Charlie_Watt

You can not use Workbench or update your Variax through Helix yet.  You need the USB interface.

Be careful!  HD500X will not work with WB on a 500!  It only works with the JTV and STD with WBHD.  I did upgrade my 500 to locking tuners shortly after I got it may years ago.  I love the Planet Waves locking tuners.  That guitar stays in tune better than most of my others.  I also like the hardtail bridge.  I eventually went with the ghost pickups.  I did have intermittent problems with the piezos.  I could bang the bridge with my hand to fix it.  I still run mine on 6 rechargeable NiMh batteries most of the time.

I don't think the calibration works with any of the newer FW.  Have you had any success moving the model pot relative to the detent?

Normal connection would be VDI between HD500x and Variax and USB to your computer.  Somewhere here they recommended against using the VDI and 1/4 inch on the Variax at the same time.

There is no Trem on a JTV 59!  The bridge posts are held in position by the string tension just fine.  I wouldn't worry about them at all being a little loose with the strings off.

A DC supply will probably work in place of the AC one but you should use the proper supply.  Going the other way will screw up your pod for sure.  The X3 Live uses an AC supply so the conversion to DC is inside the X3 Live box. (diodes, caps, regulator)  The newer HD pods use a DC supply.

Your USB jack is busted.  It's missing the plastic center part.

If you want a capo for "more comfortable fret-regions" it sounds like you want to use a real capo.  Otherwise, just set alt tuning to what you want to play on the fretboard where you want.

When you save the patch it will come back in whatever state it's in when you save it.

It just slides in.  It requires a significant push.  Make sure it's going in the correct way.

Other option is a good powered PA speaker.  That is the route I went because I wanted full range acoustic sounds.  There are many to choose from.  I went with an EV ZLX-12P.  It sounds great and its plenty loud.  The Line6 PA speakers are good too - more expensive though.

With my PC I just copy them to a file and drag and drop it into Edit.  Works fine every time.

That is perfectly normal.  It is an unregulated AC supply.  The voltage will vary depending on your line voltage.  I also assume you measured it unloaded - unplugged from the X3.  It will drop down some when you plug it in.

Calibration info is in the online manual.  It only calibrates the Expression Pedal not the FS's.  If the FS isn't responding reliably it's defective.

That's what I meant.  I do care what my guitar looks and feels like but not Acoustic vs Electric look.  I think banjo or sitar sounds coming out of a guitar that looks like an electric is interesting.

The X3 has much more processing capability than the 2.0  It even has Dual tone capability which allows two independent signal paths.  When the capabilities are so different, it's not practical to make the old technology patches sound the same on new hardware.  It's a lot of work to get good sounding patches though.  Most of the ones that come with the X3 just plain stink.