gbr13697

A rough way is to use a patch with just a noise gate, and then play notes continuously whilst increasing the gate level. (It helps to assign the level to the Expression pedal for this patch). You will get to a point where the volume decreases markedly, and make a note of the db level. Be aware that this will vary for high string notes, low string notes, double stops, power chords, full chords, and how hard you pick or strum, so you will need to repeat the exercise several times. You will get a feel for the range of levels your pickups produce with different strings, chords, and dynamics. This range will be much higher for humbuckers than for single coils. You will also get a clearer idea idea of where to place the compressor threshold for mixed playing, e.g. when you are playing a mixed rhythm of single note riffs with chord stabs, you may want to balance things out by boosting the single notes but not the chord stabs. You can then place the threshold between the level for riff notes and the level for chords. This technique can be quite useful in other contexts to check levels in various parts of a patch chain. For compressors, it obviously only works with those that have settings for db levels - for the simple compressors it is just hit and miss until it sounds right.

If you have a noise floor lower than -90db I'm surprised you can hear any noise! That is a tiny level of noise, and there would be very little point trying to eliminate it. The mere fact that there is a difference when you change the input gate from -74db to -60db implies that there is a noise level somewhere between those figures. If you then increase that noise by amplifying it through a drive pedal, the noise floor will likely be higher than -60db, and a subsequent -90db gate will let it all through. There is a reason that the default is -48db.

I have duplicated the test in the video that Victorcastro1 posted last year, and there is certainly a problem. Fortunately the number of pedal models where it becomes an issue are fairly limited. I have tested a workaround that seems to work, using an FX Loop to bypass the problem pedal. Use a patch cable to bridge the Send and Return of a spare effects loop, and then insert the appropriate Send and Return blocks before and after the problem fuzz pedal. The pedal itself can be left on, and a footswitch assigned to both the Send and Return blocks. Turning them on entirely bypasses the problem device. When they are off the signal passes straight through the fuzz block. It appears that the Automatic Z does not see the Fuzz as the first device in the chain when the loop is used to bypass it.

OK - that clarifies things a bit. To avoid further confusion, the button you refer to is the "Battery Test button". A "flush" button is something you find on toilets! It is still not clear what works without the battery, and what works with it. Without the battery in, you must be connecting via the VDI - can you use both magnetic and Variax modelling modes? Do the lights on the Model knob light up when you press it down to activate the Variax models? When you replace the battery, what changes? With the battery in and connected via VDI - can you use both magnetic and Variax modelling modes? Do the lights on the Model knob light up when you press it down to activate the Variax models? With the battery in and connected via 1/4" jack straight into a normal guitar amp, do the magnetic and Variax models work? If we are to help, we do need to know your signal chain, and you do need to check and substitute every item in the signal chain to isolate what is wrong. Don't just assume that your cables, interface, USB port, computer, DAW app, etc., are all OK, and that it must be something wrong with the guitar. It could be anything but, at the moment, we don't even know what you actually use. As you have already discovered, it can be something as simple as a volume knob turned down! Check, test, substitute, and retest, every item in your signal chain. Let us know the result, and we can try to help.

I am getting pretty confused about what you are saying. In your post above you said "turned out i had just tuned the volume down on the guitar so it works fine without the battery in". You also said that you got 4 green lights when you inserted the battery, which implies that the battery is OK and fully charged. I have no idea what the "Flush button" is. Are you saying that everything works fine, including Variax modes, when connected via VDI? But that it stops working when you insert the battery? How do you normally connect the guitar? What is your signal chain? Have you checked and substituted each if the items in your signal chain, including cables? Have you tried plugging into an ordinary amp with a jack cable, and does it work in Variax mode under battery power?

The lights are a battery check. They will light up momentarily when you insert the battery, or when you press the small button next to the lights. 4 lights means a full charge - less means partially depleted. If you got 4 lights the battery is OK and fully charged. You can test this by plugging in to an ordinary guitar amp using a 1/4" jack cable (with the battery in and VDI disconnected) - all the Variax models should work. The unexpected light display from your charger could just be because you tried to charge a battery that was already fully charged. My experience indicates that the chargers can be a bit glitchy. I would just leave it until your battery needs charging again. You can then try recharging it. It may be fine, in which case you don't have a problem at all. If it doesn't recharge after a few attempts, you could consider getting a new charger, but you are not there yet. Given that your original problem only arose because you had the volume turned down, it may well be that there is nothing wrong with anything.

