toolsquatch

That's a GREAT idea! I definitely think that Line 6 should embrace the modeling nature of this instrument and do that with the next model, anything that'd streamline gigging would be a Godsend for the performing musician.

I just wish they have accommodated the HD upgrade for the older models, even though I know the newer modeling technology in the James Tyler and Standard models made the upgrade possible; not being able to edit the older models on the newer version of Workbench blows too, gonna have to keep an older Mac around to edit because I can't run the older version of Workbench on my laptop :/

Unless you're lugging your gear around like Jaco Pastorius your gear should be fine, I mean they still sell first gen Variaxes in fairly good condition: it's possible :P

But that's just it: it isn't true modeling if you're using real pickups in conjunction with it. The first gen models sounded just fine and the HD upgrade was an improvement, cramming the Variax technology into a fully-functioning guitar is just going to increase the price unnecessarily and not let the instrument be it's own thing. And really, if you're picking up a modeling guitar why would you want to use it for anything but modeling anyway?

I know people took issue with the odd look of the first gen Variax models (what with the missing pickups and all that), but hear me out: I think the next generation of Variax guitars should go back to that look again. I feel like putting the technology into a normally-functioning guitar that can operate independently of said modeling technology turns it into an afterthought and risks making it seem like a gimmick. The Variax should embrace it's strangeness and just be what it is, a guitar that accurately models other guitars digitally while being something completely new to the music world. Furthermore, I believe that the Variax models themselves shouldn't physically be modeled after famous guitars, such as the James Tyler take on the Les Paul and the Standard's take on the Strat: doing so can cause a bit of a cognitive dissonance with the player, because you're looking down and playing something that looks like a Strat but sounds like a Les Paul and it almost feels wrong at times. The 700 model, with it's PRS-like vibe, was the most logical design of all of the models we've ever seen because it wasn't a ubiquitous design associated with a specific sound, and the Variax guitar absolutely deserves to be a guitar of it's own.

I got in touch with a local business that works on repairing and customizing guitars, they're gonna help me take it apart and ship the body to someone they know (it's a very special type of paint): I'll definitely post pics when I get it finished!

Thank you! I figured it would've been more complicated than that, I mean it's like I'm taking a Jaguar apart here :lol:

Looking to repaint my 700 when I get it in a couple of months, and I found a site that offers amazing prices if you ship it to them: the only catch is they want you to send it to them the guitar body with no hardware or electronics. Which wouldn't raise concern if I wasn't a complete novice with guitar disassembly/modding, but alas XD Now I'm not expecting guitar disassembly/reassembly to be rocket science, but just how difficult and risky is it to go through with a procedure like this? Don't want to wreck my Variax just to change the color here, being a guitar tech noobie with a modeling guitar and all.

Got a challenge for my fellow tone-sculptors here, looking to recreate the chaotic Fender Blender pedal (which is most famously associated with earlier Smashing Pumpkins records) on my HD500X. For those unfamiliar with the quirky pedal, it was like a fuzz box on steroids essentially; below is a video of someone demoing a unit.

The JCM alone is worth the pack, I've been using it to dial in a garage-rock tone with my Jaguar :D

Fuzz + OD, eh? I'm gonna have to try that for sure!

I don't know why I didn't think the J-800 was a good start, I mean a lot of the more recent bands have a pinch of AC/DC in their blood and that classic rock tone is a no-brainer XD I just wish the fuzzes were meatier, they just don't get nasty enough! :(

Now we all know by now how Line 6 set out to create professional-grade virtualizations of high-end gear, but I'm seeking to do the opposite (ironically enough): got a Jaguar the other day and I'm looking to do some trashy garage-rock revival/garage-punk tones from bands such as the Hives, a digital approximation of that "blown speaker/slashed cones" sort of tone that screams rock n roll. I got the all-inclusive expansion pack so any amp in the 500X is available, lead me to noise brothers and sisters!

A little update: I'm starting to get the hang of it! I never used an overdrive in the past (always used stompboxes for all of my distortion needs in the past), so getting familiar with the tone-tightening capabilities of the screamer along with some parametric EQ tricks that I saw in this video helped me start getting what I wanted from my amps with 3 of them tamed thus far (the treadplate, 5150 and either the Bomber or the F-Ball). Next step will be experimenting with the Remastered Marshall and the Orange, seeing what kind of rock/stoner tones I can conjure up. Oh, and on the note of that: what's the best way to run fuzz pedals, should I be seeking a cleaner amp and let the pedal do the talking or combining the dirty channel with it?

