Thanks for the feedback. I've bought several items from HelloMusic and have been very pleased with the service and customer support. They offer a 14 day return policy, so I guess I can "kick the Variax tires" and see if there are any upfront issues. That being said any feedback on common issues with the JTV-59 above normal instrument setup that I can look out for would be appreciated :) I'll search the forums as well ... I did notice that HelloMusic offers a third party extended warranty. Not sure what the cost is or how much hassle to utilize their service.