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I love my JTV-69. However, I have felt like the E and B strings just don't sustain like they should. They sound fine, just don't sustain well. I've tried adding sustain with compression with a little success but still not right. I've also played with the height of the strings. If it helps, I ALWAYS use the VDI connection to a HD500x because of the ability to store guitar models in the patch. Any suggestions?

I'd like to download a ukulele tone to my JT Variax 69. There aren't any so I thought I might try modifying a mandolin tone. Maybe it's just me or maybe it's the lack of organization of the material on this site, or just possibly one can't download new tones to a JT Variax. But if someone would let me know if it's possible and, if so, how it's done, I'd appreciate it. Also, I just looked at the software downloads and note that the Variax HD upgrade is not available. Did they take it off the shelf because it's that bad?

Take a gander at these 4 tunes... http://www.bandmix.com/tboneous/ All guitar work is mic'd through the DT50 using a JTV 69 and a Pod HD 500 All songs written and performed by yours truly on my Mac. I am learning how to use Logic Pro 9 and believe you me, there is a lot to learn! Baby Mama= * The chicken scratch guitar is the f hole Tele body with lip stick pickups through the Blackface pre on the hd * The guitar that doubles the horn is one of the hollow body guitars (sorry cant remember which one) with a single neck P-90 through a Gibtone * The Chunky guitar in the middle is a Gibson Lp with a classic pickup in the bridge through a Gibtone with a tube driver Cadillac= This one was fun! Lot of stuff going on so I'll stick to the highlights. * Intro is the Baritone Guitar through the Gibtone and tube screamer * All of the spacey guitar sounds are a sitar reverbed to the max through the vocoder * Clean rhythms are the JTV 69 mag pickups through the Blackface Pre. Though I think I went direct on this one (No DT) * I'll have to get back to you on the lead 'cause I can't remember * There are a lot of samples and crap going on, Its hard to remember what is what. Rooter Tooter = * Clean rhythms are the stock semi that came with the JTV 69 * Lead is the Gibtone and tube driver using the JTV Neck pickup * The outro bass and guitar doubling is the JTV Bridge pickup through the Dr Z and The Park * The picking at the end is through the Rickenbacher model using the blackface dbl. My Wife = * The clean is Rickenbacher model with lipstick pickups through a blackface dbl. * The lead is the JTV 69 Neck and middle (not at the same time) * I used the exp pedal to control the delay volume toward the end of the solo. see if you can hear it! I'm sure I left out a lot so if you have questions, Fire Away! Grab yourself some good headphones, Crank it up! I Love my Dream Rig!

Situation: Bought a black JVT-59 on eBay. Workbench HD recognizes it as JVT-89. The guitar model dials do not correspond to the sounds coming out. Flash memory has been applied (though no lights flash red or otherwise) and no change. Models change in Workbench HD but do not stick. This may also be why the 2nd on 4th positions don't work (with push of tuning knob) as I understood they should. I am accessing through POD HD 500x (Dream Rig) and a MacBook Pro. 10' VDI cable from guitar>POD HD>Laptop I have followed all reset instructions, flash memory and have scoured this forum. Any help would be great.

I was just checking out the videos on Youtube and I thought I heard the guy mention that my POD HD Pro could activate the Acoustic model on my Variax and redirect the output to a PA. Great video, but an explanation would be nice. If my POD HD is normally connected to a stereo Mesa amp, would it be possible to connect an acoustic amplifier also and have the output go to that amp instead of the Mesa when that particular patch is selected?

