yelldog

That's the statement that Line6 should have made months ago. My JTV-69 does not exhibit the problem, so I have no dog in this fight, but the waffling and stonewalling was certainly getting counterproductive.

I had one point in my post. I did add my backstory concerning Line 6 gear only to prove a point that I'm not new to this technology and that I've been a customer nearly from the start. I've owned many synth guitars which need to be played extremely cleanly. It isn't my finger nails or how I pick the string. I have 6 other guitars without this problem. Yes, piezo pickups are going to be more sensitive. The problem is that clearly some work and some don't. Last weekend I travelled 2.5 hrs to a semi-friend's gig because he also plays the 89F. He doesn't have the problem. I played it during their break. No plink.

There is a quality control problem. It's been clear for years. Owning up to it will cost Line 6.... Yamaha some money to fix it. But you're losing a customer that has purchased many and promoted to other to do the same of your products. If you can't even admit that there is a technical problem (accusing many of us basically being sloppy players) you will lose a long time, financially solid, and fairly influential (with about 10 guitar/bass buddies) customer. 

I can understand the frustration as moderators/employees. You most likely do not have the authority to resolve this problem. I fully intended to upgrade to the Helix months ago but the frustration with the variax has kept me from doing that. My only option is to get on the waiting list for the competitors floor unit. Line 6, step up and at the very least tell us what has to be done. Your past warranty for most of us, just tell us what needs to be done, and DO NOT tell me it have to adjust my playing. That is not the problem. 

clay-man fixing the problem doesn't mean wreaking it for everyone else. It could be as simple as improving the firmware so that the E6 is a bit more sensitive and blocks the plink for everyone. I've been in IT delivery for 20 yrs now, we never accept fixing one problem only to break another. The issue is the POD is 'old' and they have new products to work on. My issue is this has been a problem since day 1 (at least since I had my variaxs) and it hasn't been addressed.

I'm a very loyal Line 6 customer. My cover band plays out regularly and we have 2 guitarist and a bassist using PODs. Both guitarists have Variaxs. We've never been able to take advantage of the alternate tunings because of the plink. I'm a gear junkie with a good paying job. I'm what Line 6 wants. But because this issue has never been addressed successfully, I'm strongly considering not buying the Helix. I hate to say I'm looking at options because if the Variax can't do what it was promised (for all of us) then I'm concerned about their ability to keep their promise on the next wave of new gear.

I have 2 89F guitars that both have the 'plink'. I'm a 20 year IT professional and have played guitar for over 30 years. I have my guitars setup regularly and store them properly. I've owned nearly every product Line 6 has made over the past 18-19 years. I only mention this because I know what I'm doing. I know modeling isn't perfect. I don't expect perfect.

The 'plink' occurs on both guitars E6 string only. It is absolutely unusable. I only use the modeling for acoustic tones. My level of disappointment is very high. But I need to point something out to Line 6. It is entirely possible that this is a firmware or software problem and not occurring for all JTVs. Bugs or poorly written code does not ALWAYS fail for all users in the same way. To continue to assume that an EQ pedal and some string volume tweaks are all it takes is insulting. I've spent over 100 hrs in 2015 'tweaking' my POD500X and JTV guitars. For months I was documenting what I tried. I really wanted to be able to help those of us with this problem.

 You cannot get ride of it with some EQ changes. I've even used studio quality EQs both before the guitar and from the FXLoop. I've changed strings and had setups done each time I change gauges. I've done the everything except file down the pickup casing.  You cannot 'tweak' away this problem with the tools Line 6 provides OR those that I could purchase (And I've spent a great deal on my rig and home studio).

The features and functionality of this guitar that was promised at the point of sale has not been delivered. At this time I have 2 POD HD500, 1 POD 500X, 3 relay units, 2 POD XTs (in storage), and am currently in the market to upgrade to something like the Helix. I am a solid customer. I'm not here to vent. I want this issue to be investigated. I don't really care if you ever tell us the real cause. I don't want Line 6's reputation to be damaged. I want to be able to say to my friends and co-workers who play guitar that the Variax is a great option. Fix the problem and stop pushing it back on the customers!

I use 8s and have no problems at all. You just have to have the guitar adjusted so that the intonation and stuff is set up for 8s. They don't sound 'thin' or anything. 

In having the typical issues with Palm muting and I've read lowering the global string volume works. But how low should I try setting it? Any examples from people who set it at X level and the palm muting quality improved?

Has anyone mod-ed their JTV 69 with locking nuts? Any thoughts if this is worthwhile?