I know, lots of time had passed.
After having a 600 model, without ever being very satisfied with models simulating real guitars, I had to trade it and after a long time I bought a 300 at real bargain price.
I used to like the new sound possibilities of 600, and the 300 sounded the same. Better for creating than to emulate.
When Line 6 came up with the newer generations, I was excited by having the real pickups already there, I thought it could solve my willing of a real strat or tele tone, plus complementary sounds that I would use alive.
But I live in extreme south of Brazil, and it really sucks, because every gear is very overpriced, and the stores doesn't even use to have a good set of products for you to "try before you buy".
Well, straight to the point now.
When a already bad piezo finally broke up, I took the courage to star modding the 300. I replace the originals with a set of Graphtech Saddles, and put on a Graphtech Nut replacement, too.
That made the guitar much better instantly, and the lack of highs I always found at the tones was then much, much better for what I would expect. Finally the single coil simulations sounded more natural, mainly for tele tones. There was an old Youtube video with a Russian guy, where every single coil model sounded awesome, but at the real world I had see anyone come close to that video, till that day. What's the secret Line 6? It should sound wright, right out the factory... Did you send better instruments to key dealers, Line 6?
At that point I took the chances and made a hole in the wood to fit a strat pickup at he bridge position. Put an Lace Sensor pickup, and after modifying the wiring, its tone was too lifeless. That pickup was an easy fit and was a bad choice in terms of tone. But it felt like the pickup wasn't the only cause of the failure.
I always thought this guitar would sound good as a tele, but that would give a lot more work to do, too.
So I took the courage again, and started a radical modification. After opening more room inside the wood, and cutting off part of the metallic structure of Line 6 electronics, I installed a neck pickup at the pickguard, and a real tele modern bridge. Not a perfect mod, since there was already a hole under the original bridge.
The result is, that guitar became much more good than it was, maybe by having a bigger heavier metal anchor to the strings. Not only the magnetic tele pickups sounds like it should, but the modeling was much more real than before.
I told you all of that, because one of my guesses about why the Variax were such a disappointment was how much the physical character of the guitars affects the result of the virtual sounds. Recently I found a video where a guy compares the strats and other tones of the 3 JT models and the Standard. And, for Strat tones, the Standard (the one structural closer to a real strat) sounded better. At least to my ears. The Strat tones were never the best of Variax, but it sounded more tone-correct at Standard.
So I got one Standard. And, with the real pickups it sounds good enough as a Strat chinese copy.
But it looks like the sims are a lot worst than the Generation 1... How can...
Same banjo like issue at start. After setting up, updating, changing string volumes, the banjo was gonne. Stil, Tele and Strats are so terrible I can't live with it.
Shame on you, Line 6. You should at least try to do something to help your costumers, don't leave us complaining...
I would tell anyone, Variax are more a expensive fancy game, than a real tool for musicians. You got to spend a lot of time to achieve some usable tones.
More time tweaking than playing. Without satisfaction guaranty.
Be aware. Don't trust Line 6.
