Geamala

Ouch! That sucks. So anyone got a solution to this yet? I'm going to be sending my guitar to the servicer very soon. I will request them to confirm that they can reproduce the problem I am having with it and for them not to return it until it is actually fixed and working as intended.

Ok, someone else was posting that they put some felt under the string and it removed the issue. I think they were saying that the string was vibrating against the cradle for the piezo. Some have even filed this cradle down so that the string does not vibrate against it with good results. I don't have any felt so I folded some thin packaging foam sheet and cut a strip. I placed it under the string and it did nothing at all. No improvement. I would upload a photo if someone can tell me how to. On closer inspection the string doesn't seem to be vibrating against the piezo cradle at all any way but I still have the horrible overtone on the lowest string even when trying to space it out from the cradle. So far I have figured out that the issue is not with the cradle of the piezo. I'm still guessing it is the actual piezo itself or something leading from there.

Good news!! I just heard back from Greasygroove and they do in fact have a dimension file for the JTV69 HSS. Woohoo. Now I can place an order and I should have my sexy new cream pearloid pickguard for my JTV69 HSS. Anyone else keen on blinging out their JTV69 you can check them out here: http://www.greasygroove.com/

For the record here's my guitar doing the same thing. https://soundcloud.com/antconnelly/variax-wtf-overtones-on-lowest-string

Good on you for posting. Hopefully this will set the record straight that this is not an imagined issue or something like burs on the nut. This is an issue with the electronics. In any case it shouldn't be happening. It will put prospective buyers off from purchasing a Variax which would be an amazing tool if it did not have this fault. If it were an issue with the firmware then every single variax running the same firmware would have the same problem but it seems that most people don't have this problem but many do.

After looking over my emails I noticed that I had already emailed Greasygroove but they have not responded to my email. hmmm.... Rather than going through the dramas of pulling off my pickguard, tracing it and sending it to america I'm wondering if anyone wants to go middleman on this for me? It seems this item already exists http://www.fullcompa...-6-30-27-0380-6 and it'd be great if I could just get it sent over rather than getting something custom made up but they won't ship to Australia (I even bugged them and asked pretty please). I'd be happy to pay someone via paypal to order/purchase the item and then forward it over to me here in Australia. I'd really appreciate the help. Any takers? Thanks in advance guys. Ant.

Yeah I have seen a couple of places online that do cut custom pickguards. I was hoping to not have to send a tracing so this might be good. The only thing is that my JTV69 is HSS. But I will get in touch with greasy groove. Thanks.

Bump

No, the nut was replaced by an authorised tech.

I'm an endorsee so I spoke to the tech here and he said to send it up. He's going to have a look. The trouble is that I have an industry showcase to play in a couple of weeks and I can't afford to not have the guitar with me for that, even with the horrible overtone. I told him about the forum thread that has been discussing this so hopefully he has a heads up on the process of elimination of what is definitely not causing it.

I'll swap you my JTV for one of yours?

I have seen some people talking about pimping out their JTVs. I wanna put a cream pearloid scratch plate on my JTV 69 HSS. I found this Full Compass site that has some on there but they won't ship it to me in Australia. Grrrrr http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/268483-Line-6-30-27-0380-6 Does anyone else know of anybody who makes them? Thanks guys.

More of the same. I just had it serviced by authorised technicians. They replaced the nut. I just double checked it. No burs, nothing. That is not the issue The set up is fine! Again work done by authorised servicers. Magnetic pickup height is normal and not an issue. There seems to be no loose hardware. This is localised to only the one string which would indicate that there is something wrong with the piezo. That makes way more sense than burs fret buzz etc.This issue is present on all other models. The Spank and T.model mask it somewhat better because they are particularly twangy anyway but the problem exists on all models.

Ok, well that's nice but nothing you have said has offered any assistance or shed any further light on the issue. There is clearly something wrong with some of these guitars and it is not good enough for users to keep sending them away for servicing only to have them come back with the problem persisting and telling the user that there is nothing wrong with it. Clearly that is going nowhere and achieving nothing, wasting people's time and pissing people off. Do Line6 take this issue seriously or not? If they do then why have they not figured out definitively what is actually happening to cause this? The thread that I linked to was started in 2014 and has continued up until the present for the fact that that the problem hasn't been resolved or even properly acknowledged. Some people are having to put felt under the string to try to stop the gnarly overtone and some are experimenting with gluing down their piezos with limited or inconsistent results. If people are having to experiment as such just to get the guitar to work as intended then clearly there is something fundamentally wrong with the product. I appreciate you are on limited time due to the nature of your work but this issue requires further attention as it has not been rectified. I suggest you look over the thread again and try and pick up where you left off because it does seem as if this issue has been abandoned. Thank you, Ant.

