guitar4u

Some highlights from the German to English translation: "The HD models James Tyler Variax-Gitarren are absolutely free of drunkenness...." "Completely new ‘Workbench HD’ software makes easier the unbureaucratic construction" So, the German version looks more interesting indeed! LOL How can we get hold of THIS Variax?!

So...you're saying there's a chance?! ;-)

I wish at least somebody would comment on this. Can any of the beta testers confirm or deny that this photo is real, or once was real, or will be real in the future? My guess is that it's one of two things: 1. These models were removed after a while because they took up too much memory (Or, for whatever reason, they just couldn't get them to sound right) and they settled on the models we have now or 2. These models will be released in a future update as either an add-on pack, or as an incremental upgrade to what we already have in v2.0. Please, can somebody comment?

Thanks for the audio/video comparisons and examples guys. We can discuss this stuff all day long, but hearing IS believing. Unfortunately, I'm starting to become convinced that a very generic single-coil sound (v 2.0) has replaced what used to be a more characteristic "vintage" strat sound; at least on positions 2 and 4. I do prefer the bridge position on the 2.0 model though, so my opinions are not entirely consistent. Also, I will agree that the bell-like tone is more accurate for a 50s strat with maple neck. The 2.0 strat model's neck pickup is indicative of that sound. In the best of both worlds, I would have both models :D

Yes, point made here. In this comparison at least, the "quack" that is classic to a strat sound is just not there. It's especially evident when you hear the Variax mags come in. Hmmm :unsure:

I used model.

Which one is the 335 and which is the 175 (can you give us the time markers)? Is that the 335 that starts at around 2:00 with the bridge + neck humbuckers engaged in parallel?

Oh, I don't doubt your experience (or what you're hearing) for a second. I've had my own fair share of Line 6 equipment and upgrade failings; I have a DT25 head sitting in my studio room that decided not to turn on one day and is awaiting repair (not fun!). Also, I went through 3 JTV guitars (sending them back and forth to the store and Line 6) before I got a working guitar (price you pay for being an early adopter I guess? the early Korean models were fraught with issues). Anyway, I have a JTV69 Korean now. My point is, I think something went wonky, or is just plain wrong, with your guitar (at least the firmware). The upgraded strat models are nothing special but overall, this update rocks (when it works) and should be anything but what you've described. I guess they'll get it all sorted out (one way or another) in the end. Wait for version 2.x I s'pose :D

Chris, thanks again for doing the video. I only wished you would have done a few models side-by-side with before and after scenarios playing the same riff (like you did for the acoustic models upgrade). Also, I agree that too much gain (distortion) will make it hard to discern the differences. Anyway, I'm still grateful :D

I hear what you're saying about the 335 being a little "thin," or lacking some bottom-end but after reading your posts, I'm starting to wonder if something else went wrong with your update :unsure:The way you are describing the change is not at all what I have experienced. In fact, most of these models have a lot more character than before, and are significantly more open and responsive now. Just like a regular guitar, not all of these sound good with certain amp and effects configurations (that's to be expected); I've even listened critically to the D.I. tone without any coloration from an amp or amp modeling and these updates sound quite a bit more organic and natural sounding. You may certainly PREFER the 1.9 sounds and that's understood, but at least you should verify that the update you received was right. Also, which JTV guitar do you own? I recorded some riffing with the ES335 "Semi" model on the bridge position, adding just a bit of gain for the type of classic rock sound I would expect to use this model for; is this similar to what you're hearing? Please have a listen and report back: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yac5b2m0417b48n/ES335.wav The new model may not sound like YOUR 335, but it sounds 335-ish to me. I'm not insisting I'm right here, just curious to hear what you are hearing so we can compare the difference(s). Rich

Whoa! An SG, LP Goldtop, LP Junior, 2 strat models, AND a Tele Thinline? WTF?! Is this a joke? Maybe this is from the beta version and those models were eventually dropped. Wow, that's interesting indeed! My hope is we will see these models return and show up in a future update, or model pack purchase option...

