MarkJarvis Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Variax JTV 69, burning electrical, now doesnt work, Line 6 refused to repair it So I got the JTV 69 for xmas 2016. A few days ago I started smelling burning electrical, the strings at the bridge started popping (breaking) and the unit wont power up. I tried with and without battery (Battery shows power). Variax is connected to my Helix. Support responded to my support for warranty repair saying they would not take any action unless I proved I bought it from a dealer. I registered the Variax i provided the serial number but thats seems not enough. Very concerned that Line 6 (have bought HD 500, Bass Pod, UX1 and Helix) would now put up such a fight for something soo serious like the Variax catching fire in its electronics rendering the guitar useless. I cant believe the only concern of this tech support person was the customer proving where it was bought from??? Feeling ripped off and neglected...and that this may be a lemon.... Can anyone help? L6TID: 295168 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxTravelor Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 I remember when I first approached Line 6 Support for a Warranty/Repair Item - They asked me for proof of purchase, and I had actually purchased the my JTV-89F from the Line 6 Outlet - which I'm guessing may not necessarily be a Line 6 owned store. It is quite normal for any manufacturer to request Proof of Purchase before moving forward with any warranty/repair. I can definitely understand your frustration. I was a bit miffed when the company I purchased the guitar from asked for proof of purchase. If you don't have a receipt and it was a gift, then maybe the gift giver still has the receipt. Or the gift giver can get in contact with the store that sold him the guitar and get a copy of the receipt??? Best of Luck To Ya.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 I sympathize with you, but no company on earth is just gonna take your word for it that an item is still under warranty...they'd go out of business fixing stuff eons after it was sold. You always have to provide proof of purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJarvis Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 Well I have the warranty card. So isnt that enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Well I have the warranty card. So isnt that enough? No, because the only thing that proves is that you have a warranty card. For all they know, you could have bought the thing used 3 years ago, and the card just happened to still be rattling around in the case. I'm a bit of a pack rat with paperwork...I have warranty cards for items that were purchased years ago. Doesn't mean the stuff is still covered. And right or wrong, if you're a company, the first rule of warranty repair is "find a reason not to do the work". Easiest way to accomplish that is to demand proof of purchase, because it's the first thing everybody loses and/or throws away. I'm not saying it's right, but it is what it is..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 As others have said, asking for a copy of the original receipt is standard operating procedure for any company doing warranty repairs. When I worked in music retail, it was one of the first things we asked for when someone brought in anything for a warranty repair. If you bought the guitar from on online dealer, you should be able to get a copy of your invoice pretty easily, either through your email or through your account online. Did you buy it yourself, or did you get it as a gift from someone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJarvis Posted March 2, 2017 Author Share Posted March 2, 2017 Good news. Line 6 came through on this repair (got it for xmas as a gift) they looked at my history of purchases (Helix, HD500, UX-1, Model packs, Bass pod Pro and variax) and the serious issue of the unit burning ups its electrical and is honoring the warranty repair. Very happy Line 6 came through. a bit concerned about Variax, I did not even consider it could fail like this and that makes me wonder a bit about the future. Love the JTV 69 (K) baby blue but I hope this is not a known issue that can occur. Anyway thanks all for reply M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Broken string end shorting the works,... rare (seen about six out of the 1,500+ Variaxes I've worked on). Smoke? Never seen that one. It's a floating tremolo bridge, broken string ends can short electrics in guitars with passive electric too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2dconverterguy Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Broken string end shorting the works,... rare (seen about six out of the 1,500+ Variaxes I've worked on). On my JTV-69, I double-side taped a rare-earth magnet near the hole where the bridge wires pass to catch any broken string ends... I hope this helps seeya Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 I've seen that a couple of times. Heard it works. I haven't needed it yet for my two 69's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2dconverterguy Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 I'm still waiting to break a string to see if the magnet works :) Graphtech saddles help against string breakage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingsCool Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 I'm still waiting to break a string to see if the magnet works :) Graphtech saddles help against string breakage Oh, my... Where'd you get the saddles from? I don't see any Piezo's? How'd you attach the Piezo's? Did they come with the Piezo's installed? How'd you wire the Piezo's back to the board? Edit: Nevermind, found your thread... Nice :) http://line6.com/support/topic/17678-modified-jtv-69/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2dconverterguy Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 Hey FC, I ordered the Graphtech Piezo Saddles over a year ago and they are working great!! (After sorting out one bad saddle that was causing noise) Here's how I trimmed them to better fit the James Tyler Bridge...(I also Had to drill out the back of the bridge because the Graphtech screws are a larger diameter.) The Piezo wires solder to the Bridge PCB as you would expect... with the added benefit that the Graphtech saddles have 2 wires (1 signal and 1 ground). The Graphtech piezos are slightly higher output, so, I had to reduce the Global Volumes of the piezos in Workbench I hope this helps seeya Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 Shows a 2011 guitar, so warranty is not an issue. But for those who want to do mods during your warranty period, be aware that any mods that affect the function of the guitar, will void the warranty. So be aware of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2dconverterguy Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 Shows a 2011 guitar, so warranty is not an issue. But for those who want to do mods during your warranty period, be aware that any mods that affect the function of the guitar, will void the warranty. So be aware of that. Hi PS... You are correct my guitar is long out-of-warranty Nonetheless, that's a good warning about modding guitars that are still in-warranty... (and, unless you have experience, doing things out-of-warranty are not recommended either) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewolf48 Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 It looks to me as though that A string solder joint might be a bit dodgy - it looks very dull... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2dconverterguy Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 It looks to me as though that A string solder joint might be a bit dodgy - it looks very dull... ;) HA!.... here's a pic after I reinstalled the Graphtech saddles and after I changed the rogue saddle, ...all nice and shiny and some glue to keep the wires steady... thanks for the inspection :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 Maybe clear some flux residue from it, otherwise looks okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 I put Graphtech saddles on my Variax 500 many years ago. Sounded much better! Maybe I will put a sit in my JTV now. Which ones did you order? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingsCool Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 The part number of the saddles he ordered is right there in the pic above. You should check out the link from the other thread he created I posted above.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2dconverterguy Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 I put Graphtech saddles on my Variax 500 many years ago. Sounded much better! Maybe I will put a sit in my JTV now. Which ones did you order? Hello CW The part number is not on The GraphTech website... you will have to call to order them.. Here is the part number Quantity [6] BN-8002-R0 Please note that this mod is not for the faint of heart... I work on guitars and amps all day :) I hope this helps seeya Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 Thanks for the part number. I have done this mod on my old Variax 500. It's much more difficult on that one because of the fixed bridge and no place to solder the ground leads. Got it done many years ago and it was a big improvement. I build lots of electronics so I have literally 50 years of soldering experience. (starting with heath kits back in the mid 60's) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Heath Kit, Lafayette Radio, Forrest Mims III,... waxing nostalgic. Ah, what memories. 11-inch floppy disks, 1K-byte memory chips were as big as they got, and the Apple IIe was just a glint in Steve Jobs' eye. I hear Bob Hope singing "Thanks For The Memories". Them were the days, weren't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dietmd Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 I’m thinking about changing my JTV-69 Saddles to the Graph Techs named above. I know it’s been a while are you still happy with the conversion and have you had any problems since changing the saddles? Please let me know if you still required an additional change to the electronics to get this to sound right. — Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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