Oh, I know compulsive tweaking and tone-building can become a bad habit: I'm expecting the first couple of months to consist of getting familiar with the amps and finding my favorites and then probably choosing different amps for other bands/albums, giving each one it's own unique "voice". We'll see though, may as well put those amps to use you know?

Hell yeah! Another album I found with a fantastically thrashy tone was Leeway's Born to Expire, oh my God. We gotta be careful not to get too off-topic here though XD

Oh wow, there's a daily quota for positive votes? Well shoot, I'll just have to give the rest out out tomorrow then! The suggestion and video are greatly appreciated BillBee, I did consider reverse-engineering some tones to see what made them tick and having another person corroborate it definitely makes me feel like I had the right idea XD And Hell yeah, I've always used the tone they cooked up on "Cleansing" as my own "tone compass" (along with a few other thrashy early-90's tones like "Urban Discipline"-era Biohazard, I've got a soft spot for post-thrash/pre-groove metal tones). Psalm 69-era Ministry and KMFDM had some great tones too, nice and heavy.

Oh, I totally understand that it's a virtual recreation of an entire virtual environment vs. just a virtual amp: I just wish to gain a better understanding of all of the tools so I can make those tones shine on my own :D Are there any detailed explanations for the characteristics of the HD expansion pack amps yet? I got the whole set in an effort to arm myself with as many options as I could (I plan on recording other bands in my home studio as well eventually), and I've noticed there isn't too much info on the metal amps in particular at the moment asides from the ones that are well-known reproductions of famous amps.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

I've been calibrating my tones by hooking the unit up to my laptop and using it as an audio interface (while using it in "studio direct" mode, of course): I figured it'd be easier to create my tones in this setting to know what they'll sound like on the recordings and then run them through my amp during practice/performances, no surprises that way when I switch over to record XD

Thanks for the tip, duncann! All you guys have been incredibly helpful, I'm glad I decided to post here :)

Thanks for the responses! To elaborate, it just feels like some of the amps are muddy/thin and I'm seeking to get a better grip on the different means to correct this: I don't want to say that I'm new to the tone-making game, but in the past I've gotten by with a single distortion pedal like the Digitech Metal Master which featured a cab simulator for direct-in recording (although the reason I decided to move away from that pedal was the lack of a knob to control the mids and it just felt very limiting after seeking to get more out of it). I'm going to be reading through the site that silverhead linked me to, but any additional tips and tricks for maximizing my tones would be greatly appreciated. For example, when is overdrive necessary? I've never used overdrive in the past, so I'm relatively new to the idea of using it and when but I've noticed it popping up in a lot of patches out there.

Thank you, silverhead: I'll give it a read! :D

Howdy gang, first time poster here: Bought my HD500X as a Christmas gift for myself, it arrived on Saturday: to my horror, it wasn't exactly the "select amp, tweak levels on amp, play" experience I was expecting, and after doing a little research and peeking under the hood of some user-generated presets I've picked up on the fact that you need to use extra things to get your tones sounding good (studio/parametric EQ, overdrive, etc.). Now I've heard the amazing tones people have managed to achieve with these units, and I'm not one to be perturbed by a little learning so...well, this guitarist needs some schooling on HD500X tone-building 101. I'm mainly looking to create high-gain metal/punk tones, but I don't just want to take someone else's patches because there's so many amps to choose from and I actually want to be able to experiment and be able to custom-tailor any of the amps accordingly (I'm a versatile guitarist). As far as the type of sound I'm likely to draw influence from we're looking at Tommy Victor of Prong and the album that the Exploited released in 1996 for starters (not sure if profanity is allowed so I won't mention it's name but it's the only album they released in the 90's), a nice thrashy tone; my instincts steers me towards starting with the treadplate but I did get the HD Metal expansion pack as well and definitely want to give those a go. I also wouldn't mind working with a sludgy tone a la King Buzzo of the Melvins, I did experiment with the fuzz pedals. Anyway, thanks ahead of time and looking forward to our correspondence on here!