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tomwhitworth

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Everything posted by tomwhitworth

  1. I'm not talking about perfection but having a second (unwanted) note playing through is not musical. The question here is whether the variax can play the alternate tuning that has been dial in. I'm sure everyone here can present an example of a guitar that is not "perfect" but great music can be drawn from it but I'd be willing to bet they wouldn't even try if that given guitar played a G with an A. I am getting the picture that the crosstalk can be managed if you play with the right technique. Could turn out to be an excellent workout for your playing abilities and satisfying if you manage it.
  2. Clay-man - "Really??? When did 1 person's post become a huge determining factor of what holds back the Variax?" Clay-man, what are you referring to when you say "1 person's post"? The last time I looked, these forums are for everybody to share their ideas. I don't believe anyone in this conversation is trying to say they have the only correct position here. I have gained much insight from all the input. I came into this with no preconceived judgements, just questions about the reliability of things I have read. If anything, I was hoping to be persuaded into liking this guitar.
  3. Is Variax being discontinued? Well now - back to the subject at hand. I have a feeling that the majority of people that are happy with the variax weren't counting on using the alternate tuning feature very much or just don't care that it really hasn't been perfected. Is this guitar being discontinued? Maybe the question is - should it be? For the most part, the rest of the guitar seems to be a pretty good buy if you check out the unit you are buying first. To me it boils down to the company (Line 6) not being honest about the ability of this guitar to do everything they say it will do. Why model alternate tunings that the electronics can't produce properly? Install only the ones that work and leave it at that until you can do it right. I am getting real curious about using different tunings on the piezo that could be blended with other non-standard tunings on the mags that compliment each other but I'm afraid that this "crosstalk" thing will ruin that effort. I suppose if I only blend different tunings (doubling or harmonic notes) that have no conflicts on the piezos it might work? Now we are talking about music theory I haven't thought about in a very long time. The challenge might be fun. I'm sure I will be looking for advice on that one. I'd like to pick the brain of someone who has taken full advantage of the Helix/Variax platform (Workbench or not). The possibilities already seem endless but if the WB and Helix can communicate with each other it increases expontially. I'm sure POD 500 guys would have a lot to contribute here.
  4. That is one of my main concerns - cross talk from the piezo pick ups. I have read that it is possible that the cross talk is coming from the mag pick ups. It sounds like you don't agree. If alternate tunings are unusable, that is discouraging. I want to do more than just "capo" the tunings. Does this happen on the acoustic and electric models? Do you think it happens on all the guitars or just some of them?
  5. After all is said and done - that's really the only way to buy. Thanks for the comment. TW
  6. Charlie - I get it - for the most part, people who are happy with their purchase don't say much (they aren't having problems so they aren't here looking for solutions). These forums tend to be negative or problem solving at best but you can't get anything close to objective in ads, searches or YouTube reviews. The only thing you are left with is questionable "I love it" reviews by people who have something vested in the product or aren't even aware that they have a problem. The other side of the coin is what we have been discussing - the problems and how hard are they to get resolved. I also realize that some of the disgruntled appraisals are from lets say the "not so sharp pencils in the drawer". I appreciate your input. Did you have any of the problems (ghost notes, miss shaped necks, non-functioning switches, uncooperative software/firmware, US vs Korean made, etc) that I have read about? There is so much technology built into these things that I don't think I could test it all live even if it were easy to get to a brick & mortar store. I'm pretty much stuck with mail order. For this one, I might have to invest some time/$ traveling to complete the research. People like you that are willing to discuss it at least tell me what to look out for beyond the normal attributes of any guitar purchase. Thanks TW clay-man - I have read several of your comments on the various threads, thanks for comment here. I respect your philosophy on buying new but I noticed you have been involved in some lengthy conversations about getting it right with brand new equipment and I don't think all of them concluded in a positive way. More confusion than anything else and I don't see Line 6 making much effort to inform us past the usual company rhetoric. As I said, as much as I'd like to work with and love this guitar, this has all led me to be very suspicious about the quality. And now they look like they are dropping the JTV line and I don't see anything (including the new format of the guitar by Yamaha) that is telling me to invest in one. I am willing to pay for a "new" guitar but I don't think there should be such a seemingly high chance that I would have to start the "return/defective" scenario that I have been reading about. I'm not looking for anyone to defend or trash this product, just enough feedback to make an informed decision. Your input is appreciated as well. Believe me - I would really prefer to see an overwhelming positive response on this forum about this guitar - especially the JTV-69 (HSS or SSS) Thanks, TW (I will stick with this forum for a while - maybe they will resurrect the JTV as some have alluded to)
  7. ....and it still looks like a crap shoot when you buy a variax guitar. The more hours I put into investigating the variaxes from the last few years the more skeptical and less enthused I get. When I bought the Helix I really thought I was going to follow up with a JTV purchase. Buying a used one really seems to be asking for a hand me down problem and I've seen many horror stories about people having to return multiple "new" guitars to the place of purchase or deal directly with Line 6 support. On that note, many people have reported not so good results from that adventure. I agree that the Helix should integrate with WB if you own a variax. Also, I watched many video reviews and rep's Sean Halley and Paul Hindmarsh were not exactly forthcoming with any comments about the complete interaction between the variax and the Helix. "There is even a dedicated Variax input", yet they seem to conveniently forget to mention that it won't work with WB. I like both of them but that info would be good to have ahead of a purchase. Would anybody who has bought a variax guitar, knowing what is known about them today, still purchase one today? Should they even be continued? ---Those are honest questions. Thanks. :mellow:
  8. Thanks for the effort. I have the HELIX on its way but I'm having serious doubts about the JTV guitars. I've read way too many horror stories. I am curious though, would love to see the interaction between the HELIX and the guitar modeling.
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