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Just picked up a Variax 300 in the fall and am having a hoot with it! I was looking at getting a used POD 500 or POD 500X but am confused by what I read on the forums. From an old post: The older Variax will work with the HD500x just fine but you can't run the old Workbench with the HD500x. You will have to use the dongle to work with Workbench. The other features work and you can select which type Variax you have when you set them up on the HD500x. It looks like the Variax workbench is not compatible with the 500X; but I don't get it. I want to use the Variax workbench to program the 300; what does the 500 software have to do with programming the 300? I have the physical usb connection dongle and program the 300 all the time. Since I don't have a 500(X), I'm just assuming I plug the Variax 300 into it and then the pedal can read the guitar's stored models and I just add a model to a patch that I create. Then when I play and pull up a new patch the guitar changes with the patch? What am I missing? Thanks in advance for any and all help!

hello everybody, i have variax 600 guitar and i can't find a way to connect with mac os mojave software , can't find varaix workbench or workbench HD , what can i do .. kindly if anyone can help me for this lollipopen lollipop .... Or I will sell it

Hi to fellow Variax users in Australia. I am wondering if anyone is interested in taking "excess to my needs" stuff off my hands? All fully functional. Usual wear and tear as to be expected from 2nd hand parts.... I have a 300 and a 600 neck, body, and leftover electronics after transplanting into Strat copies. I have complete bridge/piezo assemblies, as well as a couple of spare, new piezos. The fretboard on the 600 (maple) is more worn, as it was my "workhorse" for a few years, but still plays ok - a fret dress will see more life out of it, but fret replacement is looming. The 300 (rosewood) fretboard has much more life left in it. Also I sanded back the neck on both of them to make them more comfortable in my hands, i.e. "non-sticky". Other bits n bobs include the tremolo springs and claw (600), and vol/tone knobs, pickup selector knobs. All other parts were used in the transplants obviously, including the "bank selector" knobs. I posted an ad on a Facebook page for Guitar/Amp Buy/Sell in Sydney, but no interest was piqued, so I though I'd put it up here. If you're interested, please private message me and ask questions/make an offer on any or all items. Pictures available to those interested.... I live an hour or so north of Sydney, on the central coast, and pick up is preferred, though local delivery/meet up is possible within reason. Thanks for looking!

I recently picked up a Variax 300 & was wondering if I could edit/update workbench by plugging my guitar into my hd500 pedal via ethercon cable & then plugging the hd500 into my Mac via usb cable? Or will I need to buy the vdi interface to be able to access workbench? Variax 300 - Pod HD500 Macbook Pro (2010) osx 10.11.6

I have a Variax 300 electric guitar which I am powering with an XPS Mini. The guitar has been working decently so far (with some crackling issues with some of the modes), however, recently I have started having the issue of no sound coming out of the amp when I play. Once I unplug and replug the cable the sound comes back, but only for a minute or so. Due to the current lockdown I cannot really seek professional help but I really want it to work again. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hey all, I have a Variax 300 given to me by my friend who was no longer using it. Came without a power supply and it drained batteries super quickly so I bought a second hand XPS Mini to power it. I've been using it for a week now and it works, however, I find that when I select some of the guitar 'types' the sound comes out glitchy. If I let a note play out it'll warp (sort of turning off and on again but in a strange way). Curiously this only seems to happen on the t-model, spank, lester and occasionally special modes. Anyone have any experience or advice for this? I can play without them but it cuts down the functionality of the guitar. I do not have access to a USB interface so flashing is not currently possible.

I have a red Variax 300 for sale. It needs love. Neck and body are in great shape, neck straight etc. Electronics need help. Will sell whole guitar or parts.

Everything is okay with (old) workbench, updating Variax 300 with new firmware, reflashing, etc. Except: I cannot update any of the patches. As soon as I start uploading a patch to the Variax 300, UBS interface starts flashing on UBS side, no flashing on Variax side (just green) and then error with connection and also connection to workbench is lost. Happens on Mac and on Windows. So problem must be on Variax side. Does anybody know what the problem could be? (I got the 300 recently, second hand. Only had JTV's so far)

Hi, this is new to me but i bought an old variax 300 from an old friend just for the 12 string snd acoustic sounds mainly. Why do the acoustic sounds not sound anything like an acoustic? Just sounds like an electric to me.

