vpera

Idea 5096: Variax + Helix = awesome Guitar MIDI controller https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Variax-+-Helix-=-awesome-Guitar-MIDI-controller/991809-23508

Do you think there is something incorrect (when compared to normal/original guitars) or is it just different from 1.9 (in which case you could just adjust your amp to get what you want/like).

If I had ment Nylon String Classical, I would have written classical, without quotes :-) But I ment electric guitar classical, which today might mean Clapton/CCR era ? Though I have (more or less) amateur-seriously studied and played real classical guitar & music for about five years. Just played my JTV-69S shortly and each time I play, the more I like the neck. Currently I have no problems at all with it. Only my playing sucks too often, not depending on the guitar I play :-)

Are the fretboards on different jtv models much different in width and string spacing and e-string distance from fretboard edge? It seems the nut width in jtv69s is very slightly narrower than in my "custom shop designed" baja mexico strat 69 (or whatever it exactly is called). Didn't compare distance between E-strings. I have read the USA stratos have strings spread wider. So far I've had no problems with e string slipping from fretboard, but my playing style is "classical". I also like the neck as whole. When I was younger I might have preferred a thin neck, but I don't feel my 2013 jtv69S neck is thick.

Now (also) I know that the filled and re-filed nut slots won't fix the problem, although it helps a bit. Changing the E-string to a new 0.010 didn't help either. I think the string bounces up and down in the slot. A string tree is required to pull down the strings, at least the B and E -strings. It's a pitty there is this kind of factory born "feature" in an otherwise great guitar. Easy fix though.

If you think of patch or bank numbers, number up or down, the current logic feels more natural. Instead, if you think of "forward" or "backwards/rewind", then the opposite functionality might be better, imo. I think I would choose the current one, if I had a choise.

If you look at the main image on Graphtec Black TUSQ XL -web page, you see very similarly cut nut, the slots for E-G strings are pretty wide, also at the bottom. One difference is that in JTV the strings pass the nut much more straight.

Suggestion: We can all read instructions, and some of us can even follow the instructions and have skills to do that. Would you be so kind to provide us with enough information to make the adjustments ourselves, e.g. Pickup heights and so on? Though I don't know how much there is beyond a normal guitar setup.

Thanks psarkissian. I don't believe in fret buzz because the buzz disappears if I slightly press the string, behind the nut. Didn't record that, though. But you could be right otherwise. Just wondering if they would fix this in local service in country where I live, in the same area. I think last time I sent the DT25 to service in Germany, perhaps because it was after all easier that way (as I recall the service was in an other town and I should have paid the postage, but sending it back to Germany was free for me). Well, i'll need to check that. And register the product...

As you see, the string travels quite straight over the nut, so the downwards force must be (and is) quite small. That combined with quite flat bottom of the nut slot lets it vibrate easily, I believe, letting it generate the buzz. edit: Or it could be what you said. As you may see, the front of the E-string nut slot has kind of polished. Don't know if that's because of vibration or just because of normal wear. Perhaps using file to slightly lower the rear portion of the slot would help. Perhaps few touches with a fret file would be all that's needed. But I would hate to pay another 50€ extra to get that fixed (including all strings), as much I would hate to send the guitar back. Let's see.

Sort of agree, but this is me, sorry :-). The three alternatives you gave are quite different. I'm trying to avoid sending the guitar back to the seller, since it would take few weeks or more, if possible. But since I promised to deliver the seller some info, I'll show also you "the evidence". See the attached MP3 and few photos. To me the tuner heights seem quite normal as they get shorter towards the lighter strings. I know I should make a service ticket to get official Line6 feedback on the subject, but if someone from Line6 sees this, I'd be glad to hear their opinion. JTV69S_EString_Buzz.mp3

Measured 0.24mm, divided by 25.4 mm results as 0.00984 inches so I'd say 10s. The first three nut slots are 0.52mm (0.020 inches), 0.56mm and 0.62mm wide measured near the top. The slot gets a bit narrower towards the bottom, my quess is to about 0.16 inches. So there is a 1.5x slot compared to the string width. My bet is that has come from the factory, since the slot looks pretty clean if I look at it with a 10x loupe.

I trust you, but "you never know"... :-) I'd just be interested to know if the nut slots in other similar guitars are completely different or almost the same (but they just happen to work). It is not that usual to play the high E-string open and hit it hard, without other strings ringing and masking the rattle inaudible. So I think it is possible some just won't notice this. I'm sure I can manage fixing it myself, actually my friend has nut slot files. Just trying to find out if contacting the seller (company in another country) is waste of time, or if they could provide me with real improvement, like a new (different) nut or such. Thanks anyway!

Anyone else willing to actually check the nut slot width and confirm if the high E string moves sideways when moved with fingers? Thanks! I think 69 and 69S would do, either one.

Well, actually more or less all strings are loose in the nut slot, also G and D (looked with a loupe). Looks like the slots for the higher strings are roughly the same width, so the thinnest strings with weakest pull down suffer most of this rattle. I quess/remember the nut in JTVs is some sort of graphite (or such) version for easier string movement, with less friction, so perhaps the slots are supposed to be a bit wider than normal?

