Boydbob

Maybe you've already tried this, but what does the HD500 sound like through an amp, compared to the headphone sound. It seems logical that if you have a bad unit, it would sound bad through everything. Also try running a line out from the HD500 to something else with a headphone out (stereo, the BeanPod, whatever) and see how that sounds. If that sounds ok, it's probably the headphone jack is either bad or overloaded.

I ordered a JTV69 and a POD HD500 yesterday. The Pod should be here in a few days, but the JTV69 won't be here for two or three weeks. I was able to buy it for 0.00% financing and low payments, so no strain on the budget. As for why: I was pretty impressed with the modeling (I watched a LOT of videos) and reviews (some critical, but most love it). I'm a singer, songwriter, and recording hobbyist, and the Variax looks to be a great tool for recording. I have some VSTi guitar synths that sound extremely convincing, but putting true feeling into a midi file is way more work than just playing the part. I also think the variety of sounds will be inspirational. I wasn't able to play one before ordering (Not within 500 miles of here anyway), but I have a MIM Strat, which should play a lot like the JTV69. But I'll let you know how it all works out.

I didn't realize this either, so just to see, I checked tuning on the 5th fret. Pressing down lightly, it was in tune with the string below. Increased the pressure and and the two strings were way out of tune. So thanks for that. Boyd