StanPenn1

Correction: marked "NFX TOP."

After a long hiatus due to a health issue, I'm getting back to a Variax 300 Nylon I bought a few years ago. It's in excellent condition, other than the high E string (#1) having almost no output. BTW, I have a JTV-89F, Acoustic 700, Helix, and more that all work well, and have hoarded some spare parts where feasible. On disassembling and measuring, I found that the bottom (and top) of the saddle slot has a subtle radius. However, the bottom of my current saddle is flat. So, there is insufficient pressure on the piezo strip at the end, which happens to manifest as the high end in this case. There's about 0.012" gap at string #1. This leads to questions: 1. Do all stock Nylons have a radiused saddle? If so, this would mean mine was replaced at some point. 2. Per another discussion, the bottom of stock saddles also have arches. I expect these are to concentrate pressure on the piezo strip areas below each string, given the low tension for nylon strings. Is this true for all Nylons produced? 3. Is it still possible to obtain a replacement saddle through Line 6, given that we are at 8/2026? Also, I would like to buy a spare piezo (marked "NXP TOP") if possible. As an unrelated question: the guitar came with an XPS Mini power supply. I found a statement (I'll have to dig it up) that the 300s have higher power requirements than subsequent Variaxes, and an XPS A/B Box (I have several) are considered insufficient spec-wise. I would like to have confirmation or denial. As a hack, I sanded the bottom of my saddle for the necessary radius and it fixed the issue. I'm contemplating dremeling arches between the string positions, but will await any responses. Thanks! -Stan

Workbench is a 32-bit app. In case you are running on a 64-bit OS, you will need to install the 32-bit version of the Java runtime. This has worked successfully for me on multiple PCs.

Sorry for the delay - new project. Looks like we can do a private offer deal. I'll try to get it set up by tonight.

Sorry if I gave the impresson I didn't know your major contributing role. I was trying to convey that the broken-off stop was pretty subtle to see. I have learned a lot from your posts over the last 3 years since I was turned on to Variaxes by a buddy.

Ah, I see it now. Good catch.

Sorry, I didn't see Psarkissian's response before i posted mine. The 2.5mm for intonation (my wrenches read a bit under at 2.45mm) works out to be 0.096", which is pretty much the same as 3/32" (0.094").

I just pulled out a caliper and checked mine: 4mm - for truss rod 2.5mm - for piezo location on bridge intonation adjust 3mm - for locking nuts and bridge string locks Then I grabbed a multi-wrench unit and double checked. 3mm is 0.118", which wil give a tighter fit than 7/64 at 0.109".

Yes, it is for a Standard. The picture is incorrect. The part does have a stop tab, but it is offset one selection from what the 89F needs. Brue56ski just wants it for the cap. :)

From a quick look, Reverb and eBay don't support selling a $0 item (I'm shocked! ;)). Hopefully, you have an account for one of those. I could post it as Tuning Knob Parts or some such, so you can find it. Say, for $1. I expect it will still get to you faster than you buying it yourself. Before I bought it, I confirmed with their parts dept. that it is a special order item with a lead time of 2 weeks: https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/517487-line-6-50-03-0137-alt-tuning-knob-for-variax-standard.

D'oh! I just had to RTFM again on the Ghost-loaded saddles: Ghost loaded Floyd Rose original style saddles. Saddles are three different heights and come with everything you need to install. I'm not seeing any Graph Tech raw piezo offerings. Seems like the add-a-ground-wire mod to the existing piezos is the only option.

But I assume the pairing is height related, given the E-E, A-B, D-G split.

I have repaired a Variax 700 Acoustic for use by a friend of mine, who is currently using a regular acoustic in a duo. He's new to the world of Variaxes. Although hands sweating isn't a big deal for him, I'm considering putting in Ghosts so the setup is more bulletproof. How does one obtain the piezo elements for this? My weak understanding is the core units are from LR Baggs, but Graph Tech mods them for the useful string saver coating in the 89F. Per a post from Psarkissian, raiding these out of 89F saddles is not a good idea. Plus there are the differences per string pairs - I'm not clear on just what is different.

Er, as per Silverhead, it's simpler to leave the first field as Choose Hardware.

One more tip. When you go to LIne 6 -> Downloads, select Variax hardware, Variax Workbench software, but leave the OS field as - Choose OS -. Otherwise, you won't see Workbench 1.75.