I recently bought a Variax Standard and the charger was faulty from new. The light kept flashing repeatedly, or just stayed on without the battery being in the cradle. The retailer exchanged it. The Variax will work without a battery, but only if you are using the VDI cable interface. If you are using a jack cable, it must have a battery in to function in Variax mode. However, it should work in magnetic mode through a jack cable (i.e. as a normal electric guitar) regardless of whether there is a battery. The fact that you get 4 lights on the battery check implies that the battery is OK. I would certainly check your cables first. If you are connecting to a DAW you must be using the VDI and interface in some form. If this is connecting, the Variax should be powered via the VDI. The signal chain is the first place to start. You can substitute the VDI cable with any computer ethernet cable. Try a different USB cable, port on your computer, or different computer. If you are using an interface of some sort, substitute in the Variax VDI USB Interface that came with the guitar. Also check the guitar plugged into an ordinary amp via a jack cable, with the battery in. If it works in Variax mode, there can't be anything wrong with the guitar or battery.

I didn't accuse anyone of lying, and I apologise if I gave that impression. But please do put yourself in the position of a kid with very little money. He may well have a cheap electric and a solid state amp, or a second hand valve amp. He wants something better, but can't afford an expensive guitar, better amp, or a decent acoustic. Then he sees the advertising for the Variax Standard. Take a look at the product pages yourself - they are only a couple of clicks away from the Line 6 logo at the top of this page."Imagine if you could switch your guitar from its natural electric guitar tone to perfectly modeled versions of the world’s most coveted vintage electrics, classic acoustics and exotic instruments, all with the simple twist of a knob." The Variax Standard is a cheap guitar and, to a kid who can afford that modest investment, it can look like the answer to his dreams. It is easy to fall for the idea that "one guitar is all you need". The adverts, and the product pages I referred to, say nothing about needing a modeler and FRFR powered speakers. He buys a Variax and plugs it into the gear he has, and discovers that all the acoustic simulations are virtually unusable. He turns to sources of information such as this forum, where the more experienced, and better resourced, old hands tell him that he can't hope to get decent acoustic sounds out of a Variax without spending at least 5 times what he has already spent on getting a modeller and FRFR speakers. He doesn't have that money, and ends up very disillusioned. I based my approximation of the price on the Helix because that is what I have - it isn't the cheapest, but it isn't the most expensive either. Likewise the FRFR speakers can cost huge amounts. I have seen many contributions to these forums from people who have been very disappointed that the Variax doesn't do what they expected. Their expectations may have been unrealistic to those "in the know", but they were not members of that privileged club when they bought what they thought would do it all. Being told that the Variax won't do what they expected unless they can spend at least 5 times as much again on other gear is not very helpful. I understand that the purpose of marketing is to sell products, but it should include some pointers as to the minimum gear requirements that will allow a Variax to perform the way it should.

It seems we just disagree on whether an FRFR rig is powered speaker amplification (i.e. just another name for studio monitors or a PA), or if it includes a modeller as well. I don't think many people would assume it includes a modeller. Powered speakers/FRFR plus a modeller is going to cost a lot of money. If you already have this gear, it makes sense to also have a Variax. However, if you don't, it's another story. Spending upwards of £/$2,000 to make acoustic emulations on a £/$300 electric guitar sound nearly as good as real £/$500 acoustic guitar doesn't make a lot of sense to me. And potential purchasers of a Variax should know that before they buy one.

I didn't want to get into an argument, but you could at least read what I said. "An FRFR rig on it's own will not produce excellent electric tones" . You say this is comical, but then go on to talk about modellers from L6, Fractal, and Kemper. I have just observed that the Variax marketing could mislead the typical guitarist into believing that the simple addition of a relatively cheap guitar will enable him to get credible electric and acoustic tones, without any additional expenditure. I did not claim that digital modelling is not as good as old style valve equipment, just that an electric guitar amp is more likely to be what that typical guitar player already has. I have seen all the comparison videos where experienced musicians can't tell the difference between a real amp and a Kemper profile, and I am more than open to using them. I do own and use a Helix; it cost 3 times as much as the Variax. I am just pointing out the simple fact that the Variax is promoted as something that can create a lot of sounds for not much money, and this is likely to appeal to people who don't have that much cash. Those people are not going to be impressed with finding that those sounds are not achievable with what they have. Acquiring, as you suggest, an FRFR amplification rig and a Helix, Axe FX or Kemper is going to cost up to 10 times the cost of the Variax. This is something they need to know before they buy a Variax, not something they discover on a forum like this when they find that the acoustic emulations don't match up to their expectations.

