Couple Of Questions For New Owner

[sunshinewelly 0]

I picked up a second hand jtv-69 and so far have been very happy with the sound of it.

 

I have a couple of questions

 

1. the volume knob on my variax is quite lose - it works ok but there is some play in the knob (you can rock it slightly) - is there a way to pop that off and tighten it or is it different to a standard volume knob.

 

2. what does the model selector on the alt tuning switch do?

 

3. how do i actually store a custom guitar/tuning to a spare space on the variax without overwriting the factory models.

 

4. I hear that people criticise the neck of the 69 model - why is that as mine seems great.

 

5. any tips that people have over using the variax will be appreciated

[cruisinon2 2,732]

1) Hard to say without knowing exactly why it's loose.

 

2) You can save a specific tuning to individual guitar models using the cutom banks on the model selector knob, and setting the tuning selector to "Model"

 

3) It's done with the Workbench software, which you'll need to download. There are two custom banks to use without overwriting the factory presets

 

4) Entirely subjective. Like any other guitar neck in the universe, you either like it or you don't. Most of the griping is about the nut width, which at 1 5/8 " is just about as narrow as it gets (that's what the spec sheet says, anyway. I measured mine, and it's slightly narrower than that). Even Fender hasn't made their necks that skinny since the 50's. The resulting string spacing on the lower frets is really close, and this can be a problem if you've got big hands (or fat fingers :P ). Some have also had issues with the E strings sliding off the ends of the frets, which I suspect is the result of the aforementioned narrow nut. In order to keep the string spacing at all playable on the lower frets, they seem to have pushed the two outside strings a little too close to the edge...at least on the earlier JTVs. Seems to have been remedied on later ones. I've had no problem with slippage on mine.

 

5) Don't get frustrated....guitar can be quirky. The piezos are much more sensitive than mag pickups....which can lead to all sorts of issues until you get used to it. Or, you may have no problems with them at all. Some are perfectly happy with their axes right out of the box...for others there's a bit of a learning curve.

[joebutterfield 10]

One thing I would do with your JTV is make sure that it is updated to the latest 2.0 release. This can be done simply by connecting your guitar to the included USB interface and then opening the Line 6 Monkey updater program (link below). This is a pretty significant update and really adds a lot of depth and detail to the models. While updating I would also download the Workbench HD editor, from here you can make all of the custom tunings/guitars you would like.

 

I would also recommend checking out our JTV page on the Line 6 site. There are some great resources on here including manuals, video tutorials and insight on products that work directly with JTV including POD HD, Stagesource Speakers and DT.

 

Hope this helps, please follow me on twitter to see all of the latest events and news surrounding me and Line 6. @Line6jbutter

 

http://line6.com/jtv-69/

 

http://line6.com/software/?submit=Show&name=Line+6+Monkey

 

http://line6.com/news/general/1433

[TxHCBP 1]

Great advice above, but one thing no one seems to think of: before you change anything, save the factory settings, either one at a time (preferred) or as a bundle. It's nice to be able to roll back if you need to fix a major problem.

 

Remember that you have two Custom banks, with several "slots" on each, where you can store your special guitars. I don't know about others, but I don't create many custom guitars; however, I DO put the guitar models I use in the order I use them, so switching, let's say, from an LP Special to a Rick12 or National Reso for the next song is quick & painless.

 

WHATEVER you do, take your time, play it a LOT, and enjoy! That's what it's all about. :)