Folks, here are a couple of videos to introduce you to Workbench HD: Introduction to Workbench HD Software for Variax Guitars Introduction to Workbench HD software for Variax Guitars (en Espanol)

Hey guys, Check out this recording I did today using the HD500x, JTV-69, and Variax 700 bass with Addictive Drums 2. Tell me what you think. Thanks. https://soundcloud.com/chris-arnold/song-idea-762014

So I'm currently playing through a Pod HD Pro. I was initially able to find some serviceable tones, but was honestly a tad bit discouraged. Then I found out about the "Input 1-Guitar Inputer 2-Variax" thing and holy lollipop, it worked like a charm. However, I stumbled across a thread from someone stating that using this method also lowers the volume. I tested his observation, and found it to be true. I don't quite remember the specifics, but I think it had to do with the Pod's pre-chain area being 2 mono signals rather than 1 stereo. So when you set input 2 to Variax, the Pod somewhat averages the Input 1 signal and Input 2 signal, and since Input 2 is essentially set to 0, the overall signal is reduced. Does anyone have any experience/insight on this matter? Is there a way to get the desired sound of "input 1-guitar input 2-variax" without having the drop in dB? thanks!

Hi. I'm new to this (forum). Has anyone had any luck trying to get anything similar to a Gibson SG sound? Any tips? It seems to me that this is the only card missing from the deck. :ph34r:

I've just completed my Dream Rig with the purchase of a shiny new L3m, no DT. I was playing around to get my patches to sound right when it occurred to me that there are a lot of you guys who have already gone through that pain and nailed their tones. I have looked through Customtone and a lot of the Dream Rig patches are to be used with a DT amp so are only of limited use. It would be great if there was a resource for us 'Stagesource Dream Riggers'- there is no apparent way to search for this type of thing in Customtone so how about sharing in this thread? I will get some of the patches I have tweaked on the thread when I get home from work. I'm currently on a (ahem) break......

There has got to be a better way to plug in my HD500 and JTV 89 and edit. Yesterday I was in the studio and had some clicking issues when changing patches and I also wanted to write a DADGAD patch for my JTV. So when I got home... I started Monkey and had to update several things. I forget exactly what I needed to update, but it took a while. Then I needed to open Workbench. So I opened the program and realized that it doesn't work with JTV, (but I need to keep it because I still have a Variax 500.) So I opened Workbench HD. I can't find the JTV Interface and cords. I search for about fifteen minutes and it is where I looked the first time! Oh yeah, I have to have a 1/4 cord plugged in to the guitar jack. Oh no, my battery is dead. I have to charge it overnight... Today, battery charged and ready to go. Everything is plugged in. I open Workbench. It seems to be working so I do some edits and I get a message saying it can't send the preset to the guitar... I go to Line 6 Support and do a search for the exact words of the error message and nothing comes up. I do another search and I'm searching within my current results, so I back out and try it again in the forum, in the knowledge base... Nothing. Am I the only one having this problem? So I try the "Error Code." No luck. I put my problem in my own words and finally get a result that seems to apply that isn't in Japanese or German. The guys ultimate solution was sending his guitar back and getting a new one!? Somewhere in the responses someone mentions a JTV firmware update. I go back to Monkey to see if I have the most current firmware for the guitar. Now the interface is only showing one green light and one red light. I unplug. I plug. I remove the battery. I put the battery back. Somehow I get Monkey to find the guitar. But in the process I realize that I'm now installing the midi interface, which I don't need, and it is telling me I'll need to reboot the computer to complete the installation. Rebooted and read to check Monkey! I have 2.0, I need 2.1. Now Monkey isn't recognizing my guitar again. I unplug. I plug. I remove the battery. I put the battery back. Two green lights! I update the guitar! I go to Workbench HD and it works! ...Almost 24 hours later. "Elegant and user friendly, this is not," said Yoda. I don't even remember why I wanted the DADGAD patch and I'm too frustrated to play even if I could remember. Then end result is fine. I'm a big Line 6 fan. Nice guitar, great versatility, but there has to be a better way to integrate all these updates. I'll bet you Line 6 guys know I'm right and you probably wish it was better as well. I'll bet you'd have a lot more customers. $$$

Hi, I purchased a JTV 69 from a shop (display model) the guy said the battery had run out so couldn't see the Variax mode. I already have a Variax 500 and so a flat battery didn't seem much of a problem. Since then I've charged the battery and on power up the Model selector knob and altered tuning knob flash red continuously . I've looked through manuals and online threads and appears simply pushing the model select knob should be enough but not matter what i try the flashing just continues. I've tried different power sources (DI box and batteries) and powering up with 1/4 inch while having model select knob pressed down and pickup selected in the middle but still no result. I will be contacting line 6 tomorrow but in the meantime has anyone got a solution or suggestions?