Hi cruisinon2 My comments were expressing the perception that many potential Variax purchasers will have, i.e. they have one or more electric guitars, an electric guitar amp, and perhaps an acoustic. The marketing for the Variax can easily lead such a person to expect that, with the Variax, "one guitar is all you need". Strats, Les Pauls, 335s, acoustics, banjo, etc. It's all in there at the flick of a switch. No-one says anything about needing an FRFR rig. An FRFR rig may be the ideal for a Variax simulations but, for many electric guitarists, a traditional valve amp with a few pedals is what they have, what they like, and what they use. An FRFR rig on it's own will not produce excellent electric tones, unless all you want is ultra clean. It certainly won't, on its own, produce the full range of tones that players expect from a valve amp and a selection of pedals. I did not say that my acoustics sound good through an electric amp - just acceptable. The Variax acoustic simulations, used in the same way, are not. The Variax is an electric guitar with magnetic pickups, and it will function just like any other electric guitar through an electric guitar amp. However, the Variax is sold on the basis that it can do far more than that, and can emulate acoustic guitars and other instruments. Many potential purchasers will assume that it can do that through the same gear they use for their other guitars. I just think that the marketing should make it very clear that this is not the case, and that the acoustic emulations are pretty much useless unless you are prepared to invest in a lot more gear.

@paolostar : "@gbr13697 : It seems you plug an acoustic guitar into an electric amp ; the result is automatically bad !" I agree - it is bad when it is an acoustic model on a Variax. But like many guitarists who own a Variax and other electric guitars, an electric guitar amp is what I have. Let's not forget that a Variax is an electric guitar, and it has magnetic pickups just like any other electric guitar. It also has piezo pickups and emulates other guitars and instruments, but these are also mostly electric guitars. It makes sense that the Variax in magnetic mode, and in emulation mode with electric models, will be used through an electric guitar amp. It is also quite likely that the signal chain will pass through a number of pedals, or a Helix etc. What does not make sense is that we should have to change to a completely different rig just to use the acoustic models. The whole point of having a Variax is that there is a switch to go from electric to acoustic models. I don't think it is asking too much that we should be able to switch to an acoustic or 12 string model without switching to a whole new rig, let alone having to buy one just so we can use a few emulation models on one guitar. I acknowledge that a guitar amp is not ideal for amplifying an acoustic guitar, but I also have 3 acoustic guitars with piezo pickups that will work perfectly well through my electric guitar amp. Yes, they would sound better through a proper acoustic amp, but the sound is acceptable. So why is that not possible with the Variax? The idea that "you only need one guitar" is very attractive. It sours a bit when you find that you also need two entirely separate amplification rigs to play it through.

Running the Variax through almost anything with a pre-amp, with it's own EQ etc., will have a disastrous effect on the acoustic models. They sound awful through a conventional guitar amp. I run all my guitars, including the Variax, through a Helix using the 4 cable method. For electric models I have presets that run some pedals into the guitar input of the amp, back to the Helix via the effects loop where delay and reverb are added, and then back to the power section of the amp. This is fine for the Variax electric models, but terrible for the acoustic models. For the acoustics I have presets with just volume and EQ and NO use of the effects loop. The Helix out goes straight into the amp's Effects Return, so that I am only using the power section of the amp and totally by-passing the pre-amp and EQ. Given that a guitar amp is all I have, this works quite well and achieves a reasonable sound. If you are going through a piano, you are using the pre-amp and EQ of the piano, and the effect will be rather less than ideal. That said, the Varaix acoustic models are no more than a substitute to be used only when you can't use a proper acoustic, and the 12 strings just sound like a guitar through a chorus pedal!

Tyler was probably aiming to be close to a Gibson Les Paul in terms of neck and string configuration. You will find that the high E on a Les Paul is very close to the edge - Les Paul players just get used to it. A couple of years ago Gibson introduced a wider fretboard (along with several other changes) to alleviate the problem. The modifications to a classic design were not very well received, and Gibson have reverted back for most of the LP range. I think you can still get the wider neck on the High Performance models.

It might not be the strings. I have a few guitars with rosewood boards that always leave my fingers black, no matter how often I have cleaned them.

In my case the battery was OK. Charger unit was faulty. Red light was on all the time indicating charging, even if there was no battery in the cradle. The shop has agreed to replace it.

Not just me then. I reported a similar problem on this forum a couple of weeks ago.

On the 4th attempt the battery did end up with a full charge, so the battery looks OK. However, the charger cradle indicator just stays steady red all the time, either without a battery in the cradle, with a battery that needs charging, or with a full battery. Consequently it is impossible to tell if the battery is taking a charge, or when it is fully charged. Makes charging a very hit and miss affair. I have notified the shop - I am hoping that I can just get a replacement charger, and that I don't have to return the guitar as well for the second time in a couple of weeks.

