tech guitar. Am I missing something, or should there be a much greater range? Same goes for guitar bodies. The only body that appeals is the 'Neutral' body. What if I want to create a beast-lord 8 string?

Hi there, can you confirm the factory standard string gauge for Shuriken? Feels like 10-46?

THanks, Yes I too have a firehawk fx. I can model some really good tones that sound exactly like the guitar on a song, but it doesn't have the "amp in a room" feel. So its just like a really loud hifi. I've just got myself a shuriken variax and thinking i will also get the powercab 212 because I love stereo effects. I hope it lives up to it the rhetoric!

DId you end up getting the 212+? Are you happy with it? How about the stereo effects? Cheers, Jamie

Hi all, interested in thoughts. Context: I'm upgrading all my gear from Firehawk FX plus 2x10" FRFR powered speakers, to Helix plus ?? Must haves: Stereo output. I like guitar sounds that fill the room and sound like there is more than guitar playing. e.g. ping pong delays More thump. The 2x10" speaker i currently use are loud as anything, but have no thump whatsoever. I am not a "deep modeller", spending hours fine tuning exact patches and models, but I do want to control everything with my feet. I don't want to ever have to press a button on an amp or whatever to change a setting mid-track. The PC112 (x2) looks like it will do the trick nicely for thump and stereo, but have no foot control via Helix for the built in speaker modes. The PC112+ (x2) looks like it does everything including foot control, but more $s. The PC212+ seems to do everything with less cables, but worried that it doesn't have the required room-filling stereo effect because it's all coming from one cabinet. Also If I go this route, should I not just get the FH1500? Thoughts on the pros and cons?

DId you ever get an answer to your question here? I'm curious too. I suspect they're close enough to the real thing.

Cheers all. All good tips.