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JTV69, Horrible overtones on Lowest string. Clip included.


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Hi Guys I have had an issue with my Variax since i first got it but I have not used the modelling for a long time. I delved into it again recently and i am getting this horrible gangly overtone only on the lowest string. It seems to sound almost like a very fast envelope filter on the pick attack. It is doing my head in and I'd prefer to think that it is not the way it is supposed to sound.

 

I am getting the impression that it is something wrong with the piezo saddle on the lowest string because all the other strings come out sounding nice and smooth. lollipop soon as I hit the lowest string it starts making this notched  overtone sound which is especially noticeable on single note riffs. Sometimes it is so pronounced that it over seems louder than the fundamental note of the string.

 

Here's the clip. Let me know what you think.

 

https://soundcloud.com/antconnelly/variax-wtf-overtones-on-lowest-string

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First thing to check is that you are not getting any fret buzz at all on the low E.

Second thing to check is the height clearance of the string across the groove in front of the the piezo saddle on the low E, and also the clearance over the front of the bridge.

 

Third thing to check is for clearance of the low E string behind the piezo.

 

If there are no buzzes and the string rings nice and cleanly when played acoustically then the last thing to try is to reduce the string volume of the piezo within Workbench HD.

 

If the string is making the slightest bit of contact anywhere other than the fret directly in front of your finger when played then you are likely to get strange artifacts come through the piezo on the modelling.

 

If the string rings cleanly then the piezo volume is the next thing to address.

 

If it still sounds like lollipop after addressing those issues then it may well be a faulty piezo.   If you are still within warranty period check it in with Line 6 to get fixed.

 

Good luck.  Hope you solve the problem.

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Need to dial-in the set-up a smidge.

 

If it's a howling or whistling ring, the intonation needs dialing-in

a smidge. Also, make sure the pick-up are not too close to the

strings, beat frequencies from warbling can also occur if the pick-up

height is off.

 

Check the string nut for burrs in the nut slots, they can sometimes

have the same affect as fret buzz vibrating against a burr.

 

Have an authorized Line 6 service center deal with it, they'll have

access to service info. Doing a set-up on a JTV has the added quirks

of dealing with both piezos and magnetics together. Have an authorized

service center do it.

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Yes, I listened to the clip.  I can hear the quacky overtone.   That sort of sound can be caused by the string just touching something else when it vibrates - it only has to be the slightest touch that causes it to be anything other than a crystal clear clean ring.   Burrs on the nut as psarkissian mentioned can do it. The string being too close (low) to the front of the bridge, or too close to the groove in the the piezo saddle.   It can also be caused by a faulty piezo.

 

Good luck with isolating it and getting it fixed.

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Yes, I listened to the clip.  I can hear the quacky overtone.   That sort of sound can be caused by the string just touching something else when it vibrates - it only has to be the slightest touch that causes it to be anything other than a crystal clear clean ring.   Burrs on the nut as psarkissian mentioned can do it. The string being too close (low) to the front of the bridge, or too close to the groove in the the piezo saddle.   It can also be caused by a faulty piezo.

 

Good luck with isolating it and getting it fixed.

 

Thanks mate. I just had it serviced by an authorised servicer and they replaced the nut on it so I'm assuming it's not that. I'm leaning toward a faulty piezo as I haven't got any fret buzz or any signs of it hitting the bridge. I will have a closer inspection of the bridge though.

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Have an authorized Line 6 service center deal with it, they'll have

access to service info. Doing a set-up on a JTV has the added quirks

of dealing with both piezos and magnetics together. Have an authorized

service center do it.

 

Hi psarkissian,

 

Can I obtain documentation for the Line6 gear I own that authorized service centers have access to? 

 

Thanks 

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My guitar has that problem but nowhere near that bad. It gets worse if you dial up the treble on your amp tone settings.

