Connecting to Workbench

[Topeboy]

Just bought an old 500 Variax and while a couple of the tones I really like  I got it primarily for alt tunings. It doesnt have the VD! USB cable and im struggling to even find one in the UK. Reading on the forum it seems that the Line 6 POD XT Live floorboard has a Variax interface with a basic ethernet connection. If I get used XT can I use it to edit in Workbench?

Thanks

John

[silverhead]

The  XT won’t resolve your issue. You need a digital connection (cable) from the Variax guitar to a separate hardware device that connects to your computer via usb. The XT is one example of that separate hardware device. The simplest and most common separate device is called the USB Workbench Hardware Interface. It was originally shipped with your used Variax 500 guitar but it seems it wasn’t passed on to you. Here’s what it is:

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Workbench--line-6-rj45-to-usb-i-o-for-variax-workbench

 

These can be difficult to find at a more reasonable price but sometimes come up in used marketplaces. This is not called a VDI cable. It’s more than a cable. It’s a standard RJ-45 cable with a dongle and a USB cable. The dongle sits between your guitar and the computer. This will allow the Variax Workbench program to communicate with the guitar. This RJ-45 cable is less robust than  a VDI cable because it is designed for an editing session using Workbench when the guitar is not moving around much.

 

By contrast, a VDI cable has RJ-45 connectors but is shielded at both ends to protect the connectors. It is a cable that connects the Variax guitar to a Line 6 device that has a VDI input jack, like the Pod XT. It is used for live play when the protective housing is required to keep the connections solid as the cable ends move about and come under stress as the player moves around.

 

[Topeboy]

Thanks. I think i may have made a mistake buying the guitar. My Imac is too new to run the original workbench so I will need to buy a new/old computer and I obviously need to buy the dongle. By the time i've laid out I probably should have looked at a newer model.

While the 500 is a nice guitar the tones aren't really close enough for me. My 40 year old Tokai strat sounds much better than any of the Spank positions and while there are some usable tones I feel a bit underwhelmed. The Gretsch is not even close to mine but the Tele sounds with some eq . Do the newer models have better sounds or are they all using the same 20 year old tech?

[silverhead]

The newer Variax models, beginning with the JTV a series, are based on newer modeling technology. Personally I think the sound is better but it’s a highly subjective determination. Lots of people still prefer the older modeling in the pre-JTV models.

 

The biggest difference is that beginning with the JTVs Variax guitars now include mag pickups as well as the modeling so you are left with a playable guitar when the electronics eventually fail (and, like all electronics, they will…. someday).

[Topeboy]

Hi There thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.  I could really do with the alt tuning ability as we are starting rehearsals for a short UK tour later in the year and I could see it being really useful as a second guitar. Ill spend some more time with it and see if I can get a dongle here in the UK. Ive got an old laptop somewhere with windows 7 (I think) 

Its a nice looking guitar but most importantly it's red! 

John

 

https://red-guitars.com/

 

 

[soundbeds]

I have my Variax 300 attached to my POD XT Live. The Editor software works but I can't get the Workbench software to boot.

Michael

[psarkissian]

Double check the computer OS compatibility in the Downloads page, for the original Workbench application.