Charlie_Watt

This diode failure is caused by trying to plug in the battery backwards. The diode fails when that happens. It can be replaced with almost any silicon diode.

Any surface mount diode of the proper size will work. ( you can tack in a leaded one too) It is only there to prevent negative voltages from getting to the expensive stuff.

In our capitalist society it is in every company's best interest to treat their customers well. Fair competition makes that the case. Legislation doesn't really solve any problems IMO. Litigation is just a way for lawyers to make money at everyone's expense. Companies that are around for the long run are honest and fair and they devote the proper amount of resources to Quality, Performance, Features, etc.

I am pretty sure you can replace the diode and fix a reverse polarity failure on a 500 board. The diode is there to take the hit if you reverse the polarity. This is a very common failure on the older Variax because you can easily try to plug in the battery backwards. It won't plug that way but it will make contact and fry the diode. I make triple sure I have my glasses on and I have plenty of light when I change the battery on my 500.

There you go - your strings are two years old.

I still say that is not the norm. Companies want happy customers. I don't know where you get your idea that companies are evil.

I have actually seen more examples of companies doing the right thing than the other way! Companies have to make a profit or they go away. That is the system that we live in - and I fully agree with it. Technical resources are always in short supply so companies focus those resources on where they do the most good for the bottom line. Sorry guys but Variax aint it!

When was your guitar built? There is a good chance your factory strings are years old. Try anything and it will be an improvement.

A tuner is a ruler. How you use it is up to you. A good tuner has fine graduations on that ruler. A not so good tuner only has the inches marked.

I swear by my Peterson VSII and I swear at most other tuners I have tried. It isn't easy to make a good tuner. When you pluck a string it starts out sharp and goes flat as it rings out. It also isn't only vibrating at the fundamental but at all sorts of harmonics. The tuner has to lock on the fundamental and track it as it changes frequency. Then you need a display with enough resolution to see what is happening but not so much that it is all over the place as the string changes pitch.

Time for a trip to the repair center.

Please call it resolution. (how small a change in frequency it can resolve and display)

Check for a loose / unplugged connection between the piezo cables and the board. If it is new, I would return it!

Again the issue is resolution not necessarily accuracy.

What most bad tuners lack is resolution. I have never liked the tuners on Line6 pedals for this reason. They don't have the necessary resolution to tune accurately.

The headphone output is not designed to drive a speaker cabinet. It is probably going to distort the signal quite a bit and it won't be very loud at all.

If the neck isn't properly positioned relative to the bridge, the intonation will be off and that is not acceptable at all! You would have to mod the pocket or the neck to get the scale length within the adjustment range of the bridge saddles. The adjustment range is there to dial in a properly installed neck. And you actually use a lot of the range to handle the difference between the strings.

I have both and IMO the JTV 69S is far superior to the 500. (and they are still in production) I like having mag pickups and I like WB HD. The JTV also has a much better battery system. (which many don't need or use) I would only go for the 500 if it was dirt cheap - and I would expect to have to upgrade the piezo pickups which is not a trivial job. Yes - the Ghost pickups are far superior to the standard ones that come with all Variax guitars.

It doesn't fit if the fret positions are off that much.

What neck did you order from Warmouth? I may go this route myself.

I would remove the screws and take them to a good hardware store like ACE and match them up. There is nothing special about wood screws to attach a neck. Fill the holes with a dowel if you have to.

Nice Job! Let us know how it plays after you get her set up!

I have those Planet Waves locking tuners on my Variax 500 and they are great! Stay in tune and string changes are a snap.

USB only shipped with JTV's (and I guess the Standards) IT did not ship with the older Variax's and the older Variax's do not work with Workbench HD either.

Yes - a good guitar cable should work just fine. I stay away from the cheap crap cables though.