cbrillow

LOL -- I dunno. I'll be -- gulp -- 68 next month... I agree that there probably aren't many times you'd want to be changing reverb types, but when you do, it's nice to be able to do it by stomping on a switch, not reaching for a knob, giving it a twist, checking out the result, then tweaking a little more. To each, his (or her) own!

I have been using Line 6 products, ranging from a Pod 2 to XT Live to the Amplifi series, for many years. And Variaxes, too. In general, there are only a small number of the included models, amps and effects presets that I like and use regularly. Too many choices can be overwhelming. (and I'm already overwhelmed...)

Think you could have stopped right there. There may be a situation where you need to switch quickly to a special effect with a different reverb -- like 'cathedral' -- which has vastly different characteristics than a simple spring unit, and that would be very difficult to do in the middle of a song when the only control is a global reverb setting.

The page you referenced is somewhat misleading. The main picture that first came up is of a 9V DC supply that is of a different physical size, configuration and voltage type than the XT Live requires. There is a picture and a link to another power supply under the line that reads: "Los clientes que vieron este producto también vieron" That supply outputs 9V AC, which is what the XT Live requires as its input power.

To answer your question, I bought a used 150 about a year ago, and haven't played it very much at all. But I'm not looking to sell it at this time. I bought mine from a pawnbroker and got a pretty decent deal. But the firmware version wasn't current, and it failed the update in a spectacular fashion, necessitating sending it across the country to Line 6 for repair. Although they generously comped the repair cost, I had to pay over $100 for shipping, which took away some of my excitement over the price I initially paid. If you look through the forum, you'll find a number of complaints about the Amplifi series having difficulty with firmware updates and bricking. I like the concept of Amplifi, but don't have a lot of confidence about their longevity.

Can't give a definitive answer - can only report my results with Amplifi 30, 150 and FX-100: I have not had connection problems or dropout issues, once connected. That stated, I've not used the bluetooth extensively. Are you planning to buy a new 150 or a used one?

Thanks for following up on your issue. It's helpful for others who use this forum to learn...

Thanks -- I have two 'proper' VDI cables with Neutrik connectors -- one that came with my 500 way back when, and a Planet Waves cable I bought later on. Also know to connect to the rear USB, which are direct mobo connectors. We'll give it a go...

Have you looked at the FX Junkie Model Pack? May not be what you're looking for, but take a peek...

I have the most recent firmware on the JTV. Thanks for your efforts - looking forward to the verdict.

I agree. Amplifi has some nice features -- notably the ability to stream a backing track via Bluetooth while playing along live, but the woeful lack comprehensive control via footswitches on the FX100 make it a poor choice for my use. My old POD XT Live is more far flexible for the kind of use you've described, plus it will power my Variax guitars via VDI cable. Amplifi can't do that...

I have a floorboard that I used to use with a POD 2 bean. Shall we check compatibility with the XT? I have a friend with an XT and I can verify its operation, if you're interested. Will let it go for a reasonable price...

Would it do what you want, in terms of providing effects and Wah? Yes. Ant they're based upon older Line 6 technology -- POD XT Live vintage. Apparently you're up on that and find it an acceptable compromise. Whammy, not so much -- at least nothing convincing, IMO. I've used an XT-Live preset that's supposed to simulate a whammy, and was very underwhelmed. Not even sure if the FX100 has such a capability. (Yes, I do own an FX100...) Yes, you can connect it to your iPad via Bluetooth to use the Amplifi Remote App for creating and selecting presets. You can also connect to a PC via USB and use the FX100 as an audio device. But it sounds like you're expecting seamless interoperability with your iPad running iOS amp modelers/sims. I don't think that's a reasonable expectation. Since you mention planning to use it in live setting, let me give you something to think about: The FX100 is about the 'dumbest' pedal board you're likely to encounter. It gives you 4 pushbutton switches, marked A, B, C & D, for selecting a preset, and a two-digit LED display that tells you which of the 25 banks is active. So, if you have several presets that you want to use, you'll have to remember bank numbers and which preset within the bank you need to select. There are no switches for turning on or off any of the effects, so if you need a solo boost, for example, you have to select a preset with a hotter output -- you can't just step on a switch. This is VERY limiting. If you need to switch banks, you have to simultaneously step on TWO of the selector switches to move the bank up, and two OTHER switches to move the bank down. I don't know about you, but I'm not good at this on a dark stage in the middle of a song... Frankly, I'd think that an Amplifi TT with an FBV Shortboard MKII or FBV 3 would be a much better fit, in line with what you're hoping to do. I have an FBV MKII, and it's far more useful with my Amplifi 30 and Amplifi 150 than with the FX100.