Apologies in advance if this has been addressed before. I tried several keyword searches and did not find this discussed here. I use a different brand of floor multi-fx and amp modeler, because I almost always use two guitars during shows or church services; I appreciate the simplicity and repeatability of a single signal chain. I create "from scratch" presets for each guitar, then use "stomp box mode" to layer individual fx as needed. I recently bought a JTV-59, which I love. It has become my main electric. I'm intrigued by the added possibilities of connecting it to an HD500 or 500X using the Variax input. However, I prefer my "real" acoustic guitars over the Variax, so I still need to switch guitars. My question: can I use the multiple inputs of an HD500 or X to switch between guitars, without any additional outboard gear? Specifically, I want to connect the JTV to the Variax input, and an "analog" guitar to the Guitar input. When I activate a Variax preset, it would mute the Guitar input. When I activate an acoustic preset, it would mute the Variax. I would also need access to the tuner for either guitar, with the output muted while tuning. Does anyone know if this is possible? And is there a difference between the oriinal 500 and the 500X in this regard? I've read through the HD500 & X product info, Pilot Guides and Advanced Guides, but they all seem to assume that you only connect one guitar to the POD. There is almost no info about how to make effective use of the Pod's multiple inputs. Thanks, Rob

I was just playing around with workbench and HD edit and I thought of something I think would be a cool idea. Add HD500(X)/JTV functionality of assigning controls to certain positions of the JTV's pickup selector. For example you could assign a distortion box to the bridge position of the JTV patch. When you switch from the neck pickup to the bridge pickup it automatically would turn on the distortion box. There are countless more examples you could use with this functionality, but I think this explains it. If anyone thinks it's a useful idea here's the link to the ideascale page. http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Ability-to-change-HD500-X-settings-with-Variax-pickup-selector/623066-23508?submitted=1

I own a Blood Red JTV-89 and decided to go for the trem bar and bought a black JTV-89F, after using it a few times I realized I prefer the regular model. So I have a brand new JTV-89F for sale. Really, really new. Only a couple of lines on the back of the body made by my beltbuckle bu to one except you will see them. The price is 900 euros. It is located in paris, France. Thanks!

