wilson69978

Ok. thanks for all the replies folks. I did end up buying the guitar. The battery was fine. The battery does not light up the knobs on the guitar unless a 1/4 guitar jack is also plugged in. (EVEN IF THE BATTERY IS FULLY CHARGED) (or the guitar is powered by a DVI (Digital variax input) cable and other appropriate hardware. such as POD HD 500 EFFECTS PROCESSOR.) There is also a button on the back of the guitar's battery compartment to test the condition of the battery. you press the little button and four green lights light up if fully charged. and then you go to 3, 2, 1, then no Light as the battery discharges over time. Also, I learned that the charger is solid red when charging and flashing red when fully charged.

Hi Pee Wee, thanks for the quick response. I really appreciate that. Well thanks, you answered most of the questions. Just as a point of note, I knew you had to unplug the guitar jack from the guitar to turn off the modelling and save the battery power when you are not using the guitar.... But it is the proper order of how to unplug from the computer I wondering about. i.e. guitar first, then pull usb out of computer, or vice versa, or does it even matter. I know sometimes my computer says I ejected a device improperly.... it did not in this case, and I unplugged to usb from the computer first then the DVI from the variax. Also you asked about the screen shot, I realized after I posted, the shot showed it unconnected sorry! When it is connected it shows the variax usb as needing update,(it shows that yellow Caution symbol) when I highlight it and try to download, it says it is unable to down load the 1.03 version of the software. Sorry for the confusion.

Hello friends. I just Purchased the JTV69. I did my homework to the best of my ability and all seems to work well except a few nagging questions can't resolve. I was able to download all the needed software (variax workbench, and workbench HD.) The monkey software says I need the usb update for the variax usb hub but it won't download. Despite this, both lights on the hub are solid green and it automatically downloaded 60 items each time it was connected. (also what exactly is being downloaded, I understood there were 29 guitar models, Maybe it is the special tunings and or other custom settings?) 1. Is there anyway to stop the auto downloading each time I connect. I am afraid something will go awry one of these times it does it. 2. Is it running an older version of the usb hub software that is functional and I don't need to worry? 3. What is the proper way to disconnect the JTV usb from the computer, I can find no answer in manuals or forums. I am using a mac book pro running OS X version 10.6.8. Just to let you know all the modelling works fine as described in the documentation and I am using a regular guitar tube amp, No hd 500 series pods or Dt amps. Thanks for reading friends.

Ok thank you Charlie and Tboneous. I will do that.

Hello again variax users. I went to the music store today to try out a variax and I was very disapointed. The music strore clerk tried three batteries in three different variaxes and none of them worked. He assumed it was the batteries because none of the knobs lit up when held down. He said that the batteries were in the chargers all the time and should be charged. What gives? Any ideas out there? I can't believe 3 of these guitars were "Broken" or had problems with the electronics. I am wondering if the batteries truly were properly charged at all. Any one else have battery issues?

Thanks Again Tboneous. I got the software issue settled too. The latest version of Monkey will run on A mac with Os X version 10.6.8 installed. (in case anyone else was wondering)

Thanks for your help Tbpneous. I really appreciate you taking time to answer my questions. Looks like it will work fine for me without the fancy amp and pod hd500. I still need to sort out the software issue as the workbench software seems very nice indeed!

I forgot to mention I have a G30 wireless transmitter, would that work on a Variax? Thank you all.

Hello friends. I have several questions if anyone can answer one or more I would be thankful. I am thinking seriously of buying a variax guitar and I am having trouble finding some info. I see many people are having software issues, so I need some answers before I take the leap. 1. I want to load the new L6 monkey version onto my mac book pro running OS X version 10.6.8. When I check the link on the software install page there is an error on the line 6 web page. I am hesitant to install not knowing system requirements; especially since monkey has worked fine with my gear so far. 2. Does the modelling work thru a regular amp, not a D25 or D50s etc. ie. Just a 1/4 inch cable? I thought I saw a guy on you tube just just the guitar cable. 3. will it work without the pod hd 500. 4. I have a pod hd 400 is there any functionality with this and the variax thru the line 6 link port. I would like to use if (if I could) with my present set up,which is modest. A pod Hd 400, A fender superchamp x2 head, with a home made cabinet housing a 12 inch Celestion G12 vintage 30 speaker. The amp is a hybrid tube amp. It has amp modelling, A 12ax7 and 2 power amp tubes. 18 watts I am a very avid player but not a pro. Also Heavy amps are out after back surgury.

