Burning electronics smell coming from my Variax

[HonestOpinion]

I just purchased a new Variax JTV69s.  This might be a dumb question but is it typical to have a hint of burnt electronics smell coming from a new Variax when it is plugged in via the VDI cable? Has me a bit concerned.

[shawnmx]

I have a JTV69 and a JTV69S and I don't recall ever experiencing this.

[cruisinon2]

Electronics shouldn't smell like they're on fire. This is generally what we refer to as "bad"...

[clay-man]

This is great, I have one too. This is sure comforting to hear.

 

Good Job Line 6. Great job, in fact.

[silverhead]

..... is it typical to have a hint of burnt electronics smell coming from a new Variax when it is plugged in via the VDI cable? ....

No. Not typical at all. You should open a support ticket.

[MartinDorr]

Check whethjer a broken string end fell through to the electronics boards.

[a2dconverterguy]

Check whethjer a broken string end fell through to the electronics boards.

 

I attached a small magnet near the piezo wire access hole to catch loose string ends

 

 

I hope this helps

 

Seeya

 

Joe

[psarkissian]

Broken string ends will do it.

 

Too long of a screw when changing strap buttons and then the screw

goes into the board shorting everything out. I don't have enough fingers

to count how many times those have come across my bench.

 

As the cop says on TV,... "let's be careful out there".

[clay-man]

Broken string ends will do it.

 

Too long of a screw when changing strap buttons and then the screw

goes into the board shorting everything out. I don't have enough fingers

to count how many times those have come across my bench.

 

As the cop says on TV,... "let's be careful out there".

 

Why the lollipop was the JTV designed to make string ends fall into the electronics cavity? Really?

[Rewolf48]

It isn't "designed that way", but you do need a way to route the cables from the pick-ups + trem block to the circuit board, and if the string breaks at the bridge and the guitar is moved around in the perfect combination of "wrong way" then it is just possible that the really short ends can make it into a cavity where there are circuits.

 

I think you have to be really unlucky and I don't believe that it has happened to many people; not saying that it hasn't happened to those who have reported it, just that in my 5 years with a JTV69 it has never happened to me.

 

If it was a design fault then I would expect there to be a large number of reports of it, and perhaps even a recall for a fix.

[psarkissian]

Right you are Rewolf48,...

String end is a rare one. Haven't seen one come across my bench in quite sometime.

 

But the strap button screw into the board, shorting everything out, is one I still see all too often.

So just be aware.

[davidb7170]

Had this on mine last year. Had my really good guitar tech set up my 69S, and I mentioned I'd had some problems with my tail strap lock button getting loose. I got it home & he had replaced the screw with a heftier wood screw, but it was up against the mother board, so I removed it and replaced it with a machine screw, washer, and locknut in that compartment.... I don't really blame him, as his normal fix would have been fine in a normal guitar, except for the circuit compartment being so close to the tail of the 69S. The locknut & machine screw has been nice and tight ever since. I always look my equipment over when I've had work done to look for unintended consequences (the engineer in me). That could have been disastrous... The 69S is fine.

 

Dave

[clay-man]

Right you are Rewolf48,...

String end is a rare one. Haven't seen one come across my bench in quite sometime.

 

But the strap button screw into the board, shorting everything out, is one I still see all too often.

So just be aware.

 

Doesn't matter, it should of been designed so it's virtually impossible to happen. You KNOW people are breaking strings, and it's only a matter of rolling the dice and landing on the side where the string end crawls into the hole.

 

Luckily, the tape I put on the string ends makes it stay out of falling into the trem hole.

 

The string ends should have been designed to not go into the guitar and should have been designed to sit ontop the bridge so it doesn't end up falling into the trem cavity where the cable route leads to the electronics cavity.

[HonestOpinion]

Thanks for the great tips and I have to agree it should not be possible for a broken string end to fall into and cause a short in the electronics cavity, as unlikely a combination of gravity and bad luck as it may require.  Good to know about the long screw issue as well as I often install strap-locks on my guitars. The burnt smell Variax is going back, it had other issues as well that made it appear to be a previous return item, or at the very least a problem child being sold as new.  I received the new one and am forging ahead.

[clay-man]

Thanks for the great tips and I have to agree it should not be possible for a broken string end to fall into and cause a short in the electronics cavity, as unlikely a combination of gravity and bad luck as it may require.  Good to know about the long screw issue as well as I often install strap-locks on my guitars. The burnt smell Variax is going back, it had other issues as well that made it appear to be a previous return item, or at the very least a problem child being sold as new.  I received the new one and am forging ahead.

 

All good. It's kind of a stupid thing you might have to do with these guitars. With the small possibility of getting a dud, it's nice to buy from a place that allows you to swap for another one.

 

If your new guitar doesn't have any problems for a good while, you should be good for now on. Most big problems with the Variax happen in the beginning because of being made wrong. If you don't have any problems, it should last a very long time if you treat it well.

[HonestOpinion]

Here is an alternative to conventional strap locks. They are really just rubber washers, I have heard the washers off Grolsch beer bottles work as well and are made of better, longer lasting rubber. You also might be able to get cheaper, better fitting ones at the hardware store. They are not near as bullet-proof as conventional metal strap locks but they work ok and have the advantages of being dirt cheap, installing in seconds, requiring no alterations to the strap or guitar and most importantly do not involve a long replacement screw that could damage the Variax electronics.

http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Strap-Blocks-2-Pair/dp/B00B5LDMH6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1462574742&sr=8-5&keywords=Guitar+strap+locks

http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Savers-Premium-Strap-Locks/dp/B019WTLVKW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1462574742&sr=8-4&keywords=Guitar+strap+locks

[clay-man]

I actually put that on my JTV. They work alright but the ones I got aren't the best. Good enough stress will still make it come off, but it's much harder now.