Hi Folks, Before I begin with this, apologies for the long post. Cutting to the chase, I'm looking for some help... I expect there to be lots of schoolboy errors below and don’t really expect too many responses. I’m conscious this is really old tech and probably a lot of work, but I started this as a bit of fun to see what would happen with no expectations… Anyone who had been around the old forums for a while will probably have seen some mention of legacy Variax users wishing to make their variax fully wireless with POD X3/HD (I.e. wireless audio and patch changing). The functionality was introduced as an unofficial patch for the old Vettas but this was never released on the pods. Threads asking about the Wireless Variax/POD combination resulted in the confirmation that it would not be possible. In order to send patch changes, the POD required a physical connection to a Variax (There were suggestions that this was by design from the AES audio connection). Anyway, I started thinking about this and thought that if I connected my HD500 to an old set of 300 Variax guts that I had lying around, then split the RX+ wire (Patch change sent to Variax), it might work. So as as test, I created a cable to connect my guitar as per the following: I found the following information on the old forums regarding the Pinouts on the Variax cable on the old forums. 1 - GND 2 - PWR (7V) 3 - TX+ 4 - AES- 5 - AES+ 6 - TX- 7 - RX+ 8 - RX- Then used the above to connect as follows: The result was a success. When the guts were connected to the POD, the display shows a Variax connection (The guts). Then, when I changed patches on the POD, both the guts and the variax settings changed. So in some level of practice at least, the POD could indeed change patches on a remote variax. Using a second set of guts works around the AES limitation. Looking at the pages on Vettaville regarding the Wireless Vetta/Variax update, it suggested that the patch changes were controlled via MIDI and that a wireless midi system could be used: http://www.vettaville.net/Vetta%202.5%20Wireless.pdf So I wanted to find a relatively cheap wireless midi system that was low powered. Ideally, The POD would power the sender and the Variax battery would power the receiver. I ended up finding this page about configuring an XBee to send and receive Wireless MIDI data: http://www.ladyada.net/make/xbee/midibee.html Once built, the receiver would be small enough to embed in a guitar (And possibly powered alongside the Variax), or modular so it could be connected to any other Variax... So I bought and built the XBee transceivers and then configured them to transmit at MIDI baud. Testing them confirmed that they were sending wireless data successfully to each other, and for the sender at least, it was powered successfully by the POD, so now I have the following: Note: If this were successful, I’d then simply replace the guitar cable with a wireless guitar system. You’ll see at this point that my transmitter wiring doesn’t match Vettaville’s PDF document. The reason for this is that when I wired as per the PDF, the Xbee didn’t transmit anything at all. However when I powered the XBee from Pins 1 and 2, the used PIN’s 7 and 8 (Rx+ and -) as MIDI data PINs, the XBee was at least sending data when I changed patches. It's at this point that my project and knowledge both break down. When I change a patch on the POD, I DO see wireless activity on the XBees, so I know that the POD is sending some kind of data through PIN 7. Unfortunately though, the Variax doesn't change it's patch... Something in the XBee MIDI circuit is modifying the signal in such a way that by the time it reaches the Variax, it's no longer valid. As soon as the signal enters the Optocoupler in the transmitter, any outputs from this, or the inverter or the XBee are not recognised by Pin 7 of the Variax, so no patch changes occur. I honestly think I could get this working if I had a better understanding of what the Midi circuit was doing to the signal on PIN 7 (Remember this single wire when connected to the guitar changes the patch no problem). If I could ensure that the signal received by the Variax from the receiver matched the signal send by the POD, I’m sure this would work. Here’s what I know: The voltage of PIN 7 from the POD sits between 2-3V. A direct connection to PIN 7 only on the guitar changes patches no problem. After the signal exits the Optocoupler in the transmitter, it’s around 0.2V and then it gets sent to the XBee. The signal from the receiver is also low, but after it hits the inverter, it jumps up to over 7V From what I gather, MIDI isn’t that voltage sensitive so I’m not sure if this is an issue, but I don’t know enough about it. So…. Questions… Is there anyone still on the forums who has successfully used the Vetta Wireless mod? Did you have to alter the wiring from Vettaville’s diagram or did it just work out of the box??? Otherwise, is there anyone here who knows a bit about electronics who could advise on where things may be falling down? Do you know what the Variax is expecting to receive from a current and voltage perspective? If so, could you advise on how I can alter the Transmitter/receiver circuits to suit? If anyone has built midi circuits, I’d love to see someone sanity check the above, especially the wiring of the Pin outs and ins. Thanks all, Mike

Hello all, I am the owner of a new JTV69S in shoreline gold-very happy with it. However I cannot get it to show in Workbench HD, it appears to see the guitar, then starts to load the presets and after the first one it immediately gives the error as shown in the attached picture: One or more presets failed to load from the guitar. (Code 8000000a) Operation timed out. Curiously Workbench also shows it as a JTV59 which it isn't. I am connecting via the the supplied USB interface and both lights are on green, using the latest version of all relevant software. Guitar shows up in L6 Monkey just as "Tyler Variax" and is on the latest V2 HD firmware. Using an i5 iMac with OSX Mavericks loaded 10.9.1. The guitar itself seems to work fine on its own. Any clues? Thanks Pete

