toasterdude

Hmm. . .I may have to try one or several of those. My tele xplant has graphtecs. Just got another JTV 59 for under 900 on ebay this week. That warmoth starcaster is looking more and more a done deal once they have em.

If that graphtec works I can put one on my LP and one on my explorer and have one ready for starcaster leaving me 4 old line6 bridges that I can use to make my old 59s into LP copies. 2 black, one TSB and one CSB.

I dig graphtec a bunch.

I have a sneaking suspicion that sometimes a manufacturer allows a percentage of their perfectly fine guitars to be sold as "Scratch & Dent" to increase their sales, i.e. cash flow. This allows them to get more sales without discounting the entire line by the same amount. I have also purchased a Sweetwater JTV-69 "Scratch & Dent". It's perfect. And, you certainly don't hear me complaining!!

Especially at the end of a quarter. A rep that needs to make quota or another tier in comp plan may cut a deal with large customer such as sweetwater.

Sorry for your bad luck. I just picked up my fourth JTV!  I love 'em.  I did have to adjust the depth of the pots on one to get it to work right, and the ball of paper in the knob trick on another.  But otherwise, they've been good.

Fourth? You are catching up to me! I have 4 xplants done, a 5th being worked on now, and a stock 69 that will be xplanted at some point.

I have been asked multiple times on multiple forums, why I would have so many guitars that basically can get the same sounds. So can I ask you the same question? Do you still have all 4 and why do you have 4 if they sound basically the same?

In my experience, GC & MF both have a nasty habit of shipping returns and restocks.  I do not disagree about some of the QC issues that Line 6 has had as well.  I would either purchase one at a store where you can inspect the build first, or purchase from a retailer, such as Sweetwater, that will inspect the guitar before it's shipped if you ask.

I get that some people get mad at GC for shipping out product returned before 30 day trial is over. I get people that take advantage of the 30 day trial to try stuff they can't try locally. I don't understand when the same person does both, lol.

I just received a JTV-59 with a bad model selector switch (as replacement for one that was written off as unfixable). When pushed to switch between magnetic pickups and modeling the switch doesn't move equally well in all positions. In fact, it is just in the custom1-posistion that it reliably pops back out after being pressed. I've been looking for obstructions and not found any so it seems to be a problem inside the switch. I've also seen suggestions that problems with this switch may be caused by the knob being mounted to low on the shaft, but raising the position changes nothing. The switch does get stuck just as bad in the down position when operated with no knob on the shaft.

 

This may seem like a simple warranty case, but I'm reluctant to send the guitar back given my track record with the local distributor (Norway). The modelling circuit on my first JTV died after about a months use, and it took the distributor nearly 4 months to replace it. They spent almost 3 months diagnosing before finally reporting that they were unable to repair the guitar and had to order a replacement. This seems odd considering the modular construction of the instrument and that it should be e simple operation for anyone with a bit of insight to replace components one by one until the problem is solved. I'm not too keen on 4 more months without the instrument, so it leaves me with the following questions:

 

1. Is there something else I can try that won't affect the warranty, like electronics cleaning-fluid (isopropanol) or some form of lubrication on the switch.

 

2. Does line6 supply parts for these guitars at all? I can't see why the distributor would be unable to repair the guitar by swapping the electronics if they do have spares. It would otoh be problematic to maintain the guitar in the long term (when the warranty runs out) if there are no spares available. I haven't seen any 3rd-party rotary-switches on the market that would work as replacements for the model and tuning-selectors.

 

3. Is is possible for me to order the necessary parts to swap out the main selector myself so that I won't have to be without an instrument for months? I can't get a straight answer from the distributor. I do understand that l6 may not want people to buy complete electronics kits to install in other instruments, but individual parts must at least be available somehow. 

I hope so. Heck I even want to buy some pots because I don't like the gold/yellow/brown pots that come on 59s. I would rather have chrome, even black.

Any word on if effects loop is true stereo or sums to mono?

I use a POD HD pro to feed my Axe II via AES. It saves me a DA/AD step and is a simple set up. I don't use amp models on the POD so extra DSP will not do much for me. If they do a FW update that allows adding two more effects or effects loop not using up a slot etc, it may make more sense. Also I prefer rack because I use it along with other processors.

Heck I may pick up a second one used if price drops enough. I am buying a 500x this week though.

Any word on a x version of bean?

But can I but the pots and wire harness from Line 6 or a service center?

The nylon patch on acoustic variax doesn't sound even close to the nylon string variax. Then again the acoustics on the acoustic 700 sound better than the acoustics on JTV. The way I see it. If I am playing a song that will be 100% acoustic I use the acoustic variax if I have it with me. If I have to change mid song, or don't want to or can't switch guitars the JTV acoustics will get it done. Same with nylon, if the JTV had a patch that was similar to the one on acoustic variax, it would be usable in a full band situation or when you can't use an actual nylon.

