neilwebb Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Hello, just (re)purchased a Variax 500 as I had to sell my new one years ago when money was tight. Great to have one again! This one came with two cables, both of which have quarter-inch jacks on each end and no batteries (could have sworn my original took a 9V, but perhaps I was mistaken. This takes 6xAA). Anyway ... one of the cables appears to be faulty, hence my questions. Note: I'm plugging the guitar into a preamp (a Scarlett Focusrite - which goes into my laptop). CABLES Am I right in saying that the thicker cable (the one I have running from the guitar to the IN on the power-foot-switch) is not a standard cable? Anyone have any idea what type it is? The thinner cable (which I have running from the OUT of the power-foot-switch, to the IN of my preamp) is broken. Can I just swap this out for a standard cable, or are there things to be aware of? I did try it out briefly, and it works, but I realised I should check in case it needs to be shielded or something and I'm risking damage to any equipment. BATTERIES When using the guitar with batteries, I'm using a standard cable from guitar to my preamp and assume this is fine? My Variax didn't have any batteries in it so assuming standard alkalines are fine? (Also curious - is this a huge battery drain or can I expect to get pretty decent battery life?) And just one more thing ... the thicker cable (the one I mentioned earlier), I guess I should never use that directly from the guitar into my preamp? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codamedia Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 5 hours ago, neilwebb said: This one came with two cables, both of which have quarter-inch jacks on each end and no batteries (could have sworn my original took a 9V, but perhaps I was mistaken. This takes 6xAA). Take a good look at the ends of those cables. One should have TRS ends (tip/ring/sleeve) and the other should just have TS ends (tip/sleeve..... no ring). A standard guitar cable uses TS ends. The guitar should take 6xAA's. The clip that holds the AA's is connected via a 9v connector.... you can remove that clip and use a 9v instead, but the AA's will give you a lot better lifespan. 5 hours ago, neilwebb said: Am I right in saying that the thicker cable.... Thick/Think/Long/Short/Pink/Green.... none of that is relevant. Cables come in varieties of sizes, and those descriptions don't suggest anything. You need to identify the ends as TRS or TS as I mentioned above. 5 hours ago, neilwebb said: When using the guitar with batteries, I'm using a standard cable from guitar to my preamp and assume this is fine? Yes... .a standard guitar cable (TS Ends) would be the proper cable to use if the guitar is running off a battery (not using a power supply or VDI connector) 5 hours ago, neilwebb said: My Variax didn't have any batteries in it so assuming standard alkalines are fine? Alkalines work great. AA batteries will last about 4 times longer than a 9v will. I don't remember the lifespan off the top of my head, but I think the AA's get about 12 hours and the 9v about 3. When not playing the guitar.... UNPLUG IT so it doesn't drain the battery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwebb Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 Thank you, this is great! Quote Thick/Think/Long/Short/Pink/Green.... none of that is relevant Ah yes, totally appreciate that - I was just hoping it would make some sense in this context because I believe these are the two leads that ship with the Variax, and I didn't know the correct terminology :) Pretty sure I’ve understood, but just to be sure I’ve attached a photo - my standard lead is on the left (which doesn’t have a sleeve - is the sleeve just to create a firmer connection or does it serve another purpose?), the TRS in the middle (presumably) and the broken (TR) cable on the right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codamedia Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 The cable in the middle is TRS. If you use the Line 6 Power Supply/Footswitch to power your Variax, this cable would go between the guitar and the Power Supply input. The other two cables are standard guitar cables.... aka TS cables. 2 hours ago, neilwebb said: my standard lead is on the left (which doesn’t have a sleeve - is the sleeve just to create a firmer connection or does it serve another purpose?) All three of those cables has a sleeve.... But yes... the two black cables have an addition to the sleeve to help them make better contact. For clarity, here is a diagram showing where the Tip, Ring and Sleeve are on a cable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwebb Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 Wonderful, thank you so much for all of this - I really do appreciate it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurghanico Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 FYI, for the safety of the guitar when used on batteries in the past I was recommended by "psarkissian" (Line6 Service Engineer) in this forum to use a TRS jack cable to connect my Variax to the amp, I've been told that it is good practice to do so in all cases where powered guitars (eg also guitars with active PUPs) are connected to an amp. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All about POD HD500/X help and useful tips 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Yes, as Variax is an active circuit guitar. Tip = signal Ring = +Vdc Sleeve = ground/return It's a connection convention that's been around for active circuit guitars, since at least 1970's, and is still the case. Use TRS connectors with Variax guitars. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwebb Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 @hurghanico - really appreciate this! @psarkissian - thank you so much for the clarification. So, when using batteries, it's TRS from guitar to Amp (I take it it's irrelevant that my amp is not the traditional guitar amp? i.e. it's a Focusrite Scarlett connected to the computer via USB. And if I'm using the foot pedal, it would be TRS from guitar to pedal, and then TS from pedal into amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurghanico Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 3 hours ago, neilwebb said: So, when using batteries, it's TRS from guitar to Amp (I take it it's irrelevant that my amp is not the traditional guitar amp? i.e. it's a Focusrite Scarlett connected to the computer via USB. And if I'm using the foot pedal, it would be TRS from guitar to pedal, and then TS from pedal into amp? Certainly "psarkissian" could explain it more comprehensively than me, but if only for logic and prudence I would say that whenever a guitar with active circuitry is connected to any device (amp, AI, FX) it should use a TRS cable based on what was said before. I do just that with my Variax. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All about POD HD500/X help and useful tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 neilwebb,... if I recall, most interfaces use TRS jacks that can accommodate TR plugs. But you may want to double check with Focusrite about that. Since coming here to Line 6 (almost 14 years ago), I haven't been in many Focusrite products in a while (mostly the Red series of products). Guitar to pedal to amp connection flow is fine. Thanks hurghanico for your input too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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