I suppose an upside to the current Variax technology is once the tech is fully outdated we will still have some excellent electric guitars whose analog wiring can be wired just like any other electric. The original Variax technology, with its lack of physical pickups and circuit, would be left derelict. Or perhaps some gifted boffin will have developed a work around by that point to maintain the existing technology or even improve upon it. Either way I look at it the JTV’s and Standards have a pathway to be used beyond the end of firmware updates.