vocalnick Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 (edited) Hi all, new user here. Hoping you learned folk can help me out :) I just bought a guitar advertised as a new Variax 600 on clearance from a guitar dealer online. I know this is quite an old guitar at this point, but it was a great price, and I don’t need the latest and greatest hardware/software. This is a utility guitar for recording esoteric sounds when I need them. So it arrived today, and I’m not 100% sure it’s all above board. I’m hoping you can all shed some light! In the box was: The guitar in a Line6 gig bag (it seems to be new, but both front pocket zips were broken) VDI to USB adapter VDI/ethernet cable cheap moulded plastic 1/4 inch guitar cable (NOT a TRS) 4x international adapter plates such as might slot into a generic PSU… but no PSU! I’ve read a bunch of reviews online of the 600, and there were a few things I was expecting to be different: I thought I’d be getting an XPS footswitch and TRS cable I expected a 6xAA battery cradle, (there’s just a bare 9v connector) I didn’t think I’d be getting a VDI to USB adapter I thought the 600 had a tremolo?! I expected a maple fretboard When I go to register the guitar on the Line6 wesbite, the serial number on the headstock doesn’t seem to match any expected configuration. There’s no printed manual. To be honest (and based only on internet research) this looks like a 300 to me. And with some of the accessories missing. So I’m a bit confused. I’ve not been able to try it out yet, as I don’t have a 9V battery handy, and no other way to power up the guitar without the footswitch and TRS cable. I’ll grab a battery tomorrow and give it a go. In the meantime I’ve attached a few photos (forgive the low light…) and I would very much appreciate if anyone could shed some light on the situation! Edited July 20, 2019 by vocalnick small update of information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 That looks like a 300. The 600 had a tremolo. The 300 didn't come with a gig bag, though. I don't believe the 600 came with an XPS footswitch, though. I could be wrong about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocalnick Posted July 20, 2019 Author Share Posted July 20, 2019 Thanks - that was my conclusion as well. I suspect it might have been an undisclosed ex-display model and there’s been some confusion packing it up. I don’t mind an ex-demo model at the discount I received, but would much prefer the 600 - I’ll chase them up about an exchange/refund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codamedia Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 That is definitely the 300... On 7/20/2019 at 7:15 AM, vocalnick said: I thought I’d be getting an XPS footswitch and TRS cable I expected a 6xAA battery cradle, (there’s just a bare 9v connector) I didn’t think I’d be getting a VDI to USB adapter Even with a 300... 1: You should have gotten an XPS MINI power supply and TRS cable (I think the 600 uses a standard XPS, not the footswitch version) 2: You should have gotten the 6xAA battery cradle 3: I am not 100% sure... but I believe you should get the VDI to USB adapter... otherwise there is no way to edit it without a qualifying POD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocalnick Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 Thanks for the replies. Definitely a 300. I called the store and they were VERY apologetic. They said it must have been a stocktake error - it was put into the system as a 600, when it was in fact a 300. Offered me my choice of a full refund & collection, or a partial refund and keep the 300. I’ve elected for the latter - I can pick up a replacement battery box for very little on eBay, and I have a Pod XT Live here so I can do without the XPS. I’ve ended up with a brand new warrantied 300 for a good deal less than I’d pay for a used one. I’ll play it for a while, then may have a chat to a guitar-building friend of mine about transplanting the electronics into something more tasty :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codamedia Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 8 hours ago, vocalnick said: I’ll play it for a while, then may have a chat to a guitar-building friend of mine about transplanting the electronics into something more tasty :) I own a 300 and never got along with the neck. I replaced it with a mid 80's maple telecaster neck I found and it made a world of difference. Far less expensive and much easier than a complete transplant :) BTW: Thanks for the update on your status... glad to hear it all worked out fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocalnick Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 No problem re the update. I hate orphaned threads - these forums have a really long tail in terms of being able to help people down the road, so it's nice to close the loop on them :) The neck on the 300 is a bit fatter than on my other main guitars (an Ibanez S series and a custom-built fan-fret) but after playing it for a day I actually don't mind it. Could use a bit of fret dressing and some steel-wool on the back of the neck, but I think I can make it work. It is good to know it'll take a replacement neck though. Today I got Workbench up and running on my Mac Pro (via a Windows XP virtual machine). I know this is an older guitar but wow, it's still incredibly capable and flexible. Very happy! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.