I'm completely convinced that the acoustic models have been reworked since the last FW update. They sound great to me!

Thanks for the video run-through. Sounds great! The single coils work well with the Masonite Danelectro body, and that's the best I've heard the acoustics sound.

Thanks for making the effort, Chris! Highly appreciated B)

After some more experimentation this morning, I found that dropping the potentiometer resistances down to 250k can also be useful when pairing the ES335 bridge pup with different amps. So far, this guitar model and pickup position appear to be the most fickle, responding differently to different amp models; that's actually a good thing -- it tells me that the guitar is more responsive and truer to "real life" scenarios. Setting tone and volume knobs at different positions are factors as well. The only place I got into trouble was with increasing the gain above around 2db where, at distored settings, it can start to sound ugly. Food for thought, anyway :)

Here's my favorite custom bank so far: a Strat body with the 89 pups (ala "Super Strat" style) using a stacked single-coil (in series) for the middle position; a Les Paul body using 89 pups for neck and bridge positions. These 89 pickups blend really well and might be one of my favorite new features...lovin' it! B) Here's the bank: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e128jvyxwa2zaob/HotLesPaul-SuperStrat.bnk

I agree. For me, the bridge pickup sounds pinched (like it's being squeezed and chocked off). That "thinness" you are hearing is THAT sound though. Honestly, I've heard 335s (especially newer models) sound thin like this in the bridge position, so it may not necessarily be an inaccurate representation. In this case, I think Line 6 might have modeled a completely different guitar -- I'm starting to think that's the case for all of these new models. I was able to improve the tone (somewhat) by moving the bridge pickup slightly closer to the bridge at 1.7" (instead of 2", which seems muddy to me), raising the resistance to 1M on both volume and tone controls, and lowering the capacitance to 11nF. Also, I bumped the preset volume up to 0.5 dB. In all, this opens up the sound a bit more to my ears (i.e. it's less compressed; especially in the high frequencies). It's a small, subtle difference but a noticeable improvement to me. Here's a link to the preset if you want to give it a shot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/m5uxnqljbydq462/semi-bridge-modified.whd Let me know what you think :) Edit: I forgot to mention, you might want to play with the tone knob by rolling it back to 9 or 8, if it seems to bright with some amps and settings; then you will hear the effect of the lower (11nF) capacitance. Rich

Awesome, thank you!

The only place I've been getting information on the new models is within workbench HD itself

You might be better off with an acoustic amp, or a keyboard amp could be worth checking out too. Try them out, and see what you think.

In my experience, this feature has never worked, as advertised. Turning it down to 0 will preserve the battery life (only) a little bit longer; I get much better results by just unplugging it.

Sounds like they modeled a completely different guitar; a more modern sounding single coil type actually. Maybe, they modeled the single coils on the JTV69 (sorry, I couldn't resist).

Can anyone comment on whether or not new models are in the works (modern guitars, SG, etc.) or is this going to be it, for a while? Seems like a wasted opportunity NOT to create new models, right? Soooo many possibilities!

I have to agree, on this one. The new jazz models (both now have P-90s instead of the earlier humbucker model) have less vibe, a more generic sound, and the 400 lacks that smokey, woody, tone. Hmm, too bad. :unsure: The rest of the updates are awesome, with the exception of the strat which still sounds a bit boring to me. Why can't they emulate that spongey, quacky, strat sound ala Hendrix, SRV, etc.? Isn't that the ultimate "vintage" strat sound? The strat they modeled is just not that interesting tonally. :huh:

Other than losing the Tele "thinline" body (there used to be 3 different versions of Tele bodies, now we have only 1), the Strat and the Jazz models are the only (slight) dissapointments. The software is MILES AWAY better than what was there before, the option to blend in the mags is freakin' super awesome, all of the models sound more open and feel more resposive, and the P-90 pups actually sound LIKE P-90s now B) All things considered, this update fully rocks! It's a VAST improvement to my ears!! :wub: