rwinking

But if you use instrument when it should be line, there would be no distortion? Just a little less signal maybe?

Here's what it looks like: Guitar into Helix Helix FX Send to Syn 2 input Syn 2 FX send to Helix return Helix main out to Syn 2 FX return So all of those should be line level except the Helix input?

So I have a Shuriken and a JTV-59US and they are both nice guitars. I bought them for things like a 12 string part or sitar and for that they work nicely. The other models remind me of the original POD years ago. It was not quite a toy and you could really hear the potentiel in it. A few years later with the Helix, they got it nailed. I feel the same way about the Variax....they are so close. Just like with the POD, there was a sterility about it that just wasn't quite right and then they nailed it just a few years later. I really doubt that Line 6 is going to do anything more with this technology, but it is a shame as we all know it is possible. Like the POD years ago, serious musicians said "Yeah, well, not quite yet..." If they did a little bit of work on the Variax, I would be their biggest salesman ever. Now, people hear me and ask about it and I say that it does some things pretty OK but it is lacking, which is what I said about the early amp modelers. C'mon Line 6....step up to the plate one more time and knock it out of the park. We know you can. There are a lot of Helixs' out there that were purchased because of my praises of it. I would love to do the same for the Variax.

I am using the Helix 4CM into a Synergy SYN 2 and then into an egnater RM50 so I have a bunch of tube preamp choices. The issue is what to do with the line level vs instrument knob. After watching a video I got a little confused. All of that out board gear....should it be line level or since they are all tube preamps should they be instrument? and with the FX loop, I have the same question. thanks rick

Hey, Thanks so much! I had no idea that you could bypass that volume knob. It really helped in the tone department....like a lot! I have a bunch more presence and clarity now. This is a real game changer for me. I mean I liked my tone but this will make it tons easier to get my tone and beyond. So I assigned it to digital which really isn't doing anything anyway, right? rick

Hopefully I can articulate this properly.....I use the Helix rack and control for FX only and it is superb. I don't mind the amp models but prefer my tube amp. So I run the rig 4CM with distortion and compressor going into the front of an egnater modular amp (with the tube preamps) then into the time based FX and then out into the power section. My question is the volume control on the Helix and where to set it. Do you think it is better to have the master volume on the egnater set high with the Helix lower or set the Helix high and the master on the amp low. It's interesting that the HX FX doesn't have a master volume on it. So what do you think and what is your reasoning behind your conclusion? Thanks everybody! rick

I get how to do custom tuning. I just would like a knob like my 59JTV has that would fit on my Shuriken now that I have all of the 59 models and will soon have all of the 59 tunings on there. I guess my question was simple and I am not sure if you answered it.....If I get a 59 model and tuning knob, will it fit on the shuriken shaft or are they different sizes?

Will try later. Thanks. I am not worried about using the stock Shuriken patches. They are pretty quirky and probably only apply to some obscure 10 ft ninja tunes anyway.

I have a JTV 59 and don't need the knob. I also have a Shuriken (which is a great feeling guitar, BTW) and have no use for the models or the tunings. In another post I am now trying to change out the tunings to be what my 59 has. It would be nice to have both knobs that correspond to the new tunings and models. Are there knobs that would fit on the Shuriken from any of the other variax guitars?

So I swapped out the models successfully. Is there a way that I can swap out the tunings? A lot of the stock Shuriken tunings are pretty useless for me and it would be cool to have the JTV tunings on board. Doing them one by one would be pretty time consuming....

I will try the bundle and believe that he probably got some better sounds for strats, 335s, etc. I am not sure that the sterility I am hearing is in any one model. I think it is a digital guitar issue. It may be a lot like the old amp models. They were interesting but always had a less than warm feel to them. Over the years it started changing and now it is amazingly close. Line 6 hasn't really changes anything on the guitar sounds in years and it would be great if they could. At any rate. the sound I am talking about may have to be fixed after the guitar. I remember when line 6 amps started getting it together (along with AX FX, Kemper, etc.) and they did the blind tests with some great guitarists. I don't think these guitar models would fool anyone yet and hope that Line 6 gets moving on it as they are close.