After short inspection I found the reason for the open high E-string rattle/buzz (mentioned in one of my earlier posts above), the nut slot for the high E-string is too wide (and probably flat bottomed), so the string vibrates in the slot causing the buzzing noise. I bet the same is true also for the B-string which has the same issue but in "smaller scale" (sorry for my English). I can easily notice this also by moving the string sideways with my hand. Haven't checked the strings yet, if they are 10s. I quess they are original factory strings, so perhaps 10s? Could someone check this in your own guitar, if it is a feature or something else. Imo the string height is in the same ballpark with the other strings. I have a 2013-made JTV-69S (black with white alder fretboard). I don't know what to do with the guitar. I hate to pay for fixing that in a new (although Thomann B-stock) guitar. I'm still in the return period. I will contact them but I bet they just want it back to see themselves and to fix it. And it will take a month or so, like with the DT25 presence pot noise.

I've read and heard many experienced guitarists like thicker necks. I can't say I'm experienced at all, although I have had a guitar for tens of years, but I feel I can manage the same with any neck. If I played guitar a lot, it might really matter. But I kind of like the JTV-69S neck. It is in the same ballbark with my Gibson LP Studio Joe Bonamassa, but thinner I quess. It feels a bit thicker than the Mex Strato (Custon Shop Designed 69) and is very playable. I also kind of like my Ibanez LP copy from 1976, from the lawsuit era, and it has a thin neck. So ... ?

I just hope Line6 will also sell upgrade kits for JTVs whenever the "next JTV" with more powerful electronics is developed. I'd buy that for 300-400, but most probably not a new guitar for 900.

I quess it does. Also, the strings are perhaps a bit high at nut, so that would be fixed at the same time. I'm not sure though if action on a modelling guitar should be high to prevent string buzz, which might cause unwanted results in modelled sounds.

I got a B-stock JTV-69S (colour is black with maple fretboard which I like a lot, in addition to my 3-tone sunburst strato) few days a go, have played few hours with it and found no issues like you did, in my normal playing. But I found another minor issue I may need to fix if I decide to keep it (and I will, I think): If I play an open high E or B-string reasonably loud, I hear a rattling sound. To me it seems especially the E is going so straight to tuners that it is not pulled down enough. If I put something between the e- and b-strings or if I push them down slightly with my finger the rattle is gone. Actually if I keep my finger lightly on the string while I play it, I feel the rattle. Perhaps I should get some similar device than exists in stratocasters to pull the two strings down.

(Oh my... can't print and can't copy-paste on the forum, at least with IE, But back to the subject:) Quote from "perapera": "1 - which effects do you have in mind as "true stereo" as oppsed to "Stereo THRU/Stereo Fx block"? I think this distinction does not exist ** " As a reply to this, the "Stereo/Mono FX list for POD HD" describes the effects: "True Stereo - Left input goes to the Left output, Right goes to the Right output, effect is added to each channel separately" I would call that "Dual Mono", or "Separated Stereo". "Stereo Thru/Stereo Effect - Left input goes to the Left output, Right..., Left input is processed to create a stereo effect and mixed with the Left and Right outputs, Right..." So Left -> Stereo, Right -> Stereo, outputs mixed. Thus looks like the "jandrio"'s images "True Stereo FX Block" and "Stereo THRU/Stereo FX Block" should be reversed to get them roughly right.

Perhaps try a different physical cabinet (not a model) or even a different speaker in dt25 ? 4x10 ?

Motivation & question: I love the FS5-8 mode in HD500, thus to have 8 effect Foot Switches. That's because I hate if FS for boost, overdrive, reverb, delay, chorus or so change their places from patch to patch. They have to be consistent. So let it be the FS5-8 mode. In some songs I (will) need to switch between JTV models, e.g. acoustic to electric and back to acoustic. That seems to be possible only by switching patches. But in FS5-8 mode that would require two button presses per patch/model switch, which is far from ideal, in middle of a song. Was wondering if there is a way to do jtv model/patch switching with one button press. Actually fell in sleep while thinking for that (I was a bit tired, too)... Solution: Finally got an idea (which actually seemed to be already presented in POD HD forum to solve a bit different challenge): - It is possible to assign MIDI Program Changes on FS. (Select other MIDI channel than what is used by L6 Link to control DT25, e.g. ch 5.) - So in patch A (program 0) I set up FS1 to send Program Change to switch to patch B (program 1). - And the same in opposite direction in patch B (FS1 switches to patch A). - Then you need to connect a MIDI cable between HD500 MIDI in and out. - By pressing FS1 I can now toggle between two patches (or three or more, using one or more FSes, or however I set it up). I made a short test (just with POD HD500 since I'm still waiting for the JTV to arrive and was too lazy to connect the DT25 for this) and the idea seems to work. Anyone tried the same. ? Also have been wondering if it would be possible to switch JTV models with MIDI, e.g. Program Changes from HD500 footswitches. That would be great.

Just a quick note. Last night I updated POD HD500 FW, the old was 2.1. While I checked my own presets, I noticed that the latests preset (amp: Divide by 9/15) actually was using pre-amp model (don't remember if that had happened by accident). I kind of have liked that preset (rough bright sound although perhaps lacking the sweetness with our volume levels), so in fact the pre-amp models seem to work for me, already. The minor lack of sweetness could be the amp model feature, or I just should play louder.

Ok, have to give pre-amp a chance at least, after I get the JTV, since I need to reconfigure the system anyway. I'm going to switch from FS1-8 to FS1-4+ABCD mode etc. Do you know if there already is a practical way to copy full amp settings to pre-only. At least in the past this was manual parameter-by-parameter work. I can't understand if there still isn't a way to just toggle between pre and full or at least copy the settings in one step.