Tru-Blu

Thanks, Jersey - I did install some locking tuners on it. They're imports, but are a direct fit for the existing holes and have a 19:1 ratio. I have these on a couple of other guitars I have, and they've done pretty well for me. The guitar came with the Seymour Duncan pickups in it - I know I would have been happy with just the stocks if they were available. Only other thing I plan on doing is to install some strap locks, and she'll be done. Very minor in terms of mods, but that's the beauty of this beast - it doesn't need much to complete it. The seller didn't include the USB module for connecting to the computer to do flash updates through Monkey. He confirmed that he has it, though - so I'm hoping that he'll be willing to send it if I pay for shipping. I tried updating through my Helix, and wasn't successful (although Workbench HD works just fine) with using the VDI. Good news is that the guitar is at 2.21, so it's pretty much up-to-date for now. @Arislaf - I'm already a member of vguitarforums.com due to my Fender/Roland VG5 and Carvin SH575's, so I'll definitely check out what you recommended. Thanks, Todd

I said in a previous post that I would put up a pic of my JTV-59 that I got recently. It has Seymour Duncan Slash pickup set in it, and sounds phenomenal. I love how good the modeling sounds, and the awesome options in alternate tunings. My Fender/Roland VG Strat cannot do half of what this can, nor near as good. Pic is not that good due to all the reflections it picked up in the finish. I'll take some more down the road if anyone is interested. I tried to upload the photo directly to the post, but it failed every time (wondering if it's due to my newbness on the forums). Sorry for the free Photobucket watermark, but if you click it, you should go to the real pic in Photobucket. Thanks for lookin', Todd

Hey, this was awesome! I have Superior Drummer 3 (just got a Helix and Variax JTV-59), and was debating on delving into the EZ Keys line of products from Toontrack. Looks like I'll need to do that - and soon! Your video was phenomenal in showing what you can do with it to start building something that can branch out to a song. Thanks for putting this together! This was a huge help for me (and I wasn't even looking for it). All the best, Todd

Received the guitar early on Friday, and played it a bit over the weekend. It's incredible. I can't believe how good the acoustic models sound, including the resonators and 12 strings. I loaded up some heavier tones with the Lester setting, and palm muting seemed to be pretty decent for me. The magnetics (Seymour Duncan Slash set) sounded fantastic. There were no issues in either normal (magnetic) mode or modeled mode (so far). I own a Roland VG Strat, and I feel Line 6 does a far better job of implementing the modeling than Roland/Fender did. The JTV-59 is a new reference point in modeling for me that I will see if I can tweak the Roland VG Strat to get closer to what the 59 can already do. That will allow me to have a modeler in both a floating trem model as well as a fixed bridge model. I'm going to throw some locking tuners on the 59, ebonize the fretboard, and put what I hope will be some tasteful vinyl inlays over the dots to dress it up a bit. I'll throw a few pics up once that is done. I'm loving the guitar so far, and am excited to kick it up a notch with programming things in the Helix for it! All the best, Todd

Thanks for responding, P. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything will be good with it. I'll post an update next week after I receive it. All the Best, Todd

PSarkissian, I guess I really need to know if there is going to be an issue with my inbound (it's still being shipped to me) JTV-59 with having one of the pickups at 8.9 instead of 8. The seller had offered a full refund since he couldn't find the original pickups for it. I'm not sure how I'll deal with the auction results if you confirm that there will be an issue if the Seymour Duncan APH-2s pickups stay in the guitar. Thanks, Todd

Bear in mind, I wasn't trying to find a JTV-59 with different pickups than the stocks - it was just the only one (in Tobacco sunburst) that was in decent shape for a decent price. There was one other on Ebay for less money that appeared to have a crack in the neck (seller listed it as a "cosmetic flaw," and one on Reverb that was selling for 900.00 plus shipping. Originally, I saw the Duncan pickups as a bonus since they're an expensive set due to being a Slash signature product. However, I had no idea that there would be a potential risk of an issue with the modeling circuitry malfunctioning due to the increased resistance of the magnetic pickups. I did ask the seller if he had the original pickups, but he's indicated that he cannot find them (but would ship them if he does). The guitar is already on its way, so I guess I'll see where things are at on both counts. Thanks, Todd

I just bought a used JTV-59 in an Ebay auction that has Seymour Duncan APH-2S (Slash set) in it, and I believe those are slightly hotter than a typical PAF pickup that would be in a Les Paul. I should have the guitar by next Monday, but seller said that he used the magnetics the majority of the time. I'm a new Helix owner, and am looking to take advantage of the greater control and functionality between the Variax and the Helix. I am curious as to why the pickups could only be within a certain resistance range. I would think that anything should work - as long as they are wired correctly. If you have any specific on that limitation, please pass it along. Thanks, Todd