Psarkissian: Here is the thread which has 227 replies. Why wouldn't you mention that others have complained of the exact same thing? Weird... http://line6.com/support/topic/6764-do-you-have-the-same-problem-with-6th-string/

Psarkissian, why do you keep saying this sort of stuff? Really? I discovered another thread on the forum 6 pages long where numerous other users have got an identical issue. I've just finished reading the whole thing start to finish. You know about it because you were commenting on that particular thread as well. This is nothing to do with the setup or the nut or fret buzz. That is a fact! I just had my JTV69 HSS set up (including a new nut) by an authorised Line6 servicer and it plays fine. Multiple people have had the exact same issue. Why are you not acknowledging that there is a recurring issue with the guitars that is not the users fault? My guitar has done this since I first got it and only on one string. Your dismissal is just getting weird as it does not stack up to the countless others having the same issue. This is not good enough. Please stop trying to pass it off or dismiss it. This is either a design flaw, fault or an over sight oversight. This needs to be fixed properly! I paid $1900 for this guitar and I have barely used the modelling because of the horrible overtone only on the lowest string. I now play in a band that uses 3 tunings so I now am forced to use the piezo and modelling/tunings. I would prefer it to simply work properly like I expected it to when I bought it.

I wonder if anyone else noticed that Line6 Staff stopped posting on this thread a while ago. I think it's a pretty weak argument to keep trying to pass this issue off a a user problem. I'm personally astounded to hear that guitars have been returned with the exact same issue still persisting. This is BUUULL!!! How many people have to have the same issue before they acknowledge it as a real thing and stop blaming it on burs in the nut etc or picking technique. If this guitar was working properly it would not be so susceptible to such minor anomalies. I have a JTV69 HSS and mine has the exact same issue on the lowest string. It has done this since I first got it. I noticed it most prominently on the Lester model. I thought it was weird but seeing as i've never owned a Les Paul I thought maybe the was the way they are but it is occurring on all models. I basically avoided using the modelling and I have been playing the guitar for a while now using mags only. Here's a recording I did just the other day: https://soundcloud.com/antconnelly/variax-wtf-overtones-on-lowest-string Now I am playing in a band using 3 different tunings and I am forced to use the Piezo modelling. After trying to get used to this horrible sound only on the 6th string I've realised that there is definitely a fault. I never used to use the forum so I never knew so many other people had the same problem. I've just read every single post in this thread trying to find answers to my issue. So now I will try to Macgyver it with some felt but Line6 should acknowledge that there is a significant and persistent fault/design flaw (oversight) here. I'll try to mute the string behind the saddle or put some felt over the Piezo itself. I'll let you know how I go.

I wish they would keep modelling more guitars. Why not just keep adding more? There are so many pickup types that could be modelled that they haven't. I'd like to see some EMG 81's in there and some other modern pickups. Also why no Nylon? It seem like they've abandoned something which has so much scope for further development. It's got so much potential to keep developing.

Sometimes I find that it completely overwhelms the actual fundamental note of the string which is horrible. I didn't realise this was a fault for a long time. I just assumed it was the modelling as it is. It has pu me off using the Modelling for a long time but now I'm determined to get it sorted out. Unfortunately my warranty ran out long ago.

Thanks mate. I just had it serviced by an authorised servicer and they replaced the nut on it so I'm assuming it's not that. I'm leaning toward a faulty piezo as I haven't got any fret buzz or any signs of it hitting the bridge. I will have a closer inspection of the bridge though.

It is none of the things mentioned. Has anyone listened to the clip? Can you hear what I mean? Can you hear the quacky notchy overtone on the lowest string?

Hi Guys I have had an issue with my Variax since i first got it but I have not used the modelling for a long time. I delved into it again recently and i am getting this horrible gangly overtone only on the lowest string. It seems to sound almost like a very fast envelope filter on the pick attack. It is doing my head in and I'd prefer to think that it is not the way it is supposed to sound. I am getting the impression that it is something wrong with the piezo saddle on the lowest string because all the other strings come out sounding nice and smooth. lollipop soon as I hit the lowest string it starts making this notched overtone sound which is especially noticeable on single note riffs. Sometimes it is so pronounced that it over seems louder than the fundamental note of the string. Here's the clip. Let me know what you think. https://soundcloud.com/antconnelly/variax-wtf-overtones-on-lowest-string

Thanks for the response. I'm surprised to hear you say that the Market for Midi controllers is so small. As more and more people move toward digital rigs there are more people needing midi controllers. I never needed one until I got my Axe Fx. To be fair, a midi controller doesn't need a super duper U/I as most programming would be done with a software editor. There aren't many really good midi controllers. Having individual LCDs for each switch is a game changer. Only the Liquid Foot + has this so far. The Fractal MFC 101 isn't even that great and that was designed to be used with the Axe Fx.

Not to sound negative at all but that really sucks. Haha. I'm kinda devastated about that. It is such an impressive floor unit I really think you guys should adapt that platform (or release another based on it) to be a midi controller for anything. It looks amazing!! Big clear display and having the light up switches and LCDs for each switch puts it way upfront. Frankly it would kick the lollipope out of the Fractal controller. Waaaa not fair! I really want something to replace my current midi controller and I would buy this in a heart beat if it were usable for other devices. Do you think you guys might release something in the same form as a midi controller that can control a wide variety of units/applications?

I've seen some questions about the Helix control. I think th equestions and responses were a bit over my head. Basically i want to know if I could control my Axe Fx 2 with this unit? You will sell A LOT of these if it can act as a stand alone midi controller. What an amazing platform? I would happily sell my Fractal foot controller in preference for the Helix control if it is up to the task of controlling other gear.