cruisinon2

Say it with me..."batteries suck".

Out-of-whack intonation will wreak havoc with the alt tunings. If it's used, God only knows the last time it was set-up properly. I'd start with that before worrying about the firmware.

Tone matching is a game of inches. Doesn't really matter who you're trying to emulate...the process is always the same: experiment with diffrent amp/cab/mic choices until you hear what you're looking for. Tweak, play, repeat. Theoretically, you could start with choosing the amp model that's the same as (or at least similar to) whatever those guys were using back in the day (if anyone even knows what that was), but even that's not a magic bullet. Much depends on the guitar you're using, and what you're playing through (amp, headphones, studio monitors, etc). The same patch that gets me a convincing Queensryche tone might sound like a chainsaw with your rig...continuity from one player to the next is almost non-existent...too many variables. The experimental phase is long, often frustrating, and there are really no shortcuts.

Re-stocking fee? Merry xmas... "Refurbished" or not, it's a new purchase that you're returning because it's defective, not because you just decided you don't want it anymore. Charging a re-stocking fee under those circumstances is absurd...

Six of one, half-dozen of the other... The point is to work your way in, alternating from one side of the bridge to the other, (which you're already doing) so as not to put a ton of extra tension all on one side of the bridge at once. Following the two E strings, whether you go A then B, or B then A, or D/G vs Ģ/D won't make any appreciable difference, as long as you alternate.

It's a nice idea, but the results are virtually guaranteed to be disappointing, and not because anybody is deaf, stupid, or crazy. The "club" already exists anyway...it's called Customtone. Trouble is, it's almost useless. One man's idea of the "perfect Joe Satriani tone" will end up sounding like Johnny Ramone on another rig...there's never any tonal continuity from one player to the next when the only common ground between rigs is the POD. It's like expecting to be able to sound like Pavarotti by wearing the same tuxedo...

Nothing could be further from the truth...for this or any other modeler in the universe. Why? There are a number of reasons: First and foremost, the presets were created with a different guitar, a diffrent monitoring method (amp/cab, headphones, studio monitors, FRFR speaker) than whatever you're using, and by somebody with a diffrent definition of what sounds "good". Expect little to no continuity between what it sounded like to the guy who created it, and what it will end up sounding like on your end. There are simply too many variables. For proof, I invite you to download anything from Customtone, and tell me if it sounds anything like it's description. 98% of them won't. A modeler is not an amp. You can't approach dialing in your tones the same way you would just plugging into the front end of an amp with a few pedals...especially if you're playing through headphones, studio monitors, or anything that approaches an FRFR set-up. The frequency response of a typical guitar cabinet it narrower in range and anything but flat, by comparison. You can expect to hear more highs and lows than you would normally get from a "real" amp...often described as "fizz" and/or "boominess". The trick is learning to dial out the frequencies you DON'T want to hear, as opposed to adding those you perceive to be missing...that'll just make things worse. There a tends to be a rather steep learning curve with these things. Instant gratification doesn't happen much (if ever), and it's highly unlikely that you'd have a much diffrent experience with either Kemper or Fractal.

Well if you want to make the argument that creating patches while effectively "deaf" is some sort of intellectual exercise, OK...but it serves no practical purpose, and as such I doubt it's high on anybody's to-do list over at L6. If Michaelangelo had tried to paint the Sistine Chapel blindfolded it would have looked like a comic strip. They'd have burned him at the stake, and hired somebody else...;)

Get the 69. If you don't like the neck (some do, some don't...the nut is VERY narrow) at least you have replacement options. If you don't like the neck on the Standard, you're stuck with it.

You got a lemon. It sucks, but it happens to everyone sooner or later. Return it, get a new one, and you're off to the races. Or not, let it sour your opinion of he brand forever, and go Fractal. Either way, problem solved. The overwhelming majority of them work as advertised, and have for years. It's hardly a new model.

"Refurbished" is Latin for "buy something else". You got a lemon. Return it if you can...it's gonna be an albatross.

If the sound guy is panning you hard left/right, then half the room isn't hearing anything you play....you might be pushed a little bit one way or the other depending on the room acoustics, and perhaps to make room for the vocals, but it's never gonna be all one or the other. Running in stereo live gets ugly fast, and if you're used to micing a cabinet, you're mono anyway.

Aye-Aye, Cap'n! I shall darken this thread no more...;)

Which is exactly what I was driving at. Inevitably this will devolve into the same "tastes great/less filling" argument as all the previous ones have.

While there's "wrong" with comparing two units, these "shoot-outs" lead nowhere. They're fruitless attempts to establish some sort of objective truth to that which is inherently subjective. They are both good units, and in the right hands...I'm gonna say that again, because it bears repeating, because as far as I'm concerned, the user is the single biggest variable, no matter what piece of gear is being used....in the right hands, either one can be made to sound fantastic. They can also both be made to sound screechingly awful if you don't know what you're doing.

The only problem with this assessment is that multiple users have noted that the plink can be easily routed to the A string, simply by swapping the low E and A piezo leads. It's hard to blame a mechanical problem with one particular string if you can relocate it at will, just by swapping a couple of wires around. I don't pretend to know what the cause(s) is, and clearly L6 doesn't either. Otherwise they'd have fixed it by now.

Well if you don't like things described in words, that basically leaves smoke signals, mime, and interpretive dance. That might make for an interesting video, but not terribly helpful in terms of conveying actual information...;)

If all else fails, there's always the option of moving to the middle of nowhere...;)

Any number that someone might throw at you would only be a guess...it's dependent mostly on what you're listening through, and the environment you're in. Every set of headphones, studio monitors, or other speakers are all gonna be different. All you can do is sweep through various frequencies until you find the irritating ones that are cluttering up your tone.

You should throw out any notions of the "right" way to do things, because there aren't any. The various output modes are nothing more that EQ curves, theoretically optimized for a particular type of set-up. However, the "one-size-fits-all" approach has a nasty way of not working out from one player to the next. Experiment with the various options, and let your ears tell you if it works or not. If it sounds good, then that's the "right" way to set it up.

"Piezo plink" is the Variax Achilles heel...it's cause(s) and "solutions" have been, and will continue to be debated until the end of time. Some JTVs suffer from it, others don't...and the ones that do have the issue, have it in varying degrees of severity. There's a biblical- length thread in here that's been going on for years regarding this problem..."Do you have the same problem with the 6th string?" The only "fixes" are home-grown, and vary as much as the problem itself. Sadly, L6 has officially abandoned attempts at resolving the issue. Read through that thread if you like...it'll take weeks, lol.

The frequency response of the speaker(s) is the issue, it's got nothing to do with the power source. If you're playing through a traditional guitar cabinet or combo, then convincing acoustic tones will forever elude you. You can plug an actual acoustic guitar into a the clean channel of a regular guitar amp, and what you get sounds a whole lot closer to a clean electric than an acoustic. Regular guitar amp speakers simply cannot produce the range of frequencies that make an acoustic guitar sound like what it is. You need an FRFR solution for that.

I'm gonna go ahead and start the countdown to the "I'm offended" post... Love the drums, btw!! ;)

This is sure to end well...

Oh, what do they know? Sax players are never in tune anyway...;)