Been playing 10's for years. I am a bit heavy handed I feel, so lighter is not right for me! But I suppose it really is whatever you get used to. If I put on 8's I would probably hit my chin when I bent a note!

I just thought of something Peewee. Have you made sure all other applications are closed on your computer while you do the update? Also If you have more than one computer on a network running at the same time, try closing it's programs and put it to sleep or shut it down while you update. Sometimes interruptions from other devices can cause download problems.

Hello peewee, sorry to hear you are having trouble, I was thinking of buying one of these guitars but now I am starting to have doubts. A few guys have had similar problems. I hope you resolve them soon.

Hello Moderato: here is what I figured out. The red and blue compressors are subtlety different to my ears. The blue with treble is quite A bit more trebly sounding and maybe louder. The Vetta sounds different from the blue and red not in a bad way. The Vetta juice seems to be the loudest of all five offerings. I can think of three reasons to use the modelled compressors over the generic offering. 1. You can go pre or post amp and or pre or post of a given effect. There seems to be no end of debate over which is right so just Go by your personal preferences. 2. You can use the blue treble or the Vetta juice for more treble, or more volume respectively. 3. The Vetta and Vetta juice offer different options ( the Vetta offers sensitivity and level whereas the juice offers amount and level So let us clarify the last bit. The Vetta has a fixed ratio but the threshold is more sensitive than the Vetta juice. The Vetta juice has a fixed threshold of -40db but has variable compression ratio and lots more gain from the level knob (read loud!) I would play around with the Vetta and Vetta juice to get a good idea of how ratio, and threshold affect the sound . Remember that the ratio is fixed at a lower level in the Vetta model. In Case you are wondering what these controls are really doing let me try and explain. The threshold is the level in decibels that the guitar signal has to reach before the compressor starts to work The sensitivity control on the Vetta is controlling the threshold at which the compressor starts to kick in. The amount control on the Vetta juice is controlling the ratio of the compression and the threshold is fixed at a fairly Sensitive -40db. The ratio determines how much the signal is compressed. The higher the ratio gets , the more compression is applied. At 2:1 the signal is compressed by 2 db for every 1 db it goes above the threshold. At 10:1 it is compressed by 10 db for each 1db above the threshold. That is where the Vetta juice is good, because if the sound is compressed by a large amount, the extra gain on the level Control can increase the sound back to the level it was at before compression, and even louder! So here is the home work, on the Vetta juice try moving the amount (ratio) slider from low to mid to high while picking at the same volume with the right hand. (Assuming you are a right handed picker.) As you move it back and forth you will hear more or less compression applied. Keep the level slider at a moderate level for this exercise. Also experiment with picking harder while moving the amount control and softer while moving the amount control. You should notice that at higher ratio settings you can play hard or soft and the sound doesn't change that much in level. (At very high compression increase the level slider to make up for volume lost due to compression) I think compression is a very delicate balancing act and everyone's ears are different depending on age, experience, and taste. Even your picking style, and whether you are a light or heavy handed player come into play. As far as I can see there is no right or wrong with any of this, so monkey around and have some fun! See what you can discover. I hope this helps you and maybe a few others. Just a side note! If you like to vary your performance by controlling your loud and soft passages ( this is called dynamics ) Too much compression can kill this fast. I have learned through practice that a properly set up tube amp and the volume control on your Guitar in tandum with how hard or soft you pick can give you all the control you may need. Of course this takes time, patience and experimentation.

Compressor was working on my brain: lol

Ok, duh! I found them under Drives and Dynamics. Sorry folks I was just having a senior's moment.

Hi Moderator ! I have the amplifi 75 and I can't find all those compressors on the app, where are they? Thanks

It really depends on the piece of gear you are using. For instance I have the amplifi75 and there appears to be just the generic compressor available. It has only threshold and gain controls. I also have the pod hd400 and that has 6 different compression models to choose from. There is 1. The boost comp (Drive. Bass. Comp. treble. Output. 2. Red compressor (Mxr type) Sustain. Level 3. Blue compressor. (Boss type) Sustain Level 4. Blue compressor treble (treble switch on). Sustain. Level 5. Vetta comp. Sensitivity. Level 6. Vetta juice. Amount. Level My manual says the Vetta juice and the blue compressor treble are only available on the podhd400.