With the great new firmware I have finally had a chance to play around with Workbench while connected to HD Edit and the JTV/POD/DT rig. Really happy with what can be done now. Finally realized what many had been saying about adjusting string volumes and it really helps to bring out string definition during play. However,I tried using the blending feature at the bottom left of Workbench and a strange problem has come up. No matter what model or mag combination I try, if I blend the mags in say to 50%, my D string sounds like it is actually a different model to the rest. For instance with Lester 1 and HB pup on my 69 - Play a scale up from the bottom E and it sounds fine on E and A, rich, warm, but as soon as I hit the D string it sounds like a Strat/single coil. G,B,E all back to the Lester/HB tone. Turn off the mags, it sounds Lester all the way up, turn off the models it sounds Lester all the way up, blend them together and D string quacks. Similar stiuation with other models and pup combinations too. it's not a big deal really, I don't plan on making use of this blending feature other than goofing off, but I would like to know if anyone else experiences anything similar. Other than that I am very happy with this latest update, I almost feel like I have a new guitar in my hands, it sounds that much better to me. The whole package has suddenly come to life.

Hello everyone! I'm guitar player and I'd like to complain about the support of Line 6! I own an Line 6 JTV-59 and POD HD500.I bought the guitar because I saw many demos in YouTube and I really liked what I heard! At the time when I bought the guitar the latest firmware was 1.71 and I was amazed of the good sounding accoustic guitars (Exactly what I heard on YouTube)! I'd like to say,that I really love that guitar! For me JTV-59 is one of the best instruments now in the world,but...The guys from Line 6 decided to change the sound of the accoustic guitars in the next update of the firmware (I guess it was FW1.80 ) and that was a BIG problem for me!!! I really don't like the sound of the new accoustic guitars! There are a lot of people around the world who share my opinion too and there were at least 4-5 ideas in http://line6.ideascale.com from guitar players who wanted to have the old sound of the accoustic guitars! Now I'm stuck on FW 1.71 because I can't and I don't want compromise with the sound and because of that I can't use a lot of the new futures on my guitar in conjunction with POD HD500! I wrote 2 or 3 tickets,on that issue,but the guys from support center said to write this as an idea in http://line6.ideascale.com/,so I did it,but as you can guess with no success! So I'd like to say to the guys from support center one "BIG Thanks" just keep screwing up your customers...! P.S. I forgot to say,that I've suggested the guys just to give to their customers to choose which guitars to install when they upgrade to the new FW,or just to choose for example to keep the guitars from FW 1.71 , but to upgrade only the latest functions!

Ive recently bought a jtv-59 and was using it for jamming in my house run through an AC30 cc2x, as soon as I bought it I had it setup by a pro luthier I use and it played great, I don't think it had ever been updated so was running an earlier firmware, it sounded great, although some of the models were better than others. I really liked the tel, strat and lp. The mags are really nice on it too. I decided to update the variax and now the model volumes are all over the place, the LP model is a little quieter than the mags but the other electric guitar models are incredibly quiet, the acoustic models are about the same output as the mags, I cant see a way of balancing out and increasing the models to match the mags, everything seems to be at 100% in workbench, this has made the models unusable for me which kind of defeats the purpose of having a variax. can anyone help with this, I don't really want to go back, also the models sound a little thin and high endy, its a total pain having to constantly adjust the vox for each models tone and volume

Does anyone know where you can get repairs done on a James Tyler Variax in the UK? preferably in Scotland? My pickup selector switch feels like its on its way out, feels like it doesnt quite latch securely in the down position even though it does stay, any help would be greatly appreciated

Please tell me if there's wireless Variax cable transceiver to connect my JTV-59 and HD500X. If that's not happening, how far can I go with a ethercon Cat5E or 6 ? Thx, Mik

I've recently been looking around to find an affordable JTV 69 in my area, and i came across some online sellers trading JTV 69 in a Shoreline Gold. which I love the color but given that the Line 6 Website doesn't show the 69 being available in the gold i'm a little sceptical as to whether these are legitimate or not. anyone able to help clear up the mystery? or is it just one of the many US custom colors?

Hey everyone, Is there a way to connect to Variax Workbench HD only through the HD500 (without using the supplied USB-Variax Interface)? I've updated all firmware and drivers but can't seem to be able to get the Variax to sync with its editor via the Pod. Thanks for letting me know if this feature is available. Monty M.