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I installed some Grover 406c locking tuners and a GFX X-Trem tremolo on my JTV-59. Special thanks to Christian at www.townerusa.com for selling me his Bigsby V.Block spacer and straplock extender, which was needed to move the X-Trem back from the bridge... The V.Block fit perfectly, but the straplock extender was just a bit too long to fit inside the X-Trem so I used a dremel tool to lengthen the staplock hole on the X-Trem.

I have a Variax 300 and a Helix. Can anyone tell me if the Helix is capable of saving the guitar and the 5 way toggle setting when I make a patch that I like. I would like to know if there is a way when recalling that patch that it will automatically go to the guitar and the 5 way setting I was at no matter if my selector and 5 way are set to something totally different. I would really appreciate some help on this. Thanks in advance, Rocco

I have not seen this posted on the forum, so I thought I would post it. I wondered how long it would take to charge a battery from dead to when the red light flashes. I just timed it at 3.5 hours. (give or take a few minutes!) For any of our international members, this was on a 110 volt ac outlet.

For anyone who is unsure of whether you can use the legacy Variax guitars under Windows 10, I can confirm that you can. I went to the download section and just selected Windows 8 as the OS and downloaded Line 6 Monkey and Workbench (non HD version), ran the installers, hooked up my Variax USB Interface and Variax 500 and everything worked perfectly first time. I had no issues with Java or the installation on the drivers. This statement is valid as of April 2018

Anyone know how to save alternate tunings from the models knob to the tuning knob from Workbench HD? I can only find instructions on how to do it directly on the guitar. I have several tunings applied to models that I want to transfer to work globally. I've named and saved them in the Manage dialog box, but can't find any way to save them to the tuning knob. I could save them manually, but I'd like to know for future models. (I hope I've made this understandable) Another thing: Is there a way to view what's programmed into the alt tuning knob?

Why is Variax + Helix changing to the wrong models in snap shots? So i painfully went and programmed each snap shot with a specific model I want to use..so far great..I go to use them and it seems that touching tone or volume (not sure which) is causing the models to change in the snap shots..I set Custom -1 and later its some random instrument like Lester or spank or whatever. i checked Helix editor and only assign is model via snap shots (in brackets) and tone and volume all say 'dont force' If i lock out the tone knob in the editor the models stay put...not sure where this is not working or if its a bug.. I need my tone knob so thats not an option

The electronics in my out of warranty JTV59 are dead. Has anyone gone thru the process of getting a Variax guitar repaired in Canada? Are parts available? It probably needs a new main board, something I could easily install myself.

I am trying to update my JTV 89 F using my Helix as the interface through line 6 monkey. I have both the line 6 cable and the quarter inch jack connected to the guitar. Every time I try to update the firmware from 2.21 to 2.23 I am getting the following 2 errors (screenshot attached). Can anyone help on how I can get over this issue? ryi

This may sound like a weird question, but does anybody know if it is possible to use non-standard strings on a Variax 500? By non-standard I mean replacing the normal wound strings with duplicates of the G string. The idea being easier bends and less string/finger noise on the E A and D strings. I know on a regular guitar there would be a problem with volume from the magnetic pickups, but would this be a problem with piezo pickups? Also would it cause a problem with intonation or neck relief.

I just wanted to share some of my experiences (and frustrations) when using the JTV. I have done some tweaking in workbench and the guitar is now a dream; if you spend some time with this guitar it really is a work of genius and incredibly playable/musical. Here is what I did: Set each presets' string volume: I did this not using the global string volume but the string tab for each preset. It took some time but it was worth it. Prior to doing this I found on many of the presets some of the strings were thin and others were too 'present'. In many cases the string volumes were out by a significant degree eg 50 50 50 100 80 100. In most cases I found my top E string was the quietest and weakest sounding in each preset. It seems strange that the individual string volumes were so far out, you think they would nail this in the factory! I then boosted the preset volume by between 3-6db for to compensate for string volume reductions I also - in also most every preset - increased the pickup level by between 3-6 db for each preset pick up. I tried to get the levels roughly the same between presets, as for me I find this much more musical - prior to doing my level tweaking I found the models with lower volume less appealing. Now I have levelled each preset out some of my favourite models are the ones that I 'skipped' prior to the above. If you are not happy with your JTV I would strongly suggest doing some of the above. I was about to get rid of my JTV but now I absolutely love it and can't put it down. The models shine through much better now and there is no longer the frustration of playing 'thin sounding' strings on many of the models. I now need to find a decent amp for the guitar - currently i'm using headphones, but previously I have played it through 'normal amps' and been v disappointed. I haven't tried it through an amp since doing my volume/pick up tweaking so it might sound alright now. Has anyone got any suggestions for amplification?

