snhirsch

Are you sure you aren't hearing the acoustic vibration of the A string directly - in addition to the amplified and pitch-shifted tone? I'm always surprised at how even small amounts of "leaked" sound from the strings themselves can be audible above the amplification. Even with headphones on I've been fooled by this a number of times.

The Workbench is not intended to be an audio interface.

You didn't mention plugging a 1/4" cord into the analog jack on the guitar. Unless you do so, the onboard electronics will not power up and you'll be unable to get anywhere with the update. The little USB interface box does not provide power! This is a common mistake.

I would recommend you take a shot at re-soldering those pins. The trick is going to be keeping solder from flowing into the area where the little lock "tang" is. Maybe you can use some small needle-nose pliers as a heat sink to prevent that. Otherwise, you'd have to figure out who OEM'ed that multipin plug and purchase replacement pins from them. And, even if you can figure out who made the connector, you're probably looking at a minimum order of some sort.

Seconded. Very happy with the QSC K10, but would be great to talk with others.

I agree 100% with regard to the JTV-69 neck. Between the jumbo frets and the pinched string spacing at the nut it was not a lot of fun to play. After fighting with it for a couple of weeks I swapped in a Mighty Mite Strat neck with compound radius fretboard. Plays like a dream now with no adverse effect on the sound. Even with the wiring dressed properly and the tremolo checked carefully for binding it would not come back into tune reliably. My solution was to install a SuperVee "MagLok". Can't say enough good things about this gadget. It has a tiny impact on the feel of the tremolo, but makes up for it by ensuring that things come back to pitch right on the button. Unlike some of the other locking devices I've seen, this one will let you bend upwards. Two modifications I couldn't live without!

With great power comes great responsibility! I don't generally play all that loud, though. The headroom really comes in handy for my Variax's acoustic guitar and 12-string sounds. The Rickenbacker model is just brutal in terms of the bandwidth requirements and tends to mush out just about any conventional amplifier. We've been working up an older Midnight Oil tune with a prominent 12-string part and the QSC is magical sounding.

For some reason, the forum editor will not allow me to insert text below the quote... Go figure. Anyway, I didn't realize the K8 had such a different form-factor. I generally set the K10 into a folding amp stand on its angled side. Works perfectly and lifts it closer to me so my bass player (standing next to me) doesn't complain about the wash :-).

That's very helpful - thanks. I had been hoping to see some input from other folks using the QSC powered speaker for a rig. You are quite correct about the Marshall emulation. It just doesn't sound very convincing to me, and by the time you suck all the "fizz" out with a post-amp parametric EQ there isn't much left to work with. I do have to say that a Rickenbacker 12-string sound through Fender Twin simulation is awe-inspiring from the QSC!

Very interesting. That's the first indication I've seen that the Variax control protocol isn't proprietary!

I wonder if the problem is caused more by the pickup being "loose" in its pocket than by the free portion of the string vibrating? In looking at some of the solutions, it seems like the foam is actually pressed up against the rear face of the transducer. Another point that's always bothered me about the piezo elements is that the treble strings are free to "float" back and forth in a rather wide, curved area. That's not at all what a properly dressed conventional bridge piece would look like. On even mild bends, I can watch the string walk back and forth. At a minimum that's not good for sustain.

Hmm. I'll go back and listen again. Could swear I heard chorusing, but maybe it's just my ears after 40 years of R&R :-).

I'm not familiar with the Vetta, but from everything you've mentioned I have the impression its firmware is just not new enough to understand the James Tyler Variax instruments. From reading posts by others here, I think Workbench has the same limitations. Both predate the JTV electronics. That's why I brought up the HD500. At this point, it's the only way to get external control over the full JTV feature set. The steps I went through to select Chime-4 and create an alternate tuning were done from the "System and I/O" submenu of the HD500. My apologies if I wasn't clear enough on that point in my posting above! (update): I think I know where at least some of the confusion stems from. The HD500 does not tie the combination of presets to a control on the Variax itself. Rather, it allows you to associate the presets with a slot on the HD500 where it's footswitch selectable (along with whatever else you want to setup in terms of effects). If I had to guess, I'd say that the much-promised Workbench HD update will support what you are trying to do.