"are said..." would be the keywords here. They come fairly close on certain models and not even in the ballpark on others. For me I like a Les Paul sound, so I have a JTV-59 and use the variax for other sounds. When I want a "real" guitar sound, I use the magnetics. That being said, I also have a Shuriken. I know it is all digital modeling, but I swear I hear a little difference in the two using the same models. Like a Les Paul Special sounds a little "sharper" on the Shuriken than on the JTV-59. It seems crazy to me and maybe that is a trick my ears a playing on me as it shouldn't matter. Still, if there is a difference, it is incredibly slight....I like the feel of the Shuriken for certain styles. It is easier to do fast legato stuff on it.

I now own both a JTV-59US and a Shuriken. I find a lot of the sounds useful live but I don't think I could ever use it in the studio. Live is a different matter for the most part. Some of the models are just unusable for me (i.e. Strat, L5, 335 and other jazz models....etc) The ones that are usable still have a sterility that I am trying to work with. Any ideas are welcome. I have tried eq-ing it out with no luck. I have also tried out the line 6 store stuff. I do use the Helix Rack or Helix LT into an Egnater/Synergy amp 4CM I have come up with one thing that seemed to help. Prior to the FX loop in my signal path I put a Marshal J45 block on the Helix with no real volume boost and very little gain. It seems to warm it up quite a bit. I can even use the EQ for the Marshall to get some of the squank out. Anybody have any comments or ideas for me to try?

Cool! Yep, I have workbench installed so it should be easy. Thanks so much!

So I picked up a Shuriken and I really like how it feels. I have a 59JTV-US also. The issue for me is all of the different models that come on the Shuriken. I can assure you that I will never use most of them. What I would like to do is put all of the JTV-59 models on the Shuriken, I know that I can go through all of them one by one and replace them but is there a way to take all of the guitars on the 59, store them and then upload them to the Shuriken in one fell swoop? Man, that would be great! I really miss having the Ric 12 string and a bunch of the others on the Shuriken. I will post some of my thoughts on the Shuriken vs. the JTV at some point.....

I use mine with a Helix. It is so cool to be able to switch tunings, guitars, pickups…..everything via a foot switch.

My JTV59-US has P90s and I have found that the Special is pretty spot on if I go back and forth between the mags or the digital. I think there is something about the digital not being able to do the upper octave on the low strings when doing either the acoustic or electric 12 string. I don't hear it much in the high strings or if I "capo" up to the 5th string on a 12 string model. I play it everyday but have not gigged on it as I am trying to program my Helix rack with the Variax. I know that I can use the guitar sounds (along with one "normal" guitar) but putting the Variax in setlists is taking some time to learn.

I had no idea that you did this. You did a great job! I'm still thinking about swapping the pickups out. Dimarzio is giving me some Paul Gilbert mini humbuckers to try and I think given the specs you had mentioned in another post these should be perfect. The P90s are really nice but single coils have a hum by nature and it just gets to me when I play with a bit of volume. I have tried everything over the years, and it doesn't seem to matter whether it is my strat, tele or now the JTV-US....they do what P90s do. Anyway, thanks for all of your help! rick

Potato. potahto.....

I can get most of the models on my JTV 59 to sound pretty good. I do have a question about the "squank" on the 12 string models and sometimes on a few others. I assume you guys know what I mean....no matter how I pick on the 12 string, there is this little "Squank." It is mostly on single note stuff. On a chord it is much less noticeable. Any ideas?

Got it back and they re-set it up so no string buzz at all. The knob issue is fine now, so the guitar is just a dream to play.

Noise is always an issue for me whether it is a strat, tele, or P90 pup. I have guitars with single coils and love them but in certain venues they can be ridiculous. My guitars are all properly shielded and all. I am ok as long as I am turned just right. Even in a well wired studio it will be there, but again, sitting just right is the key.Has anyone put a mini humbucker in one of these JTV 59s with the P90s? According to psarkassian the DCR range on a couple of the Dimarzio minis will work. Will I need some kind of adaptive pickup ring or something to make them fit? rick

Not sure what you mean by using workbench. I use it on the models for sure. My complaint is why do I need a pair of noisy P90s when the models of the P90 guitars are pretty close. It would be nice for me to be able to use the magnetics without the hum and some mini's or quiet hum cancelling P90s would probably make the guitar a better fit for me if I can find a way to do it....

I also looked at mini humbuckers from Dimarzio. Would they fit? The neck was at 6.11kohm but the bridge was 8.25kohm. Would that .25 extra mess with the sound?

So I checked with the dimarzio folks about using the Fantoms and he had this question about being higher than 6k-8k 0hms The Fantom is higher, however, I’m not sure why they would speck a DC resistance. Aren’t they using the output for conversion to all the synth sounds?