For anyone who is interested I have created a webpage that allows you to listen to a simple sample from each of the modeled guitars in the default Factory selection. Simply click the icon of the guitar, or the play icon to hear the sample. The samples are recorded straight to my DAW and a small amount of reverb has been added. http://www.ccjmusic.com/line6-variax-models.php This page is an extension of the reference by Luis as found at https://freeshell.de/~luis/guitars/Variax 500.pdf so thanks goes to Luis for the hard work. I hope you find it helpful Colin

When I got my Variax Shuriken guitar, I had to arrange the external wah-wah pedal with my PODXTLIVE. By doing that, the sound coming out when using the wah-wah pedal is completely different. Originally the connection was Guitar "in" to wah-wah pedal "out" from wah-wah to "input" POD pedal and "output" to the Amp. Now with the Shurikan-Variax connected (network cable) to the POD pedal I have to use "output" from the POD "in" to wah-wah pedal "out" from wah-wah to the Amp. That make's differents in loudness (is louder), and the movement of the foot (up & down) has to be minimal, otherwise, notes are almost muted. Is there any way to somehow make this signal flow better; or do I have to get used to it that way?

I just bought a used Vetta version 1. I bought it sight unseen with the longboard for a really good price. I really hoped that it already had the VDI expansion card installed, but alas.... it did not. Of course, I have had no luck sourcing one. I turn, in desperation to you all. Where can I find a VDI Expansion card for my Vetta. I have been reading about a lot of "dead" Vettas. I'd love to pick up a VDI card from someone who pulled it out of their old Vetta. Scott

Anyone ever ran into this problem? My high E string won't make a noise in modeling mode. It seems to play totally fine if I'm just running a regular amp setup except for some background feedback that is slightly irritating. As a way of background: A little over a year ago I bought a JTV-59P Variax and really liked it. I also bought the HD500X and the special cord to connect the two. I played on it for a few months. Keep in mind, I'm just play at home so none of this equipment went through any harsh anythings. Then I had to put it all on hold for a while due to school and work (while = 8 months) at which point this sucker was just in storage. Today I excitedly whipped it out. I had purchased the vintage HD download and so I connected everything, made sure it was all up to date, and started to play. Quickly I realized that the high E might as well not be on there in modeling modes. I checked the HD workbench and none of the string volume settings helped. I also turned off the modeling effects and it played with plenty of volume, but the moment I turn on modelling - NOTHING. Any ideas?

Hi Everyone..been awhile since I posted ...here is SuMo (supermassivemomentum) newest live session. Recorded live over the internet from remote locations, Mastered at 96k. Experimental progressive improvisation, lots of guitar and bass craziness..heavy, grooving.. I use HELIX (2.54) and Variax.....powerful ! have a listen! Comments welcome https://hearthis.at/joejeffries/sumo-2018-5-11/

hi guys, I used to be a hd 500 user for a long time and recently have moved to helix. The gear that i currently run is JTV 89F -> Helix LT -> DT-25. I am struggling with a few things now with my set up: Firstly the DT25 integration with Helix tech is not that good as it was with HD 500. Is that true or is it just me? For instance you cant seem to switch between the 4 channels of the amp. The sound thats coming out of the amplifier seems to be very hard to dial in as well, as I have to adjust the knobs on the amp it self not the helix unit. What amp model/set up should I use to get a good acoustic sound out of my variax? As soon as I put an amp in the signal chain for an acoustic model it makes it sound very different. I want an amplified sound of the acoustic model without much color on it. Currently I am just using one or compressors which is also not that great of sound when it comes to the variax acoustic models. This set up coming out of my dt25 sound horrible for the acoustic models. A guy at a guitar shop suggested I should look at PAs or Roland Jc 40/120 amps. As they will give the best flat response with the helix doing the modeling and the PA/Amp doing just the basic amplification of the sound. The main reason for getting a dt25 was the compact size and the fact that it was a tube amp that can be used with a drummer in a live setting for a jam. My previous experience with PAs has not been that good as they are very big in size and dont hold that well in front of a drummer. The JC amps, I have no idea of. Any other amps or PAs that anyone would recommend? I dont want to go with line 6 PAs as they have alot of functionality on them that I will never use. Let me know if anyone is having similar issues and what did you do for it.

This is purely a curiosity post, so remove if it is not thought to be relevant. I was wondering out of all the Variax users here, what the main genres of music are that you use your Variax for? Most of what you see online is either blues or metal, but are there others that are well represented? Also what playing levels are Variax users at? I myself would classify the music I make as Chillout or Ambient depending on the track, think Tangerine Dream or similar. I am by no means a guitarist, and can play enough to fit in with my musical style and needs. The Variax is a perfect solution for me as I can get a wide variety of tones that make up for the lack of playing ability.