Maybe Nylonish would be a better request.

What year and model Strat? What kind of wood and finish for the body and neck?  And what pickups? I would love to be able to buy or cobble together a Strat that sounds similar to Variax 1.9 Spank 1 but have never heard that sound coming from any "real" guitar... I always assumed it was because the guitar they modeled was a magical $50,000 guitar that sounded better than any other Strat ever made but now I am not so sure...

 

 

I prefer the sound of the 1.9 Strat, but I do think the 2.0 Strat sounds much more like the "real" Strats I currently own.

Is that just for position 1 or have you compared the 1.9 pos 2 & 4 to the 2.0?

On a strat I never play position 1 or 3, 90% 2 or 4 and sometimes neck pickup. I can't wait to get home in a little over a week so I can finally upgrade to 2.0.

The whole concept of sending midi from a guitar to the POD is very cool and powerful. I hope they expand on it in the future. Your idea is a great one. I also would like to use the tone knob to control other devices besides POD. Right now you can assign parameters in the POD to the volume or tone knobs.  I want to control an Axe FX, Mobius, Timeline or any other device.

If that is true it is nuts. Why would Line 6 give more importance to magnetic pickups than the modeled sound?

Also a decent amount of players ask about or change the pickups in JTVs. None of my JTVs have any stock pickups. Why would I want the modeling to sound like pickups I swapped out?

The truth to be said, they did modeled the JTV 69s pickups, and not a spanks .

 

I would offer to trade our 69s, but i really don't like the lake blue color :)

I seem to remember when the beta was getting close to being final, someone made a joke about how threads would soon be divided by how great 2.0 is or how some prefer 1.9. Some beta testers sort of hinted that 2.0 was such a big step, that would not happen.  So much for being an expert. . . . .lol. . .

I own a POD HD500 and HD Pro. I also have an Axe II and  Kemper. I use my JTVs with a POD HD Pro and Axe FX. JTV to POD via VDI, POD to Axe via AES/EBU and then out to two xitone wedges in stereo. I use POD for wah, volume, and additional effects. Mutrons, Growler, pattern trems etc etc etc.

Amp models on Axe are way better. DSP limits are there you just run into them way less compared to HD Pro. Effects are more modern sounding, but I find POD effects work fine for the most part. I even use a bunch of mods on the pods even though they seem to be a weaker link.

POD works great with JTV for routing. Truth is I could not do what I want in a rig with Just Axe FX, I need the POD for routing a patch recall on JTV. If push came to shove I could probably use two POD HD Pros, but prefer using the Axe with the POD.

Do they make Purple color cable? How about the tweed looking color?

The new Blue cable is in so if anyone one wants that color they can get it!

The only 335 I have owned is an epi dot with Lollar imperials underwound. I have not yet installed 2.0 FW but am thinking I will dig the new 335 stuff more. Once the bug with spank is worked around, going by clips I like the new spank better as well. In fact my fave 335 patch on old FW was a semi with minihum in neck. I mix that with the mags on a p90 and I dig the combo.

I guess if I was using a plexi I would use LP or Junior and not a 335, usually I play 335s clean or with some grit, deluxe reverbs etc. I do dig neck pickups through zen drives etc.

Cool pics! Never pictured a blood dripped dripped tele. I would love a tele with bigsby and may do one without JTV guts. Or maybe just buy a reverend guitar with bigsby. The white falcon looks scary without its "guts".

L5 is no longer an option. The warmoth starcaster is not out yet. My third option, is a unfinished Gretsch Billy Bo body I won on ebay. Purple flake, some dearmonds and a bigsby may be cool. Or just metallic purple with pearloid guard.

These would be a bit down the road. Still waiting for my purple firebird with tele style neck and pickup config to be done.

I have another firebird body that I was toying about doing metallic green witha Presidented beer logo. I live in santo domingo and people there would freak over a gringo playin some electrified bachata with a bad lollipop Presidente guitar! The only neck I have laying around for that is a warmoth Charvel type that had a chip so I got it for like 100 bucks. Hm m m mm .

Would love to see a tricked out L5, and a purple Starcaster JTV sounds... out of this world! DO IT!!!!

 

Here are some pics of the Falcon and Tele transplant ( I had forgotten why I did two transplants until a few minutes ago, used to play in a band with a second guitarist and the plan was for me to use the Tele and him to use the Falcon but by the time I get them both up and running we had gotten rid of the other guy), you can see the scoth tape in the pics.

 

The original goal was to have no Variax components showing so that the banjo and sitar sounds would blow people's minds live, the only giveaway on the Tele is the output jack, the guts are hidden under the pickguard between the pickups, no routs/panels on the back of the guitar, 2 controls aknobs only (volume and modeling), tone control is buried under the pickguard (I select models and program the tone knob on a per patch basis with my HD500).

