JTV 59 changes guitar models with pickup switch

[brywool]

I've got a JTV59 and a POD HD500 (yup, the old one). I've got a lot of tunings and guitar models stored in my HD500. This way, at shows, I can just go to the bank I want and grab the guitar and preset tunings that I want. Great.

 

What I am having trouble with is that, let's say for the Ric 12 (Chime 4)- I'd like to be able to go to the correct patch on my HD500, say, 2C and have it play the Ric. It does this now. HOWEVER, if I change my pickup switch to Treble or Rhythm I get a Ric, but NOT the 12. It suddenly shifts to a 6 string models. All I'm trying to do is to make it be a 12-string Ric where I can select the Rhythm (Neck), Rhythm & Treble (Neck and Bridge), or Treble (Bridge) pickups. I cannot figure a way to store these selections. If I hit the footswitch to go to the Ric 12, no matter what position that pickup switch is in, it defaults to the middle position sound. 

 

I've tried to edit on the Pedal and also through Workbench HD and these other selections don't stick.

Is there any way that I can dial that in for one preset, but with 3 different pickup selections?

 

[silverhead]

The Chime model in the Variax provides 5 different Ric models. Three of them are 6-string models, corresponding to the Bridge, Neck+Bridge, and Neck pickup options on a Ric 6-string. However it does not provide all three options for the 12-string. I believe it provides only the Neck (Chime-4) and Bridge (Chime-2) options.

 

What you are experiencing according to my interpretation is normal behaviour. Your POD HD500 preset specifies the Chime-4 setting, which is the 12-string Variax model that is selected when you select that preset. The Variax remains in the Chime bank when you move the pickup selector switch, which then activates the 3 6-string models as well as the Chime-2 model if you depress the Tuning knob with the pickup selector in the Bridge position.

[brywool]

Ah, ok. Man, wonder why they did it that way? In shows, I don't really use the two Variax knobs. I leave them in a set position and just have the patch changes going on through the HD500. Otherwise, I'd be trying to dial all that up while playing live and it just requires too much thought for me during a gig (while trying to sing, etc. ). Pushing one footswitch is so much simpler.  Wish there was a way 'round that. Seems Workbench would let you tweak that. I guess not.
 

[silverhead]

I do the same thing you do - rarely touch the Variax knobs when playing live. I use the Helix preset to control the model selection.

 

Why did they do it that way? Because most Variax model banks focus on one type of physical guitar. The guitars usually have either two physical pickups (e.g. Tele, Les Paul) and a three-position pickup selector switch, or three physical pickups (e.g. Stratocaster) and a five-position pickup selector switch. In the case of the 3-pickup/5-position guitars all 5 pickup selection options for the single guitar are modeled and mapped directly to the Variax pickup selector switch.

 

However, in the case of the 2-pickup/3-position guitars the Variax uses positions 1, 3, and 5 for the primary physical guitar being modeled, and positions 2 and 4 for a similar and secondary physical guitar. With the Chime/Rickenbacker guitars they chose a 12-string model as the secondary physical guitar. Other examples of a similar secondary guitar being modeled exist in other banks such as T-Model, Lester, Semi, and others. Check out the physical guitars being modeled in these banks and you will see the same principle applied, namely using two physical guitars and only 2 of the possible 3 pickup selector positions on the secondary guitar in Variax pickup selector switch positions 2 and 4.

 

I don’t understand what you mean by your last sentence. Can you elaborate?

[brywool]

Do you mean about Workbench? If so, I would think that Variax Workbench would let me set that 12 string's pickup switch settings and that there'd be a way to load that back into the HD500. If I go into Workbench, I can get what I want out of each position, but there doesn't seem to be a way to save that to the HD500. Keep in mind, I've had this setup for years and haven't tweaked settings like that in a while, so it's possible I'm overlooking something.

[silverhead]

You can’t directly save a Workbench setting to the HD500. What you can do is save a Workbench setting to the Variax guitar as a specific model, which means you save it to a Variax Bank and Pickup Selector Switch position (e.g. Custom-2). Then you store the specific model selection in the HD500 preset.

 

Consult the Workbench documentation (or Help feature) to get details on how to save a Workbench model to your Variax.

