cruisinon2

Can't wait to see how this plays out...

Fair enough...I'll hafta try it myself. I was going on my experience with the SonicPort, which had some similar models, at least in name, but didn't translate to the 500X at all. I'll try anything once.

Never been in the same room with an Amplifi, but I'm not sure which (if any) of the 500's amp models are in there. You may find it difficult to tone-match just by copying settings from the app to the 500. Stranger things have happened of course, but the 500 being the complicated beast that it is, I'd be surprised if anything translated at all.

Doubt its the frets...stock neck is a baseball bat.

I know that the official respsonse will never be anything other than that an "authorized tech" needs to do the work. I'm also pretty sure that you are good at what you do, or you wouldn't be doing it. But what I meant was, and what I suspect the other poster meant as well, is that any competent tech should be able to do a set up on a Variax, "authorized" or not. I have a guy I've been using for 15 years for the more complicated stuff (fretwork, etc) that I have neither the experience nor the patience for myself. He builds both solid body electrics and archtops from the tree stump on up. I'd stack his skills up against anybody's, even without having been annointed as "authorized" by L6. I suspect there are lots of Variax owners for whom going to an "authorized service center" simply is not practical, and I think it does them a disservice to imply that nothing but an "authorized" tech is capable of doing the job. It's also a distinct possibility that you are scaring away prospective buyers if they think that they will have to go to the ends of the earth to have basic service done. Just my 2 cents.

As long as you don't attempt the adjustment with a broadsword or chainsaw, there's no possible way to cause any permenent damage...easiest thing in the world to do.

Hallelujah! Can I get an 'Amen'?!?!?! If the fancy electronics completely take a dump, you might need assistance...but the rest of it is still just an electric guitar, same as every other one that has ever walked the earth. And the dreaded "set-up" is not nearly as supernatural as many seem to think.

If the problem really is the proximity of the mag pickups to the strings as suggested above, then that's easily remedied. And imho, you don't need a guitar tech to do it. You need a screwdriver...and about 8.5 to 10 seconds of free time. It's worth a shot. Try it out and let us know if it helped.

1) Not a clue. 2) Not a clue. 3) I did this to a knock-around backup guitar that I didn't particularly care about. No ill effects...but it probably won't have the dramatic effect that you think it will, unless perhaps you apply multiple coats. Rosewood's grain won't look like ebony no matter what you do. When it dries, it will probably just look like a slightly darker rosewood.

Even a modest amount of fret buzz, which would likely go unnoticed thru mag pickups, can result in some really ugly sounds with the modeling...especially for the acoustics.

Amen...those headstocks look like the illegitimate child of a canoe paddle and a field hockey stick.

If a patch is initially saved with modeling on and "variax control" set to "preset", then every time you return to that patch it will revert to whatever model was saved. You have 2 options: 1) Set up different patches for mags and models. This is what I do, and I find it easier. If I want to switch patches and models, (or switch from models to mags along with a patch change) simulataneously, I'd rather do it with one click. Or 2) Set variax control to "global", and then you control everything from the guitar, and no matter what patch is selected, the guitar dictates whether modeling or mags are in use. If you tend to stay with one model, or mags for an entire tune, then this will probably suit you better. Pros and cons to each approach...just depeneds on what you prefer.

Thanks, I like the look of yours too. I had a hard time deciding between the red and the tobacco burst at first. FWIW, I like a blank headstock...i'd leave it as is. Enjoy it!

Far more value in the other aftermarket options out there anyway, imho.

Thanks, it's a Warmoth. They make really nice necks. I've had several over the years.

Infinite improvement... Pardon the orientation of the pics...no idea why they all got flung 90 degrees to the west.

I connect to Workbench through the 500X. That way I can listen (usually through headphones) as I tweek the models. For the acoustics, you're gonna want a patch with no amp model...maybe just a little reverb. If you're not running a POD, then I'm not sure how else you would hear just the raw guitar...perhaps straight out of the 1/4" jack into a recording console?

Yup. If it ain't broke...

Closely guarded secret... kept in the same kind of vault as the Coca Cola formula, no doubt...you'll put him ou of a job, lol.

A pic will only tell part of the story of course, and the real test is getting your hands on them. Either they play well and you like them, or not...but neither of those pics appear to show anything grossly misaligned. E strings seem to be pretty evenly spaced from the fret ends to me.

You just proved my point for me. Nowhere amidst the description of the "custom" JTV's does it say that you get to choose any of the things that you list above, except for the color. The specs are what they are, and I have not been able to find anything that says you get to pick the neck profile, size of fret wire, hardware, pickups, or anything else that would enable you to call it a "custom" or "one of a kind" instrument. So I stand by my statement...most guitars I've seen that claim "custom" status, are really just expensive production guitars, with an extra bell or whistle, and few more colors to choose from. Now that doesn't mean its a bad instrument, but it does make the "custom" designation largely a marketing ploy. That said, I love my $1K JTV, but just offering more colors and the promise of more attenion to fine detail doesn't make a guitar (or anything else for that matter) "custom".

IMHO, there really nothing "custom" about most custom guitars. 99.97% of the time they are little more than production models with a few aesthetic bells and whistles to justify what is usually a comical price tag. That said, I love my Korean JTV, and never played the US custom...but for nearly $4k, I'd be buying a scratch 'n' dent Korean JTV from Sweetwater for $800, take the other $3K or so and find someone who builds genuine custom axes, where you can get exactly what you want, and cannibalize the other JTV for the electronics.

If it works for you and you like the neck, then thats all that matters. If you worry too much about the tales of woe that you read on forums like this, you'll never buy anything. Everything ever sold has some lemmons escape the assembly line. Personally, while there was nothing "defective" about my stock neck, I consider the dimensions to be a gross miscarriage of justice...as such, it was replaced after just a couple of months. There are options out there if you decide that you can't live with the stock neck.

Well I guess I got lucky then. Obviously our experiences differ. Sucks that you've ended up with lemmons. My guitars have run the gamut too...my first was some kind of hideous Strat knock-off (the body wasn't even real wood...some kind of laquered press-board, lol) all the way to a custom piece for which I got to choose from a whole room full of wooden slabs, the piece of quilted maple that would become the top. So I know crap when I see it. But like I said...I didn't LIKE the stock neck, but there wasn't anything "defective" about it. Its just too narrow a nut, and too round a profile for my taste. Fortunately, that part was easily remedied. If I had gone thru 4 of them, I'd be pissed too.

Thats a good idea...hadn't occured to me to try that.