snhirsch

Worth a try, but in my experience having pickups too close primarily affects the low-E and A string. On my JTV-69 I need almost 1/4" clearance on the bottom strings to avoid warbling, but there's no corresponding issues on the high side.

Unfortunately, each independent importer sets their own policy in terms of how much effort they put into customer issues. Obviously, Line6 has replacement parts in the US and probably has them available from shipping points in other countries (Korea at a minimum). My guess is that the Norwegian agent is batching together orders and holding them until there's enough to amortize the shipping. Why they are not required to pre-stock replacement parts is a contractual issue between them and Line6. If there is no such requirement or it's not being enforced that does not reflect well on either party.

Are you in the US or elsewhere? It seems that the quality of service from importers varies wildly depending on your location.

Sure sounds like fret buzz to me. As hurghanico pointed out, a solid G string is always going to have the largest mechanical excursion and is definitely the most likely to sprout odd overtones as a result.

Search the forums for discussion of the model selection knob issue. Basically, tolerances for the selector knob and control assembly are off such that it cannot be pushed down far enough to turn on the guitar electronics. Try pulling the knob off and pushing the shaft directly with your finger. If that does the trick, just shim the end of the shaft with a little disk of cardboard and push the knob back over that. This is extremely common with the JTV-69. Mine did it too and it scare hell out of me until I figured it out :-)

So you've tried the powered hub and that didn't help?

"Like the Pods do"? That's news to me. One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of overload indication on my HD500. Which Pod models have this instrumentation?

If mine were spring-loaded, they would rise when the string is removed. They do not. Are you saying that the bridge pieces on the original Variax models would rise up during string changes?

Well, obviously it is not working correctly if your attempts to stream data to the instrument are terminating with errors. Small voltage drops that are enough to cause digital circuit misbehavior might not be obvious from watching LEDs. You would have to put a scope on the +5V line at the interface to have a chance at seeing it directly. There are hundreds of powered USB hubs available. Google is your friend ("powered usb hub" might be a reasonable search term). Anything with an external supply and USB 2.0 compatibility is a good bet. But please keep in mind that I am only throwing that idea out because I've had similar problems when, e.g. copying files to my Tascam guitar trainer. The unit is always recognized and mounted by my computer, but if plugged into a rear-panel USB port it disconnects part way through any file transfer. If I connect to my little powered hub, it works perfectly. Other things to do (if you haven't already): - Swap USB cable - Check computer and Line6 interface box for bent or visibly tarnished pins (strong light and magnifying glass are helpful) - Try a quick shot of non-residue electronics cleaner in the computer and interface box, then work cable in and out about a dozen times. Do NOT use anything with lubricant in it (aka "tuner cleaner") or you'll definitely regret it. - Check your computer setup for the presence of any non-Line6 device driver that may be trying to listen to the USB ports. (My money is on the current capacity issue)

The piezo transducers on my JTV-69 are definitely not spring-loaded (that would take one hell of a spring and a provision for adjusting tension to allow for different guages). Using heavier strings definitely increases the downward force vector. Whether or not that affects the sound is a completely different question.

This really sounds like the USB port cannot supply enough current to run the interface reliably. I know that the Line6 documentation says not to use a USB hub, but a powered USB hub (with wall wart) can likely supply more current than the computer. If you have one or can borrow one, it may be worth a try.

I strongly suspect the Variax electronics have an input preamp with the appropriate impedance, gain and headroom.

Are you sure you aren't suffering from mode switch issues? Try pulling the model selection knob off and pressing the metal shaft down directly (with a 1/4" cable plugged in and the battery inserted, obviously). If that lights the LEDs at the base of the shaft, you're suffering from a fairly common defect. Easiest fix is to drop a small disk of cardboard into the hole on the plastic knob and press it back into place. That will let it move the shaft a bit further betore the knob itself bottoms out in the hole. Line 6 should take the OEM supplier of those knob assemblies to the woodshed. This issue cropped up on my JTV-69 within two weeks of purchase. Not worth sending it in for warrantly service, but an annoyance nonetheless.

Workbench 2.0 will let you define and store any tunings you desire. It's covered reasonably well in the Workbench manual. Or, if you have some time on your hands you can program them in manually on the guitar (covered in the Varaix manual). If you have questions after reading the docs and trying this on your own, give a yell.

In a pinch, you may want to look into having it Plek'd. Just got my JTV-69 (w/ strat neck) done and it's like a different instrument. In all the years I've been playing I've never seen such a perfect job of fret leveling. No, the Plek machine is not a replacement for technical skills, but in the hands of a good luthier it can work to tolerances you couldn't dream of doing by hand. Now I have to save my pennies to have all my other guitars done...

Great - thanks very much for the information! For those who have been following the thread on third-party batteries for the Variax, this implies that non-Line6 batteries could be made to work by rewiring +/- from the enclosure to the ground and ring of the 1/4" jack. This is the least preferable solution, however. Optimum solution is to find a way around the protection scheme that causes it not to recognize the inexpensive camcorder batteries. Disclaimer: I have not tried any of the above. If you modify the electronics on your Variax you unquestionably void any warranty on the unit and take all responsibility for letting the magic smoke out of the internals.

I would suggest removing the bottom of the XPS box rather than mucking with the guitar. You should be able to get a voltmeter across ground and ring that way. Or, if the sleeve of the 1/4" plug is not under heatshrink, just unscrew that. Failing everything else, no load voltage is better than nothing.

If you are ever in a position to measure it, I'd love to know.

I mentioned this on another thread, but I'd really appreciate it if someone with a Variax (old or new) and an XPS supply would measure the DC voltage applied to the guitar while under load (guitar plugged in and electronics active).

Careful! You are looking at the wall-wart that supplies power to the XPS - NOT the voltage that is sent to the Variax (which almost certainly does not use AC power). I would be interested in knowing what the actual DC voltage to the instrument ends up being while under load (i.e. with guitar plugged in and electronics active). To be clear: Do not apply AC voltage to the guitar or Bad Things may happen.

I'm curious: Can the Variax power from the older XPS adapter?

Nor do I (for another data point).

Anyone else find Hellomusic's web site to be annoying beyond all belief? I gave up on browsing after about 2 minutes.

Charlie, I bet you can find a round crimp-on terminal that will make a decent fit in the +/- contacts of the battery. With a little hand tool work, you can probably fix them into a small piece of plexi and whip up your own connector.

That noise sounds mechanical, but you say it's not occurring in normal tuning mode? What happens when you pick lightly?