Hi guys I am really interessted in getting a JTV 59. The only reason i havent bought one yet is that i play through a very cheap setup. I am not sure if it will sound halfway decent enough to justify a buy. I have a Blackstar HT-1R, unfortunately not enough money to upgrade the amp. Now my questions is, will the accoustic modelling sound good through this amp? Doses anybody has experience palying a Variax throug a small cheap amp? Thanks

I assume the Variax modeling pickup is a piezo style on the bridge like a midi guitar right ? that being said , is there any of Variax models thats comes with a vintage string spread at the bridge(2/732) or the widest 2 1/4 ? if there is which one ?

Hi! I'm new to all this and recently got a Shuriken Variax and a Firehawk FX (no, I didn't go for the Helix as my bank account didn't allow it). ;) I have a couple of questions around the full functionality of the Firehawk utilising the Shuriken via VDI. 1. Is there a way to specifically control the individual string settings (other than the tuning)? e.g. volume levels of each string? The reason I ask this is that some of the default pre-sets I go to seem to only have the specific strings enabled. For example, on the "01C. American Clean" patch: - <position> = <String enabled> - Position 1 = Only top E string - Position 2 = All strings ok - Position 3 = E B G D A not working but bottom E working - Position 4 = Bottom E and A ok rest seems soft - Position 5 = All ok but soft when compared to position 2 2. Somewhat relates to 1 but via the Firehawk iOS app, when in Variax mode, it only looks like you can control the tuning on each string. Any way of configuring each string settings or do I need to go into the Workbench? Pretty sure I'll have more questions depending on the responses I get! Look forward to it and thanks in advance! Nigel

I sent a detailed description of the issue and all the cables plus step by step on how to test it. I got back the variax and of course none of the cables were even undone and the Variax is NOT seen by Workbench hd...(via helix) no matter what. I did get from Line 6 a new version of the VDI USB and that does work reliably (thank you) but still a drag not to be able to connect helix and variax and workbench all via one CABLE

Hi everyone, Newbie here. I just received a brand new Variax Standard today, and I frustratingly can't seem to get it connected in Workbench HD. It just says "Not connected." I am connecting the Variax to my Macbook (running MacOS Sierra) by the VDI (RJ-45 type) cable, plugged into the USB interface, with a fully charged battery and audio jack plugged in. The volume is turned all the way up, tuning set to standard, and the model selection knob disengaged. Line 6 Monkey seems to recognise the Variax is plugged in, and tells me the device firmware and all applications are up to date (screen shot attached). The guitar has been registered. The lights on the USB interface are both solid green (at the USB and Variax in ends), and I have tried a standard Ethernet cable that I know works, in case the VDI cable was faulty, but no go. I have no other USB drives etc. attached. Any help here would be much appreciated

I'm thinking of swapping out my JTV-59's standard pup's with Bareknuckle mules but have a concern over the resistance. I read on another forum post that the resistance should be between 6-8 - the Bareknuckle website quotes the following for the Mules. Position: Bridge, DC Resistance: 8.4 kΩ, Magnet: Alnico 4 Position: Neck, DC Resistance: 7.3 kΩ, Magnet: Alnico 4 I'm confident enough with the wiring, have the diagrams, know how to solder etc. BUt am i going to hit troubles with the rest of the JTV's electronics if i go ahead? Or will it be ok? Also, anyone got any experience of Bareknuckles in a JTV? Or good news storied about swapping out pups on their JTV? Thanks.