I have not seen anything regarding this issue either. If you find anything out could you post it please? Thanks Jaguar 9080

I will really upset the apple cart for you folks. Nobody has mentioned the fact that we are humans not machines. We hear, react, relate, and function differently from day to day depending on many immeasurable factors. I have listened to identical settings on my equipment on different days (in the same room) and sometimes I am happy with it, sometimes not. Case in point: Paul McCartney was convinced that his vocals were out of tune on the Rubber Soul album, and kept needing reassurance that they were fine. I think Air pressure and mood of the individual have a big influence on how we perceive what we hear. Ear fatigue, and physical tiredness also come into play. Just Sayin!

Hello Palico: thank you for the nice comments on my post. I enjoyed your post as well. Thanks for the further examples of compression uses for guitar. I'm sure many users will find this info very helpful.

You have hit on a very interesting question my friend. Compression is hard for beginners to hear and adjust properly. It takes some time and patience to figure it all out. Why does one use compression? Usually it is to increase the perceived amplitude or loudness of the sound. This is handy for clean tones which are not usually as loud as distorted tones or heavily driven amps. Let me answer some question to the best of my knowledge. From my research compression should be pre amp and early in the signal chain. how should one set it up? First, put it early in the signal chain before the amp and turn it off. Turn off all other effects as well... Now you should hear only a clean guitar sound. Turn off any reverb as we'll. if you hear distortion, choose a cleaner amp model or turn down the drive setting on the amp until it cleans up. Start with the simplest compressor so you can hear what it does. Pick an Mxr brand type with only two controls -output and sensitivity control knobs. This would be the red compressor on the pod hd 400. Set you guitar volume to about 5. Set the compressor level( or output) to about half (12 o clock position) Set the compressor sensitivity to zero. Turn the compressor effect off first to hear the clean guitar sound. 1. Turn the compressor on now. With sensitivity at zero the sound will probably be lower than when the effect was off! 2. With compression turned on, increase the sensitivity gradually and play and listen as you do so. 3. You should hear the signal getting louder and smoother... In other words making weaker sounding notes louder, and harder hit notes More consistent sounding. 4. If you increase sensitivity to the extreme you can make the hardest hit notes and the weakest ones all appear to have about the same Apparent loudness. Be careful this can make things extremely loud. This is a compressor in action at the most basic level. Use the volume or level knob of the compressor to taylor how loud you want the final compressed sound to be. You may want to turn on a distortion pedal, and then turn off the compressor and compare the relative volumes . Set the compressor level so the clean and distorted sounds are complimentary in terms of volume. I like the distortion to be a bit louder for lead solos. Also you are playing single notes for the most part so it will be harder to hear the solo if it's not louder. It is possible clip or distort the signal which sounds bad. If this happens reduce the compressor level. Another drawback is that it can really kill any dynamics in your playing if used to excess. That means if you want to play softer and gradually get louder it is almost impossible with too much compression. Once you understand what the compressor is doing you can begin to use more advanced compression parameters to control things like The ratio, attack , and decay This is a very complex subject and beyond the scope of this forum. There are many u tube videos with excellent people explaining more about compression techniques. I hope this helps and that it was clear enough to understand. My apologies if it was too simple an explanation, but if you struggle with something you have to take it to bare bone basics to figure it out properly. Good luck!

Hello ResAlien . That sounds correct to me. If you are using a pedal board for fx and not the fx built into the amp you should hear the pedal board fx through the 12 in. Speaker along with the guitar signal. You can probably verify this just by careful listening. Try a radical sound that is easy to distinguish for your listening test. Something like a Ping pong stereo delay should tell the story for you.

You can connect a mixing board via the aux in and use a mic, keyboard, etc. at the same time as using the guitar input jack. (Nice if you don't have a bluetooth device with you.)

I personally feel all this tone stuff is very overrated. You learn more and get better sound creating your own tones from scratch. Get crackin' people, build your own tones and you will be much more satisfied, I guarantee it. Every guitar is different and every players hands are different, thus the same amp and guitar will sound different depending who is playing it. Trust me on this people, only time and patience will teach you this truth. I have found the tone matching to be very mediocre at best. At worst it is totally useless.