Charlie_Watt

The JTV comes with the USB interface so WB is free. If you don't have the interface you have to either buy one or buy one of the pods that supports the Variax. Then again, WB is free. There is no license necessary but it's useless without the interface AND a Variax.

??? Nobody had to pay $2100 for a 500. I think I paid about $700. I only paid $1000 for my 2012 JTV. Yess the JTV has more processor power but the models are not that much better than the ones on my 10+ year old 500. I wish they were but they aren't.

Bad news! Damaged USB connector can cause a short that damages the USB chip. That's why the above video is replacing the chip and the connector.

That looks like there is plenty of clearance in the front of the bridge! One thought: With the standard bridge, the string tension pulls it forward. If you were to install a tailpiece, then there is no large force pulling the bridge forward and it might sit back further on it's mount. That would reduce the clearance in front.

Hey psarkissan, Do you have a technical explanation for how a FW update can cause the problems experienced in this thread? It makes no sense to me and I write FW for a living.

I looked at the string clearance on my JTV69S in front of the piezos and it looks like plenty to me. Your luthier is correct that the strings barely move that hear the contact point. If the piezo does not seat solidly, I can see that being a problem. There is a lot of force pushing down on it but if the seat isn't perfectly flat, it might be able to move around and cause bad noises.

This reflashing makes absolutely no sense to me at all but since it seems to work sometimes there must be something to it. There is absolutely no excuse for this kind of behavior though. Flashing should either work or not and the process should know the results. It sounds like some of the code gets corrupted or not updated when flashing goes bad without the process knowing it. Line6 should have done a better design. I have worked with products that get field FW updates all the time and I have never seen this kind of problem. I have never seen a reasonable explanation of this either. It's always hand waving and the first thing they say to try is Reflash it! BS!

Sounds very strange. It should not do that at all. How does it sound with mags only?

I like the models on 2.21 also - and you can tweak them a lot with WB.

I have a 10 year old 500 and a 2 year old JTV69S. Both work fine. Are they perfect? No. They both play great after doing my own minor setup tweaks. Modeling and alt tunings are two different things. Alt tunings will always be a compromise. All of the string and body mechanical vibration and feedback is different than the notes being produced. How can that be perfect? Some of the real tuning is going to leak through due to transducer crosstalk. It works but it ain't perfect. Real alt tuning isn't all that perfect either. The guitar was designed to play at standard tuning. But many players make it sound great. I suspect that they have a slightly altered setup on the guitars that they play in alt tunings.

My advice is to stay away from Windows 10 until it's been out for a while. Let the groundbreakers do their thing first. That is what I plan to do. Winodws7 is just fine for me anyway. I have 7 on my PC and on my laptop. All of my work computers are on 7.

I don't use alt tunings much if at all with my 500 but I don't see why crosstalk would be worse with the Ghost saddles. They are like standard strat saddles and they don't touch if they are set up right. I can't see how there would be much mechanical coupling unless you lay your hand on the bridge - which I don't. The good thing is that there is nothing to move since the piezos are potted into the plastic - and each has a separate ground wire. I much more solid design IMO.

The 500 came with a battery holder for 6 AA batteries. I have several so I can have a charged up spare ready to plug in. It works for me. The little 9V batteries will not run for long so I have never used one of those. I don't know what the mAH rating is on them but it's under 1000.

Good picture! Good work! The Velcro behind is also a very good idea. There is enough string length back there to make noise and it needs damping.

The Variax 500 uses somewhere around 500 mA I believe. I use 2100 mAH NiMh rechargeable batteries in mine. (6 X AA) I get about 3 to 4 hours of playing time on a charge.

I can see it being a problem if the string can hit the casing in front (neck side) of the piezo. It should not ever touch there. It should not matter much if it touches behind the piezo but it would be ok to prevent that. The piezo must not move and vibrate against the bridge! That could cause unwanted noise for sure.

I can't tell in the picture if the string touches the bridge behind the piezo. The break point is the piezo. Not sure where he is changing things. My JTV experience is all with the 69S.

They are designed to float in there with the string pressure holding them firmly in place. That is how all Variax piezos have been. And that is why the Graphtech Ghost saddles are a much better design. They have the piezos potted in plastic which is the saddle.

They do not run long at all with a small 9 battery but they run fine with a pack of 6 AA's. I use NiMh rechargables and I get plenty of run time on my 500. I never use the power supply. My 500 is one of the originals and my batteries are probably almost 10 years old.

A good picture here would help with the explanation. I don't have a 59 so I do not know what the bridge looks like exactly around the piezos.

This is the first thing that has made sense to me! Great work! I hope it's the final cure.

IT is what it is and we have to live with it. The JTV door solves the problem for most cases.

Piezo gains vary a lot. Adjust the global string levels on the low strings until you like the response. Also check with the Mags. If the string is dead with the mags, you have a setup issue.

The Variax 12 string models are not bad but they still don't do it for me. They just do not sound like a real 12 string. Not sure what is missing - maybe it's the timing of the strings being played. They are not simultaneous when you play a real 12.

I bet you dollars to donuts that your buddy tried to plug his 1/4 inch jack into the VDI plug. It is a common reason for the pins being damaged. The VDI connector is just fine if you have the proper cable with the proper ends on it and you don't stick the wrong things into it.