JTSC777 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I have just taken delivery of a mint condition Variax 500 after wanting one for about 10 years. Plays great with very little adjustment. I am astonished at how good it sounds through my Fender BDRI and a couple timesof pedals.Amazing! I am playing in yet another band lol! and one of the things they do is a Beatles tribute and it is of course perfect for that. For all the terrible things I have read about these things I guess if you get a used one that hasn't been messed with much you are in good shape. Mine is Korean made with USA patents pending. I have ordered a VDI cable to use with my HD500. I got it stupid cheap from GCs used webpage. I will give more observations after I gig it a few times of course but cranked up through a good tube amp it sounds really good.Now I understand why Steve Howe and John Macfee have used even these older ones. The modeling sounds much better to me so far than my GR55 guitar models do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 Gigged it yesterday out in the heat at a Farmers market with my usual trio playing all the usual tunes. Used it for 2 out of three sets with my HD500. Used my older Japanese EMG strat for set no.2. I must have gotten lucky and gotten a good one. Sounded/ felt good.Actually made life easier. Played lots of country(tele)/Beatles(chime models)/Setzer(r-billy) etc... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay-man Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Sounds really fun! Loved my 600 before I got my JTV. I'd probably still try it every once in a while because of the tone difference between the HD models on the JTV if the 1/4 jack wasn't broke on mine. Glad you like yours. Have as much fun as you can with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrellM5 Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Had my 500 from 2004 until just a couple weeks ago. Sold it in mint condition. It's actually the first guitar I've ever sold but I feel that the JTV69 has replaced it well. I never encountered a single issue in the 11 years that I owned the guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Still have my 500 and I still play it. I had piezo issues a few years back and I replaced the with Ghost piezos and it sounds better than ever and it's in mint condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leesteel Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I have 2 - 500's and love them both. I will never switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Gigged again Saturday night. Amazing! My band mates were floored! I don't even have the VDI cable yet nor the workbench software and I am amazed at how easy to navigate the presets are. Saturday I cranked it through my HD500 and a Fender HRDLXiii with an extension 1x12 cab. A JTV is definitely in my future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Talked to a guy I have known a long time at a jam I host on Sundays. He has a 700 he loves and will never part with. This guy has plenty of money and could buy and has bought many expensive guitars. I actually enjoyed playing Jessies girl because I could play the verses with a 6 string Rick and then go to a 12 for the choruses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 A question. Before I interface this guitar with my window7 computer with no virus protection running on it. Which of the many versions of the workbench should I install on my laptop? I have never had any problems using any Line 6 editing programs on this Toshiba laptop.Possibly because I dont do much more with it than these sorts of tasks.Any suggestions would be helpful.I would rather avoid the alternate tuning problems others have experienced.I am also not a big user of alt. tunings but might use them for a few things. thanks, TC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 The 500 only works on the old version of WB. Do you have an interface for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 The Variax 500 is compatible with the Workbench software, not Workbench HD. The latest version is v1.75. In the Downloads section of this website (under the Support tab above) select Variax as the product and Variax Workbench as the software. Your Pod HD500 with a VDI connection will serve as your interface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 The 500 only works on the old version of WB. Do you have an interface for it? I have the venerable HD500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 The Variax 500 is compatible with the Workbench software, not Workbench HD. The latest version is v1.75. In the Downloads section of this website (under the Support tab above) select Variax as the product and Variax Workbench as the software. Your Pod HD500 with a VDI connection will serve as your interface. Thanks Silverhead! My VDI cable is on the truck today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Connection to Variax 500 /Workbench using HD500 is seemless. Spent some time editing this morning getting things leveled out a bit more. Blew the bands mind last night at rehearsal. It is an eight peice events type band with three guitars / keys/ sax/drums/bass. To be able to play a different guitar than the other two guys on every song was a huge thing. The band leader will leave the acoustic at the studio for the next gig. I will cover all the acoustics.I have to say they are quite good for live use and I am a GR55 user. The older Variax acoustic models are much better than my GR55s are.Thanks for all the help gentlemen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arislaf Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Wish you will upgrade with graphteck piezo, it will blow your mind for good, the sounds will become more alive and more different between guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Indeed I will at some point soon. Right now I am figuring out how to utilize it best for my needs and also doing a lot of refrets/ crown and polishing etc... to my 14 other instruments lol! I took inventory recently of all my electeics/acoustics/ mandolins and I guess I gigged a lot last winter because my insteuments are almost all in need of attention. After that I will upgrade the piezos on my Variax 500 and start looking for a del on a used JTV69! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 For now I am most certainly a believer in the Variax. No doubts about it's potential. I only regret not getting into it sooner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egkor Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I love my V500 and will never part with it. After I got it I had a pro setup done on it. Also added Planet Wave locking tuners. Just fits me like a glove and sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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