neilwebb

Hi, I've had a Variax Standard 2 Sunburst on order since Feb. Unfortunately it looks like there are long term supply issues (see below). Everywhere I've tried in the UK is out of stock. I've been offered a Mk1 at a slightly lower price. Apparently the same spec but made in a different factory - those of you in the know, any thoughts on this?

@cruisinon2 & @psarkissian - thank you both so much. I really apologise for the slight delay in replying - the notification email ended up in spam and then I needed a day or so to test! Stretching the strings was something I had already tried - when it didn't fix it I guessed (hoped) they may simply take longer to settle of their own accord, but sounds like that's not the case, and I'm increasingly sure that's not the issue. I've tried adjusting the saddle. What I'm noticing is the following (note: I'll just refer to the 6th string here) I can't seem to get the harmonic & open tunings to align fully but not sure if that's 100% possible anyway. I get fairly close (~3 cents) Even when they are close, if I then play a fretted A on the5th fret of the 6th string, the tuner registers it as being ~20 cents out. I can't seem to address this, and again, not sure how close to a A is should be, but thinking 20 cents is too far out When I play the harmonic the tuner's needle pretty much holds its position. But when I play the open string, it hovers around E and then seems to drop. It's been a long time since I played and can't remember my last Variax doing that ... but perhaps it did. @psarkissian It's the Variax 500 sunburst, so no tremolo bar. I've logged a ticket and included screenshots as suggested - thank you so much. :)

Thank you! It also struggles to stay in tune but I'm hoping that's just because the new strings aren't worn in enough. Or maybe the tuning pegs.

Hi, can't seem to tune this Variax 100% to my satisfaction. It's got new strings on so hard to tell, but my tuner seems to show a discrepancy on some strings between playing the actual string and playing the harmonic at the 12th fret. I guess this means the truss rod needs adjusting. Thoughts? I believe I'm still under guarantee and have no idea if this is a problem or not. Just wondered if there were any suggestions.

@hurghanico - really appreciate this! @psarkissian - thank you so much for the clarification. So, when using batteries, it's TRS from guitar to Amp (I take it it's irrelevant that my amp is not the traditional guitar amp? i.e. it's a Focusrite Scarlett connected to the computer via USB. And if I'm using the foot pedal, it would be TRS from guitar to pedal, and then TS from pedal into amp?

Wonderful, thank you so much for all of this - I really do appreciate it.

Thank you, this is great! Ah yes, totally appreciate that - I was just hoping it would make some sense in this context because I believe these are the two leads that ship with the Variax, and I didn't know the correct terminology :) Pretty sure I’ve understood, but just to be sure I’ve attached a photo - my standard lead is on the left (which doesn’t have a sleeve - is the sleeve just to create a firmer connection or does it serve another purpose?), the TRS in the middle (presumably) and the broken (TR) cable on the right.

Hello, just (re)purchased a Variax 500 as I had to sell my new one years ago when money was tight. Great to have one again! This one came with two cables, both of which have quarter-inch jacks on each end and no batteries (could have sworn my original took a 9V, but perhaps I was mistaken. This takes 6xAA). Anyway ... one of the cables appears to be faulty, hence my questions. Note: I'm plugging the guitar into a preamp (a Scarlett Focusrite - which goes into my laptop). CABLES Am I right in saying that the thicker cable (the one I have running from the guitar to the IN on the power-foot-switch) is not a standard cable? Anyone have any idea what type it is? The thinner cable (which I have running from the OUT of the power-foot-switch, to the IN of my preamp) is broken. Can I just swap this out for a standard cable, or are there things to be aware of? I did try it out briefly, and it works, but I realised I should check in case it needs to be shielded or something and I'm risking damage to any equipment. BATTERIES When using the guitar with batteries, I'm using a standard cable from guitar to my preamp and assume this is fine? My Variax didn't have any batteries in it so assuming standard alkalines are fine? (Also curious - is this a huge battery drain or can I expect to get pretty decent battery life?) And just one more thing ... the thicker cable (the one I mentioned earlier), I guess I should never use that directly from the guitar into my preamp? Thanks!