 

I sent back a guitar just because of this, and behold, the replacement had the exact same problem. Ironically, the first guitar I had sounded perfect, but I accidentally confused a glitch with a possible electronic problem and sent it back.

 

I know that the 6th string is a tad more jangly than all the other strings on real guitars, but it's over exaggerated on his and my guitar, and it's annoying.

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Sometimes I find that it completely overwhelms the actual fundamental note of the string which is horrible. I didn't realise this was a fault for a long time. I just assumed it was the modelling as it is. It has pu me off using the Modelling for a long time but now I'm determined to get it sorted out. Unfortunately my warranty ran out long ago.

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Need to dial-in the set-up a smidge.

 

If it's a howling or whistling ring, the intonation needs dialing-in

a smidge. Also, make sure the pick-up are not too close to the

strings, beat frequencies from warbling can also occur if the pick-up

height is off.

 

Check the string nut for burrs in the nut slots, they can sometimes

have the same affect as fret buzz vibrating against a burr.

 

Have an authorized Line 6 service center deal with it, they'll have

access to service info. Doing a set-up on a JTV has the added quirks

of dealing with both piezos and magnetics together. Have an authorized

service center do it.

 

Psarkissian, why do you keep saying this sort of stuff? Really? I discovered another thread on the forum 6 pages long where numerous other users have got an identical issue. I've just finished reading the whole thing start to finish.

 

You know about it because you were commenting on that particular thread as well. This is nothing to do with the setup or the nut or fret buzz. That is a fact! I just had my JTV69 HSS set up (including a new nut) by an authorised Line6 servicer and it plays fine. Multiple people have had the exact same issue.

 

Why are you not acknowledging that there is a recurring issue with the guitars that is not the users fault? My guitar has done this since I first got it and only on one string. Your dismissal is just getting weird as it does not stack up to the countless others having the same issue.

 

This is not good enough. Please stop trying to pass it off or dismiss it. This is either a design flaw, fault or an over sight oversight. This needs to be fixed properly! I paid $1900 for this guitar and I have barely used the modelling because of the horrible overtone only on the lowest string.

 

I now play in a band that uses 3 tunings so I now am forced to use the piezo and modelling/tunings. I would prefer it to simply work properly like I expected it to when I bought it.

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No particular reason. There are a number of threads about

multiple same subjects. And new ones on same subjects pop

up. Each one may, or may not have some detail not in the others.

I respond to the one that comes up, when it comes up. 

 

Doing a search on a subject before doing a post, would more than

likely reveal that. 

 

And some of them are so out-of-date as to be not very useful. 

So I try to keep people here up to date on things. 

 

I'm a service and repair tech, a circuit geek. They let me browse 

thru here from time to time, so long as it doesn't interfere with my 

repair and service duties. So I don't get to monitor the Forums constantly, 

just when I can and have a moment. 

 

Subject searches, Knowledge Base and User Manuals are a good start 

fo info serches. 

 

Good that you found the other postings. Some are still useful, some 

are out-of-date. Just a matter of sifting thru it to find what you're 

looking for. 

 

Abundance of info,.... the blessing and curse of the internet. 

 

Hope your searches are fruitful. 

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Good that you found the other postings. Some are still useful, some 

are out-of-date. Just a matter of sifting thru it to find what you're 

looking for. 

 

Abundance of info,.... the blessing and curse of the internet. 

 

Hope your searches are fruitful. 

Ok, well that's nice but nothing you have said has offered any assistance or shed any further light on the issue. There is clearly something wrong with some of these guitars and it is not good enough for users to keep sending them away for servicing only to have them come back with the problem persisting and telling the user that there is nothing wrong with it. Clearly that is going nowhere and achieving nothing, wasting people's time and pissing people off.

 

Do Line6 take this issue seriously or not? If they do then why have they not figured out definitively what is actually happening to cause this?

 

The thread that I linked to was started in 2014 and has continued  up until the present for the fact that that the problem hasn't been resolved or even properly acknowledged.