Mine also stays on after unplugging it, requiring that I fiddle with microswitch a bit to turn it off. It doesn't behave exactly like yours, though -- still works and charges properly. This started also within the first year, but I didn't get around to asking for a repair/replacement. Good luck with yours!

Best of luck, psarkassian, and to all of your cohorts at Line 6. Hope you all come away with no damage and injury!

Thanks for weighing in...

I'm pretty ambivalent to many of the suggestions made to this point, but this one really stands out: Keep the rotary model knob and 5-position switch for picking models I have a JTV-59, as well as older Variax 500 and 600 models. The older ones have a 5-way switch, which is very intuitive for selecting models. The JTV-59 seems to be designed to retain a 'Les Paul'-like appearance, so they went with a 3-position switch for this function. This means that the 5 models in a given bank are distributed as 1-3-5 or 2-3-4 to the 3-way switch by activating yet ANOTHER switch. I find this cumbersome, non-intuitive and hard to remember which model is in which position... Making matter worse, the blue illumination on my Model Selector switch is exceptionally difficult to see, even in subdued lighting. The 'white' light on the Alternate Tuning knob is better, but still very weak. IMO, this wasn't very well thought-out in the original design.

Does anyone know if a JTV-59 can run Workbench HD connected via Pod XT Live VDI connection? The Workbench Pilot's Guide is ambiguous: "Any other Line 6 device with a VDI input will also work. This includes the POD HD Pro, POD HD 500, POD X3 Live, POD X3 Pro and Vetta II. Those devices, when connected to your Variax with a Line 6 VDI cable, will also provide power to your Variax." The first line giveth, but the second may taketh away... I do have the USB interface that came with my JTV-59, but it's never been used, whereas I used to use the XT Live with my other Variax guitars and Line 6 Edit before the JTV. That was a long time ago...

Nice work -- enjoyed it!

There isn't really a 'fix', because it's not really a problem. Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast -- the beast being 'modeling'. The goal of modeling is to emulate the product being modeled in every way possible, and that includes gain, signal amplitudes and other parameters. Yes, it does complicate things, because a lot of these things interact with each other and affect the ultimate output to the amplifier. I think a lot of us would like some kind of a mechanism for simple normalizing the outputs of the presets to get around this, but there's not. It requires diving into all the presets you want to use and trying to adjust the levels for some semblance of equality. And that's hard, too, because a there are differences in perceived amplitude that are dependent on the shape of the output waveform. A clean signal with a given P-P amplitude will sound radically different in terms of apparent loudness than a heavily distorted signal with the same level. It's a bear!!!!!

Amplifi cannot send a raw, unprocessed guitar signal to your DAW, but you can turn off all the amp, cabinet and effects settings to get a clean signal to record. Once in your DAW, you and use whatever VST effects you have available.

MusicLaw's answer is good and will be applicable in most cases. Some additional information: If the guitar that it's plugged into is a Variax, without taking precaution, you can expect to run down the guitar's battery, regardless of whether the G10 sleeps. My G10 has a 'hair-trigger' microswitch. It takes just the tiniest movement of the plunger to activate it. That's fine for connecting it to an instrument, but I've found that it often stays activated when I've removed it from my instrument, meaning that the LED is still green and it's still communicating with the receiver. I have to lightly tap the plunger to turn it off, and it can sometimes turn back on when I just set it down on the table. I tend to plug it back into the receiver/charger when not actually using it. This is pretty good insurance against unwanted dead-battery surprises.

No, USB connectivity to the Amplifi permits using it as an audio interface, for recording and playback purposes. It does not connect to the Amplifi Remote app, which is used for selecting and modifying presets, amp models & effects. Apples & oranges...

Yes, this can be done via the amplifi remote app. Have fun and/or good luck!

My JTV-59 is one of the 'older' ones and was little-used for several years. Because of this, my battery isn't what I'd consider an ideal test case, as it doesn't hold its charge for as long as I'd suspect when running on battery power. Bearing that in mind, here's how mine behaves: I agree that the time required to charge is in the 3 - 4 hour range. While charging from a low condition, the LED remains lit. It eventually does begin to blink, and will continue to blink for as long as it's in the charger. (and that could be days or weeks, literally) Measuring the voltage at this point yields approximately 8.4 to 8.5 volts, which will hold for quite a long time -- days, in fact -- as long as it's not put back into the guitar. It does seem to lose energy more quickly in the instrument, even if not played, without a cable being connected to the 1/4" jack, and with the volume turned all the way down. I've begun to use an XPS box to power it for practice nowadays, so I don't have to be concerned about the state of charge in the battery. If I play a couple of songs at an open mic, I'll use the battery with confidence, as long as it's been in the charger for a while prior to going.