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums and - after much lurking - finally ready to build my dream guitar. Over the years, Line 6 has received quite a bit of my money. ;) So far, I have/had in my house the following products: - Variax 300 Acoustic - Variax 4-string bass - POD 2 with all the X3 updates - Pocket POD (will purchase on Friday) - POD UX 2 (will purchase this weekend) - Varix 300 Electric ... and if I had any more money, I'd probably spend it on some of the newer Line 6 products. :D Instead, like so many of you, I am looking forward to creating my own dream guitar with the electronics that I have in the Variax 300 (Electric). In the last 20+ years, I have used Ibanez guitars exclusively. Because my JS1000 is too thin for a transplant, I have decided to use a painted RG-type "semi"-blank (no Floyd, only humbucker and jack cavities so far) and an old GIO 25 1/2", 22-fret neck (square pocket) to build the guitar that I really want. Since wizard-luthiers Jeff Miller and Roosevelt Walker (midirose) have all but disappeared from the internet (and I don't have facebook :(), I only have you guys/gals to whom I can address my questions. I would appreciate it if some of my final questions could be answered; and that this list - given how comprehensive it - can help other future builders find their answers, too. --- Ok, here goes: Preparing the Body: 1.) Can I switch between magnetic pickups and the Variax 300 piezos by drilling an additional hole for a killswitch (thus not using them at the same time, of course)? 2.) If I can keep both the magnetic pickups and the Variax piezos, is this body thick enough to route the Variax 300 electronics from the back of the guitar? 3.) As you all know, the electronics of the Variax 300 come in a HUGE triangular shaped box (like a tin coffin). Can I pull the electronics from the coffin, so they fit better into the back cavity? 4.) Can I cut through the knob plate in order to facilitate the positioning of the knobs and the routing? 5.) I have seen a few back cavities in transplants that look like the letter "L" sideways. Any ideas where I can buy that type of template online? 6.) What's the best way to cover that type of "L" cavity? A ply of wood, or simply the material luthiers use for customized pickguards? I think the latter is less work... :P 7.) Do I have to drill 6 holes to hold the string ends, as it is the case for the Variax 300, or can I use a hardtail bridge with piezos (e.g. Graphtech Ghost)? 8.) If I can't figure out how to transplant the piezos from the saddle into a hardtail, how do I measure the Variax 300 "neck pocket - saddle - string hole" distance on a RG body? Does the distance matter? Electronics: 9.) If I cut the electronics into more sizeable pieces, do I need to isolate the cavities/parts with copper/conducive foil, to minimize noise and distortion? 10.) Can I connect my magnetic pickups directly to the Variax tone and volume knobs? (total: 1 tone + 1 volume + 1 model selector), or do I need separate knobs (total: 2 tone + 2 volume + 1 model selector)? 11.) Apart from a killswitch, is there another way to switch between the pickups on stage? 12.) One of my family members is a retired technician. He knows a lot about building TVs, radios and telephones. Will he be able to route the wires correctly? 13.) Are there any wiring templates for the "Variax 300 + two humbuckers" online? 14.) If everything above gets a green light, I'd then need to route/drill Back: - one "L" shaped cavity to hold the Variax 300 electronics - one rectangular cavity for the battery pack Side: - one bigger cavity for the dual Variax 300 jack Front: - two holes to hold the saddle with the piezos - six holes to hold the string ends - three holes for the Volume, Tone and Selector knobs, respectively - one hole for the humbucker selector switch (neck, n/b,bridge) - one hole for the piezo/humbucker killswitch - one small hole for the piezo ribbon that leads to the mainboard unit - two small holes for all the humbucker wires Is my math correct? --- Thanks again for all the help you are providing and for keeping their legacy products alive... one way, or the other. :) I'm looking forward to your answers. VX

24 Hello, I recently updated the firmware in my Variax 300 to 3.10, and upon opening Workbench, I noticed while attempting to edit a "Spank" Strat model, the editor only shows 2 pick-ups. I can choose bridge, middle, or neck, but I can only add 2 of them. Am I missing some kind of preference, or set-up choice in Workbench, or something else within the software? It's been a while since I worked with Workbench, but I don't recall ever having this issue before. I don't know if this particular Variax guitar had this problem before the firmware update, as I just got the Workbench USB interface the day before, and I installed the update to 3.10 before ever opening the editor. But I've searched the Workbench UI, and even re-loaded the firmware update again, which was successful, but hasn't changed the issue. HELP! My main guitar is the Stratocaster model, with various tweaks, but a 2 PU Strat..? That dog will not hunt! (as the saying goes...) StudioBill

hi I have a Variax 500 and it worked well with XPS-AB until now: XLR thru PA - 1/4" trhu a Marshall Amp. Recently, if I switch XLR to PA, it works well and the 1/4" signal is mute; but when I switch to 1/4" the sound thru the amp is good, but at the same time in the XLR signal (that goes thru the PA) there is a noise and not mute. Help! Frank

Hi! My model knob on my 300 is running crazy, changing models on it's own. What to do?

Hi Im from Sweden so please excuse my bad grammar and poor vocabulary. I have a Line6 Variax 300, and it have begun developing some annoying issues. First of all : DROPOUTS _Regardless_ if i use the external powersupply or if i use the internal batteries (it happends no matter what). It have some problems with sound-dropouts. Not unlike the sound you get if you turn off an tube amp while playing. It get quieter and start to distort the sound and eventually becomes silent. Sometimes i can reverse the process by pushing the "bank selector" or just by tapping the pickguard around the "bank selector". But most of the time i have to pull out the cable and put it in again. The guitar starts up and may be playable for another 30s to 3h after that. Do you know how to correct this ? Is it the electronics thats failing or the output-jack? Oxidation? ?!?! Second: Changes the soundbank randomly. Sometimes while im playing, it starts shifting soundbank / settings. Most often is it while im using the "tele or strat"-banks or the "Acousting or Resonator"-banks. To solve this ive used the same solution as above, pulling the cord and puting it in again. Any real solutions for this issue? I really like the instrument both for the sounds and the feeling it gives me while playing it... so i really want to solve these issues.