Greetings,
I'm wondering if anyone has used the Variax/HD500 (and maybe DT) to simulate an On-Board Effects Loop. The purpose of an OBEL is to bring the post-effects sound back into the guitar in order to keep the effects sound consistent and not subject to the output volume of the guitar. Put another way, when you typically turn the volume on your axe down, the lower output cleans up the signal from the effects. Using an OBEL means this won't happen, and the volume now controls the output, post effects. An OBEL was famously used by Jerry Garcia.
Here's a good explanation of OBEL: http://shop.phredinstruments.com/ProductTab/ProductCustomTab/3
On the Variax, you can use the HD 500 to assign the guitar volume control to operate the amp volume rather than the guitar pickup output (when using modeled pickups). I think this would achieve the same effect: the output of the Variax to the effects remains constant, but the post-effect output volume varies.
Has anyone here used this method to achieve a similar result?