Had a fun time comparing a buddy of mine's AX8 today to my Helix! We've each only had our respective units for a very short amount of time so there are things about each we're still learning. However I've been a LONG TIME Line 6 user and he's been an Axe FX user for several years. So not completely new territory. Spoiler alert: If you can't get a good tone out of either one of these units, it's your fault. Plain and simple. It's not that your ears are that discerning, you just don't know what you're doing. Sorry, maybe guitar playing isn't your calling. With that out of the way let me move on. The signal path was Crate Powerblock into Friedman 2x12 with one Vintage 30 and one Creamback. It produced about as much "amp in the room" sound as you could ask for. All tones done on each unit were amp only with no speaker modelling. As a side note, also in the room was a Friedman Dirty Shirley with matching 1x12 cabinet, so there was a high end tube amp there for reference. Admittedly I felt like bringing a Line 6 product into a room with a Fractal product for a comparission put me as the underdog. From everything I've read online the Helix has the competition beat on features, but what about pure amp tone? I'm here to say that the Helix held it's own and then some. At no point did I feel like the Helix was a step behind the AX8. Just dialed up an amp and it sounded amazing right out of the gate. Something Line 6 has MASSIVELY struggled with in the past. I've owned literally every incarnation of Line 6's product line and this is the first time they've produced a product that doesn't demand a ton of tweaking to find the magic sweet spot. This opinion was echoed by my friend who is a long time Fractal user. So not just my opinion in a vacuum. As a Helix user I feel compelled to point out the positives of it in this comparison, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. Not to take anything away from the AX8, but this is where I'm coming from. I'll leave room for AX8 users, or my friend with the AX8, to chime in here. Here are the pluses for Helix: The UI: on the Helix it is far and away more advanced than on the AX8. I'm speaking in terms of the on unit UI and not the PC editor. The Helix Editor isn't out yet so no way to compare that. But for using each unit stand alone the Helix UI is hands down the winner. Everything is faster, easier, and more intuative. Assigning pedals and controllers, using pedal edit mode, etc. Not a knock on the AX8, just showing how much design effort went into the Helix UI. Flexibility and routing: Again, this is another area that Helix shines. If you can dream it up, you can route it in Helix. And do so very easily thanks to a very intuative UI. Want a signal path with 4 drives, 6 delays, and 3 reverbs? No problem with Helix. Plus the 4 physical send/receives give you loads of flexibility to incorporating outboard gear. Need to route your dry guitar signal one place, your wet guitar signal another, and the looper another? No problem. Ease of creating tones: I was surprised that my vote for this would go to Helix. As a long time Line 6 user I'm used to spending hours dialing in the perfect tone. With Helix things just work. We found that amps, and especially effects, were very quick on the Helix. Everything was more or less in place and ready to go. You just had to add it to the signal chain and make adjustments to suit your taste. Ease of use: When using this as a live unit I have to give the nod to Helix here. The scribble strips, with customize-able text, were gold. I know exactly what function each pedal is performing. Something that was a challenge on the HD500(X). Along with the very large color screen showing exactly what's going on it's a breeze to use this thing live. The AX8 takes a more basic approach, and is very workable, but not on the same level as Helix. Built in expression pedal: Having a built in expression pedal, with a toe switch, is a big deal. At least to me. With an external pedal I'm left to choose one function of the expression pedal instead of two. Overall tone: I felt like this could go either way. On this day I think our Helix presets were pretty rockin', but either unit can be tailored to do EXACTLY what you want. They both sound awesome. I can say with all honesty though that the Helix didn't give up an inch tone wise. Which surprised the both of us. BTW, the Friedman Dirty Shirley model on the AX8 was spot on and we both felt like bringing the "real" dirty shirley into the equation was pointless. The AX8 simply sounded as good or better than the real deal. Sorry tube snobs, but facts are facts Pluses for the AX8: It did sound really good! There's no denying that, nor any reason to. It's an awesome unit. Amp models: In terms of sheer number of amp models there isn't a contest between these two units. The AX8 far outpaces the Helix by a mile. However the question is how many amp models do you need? Maybe I'm playing devil's advocate here, but I don't find that I have trouble covering all the ground I need with Helix's selection. Totally a matter of opinion though. Much respect for the sheer amount of work Cliff has put into modelling this number of amps. If the amount of amp models is most important to you then there is no comparison. Form factor: This could go either way. Overall I'll take the Helix because of the built in expression pedal and increased number of ins/outs. But I do like the compactness of the AX8. The Helix is big and heavy. I'm a Helix owner so obviously you can tell that I am going to lean towards the Helix. Having said that I can say with COMPLETE honesty that the Helix really shined today when comparing the two. All things being equal I take the Helix all day long and don't regret the purchase for a minute. My buddy was even joking about buying one once he sold off some of his other gear Most importantly though is that fact that there are two INCREDIBLE units on the market for, given what they do, not a lot of money. It is an amazing time to be a guitar player. I've been playing way long enough to remember when it wasn't so. I remember playing through a Crate solid state amp.....wow how times have changed!! So as a community let's be thankful for the tools at our disposal. We live in a great time to be a musician and let's truly appreciate these miracle boxes that can be had for less than the cost of a Marshall half stack "back in the day". Or this day for that matter. Cheers!

Hello All!, first session of 2018! Using Variax and Helix listen to SuMo *(SuperMassiveMomentum) perform live over the internet from California, Colorado and Canada ..all in real time!. SuMo is three veteran musicians playing unscripted improvised progressive music...heavy, grooving, shredding...its all here!. Listen the the master at 96k!. Comments welcome. Tech: I used some of the new reverb's in this recording (spotlight my favorite) Follow us on our adventure https://www.facebook.com/SupermassiveMomentum/ https://hearthis.at/joejeffries/sumo-2018-3-16/