 

Still, though, you can only have 5 Variax models contained within any Variax Bank (e.g. Chime). If you manage to configure your ‘missing’ 12-string model in Workbench then the question becomes “Where do you store the model in the Variax guitar?” You either overwrite one of the existing Chime models (still leaving with you with 5 of the possible 6 models in the Chime bank) or you store it in another Variax Bank (e.g. Custom), meaning you have all 6 desired Rickenbacker models in your Variax,  but one of them is in another bank. Which, of course, means you still can’t access them all during live play using only the pickup selector switch. You will need to navigate to another bank using the Variax Model Selection knob, and then use the pickup selector switch.

[brywool]

Thanks. Sounds like it won't do what i'm trying to do. Bummer. Thanks, Silverhead!

[brue58ski]

Don't give up!!! A lot of assuming here. The JTV-59's switch only has 3 positions. The others have 5 positions. The JTV-59 switch's default is slots 1, 3 and 5 in positions 1,2 & 3. In order to get to slot 2 or 4, which are in positions 1 & 3 respectively, you need to press the model knob once re: the manual. So in order to switch to the 12 strings from a patch, you NEED to press the model knob first before switching to the 12 string model you want in slots 2 or 4; positions 1 & 3. This is why it always defaults to the 6 strings; that's what you are switching to when you switch from your guitar because the model switch hasn't been pressed first. The 12 string models are in slots 2 & 4 which correspond to switch position 1 or 3, respectively after pressing the model select knob. If you want to do what you want to do, I would save your 12 string models to one of  the custom banks in positions 1,3 or5. Then have your model selector on whatever custom bank your 12 string models are on. This is how you can switch to a 12 string model from the POD HD after it has selected one model. I hope this makes sense. You CAN do what you want to do. You just have to create a bank in your JTV59 that will get to the models you want using positions 1, 3 or 5 so you don't have to press the model knob once before switching to the guitar model you want.

[brywool]

When I try this and move the model knob to Chime, I get one more 12- Chime2 if I flip the pickup switch down (Treble). With it up (Rhythm) I get the same one I had (Chime4) then the middle goes to a 6. I COULD just take the original, Chime4, HD500 setting and re-eq it so it sounds more bright, but I'd rather not do it that way. I should just bring my actual Ric out, but the VA makes it so much easier with less guitar swaps. As I look at the manual again, it looks like I can have custom guitars in pickup position 2 or 4, but not the middle on the JTV. I could do it that way too, where, for the middle position I already have, I just use the HD500 setting, but then if I want to go more to a Treble sound, I use the custom one stored in the guitar. Still a lot to remember, but worth a try.

[silverhead]

I think Brue58ski has made a good suggestion. If I understand him correctly he is suggesting that you leave the Chime bank as is in your Variax and use it only for the 6-string models. Having used the HD500 preset to select any 6-string model you can then use the pickup selector switch to move among positions 1, 3, and 5. This gives you what you are already familiar with - preset controlled easy access to the three 6-string models while playing live.

 

For the same sort of familiar and easy access to the three 12-string models you would use a different Variax bank, say the Custom bank. Use Workbench to store the three 12-string models in positions 1, 3, and 5 of the Custom bank. Use your HD500 to select the Custom bank (not the Chime bank) when you want to use the three 12-string models. Once the Custom bank is selected you can, as with the 6-string models, move among them using just the pickup selector switch.

 

Setting things up as above means you won't have to worry about switching Variax Banks while playing live. You can proceed exactly like you now do. Use the HD500 preset to select the desired Variax bank (Chime for 6-string, Custom for 12-string) and then use just the pickup selector to move among positions 1, 3, and 5 within that bank.

[brue58ski]

On 11/29/2022 at 6:53 AM, brywool said:

I'll give it a try, it seems a lot to remember while trying to perform- and then I have to make sure I get back to my other models for other tunes. I'd almost prefer to just use my actual Ric (which I have). But man, the JTV just makes it so I don't have to swap guitars so much in a show that can suffer from dead air. I will check it out this am. Thanks.

 

The beauty of it is, once you have the 12 string model saved in the bank where you want it. It will behave exactly the way you want it to. Just make sure you're on that bank on the JTV when you use that patch. You do not have to save the 12 strings in the Custom bank. You can save them anywhere. You can even swap the Rickenbachers around so the 12 strings are in slots 1, 3 or 5 on that bank. I think it's called CHIME.