Pickup/guitar body list limited for Variax/Workbench?

[JamieCrain]

Hi all,

I know a lot of guitarists like traditional models that are like 70 years old, but I have to say I'm a little disappointed that the Shuriken Variax/Workbench HD doesn't have more than one "modern" pickup option, being the JTV Bridge/Neck. I have zero interest in putting a 1950s piece of tech, even virtually, into a modern high-tech guitar.

 

Am I missing something, or should there be a much greater range? Same goes for guitar bodies. The only body that appeals is the 'Neutral' body. What if I want to create a beast-lord 8 string?

[cruisinon2]

16 hours ago, JamieCrain said:

What if I want to create a beast-lord 8 string?

 

Then you're sh!t out of luck, as they say ;).  Like it or not, they chose to model a couple of dozen widely acknowledged "classic" instruments and pickup types...but I'm sorry to say that list does not include a "beast lord", whatever that may be, lol. The list of guitars and pickups out there in the world is of Biblical length at this point. They can't model everything under the sun...it is what it is.

 

It's also worth noting that the current Variax platform (JTV, Standard, and Shuriken) is just shy of 10 years old now...yes, the Shuriken is a newer form factor, but aside from some different factory-provided alt tunings, the modeling is the same as all the others. The first ones debuted in 2011...don't hold your breath for anything new getting added. There hasn't been a firmware update for anything other that bug fixes since ~2014... they're obviously not developing the current iterations anymore.  One would assume that there will eventually be a new Variax generation, unless the powers that be decide there's not enough money in it. Who knows....

[psarkissian]

Doing an 8-string in Workbench HD is like sending a MIDI pitch-bend command

to a synth with no pitch-bend capability,... it won't work. 

 

Creating an 8-string patch for a 6-string guitar,... just won't work. Interesting idea though. 

 

 

[JamieCrain]

4 hours ago, psarkissian said:

Doing an 8-string in Workbench HD is like sending a MIDI pitch-bend command

to a synth with no pitch-bend capability,... it won't work. 

 

Creating an 8-string patch for a 6-string guitar,... just won't work. Interesting idea though. 

 

 

Well yes, except that Line 6 markets the Shuriken as able to model 6, 7 and 8 string guitars. So methinks it reasonable that Workbench should have a couple of options there, even if it's just for looks.

[JamieCrain]

9 hours ago, cruisinon2 said:

 

 Like it or not, they chose to model a couple of dozen widely acknowledged "classic" instruments and pickup types...but I'm sorry to say that list does not include a "beast lord", whatever that may be, lol.

 

I'd describe my 7 string as a Beast. So it seems the only adequate description of an 8 string would be Beast Lord, which is obviously much more beastly. 

 

9 hours ago, cruisinon2 said:

The list of guitars and pickups out there in the world is of Biblical length at this point.

 

True, but I suspect that the difference between them is actually pretty minimal, hence why no pickup manufacturer has created true swap in/out pickups, because a player would discover that instead of there being dozens of pickups to choose from, all with fancy names to appeal to each type of player, there would be perhaps three types with perceptively different tones. Line 6 could add a couple more "89-type" pups to Workbench, and give them a fancy name like "Beast Lord 8", to appeal to players like me. It wouldn't sound very different perhaps, but it would feel better.

[psarkissian]

"... Line 6 markets the Shuriken as able to model 6, 7 and 8 string guitars. " --- Some of the Alt Tunes

have double string sounding tones. Stevic McKay had some interesting ways of taking Shuriken to some

interesting places when it comes to custom patches. Might want to check out some of his videos,

and his Shuriken FB page. Stevic does a few things with Variax custom patching that even I didn't know it could do.

 

 

I take it you have the Shuriken Bundle loaded and Flash version v2.23 program in it.

 

[JamieCrain]

3 minutes ago, psarkissian said:

I take it you have the Shuriken Bundle loaded and Flash version v2.23 program in it.

Yes, although when I plug in my Shuriken to Workbench, it recognises it as a JTV59 and the names of the model groupings are out of sync, e.g. all the Lester patches sit under Spank. Dunno why.

[psarkissian]

"... when I plug in my Shuriken to Workbench, it recognises it as a JTV59" --- If it comes up like that in Workbench HD,

then it's because the "Shuriken Bundle" is not loaded in the Shuriken. First, connect to the Line6 Monkey and update

the Flash to v2.23 program. That will take care of the Workbench HD display issue.

 

It must be downloaded onto your computer,...

 

 

... click on the link for the zip file inside this posting. Then open Workbench HD and open the bundle from there.

"Load All" to the Shuriken. It should show up in Workbench HD as a Shuriken with all the right Model selections displayed.

 

Thought as much when I saw the serial number of your Shuriken. An early bunch were not pre-loaded with the Bundle, just normal JTV presets,

and an Flash version, so it displayed incorrectly in Workbench HD, even though it functions just fine as far as the patches go. Just not Stevic's

Artist Patch selections.

 

If you see Stevic before I do, give him my regards.

 

[JamieCrain]

Thanks, 

It does have the Stevic models loaded, I've been editing them. They appear under the "Special" model. in WBHD and I recognise all the names from the Outlier album. It's all the others that are out of sync. But what I might do is save all the presets on my computer and then do a firmware update and then reload them.

 

31 minutes ago, psarkissian said:

If you see Stevic before I do, give him my regards.

 

Will do. He lives just down the road so I guess it's possible!

[cruisinon2]

2 hours ago, JamieCrain said:

hence why no pickup manufacturer has created true swap in/out pickups...

 

Actually, that's not true: https://relish.swiss/

 

2 hours ago, JamieCrain said:

 

because a player would discover that instead of there being dozens of pickups to choose from, all with fancy names to appeal to each type of player, there would be perhaps three types with perceptively different tones. Line 6 could add a couple more "89-type" pups to Workbench, and give them a fancy name like "Beast Lord 8", to appeal to players like me. It wouldn't sound very different perhaps, but it would feel better.

 

So you're lamenting a lack of modeled pickup choices, while simultaneously claiming that there are little to no perceivable differences between most pickups anyway... if that's really the case, then just pretend the ones offered are exactly what you're looking for. What difference does it make? No one can tell anyway...

[psarkissian]

JamieCrain,... thanks, hoped that would be the case when I saw your location.

Cheers.

[JamieCrain]

21 hours ago, cruisinon2 said:

Actually, that's not true: https://relish.swiss/

 

Nice. That's exactly what I wanted to see. If only a major pup manufacturer would partner with a mainstream guitar manufacturer, we might see some real change.

 

21 hours ago, cruisinon2 said:

So you're lamenting a lack of modeled pickup choices, while simultaneously claiming that there are little to no perceivable differences between most pickups anyway... if that's really the case, then just pretend the ones offered are exactly what you're looking for. What difference does it make? No one can tell anyway...

 

Exactly! And perhaps the lack of modern models proves my point about variability. Seriously though, this is about product marketing. It would make me feel better, as a user, if I saw a model that was based on a modern solid body guitar. it could simply be called "modern high output" or "modern mid output". Just my 2 cents.