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rhymedawg

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  1. I got a Variax JTV-59 about a month ago. I am an acoustic player only and as I have begun playing in more and more tunings lately, and dragging multiple guitars on stage was just getting to be too much. I have been delighted and amazed by what I can do with the Variax. Now I can effortlessly go back and forth between standard tuning, half-step down, drop-d, double drop-d, C5 tuning (CGCGCC which I write and perform in a lot), open D open F, etc. I have also discovered that dialing in a capo on upper frets avoids the almost certain re-tuning that would otherwise be required if I actually had to use a capo at the fifth or sixth fret. I have a Danelectro baritone and while I have used it on a few recordings and occasionally to write songs with female singers (so I could write in “girl” keys more readily), I have never performed with a bari. Now I can flip a switch and all of a sudden, reach songs vocally that I never could before using a “conventional” guitar. Also, the 12-string options are killer. Performing with a real 12-string is always a tuning nightmare. Not with the Variax. All in all, wish I had pulled the trigger years ago. But, I have discovered a way to make the JTV-59 sound way better acoustically and it has to do with strings which is why I am posting to this thread on strings: Use acoustic guitar strings. It occurred to me that the acoustic guitar sounds on the Variax are being produced from the piezo, not the magnetic pick-ups. So it just makes sense if you want the best possible acoustic tonality to use your favorite acoustic guitar strings (mine are Elixir bronze-wound custom light nanos). So I replaced the Elixir 10-49 electric strings with the acoustic set. What a difference. It still does not sound like my Martin HD-28 or D-45, but hey, I can’t flip a switch and toss those guitars into a plethora of tunings and guitar modes! I know, I know: Acoustic bronze-wound strings won’t activate a magnetic pick-up worth a hoot, but I don’t use the electric guitar patches, so I don’t care. If you don’t either, I thought this tip might be helpful.
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