I bought a Variax Standard a couple of weeks ago. Within 24 hours it developed a "white noise" problem when in Variax mode, which I reported on this forum. I returned it to the online supplier, and they quickly replaced it without quibble. The new guitar seems fine (so far) but there may be an issue with the battery and/or charger. The indicators on the charger and guitar do not seem to correspond with the manual. The charger instructions say that it will flash red once when first connected to power, steady red when charging, and flashing red when fully charged. When the replacement guitar arrived I immediately put the battery on charge. It was still steady red after an overnight charge of around 16 hours - no flashing full charge indicator. I tried the battery in the guitar but only got 1 flashing green light, indicating minimal charge. I put the battery back in the charge cradle, and immediately got flashing red indicating a full charge, but still only minimal charge detected by the guitar. Now I find that I get a steady red light on the charging cradle when it is connected to the mains WITHOUT the battery inserted. If I disconnect the power and reconnect it, I get various red flashes for a minute or so, then it goes back to steady red. If I insert the battery again, it just stays steady red, even though the battery has had over 16 hours charging. Battery faulty? Charger faulty? Or both? I am very happy with my Helix, but I am beginning to lose my faith in Line 6 with my experience of the Variax. Two brand new guitars with problems is a bit much.

It is certainly in the return period - brand new and I only had it a day! It is certainly going back. I am pretty sure that the Workbench was open when the problem started, and I was running through a VDI cable and a Helix. Incidentally, the computer on which the Workbench was running was only connected via the Helix's USB. The Variax was not connected via the supplied interface. However, in fault checking, I disconnected the computer and the Helix, and the VDI cable, and just tried a simple 1/4" jack straight into a different amp. Noise is now always present when in Variax mode, but not in magnetic P/U mode. I then did a firmware flash directly using the supplied interface. This did a factory reset, and deleted all custom settings that I had created, so it can't be a corruption arising from any setting I put on. I will be happy if I get a replacement that works trouble free for a reasonable period. But given that it broke down so quickly, I was starting to wonder if these things are just unreliable and I might be better to just ask for my money back.

I bought a Variax Standard last week after seeing a good deal online. I started using it through a VDI cable into a Helix and a Blackstar Artist 15. Going into the second day I was exploring the Worbench editor, and added a couple of tunings. I also created a custom guitar for Keith Richards Open G tuning, by reducing the volume on the low E string to zero - nice easy way of doing it without actually having to take a string off a guitar. It was all going wonderfully until a loud "white noise" started. I think I was just turning the Guitar Selector when in cut in. The noise is almost as loud as the strings. It is only present in Variax mode, and changes in tone as I turn the Guitar Selector and Tuning knobs. I have tried changing to a 1/4" jack cable, going straight into the amp without the Helix, and using a different amp, but nothing made any difference. I also did a firmware upgrade flash, which additionally served as a factory reset, in case my custom settings had caused something - no joy. The noise is not there in magnetic pickup mode, so it is obviously something in the Variax system. It will obviously have to go back to the shop for a replacement. However I am rather concerned that this should happen on a brand new instrument after only 24 hours, and that these instruments may not be very reliable. I can fix most things on my conventional guitars myself, but I can't fix this. If this guitar (or replacement) is going to keep going wrong, particularly after the warranty expires, it is going to become a very troublesome and expensive liability. Is this sort of problem common, or am I just unlucky?

I must admit I am confused with these presets. I updated the Editor firs, and did a backup. I then did the 2.30 firmware upgrade, and I saw the presets rebuilding. However, when the Helix rebooted, all my user presets etc were still there, without having to do a restore. The Helix has certainly updated to 2.30, and I have the new amp and pedal models, but not the new presets detailed above in either Factory 1 or Factory 2 banks. The 2.30 firmware upgrade does not seem to have touched my presets at all.

I have now found some notes that indicate you only have to do a Factory Reset if you are updating firmware earlier than 2.2. However the notes for updating 2.2 still say you should restore all the patch lists, but not restore Factory 1 if you want to keep the new patches. My confusion arises from the fact that all my patches are still on the Helix, without restoring anything. I can see the wisdom of doing a backup before an upgrade,but not in restoring afterwards if it is not necessary. The 2.30 firmware update DID NOT wipe all my user patches - they are all still there without restoring.

I followed the advice to install the new Editor first, do a backup, and then update the Helix firmware. I expected to have to restore all my patches, having regard to not overwriting the new Factory patch set list. However, when my Helix rebooted, all my User Set lists and patches were still there. I have the new amps and pedals, but I am not sure if the Factory 1 Set list has changed as I can't remember what was in there before. I am assuming that this is because I haven't done a Factory Reset after the firmware upgrade. Is this an essential/advised step? The Helix seems to be functioning perfectly, so why should I need to wipe everything just to put it all back again? It obviously is not the firmware upgrade itself that wipes all the user patches and just updates the Factory Set list - it must be the Factory Reset that does this. But is the Factory Reset necessary?

A lot of the "signal-out" blocks and "path direction blocks", including loop sends have several parameters and options. Some of these split the signal between the intended obvious routes and the final output. Check all the blocks in your signal chain to ensure that all the signal is actually going where you want it to. You may find that there are blocks where it is being split.