As promised I tried this with my HD500. No problem at all selecting "Chime":4 (12-string neck pu) + open-E tuning as a preset. It's always annoying when the march of technological advancement leaves a valued piece of gear behind, though, and I'm sure the HD500 will join the club in due time.

I'm getting a bit frustrated trying to find a "Sultans of Swing" chorus effect. My Fender Mustang III modeling amp is lightyears behind the HD500 in some respects, but it has a triangle-modulated chorus that's just about perfect. Unless I'm being dense, I cannot find anything close to it on the HD500. In particular I judge the settings by looking for a "shimmer" on the barred F at the first fret. The HD500 chorus seems to jump from too subtle to hear to excessively "nasal" (best I can describe it). Guitar is a Variax JTV-69 on "Spank" p/u position 4 (serious squank). This is one of the Variax strong points: Sounds like the best vintage Strat you could never afford :-) - so that's not the problem. I prefer the HD500 with amp + cabinet simulation through a QSC K10 FRFR speaker. Using the Mustang in this setup isn't really practical. Any suggestions (maybe involving a chain of effects?) appreciated.

I have never tried it specifically with a 12-string, but in general the preset has a section dedicated to alternate tuning. Download the manual from the web site and have a look. I'll try the 12-string + tuning preset when I get a chance and get back with the results.

I had the impression that the Vetta wasn't supporting alternate tuning presets - but maybe I misread your original post. The HD500 does support alternate tunings as part of a preset.

I've been using a QSC K10 with my HD500 and am delighted with the results. If you want to be a purist it's probably best to use the 1/4" summing output, but I just center the left/right pan controls on the mixer and connect the left XLR output to the speaker with a mic cable. An FRFR speaker typically has a more extended bass response than a guitar cabinet. I recommend using the hi-pass filter on the cabinet simulation to tame it. The Variax Rickenbacker 12-string setting turned my little Fender Mustang III amp inside out at performance levels (complete mush). With an HD500 Fender Twin emulation and the QSC, it's crystal clear and total "chime". High distortion settings are a bit of challenge, but following Meambobbo's recipe for "de-fizzing" the sound with a parametric EQ worked like a charm. With a 1KW internal power amp, the K10 can blow you through the nearest wall. Cutting through a live mix is certainly not a problem. And, last but not least for Variax owners, the acoustic sounds are incredible. I use a simple studio EQ and compressor - no amp simulation.

I cannot find any description of what that unit does. Quite a number of the other Line 6 related items on R3FX's web site are similarly undocumented. Seems like an odd marketing plan. Is the reader "..just supposed to know"?

Check out an HD500 when you get a chance. The ability to switch between Variax settings is worth the entire price of admission. I'm actually surprised that Line 6 doesn't offer a dedicated Variax floor controller. Seems like an obvious product, doesn't it?

Heh, when you said "upstate" I was thinking Saratoga or Plattsburgh :-). Up here near the Canadian border, we look at Poughkeepsie as being next to Manhattan... Seriously, glad the guitar is working out.

It's hard for me to believe that the short section of string between bridge piece and anchor slot could possibly create problem harmonics. The section between tuning machine and nut is another story. I've tried putting a foam strip on the headstock of my JTV-69 and couldn't really hear any difference, but there's evidence to suggest that it can be a problem for some folks.

Got it - thanks. Nice playing! BTW, where in "Upstate NY" are you? I'm your neighbor in Burlington, VT.

Both video links are broken. They arrive at a YouTube error page.

I suspect the interface box pushes the limit for USB current draw. So, using a motherboard connector and a short cable is probably a good idea. In your case it sounds like things were right on the edge.