 

Some people are having to put felt under the string to try to stop the gnarly overtone and some are experimenting with gluing down their piezos with limited or inconsistent results. If people are having to experiment as such just to get the guitar to work as intended then clearly there is something fundamentally wrong with the product.

 

I appreciate you are on limited time due to the nature of your work but this issue requires further attention as it has not been rectified.

 

I suggest you look over the thread again and try and pick up where you left off because it does seem as if this issue has been abandoned. Thank you, Ant.

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The internet is full of people commiting the sin of omission lol!

 

I like and use my much older Variax 500 and may buy another dirt cheap one but I will absolutely not purchase a new or used JTV anything.

 

Too many problems and all these "service" tech guys who work for Line 6 know it.

 

Just look at the problems with the new Variax Standard.

 

Too bad it is a cool thing but making one of these guitars a central part of a working pro rig is a fools errand.

 

And a lot of working pro players know it.

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The internet is full of people commiting the sin of omission lol!

 

I like and use my much older Variax 500 and may buy another dirt cheap one but I will absolutely not purchase a new or used JTV anything.

 

Too many problems and all these "service" tech guys who work for Line 6 know it.

 

Just look at the problems with the new Variax Standard.

 

Too bad it is a cool thing but making one of these guitars a central part of a working pro rig is a fools errand.

 

And a lot of working pro players know it.

Just seems to be the luck of the draw ...I never had the 6th string issue. Just wasn't my turn to crap out, I guess.
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What I find the most frustrating when you have to report a fault, regardless of the product or industry, is the standard glib reply "well the model we have in the shop doesn't do that".  Well of course it doesn't because the one you have in the shop is in perfect working order!!!!    It is rife and has been rife for many years across all industries and I have had plenty of experiences where I have reported a fault and then they imply that it is just me or something I am doing because the one in the shop doesn't do it.  Whether it is an electrical device, a musical instrument or amp, a car or whatever, unless you can take the item to the seller and demonstrate the problem to them in such a way that there is no plausible denial, then you will always get that response.  The burden of proof is always pushed to the customer.  What ever happened to the customer is always right?

 

Unfortunately, unless it is a recognised fault then nothing will be done to resolve the issue other than offering suggestions of why the fault may be occurring just for you and how you can possibly resolve it yourself.  The only way any company ever accepts responsibility or does something to address the issue is when the customer keeps knocking on the door and presenting and demonstrating the problem and asking for a solution or a refund.  And that is often easier said than done and many companies rely on people just giving up rather than pro-actively dealing with issues.

 

I am not singling Line 6 out here - I think it's true across all industries - a business cannot afford to spend inordinate amounts of time fixing and resolving issues for a small minority of customers because it does not bring in revenue.  My experience of Line 6 support has been good for the most part and they always try to help as best they can when you eventually get through to someone, but, just like all the other companies, you still have to get through all the push backs and "we can't reproduce it" , "have you tried this?", "have you reflashed it?", "have you set it up?" responses first before you can start making headway with getting the problem fixed.

 

I recommend you call Line 6 directly or open a support ticket to talk through your problem - it will probably mean the guitar has to go back to a service center for investigation and diagnosis and it may come back unchanged but it may also get fixed.  Unfortunately, there is no other way, other than deciding to replace the piezo yourself and there is still no guarantee that that will fix the issue.   You may want to weigh the costs up if you are out of warranty - it may be cheaper to just go for the replacement piezo then paying for it to be repaired at a service center.

 

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you get it sorted.   Good luck!    

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I'm an endorsee so I spoke to the tech here and he said to send it up. He's going to have a look.

 

The trouble is that I have an industry showcase to play in a couple of weeks and I can't afford to not have the guitar with me for that, even with the horrible overtone.

 

I told him about the forum thread that has been discussing this so hopefully he has a heads up on the process of elimination of what is definitely not causing it.

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