 

The dead giveaway that something weird was going on with the Falcon the couple of times I used it live was I think the total lack of controls and pickups :lol: I have a nice set of DeArmonds and some Gretsch knobs that will be back on there shortly  (after I paint the thing black).

 

Sorry I never got around to posting the pics til now - stuff came up and I was away from the forums for many months and by the time I came back I had completely forgotten, not that it would have mattered as the old forums were locked by then anyway.

 

C

Hmmm. . .haven't noticed any issues with standard bridge. When they first came out L6 really played up how much the new bridges had to do with improved sound. Now that I have my old graphtec on the purple tele I see that any difference is minimal and may actually be that graphtec is better.

I am trying to figure out post spacing on the stock JTV 59 bridges. I have 3 "gutless" bodies laying around that can be cool project guitars. If spacing was the same I could always swap those bridges for TOM. Hmmm. . .bigsby on double bound purple flame explorer? Nah, not even I am that out there. . . .lol.

i was thinking when looking at pics of your transplants, why do you use the Tyler bridges on such nice guitars? A GraphTech is a huge improvement over the Tyler IMO, in both appearance and especially in functionality, no more KLICKYKLACKY from the piezos flopping around in their slots (if you ever notice wird ticks and clicks while you are playing, the problem is likely the Tyler bridge)... I am planning to put a Bigsby on my JTV89 eventually and will be changing to GraphTech TOM at the same time, just gotta few projects I have to work on first

The modeling on the White Falcon works fine, nothing weird, normal JTV operation. GraphTech T-O-M bridge. Nothing weird happens when the strings move across the saddles, maybe due to the graphite saddles.

 

You will need to put a damper on the strings between the Bigsby and the bridge to kill string resonance, same as people without Bigsbys are doing with the stock JTV59/89 bridge:

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/111-make-your-variax-sound-100-better/

 

 

Great news. I don't use the bar much but did the sound of bigsbys. Got a Gretsch setzer Hot Rod. . .yeah purple,  a purplish dano hodad and an epi riviera gold top with 3 p90s all with Bigsbys.

Having a JTV with bigsby would be great.

If I remember correctly you had a bigsby on a chinese white falcon knock off? Maybe I remember you adding a bigsby or planning to on a JTV?

How well does it work with the modeling on the white falcon?

TOM bridge?

Crusty or another "expert" had said in the past that bigsbys would cause major issues for the modeling as the strings move across the piezos. I have seen a couple of cool, JTV 59s with bigsbys in this forum but the bisby is right up against the bridge so it appears the string angle behind the bridge is much steeper. I don't know if that helped with the piezo/bigsby issue or if there really isn't a major issue at all.

I missed the boat on warmoth L5 semi hollow bodies but rumor has it they may start doing a starcaster type deal. Somehow a semi hollow with filtertrons and bigsy seems like a cool idea. . ..especially in metallic purple!

No purple cable? lol

 

 

I only have about 30 feet of the red cable left and right now can not order it I do have this blue cable on order and is due in on 9/13... So if you Want Red then need to order quick if you want a blue Then I will not be able to ship till after the 13th.

 

Yeah, 100% gringo. I travel to Brasil for work. I sell equipment to TV Stations. Vanguarda has two. So then I have been to that town a few times lol.

Last year I lived in sao paulo for 3 months in moema. The year before two months and the year before one month in Itaim Bibi. This year I have an employee in Brasil so only made one trip so far but will be back in october. You don't see too much line6 stuff in Brasil. Apparently their distributor raises prices to where they cost way more than competition. Last year I had my JTV, Pod HD Pro and Axe FX II with me in sao paulo. This year I am in Medellin for three months and brought it all down again.

I love Brasil. Great food. Great Music. Stunning scenery like Corcovado, Pau De Azucar and Foz. . . .and the women are not bad either!

My city is where the tv vanguarda is , in the valley of paraiba, you're American? came to spend vacation in Brazil?

i live in taubate, sao paulo state, near sao paulo,

 Cool. Never been. Near sao paulo I have been to campinas and whatever cities TV Vanguarda and SBT are in. . .lol. I love Brasil and gained 10 pounds eating at Fogo De Chao and other Churrascaria's for two weeks. I also had a lake placid blue 69 before I replaced the body with a metallic purple one, the neck with a warmoth and swapped all the pickups.

None of my JTVs have any original pickups in them. For now all have duncan prails and one has duncan lipstick in middle. Next one will have fralins and lollar.

Im from brazil, can you send me?

What part of Brasil. I just left sao paulo yesterday. Will be back in october in Belo Horizonte, sao paulo and probably Rio.

Good to see a JTV down there!