cruisinon2

Doesn't work for me either...if there's a setting somewhere that changes how it behaves, it's news to me.

Wow...blast from the past. Haven't heard that name in a long time. He taught at the now defunct National Guitar Summer Workshop in CT. Went there many, many moons ago as a kid. That place was a lot of fun, and a good learning experience...too bad it went under.

No worries...I love the fact that I'm still finding new things to do with this rig more than a year into it. I really haven't been using the mags hardly at all, so that's probably why it didn't occur to me...but now I have a reason to dial in some new patches, lol. :)

For that kind of money, find a boutique luthier who really is doing everything by hand...http://phiferdesigns.com/options.htm This guy machines everything himself, with the only exceptions being the tuning machines and electronics. The brass tailpiece and bridge saddles, bridge (usually ebony), pickguard (which you can barely see...it's transparent and shaped to fit the controured top). Even the knobs are wood, stacked with binding, and color matched to the whatever you've chosen for the top. Instead of the little piece of plastic that usually adorns the toggle switch, you get bone with abalone inlay on top. When he's ready to shape the neck, you go to the shop...starts out chunky, and he shapes it until you're satisfied...and hands it to you strung up so you can actually get a feel for it.

Yes...the US JTV is comically priced, and may or may not be worth the money. Don't know...never held one. But I know how much guitar you can get for $4K, and I'd be spending my money elsewhere. What I meant was, I don't think that the Korean 69's are much different in terms of quality from an American Std Strat. I've got one sitting next to my JTV. I ended up replacing that neck too, because it had a horrible dead spot...note just died, and it wasn't a fret issue. What's the difference really? They're both solid body guitars with a large routed cavity, pickups mounted to a piece of plastic, and a bolt-on neck. We could talk about hardware, but honestly I don't think the JTV bridge is any better or worse than anything I've seen on a Strat.

You're 100% right...that wasn't directed at you, lol. :D

I've got the 69...guitar itself is a decent instrument, or rather became a decent instrument once I did away with the atrocious neck. To be fair, there was nothing "wrong" with the stock neck, I just didn't like it...strictly a personal preference. I kinda like the sound of the single coils, though 90% of the time I'm using the models. Basically it's a Strat with a humbucker...a design that's been cloned a millions times over, and one that Fender will charge you $1500 for, without all the DSP goodness.

Fair enough, but then that's how it should be marketed. The implication however, is that Joe Average who "always wanted to play guitar", can learn an instrument inside of two months with this miraculous tool. It's disingenuous at best. I'm not saying it's entirely useless, and one can benefit from all sorts of different instructional methods. But there's a world of difference between giving someone who already has a skill set and years of experience a few new ideas to work with, and taking a Day 1 novice and promising to turn them into a musician in 2 months. The occasional legendary prodigy aside, that ain't happening.

And now it's a semantics thread...lol

"Learn how to play guitar in 60 days"...ugh. Brought to you by Empty Promises Inc, makers of the "By Next Tuesday You Won't Be Fat Anymore" dietary suppliment. Just 17 pills a day! Order in the next 10 minutes and get a second bottle of dehydrated rice pellets FREE! (shipping and handling charges may apply. Offer not valid in all 50 states)

OK...got it. I wasn't thinking about the inputs at all. Thanks!

In my experience, running straight into an amp like that is always a mess. First, you're pushing amp models through the combo's preamp, which will color the tone significantly. Also, there is usually a lot of extra noise generated when you daisy-chain 2 pre-amps. You'll have to try the various output modes to see which one is going to work best...but be prepared to spend a lot of time until you get it right...and don't expect the tones to remain consistant from one amp to another, especially if you're running straight into some, and through the FX loop on others. Most likely you will have to set up different patches for different amps.

That route is gonna eat up precious return time...might be better off swapping it for another one. They're gonna tell you that it either needs to go to an "authorized service center", most of which leave a great deal to be desired, or back to L6...which is the better option, but will take a while. Almost certainly quicker to get a new one.

Halellujah! Somebody else gets it...the bridge has nothing to do with it as far as I'm concerned. The only remedy I've found is to avoid the E string whenever possible (easier said than done), and try to limit the gain. Some amp models seem to make it worse than others. For a mid-rangey crunch, Soundgarden-ish...you can get away with it. Anything more than that, and it's a total mess. I've made my peace with it.

Agreed...but embarrassingly, I can't figure it out, lol. I have a couple of dual-amp patches where I transition from a crystal clean to dirty with the exp. pedal, but how do you get it to switch the JTV from a model to mags at the same time? Unless I'm missing something, the patch will only store one Variax model at a given time...puzzled. :wacko:

Yep...I still have mine somewhere. Originally got it many moons ago so I could play in the dorms when I was away at school. Out of curiosity, I plugged it in about a year ago. Played for all of about 4 seconds, chuckled and put it away. But I distinctly remember marveling at it way back when...then again I was partial to MD 20/20 in those days too, that probably explains it. :P

Lol...close enough for government work.

Seems odd...what kind of amp? Are you using the 1/4" out, or powering the JTV with a VDI connection?

Yup...lather, rinse, repeat. No other way.

I would like to maintain at least some control over what sounds are coming out of the thing...assuming that all the patch and effect toggling will happen precisely the way it's supposed to is a leap of faith I'm not ready to take. Just seems like it's inviting an embarrassing train wreck...

I heard it will also get rid of crabgrass...

Probably...every once in a while they'll haul a bunch of old classics out of mothballs at the Smithsonian, and model those. Or, they'll pay a bunch of "experts" to guess at what tube amps used to sound like, same way they guess at what dinosaurs used to have for lunch. :P

Personally I think that the bridge itself is all but irrelevant. They can change anything they want on the bridge...build it from nothing but diamonds and happy thoughts, and it won't stop vibrations from propagating through one's hand and the E string itself. I don't ever touch the bridge at all while playing. It's all about which strings your hand rests across. It's nearly impossible to palm mute withou touching the low E string...the unwanted vibrations are being transmitted through you and the E string itself, not the bridge. Allow open A to ring with no palm muting and nothing rings through the low E piezo. Tested it all 100 times in Workbench with A string volume at zero...play open A string, not touching anything else=no sound. Then palm mute notes on A string while also resting on the E string and you'll hear the A string. Only one explanation as to how those vibrations are reaching the E saddle. Try it on yours...bet ya $20 it will do it too.

Oh, no doubt...Hell, my L2T is on the fritz and being repaired...again...lol. Had I ditched my Carvin TS 100 power amp and Marshall 4x12, I'd have nothing to gig with.

Never played a Breedlove, but some of those exotic wood models sure are pretty to look at. Makes me wish I didn't suck at playing acoustics, lol. Such a different approach...hence my JTV. Oh well...maybe in the next life.