frstrat Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I own a 69 and 89F. I notice that the models on my 89F sound radically differnent than my 69. In general, all the electric models on the 89F sound thinner with more treble at a reduced output that the same models with the same Workbench settings on my 69? I've tried altering the Workbench settings for my 89F (increasing output, switching the neutral body, changing pots, etc) with marginal success. Any thoughts would be appreciated... Thanks, F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Are both JTVs running the latest firmware? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Well, the 89F is using a totally different piezo system than the 69. It uses the Graph Tech Ghost pickups while the 69 uses the LR Baggs Radiance. So some of that could be attributed to that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frstrat Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 Yup - both guitars running the latest firmware I wonder if the body wood is impacting the modeling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frstrat Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 phil_m, I'd not considered that... In my frustration, I've been toying with the idea transplanting a Graph Tech Floyd to a 69. If the different piezo systems are influencing the modeling, it hardly seems worth the hassle. I love the 69's modeling and love the Floyd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevekc Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I own a 69 and 89F. I notice that the models on my 89F sound radically differnent than my 69. I have similar experience I own a 2011 JTV-59 and JTV-69 - load them with the same Workbench models and they sound radically different -My JTV-69 sounds better to my ears - while my JTV-59, I must go into Workbench HD and boost the output gain of the models and save each - that gets my JTV-59 closer to the Variax model sound of my JTV-69 like most products - when you get access to a population of them, thats when you can observe there can be differences with individual units. But Ive never seen a dealer with an array of Tyler Variax's on the wall to try - and most Guitar Centers have one JTV-69 hung 20 feet up the wall Last time I was at the Guitar Center in Brea, CA. their only Variax in stock was a JTV-69 hung 15 feet up on wall, high above the acoustic guitar room also know the LR Baggs Piezos can vary in output between production build batches - I attribute my issue above to the higher output level of my JTV-69 Piezos vs the lower output level of my JTV-59 Piezos. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snhirsch Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Heh. I had to drive 250 miles to find a stocking dealer. They had a 69 and a 59 on the top row of the display wall, both with dead batteries and corroded strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Heh. I had to drive 250 miles to find a stocking dealer. They had a 69 and a 59 on the top row of the display wall, both with dead batteries and corroded strings. I've still yet to see a single JTV or Variax Std. in a store...and I'm mired in densely populated suburban sprawl, with 3 big box music retailers (both L6 dealers) within a 10 mile radius. None of them have ever had a single one in stock, as far as I know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb7170 Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 My local GC has had a few - only one at any one time, that I recall. I'm in a metro of about 350,000 population. They've had 59's, and 69's mostly IIRC. I was surprised to see them when I did. Either somebody bought them or they moved them to another store somewhere. I'm the only one gigging out with one in my area that I am aware of. I don't get out a lot to see other bands other than my gigs, but I've never seen any in FB pics of the other locals' gigs... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frstrat Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 I'm in a metro area as well. I've not seen a JTV in any of the big box stores in my neck of the woods. Too bad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 The GC near me actually has had a number of JTVs in over the years. I'd say half a dozen or so, at least that I've seen hanging. They also have a few Variax Standards as well. This is the one in Edina, MN, just outside of Minneapolis. I know it's considered one of their premium stores, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftzilla Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I have a 59 and 89F and they do sound slightly different in the modeling which I think is more due to the physical differences in the guitars. If you could do an A/B recording I would be interested to see if I could pick up a difference. I have two bands, one an 80s cover band and the other an original prog band. I first purchased a 59 then grabbed the 89F when it became available. Most of the others in my cover band talked about how the 89F sounded SO much better. This confused me for a bit as I didn't here much differnce at all between the two. So I A/B them on various models and replayed them for the band and asked them to identify which guitar sounded better. None of them could tell the difference between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I have a 59 and 89F and they do sound slightly different in the modeling which I think is more due to the physical differences in the guitars. If you could do an A/B recording I would be interested to see if I could pick up a difference. I have two bands, one an 80s cover band and the other an original prog band. I first purchased a 59 then grabbed the 89F when it became available. Most of the others in my cover band talked about how the 89F sounded SO much better. This confused me for a bit as I didn't here much differnce at all between the two. So I A/B them on various models and replayed them for the band and asked them to identify which guitar sounded better. None of them could tell the difference between the two. Perception is a funny thing. It's affected by lots of things, most of which are in our heads. Precious few musicians, even really good ones, have the so-called "golden ears". Today's magnificent and inspiring tone can be nails on a chalkboard tomorrow...most of the time, with the same guitar, amp, and room, I don't think the actual sound changes much from one day to the next. We just think it does. Personaly, I think the "tired ears" phenomenon accounts for much of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftzilla Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I agree and I had posted about this same topic in the past and talked about how the look and shape of the two guitars influenced the perception subconsciously of how they sounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Two of the same guitar don't always sound the same so expecting two very different guitars to sound the same is asking a lot. I am sure that there are subtle differences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I agree and I had posted about this same topic in the past and talked about how the look and shape of the two guitars influenced the perception subconsciously of how they sounded. I have a hard time enjoying the sound of anything that escapes a B.C. Rich Warlock...they just look like something that should be swung maniacally by a Viking. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimsharp Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Perhaps the two octave neck of the 89 and different scale length may give the modeling engine a different timbre that affects the output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BucF16 Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 It was a common comment about the old generation Variax's, when the guts of a Vx were put into another guitar, that they sounded very different. You don't see people doing Vx conversions now because the James Tyler guitars are such higher quality than say a Vx300 or 500...or even 700. In my experience, with my old Vx 700, the tone changed pretty significantly with just changing string gauge (the acoustics I thought sounded better with heavier gauges). So no, it doesn't surprise me at all that a different guitar would make them sound different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billlorentzen Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Scale length makes a big difference in sound. You can't get a strat sound from a short scale guitar, so I wouldn't expect the different jtvs to sound the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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