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Getting started with a '59


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I've just bought a JTV-59 and am just about to download Workbench HD for the first time. What I was surprised by was the absence of a 'Getting Started' /  'Start Here' booklet which would have given me the basics which I can guess at well enough but you never know what you might do wrong . . . . . . like pulling the VDI RJ45 connector out of the guitar without dropping the lot - what a weak design!

 

Anyway, I've seen that there is a forum/guide to Workbench and so I will download WB-HD in a moment but what I'm thinking is that I need to check for a firmware update and general advice on using the non-standard features of the guitar.  I wouldn't be surprised if it's all here somewhere and that I will find it soon enough but let me list what I'm looking for and perhaps if you know that it's not on this forum and that I should browse elsewhere perhaps you could reply to this? 

 

So, as a start, how about:

 

1  DON'T do this - it can cause damage!  (or at least something I may regret  eg a firmware upgrade)

 

2  DO do this - it's well worthwhile

 

(eg insert the jack-plug when connecting the VDI otherwise you think your new USB interface doesn't work and you can't connect to WB-HD as just happened to me) 

 

3  Buy this as well - - ie things to make living with and using the 59 better or easier (eg an HD500X or whatever, free or paid for custom tones, etc) 

 

I appreciate it's a case of what do I want to do but, for now, I just want to learn how to get the most out of the guitar and benefit from the wizardry it contains within

 

 

Thanks in advance - Andy (in Louth Lincolnshire, UK)

 

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1)instal monkey to update your guitar.

 

2) To update the firmware, use the battery fully charged, connect to the plastic dongle, and to the computer. Also, have a normal 1/4 cable connected to your guitar.

 

3)use this video as your guide, replace pod with  variax 

 

 

4) Here you can finde some great info (need to register first) 

 

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=14429.0

 

5) And here some great patches. https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=14429.0

 

PS.

a)Palm mute is tricky. need to adjust your playing to achieve it.

b)Use strings with gauge from 9 until 11.

c)acoustics need light touch. need adjustment of your playing again.

 

 

 

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Thanks for all that - I'm learning fast.

 

I downloaded Monkey and tried to install it and was told it was already on my PC - I had earlier installed Workbench HD so something is a bit weird - so I just installed  Monkey 1.77 over the top of whatever was (or was not) already installed and I'm told that an update to the Variax USB Interface (is that the interface 'box' or the HW in the '59?) is available.

 

One thing which isn't clear is whether I should be wary about updating the firmware on the guitar without checking user comments on the update first. Something I remember reading about before I bought the '59 was that moving from 1.9 to 2 (or something like those numbers) was not universally considered a good idea.

 

Could you or anyone else link me to the best discussions of that topic?

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1 hour ago, ajdroberts said:

Something I remember reading about before I bought the '59 was that moving from 1.9 to 2 (or something like those numbers) was not universally considered a good idea.

 

Good idea/ bad idea in this case relates only to subjective opinions about what the models sound like... it's not like the newer versions are gonna brick the guitar or anything. Firmware versions 2+ are the "HD" models,  and no...they're not universally loved. But whether or not you'll prefer one over the other is entirely up to you. You can always roll back to an earlier version if you don't like the latest one. 

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OK - thanks for that also.

 

In the 2+ firmware update - which I think I have already and so will play with for now or until I can A:B with another guitar on 1.9 - there will no doubt somewhere be a LIne 6 list of features and benefits of 2+.  I'm thinking more features and access to more models/tones etc which will give me greater functionality and flexibility.

 

Can you easily link me to that information? I'll go walkabout myself in a moment and edit this post if I find it.

 

In particular, would I be correct in thinking that the 2+ HD firmware  integrates better with, say, the HD500X and/or other HD devices. The idea of programming foot-buttons to choose a particular guitar model without moving the model pot and selector switch is appealing  - I think this is possible with the HD500X (and the Helix??) but please correct me if I've misunderstood.

 

One of the disadvantages of the 59 compared with the 69 is that the selection of models is more clacky as you have to combine choices made with the LP-type 3-way with the other push-button in order to get the 4th and 5th models in each bank of the model selector - the 69 has an S-type 5-way, of course.

 

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7 minutes ago, ajdroberts said:

OK - thanks for that also.

 

In the 2+ firmware update - which I think I have already and so will play with for now or until I can A:B with another guitar on 1.9 - there will no doubt somewhere be a LIne 6 list of features and benefits of 2+.  I'm thinking more features and access to more models/tones etc which will give me greater functionality and flexibility.

 

Can you easily link me to that information? I'll go walkabout myself in a moment and edit this post if I find it.

 

In particular, would I be correct thinking that the 2+ HD firmware  integrates better with, say, the HD500X and/or other HD devices. The idea of programming foot-buttons to choose a particular guitar model without moving the model pot and selector switch is appealing  - I think this is possible with the HD500X (and the Helix??) but please correct me if I've misunderstood.

 

 

In L6 Monkey, each firmware version should have a list of changes that were made. 

 

The only real difference in functionality is with Workbench. The pre-HD versions cannot use Workbench HD, and the older version of Workbench is a bit more primitive, and allows for fewer adjustment options... most notably the ability to adjust piezo output for individual strings. The older version only allows global adjustments, while with Workbench HD you can adjust the outputs on a per model basis. 

 

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