Do You Have The Same Problem With 6th String?

[cruisinon2]

Oh goody! I was beginning to fear that this thread might never reappear. Disaster averted. ;)

[SymphonicDischord]

Oh goody! I was beginning to fear that this thread might never reappear. Disaster averted. ;)

Come on now, at least it’s a little more sporadic as opposed to a main stay on the first page.

[tonikus]

Hi!

Just got my Variax Shuriken. Completely the same issue with 6-th string (that's why I googled this thread ), stock strings. Gonna try 12/54(52) Tomorrow and let you know.

[cruisinon2]

And we're back! Plink, plank...plunk. 😂

[tonikus]

Hi!

Just got my Variax Shuriken. Completely the same issue with 6-th string (that's why I googled this thread ), stock strings. Gonna try 12/54(52) Tomorrow and let you know.

As promised yesterday sharing my results.

Boght 10-52 Srting today, and plink plunk plink problem is gone, completely!!! I'm a happy man now and I love my Shuriken :)

[JTSC777]

I am trying 10-46 instead of 9-42 my JTV had on it when I got it.Acoustically it already sounds better.

[Jugghaid]

Interesting. Having the same issue. I'll try my Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys and see.

[Sparewheel]

It sounds to me like that's the sound coming from the pick. I get the same "problem" with both my variax guitars (jtv89f and 500) and I tried to reduce it by using softer picks.

Of course just the piezo can pick that noise.

[clay-man]

Am I the only person who things the 6th string has a problem regardless of whether or not you have a plinking sound? It just sounds inconsistent to all the other strings. It has way more honk than any of the other strings do, and I literally played 4 Variaxes. I don't know why they don't compensate for this in the modeling. It's super annoying to deal with.

 

The problem is if you ever do any type of boost that gives more bite to the other 5 strings, the 6th strings becomes way too grating. I don't know how many of you just play low gain rock, but if you play with higher treble sounds or high gain, it becomes an issue. 

[Jugghaid]

went with these:

 

 

Problem solved,,,,,,,

[pearlfukinjam]

Am I the only person who things the 6th string has a problem regardless of whether or not you have a plinking sound? It just sounds inconsistent to all the other strings. It has way more honk than any of the other strings do, and I literally played 4 Variaxes. I don't know why they don't compensate for this in the modeling. It's super annoying to deal with.

 

The problem is if you ever do any type of boost that gives more bite to the other 5 strings, the 6th strings becomes way too grating. I don't know how many of you just play low gain rock, but if you play with higher treble sounds or high gain, it becomes an issue. 

 

I have the same issue.  It ususally occurs on the strat setting, bridge pickup and tone all the way up.  The more distortion, the worse it gets.  Actually any of the previous variables adds to the issue

[amsdenj]

Use Workbench HD and lower the string volume. Generally the piezo pickups are pretty variable so its not unusual to have to balance the strings.

[pearlfukinjam]

On 3/13/2018 at 7:30 PM, amsdenj said:

Use Workbench HD and lower the string volume. Generally the piezo pickups are pretty variable so its not unusual to have to balance the strings.

I have done that and they are balanced.  I can lower the low E further to reduce the plink, but then on cleaner sounds, it will be off

[specracer986]

On 3/13/2018 at 5:30 PM, amsdenj said:

Use Workbench HD and lower the string volume. Generally the piezo pickups are pretty variable so its not unusual to have to balance the strings.

Are you leveling them just by ear? I tried that and I didn't feel real confident of my results. I'd feel better if I was feeding the signal into some kind of meter for a visual. 

[mikeskyborn]

Same problem, last firmware, reflash done. 
Does anyone knows is it possible to fix or guitar must go back to the shop ?

 

[cruisinon2]

3 hours ago, mikeskyborn said:

Same problem, last firmware, reflash done. 
Does anyone knows is it possible to fix or guitar must go back to the shop ?

 

As you can see from this years- long thread, this ain't exactly a new problem. No universal fix exists...L6 has admitted that themselves. This thread touts various remedies...everything from using a heavier gauge string (up to a .52 for the low E), to dampening sympathetic vibrations in various locations (behind the nut and/or bridge saddles), to dancing over a pile of chicken bones and goat's blood whist chanting supplications to the gods. You can try any or all of these and see if it helps, but the bottom line is some guitars do it, and some don't. Some of it has to do with the player and the tone(s)... high gain and lots of palm muting tends to make it worse.... which explains why more of the metal guys seem to have trouble. 

 

If it's a new guitar, I'd just send it back for another one...ymmv.

[amsdenj]

Suplication, now there’s a word you don’t hear to often. But it has a nice ring. 

 

Another thing is the clang tone can change over time. Playing seems to seat the piezos in the bridge better over time and this seems to impact the clang tone. It really does seem to improve with use. Heavier strings could accelerate this due to the higher pressure and wider vibrations.

[mikeskyborn]

On 15.04.2018 at 8:56 PM, cruisinon2 said:

As you can see from this years- long thread, this ain't exactly a new problem. No universal fix exists...L6 has admitted that themselves. This thread touts various remedies...everything from using a heavier gauge string (up to a .52 for the low E), to dampening sympathetic vibrations in various locations (behind the nut and/or bridge saddles), to dancing over a pile of chicken bones and goat's blood whist chanting supplications to the gods. You can try any or all of these and see if it helps, but the bottom line is some guitars do it, and some don't. Some of it has to do with the player and the tone(s)... high gain and lots of palm muting tends to make it worse.... which explains why more of the metal guys seem to have trouble. 

 

If it's a new guitar, I'd just send it back for another one...ymmv.

I decided to leave it, my dealer sold it for much lower price. Reason is:

- Strats and tele models isnt good anyway in compare with real ones;

- Low quality of factory control(it comes with unscrewed nut and with piece of tape under, without tape 2nd string are on first fret. Even if I decide to change guitar and send it back from Ukraine to States, is no guarantee that second one will not have worst problems, for example bad neck ...)

 

Real goals of jtv89f is great unit for shredding with good magnetic pickups, and awesome acoustic models, also maybe some hollow body models, without using higain, or disable body emulation can help a bit with that resonance .

 

But I still didn't read all answers in this topic - what was a L6 opinion with it, only to change guitar to find working one at all ?

[SymphonicDischord]

2 hours ago, mikeskyborn said:

I decided to leave it, my dealer sold it for much lower price. Reason is:

- Strats and tele models isnt good anyway in compare with real ones;

- Low quality of factory control(it comes with unscrewed nut and with piece of tape under, without tape 2nd string are on first fret. Even if I decide to change guitar and send it back from Ukraine to States, is no guarantee that second one will not have worst problems, for example bad neck ...)

 

Real goals of jtv89f is great unit for shredding with good magnetic pickups, and awesome acoustic models, also maybe some hollow body models, without using higain, or disable body emulation can help a bit with that resonance .

 

But I still didn't read all answers in this topic - what was a L6 opinion with it, only to change guitar to find working one at all ?

 

 

 

Here you go. 

[1oldguitarman]

I had similar symptoms on my D string ... only exception was I could hear an electronic "click" when using the whammy bar sometimes and the "muddy, muffled, lower-volume" sound would clear up OR recur, making me think it was an electrical connection problem.  I removed the D-string, carefully raised the piezo from the bridge saddle and burnished (cleaned) the bottom of the piezo metal AND the resting spot on the bridge saddle and VOILA, problem resolved.  Enough dust/dirt had settled to make a poor connection.  MORAL OF THE STORY:  a periodic cleaning of the bottom of your piezo and the bridge saddle when changing strings can make a difference!

[grady_h]

 i’m having the same problem it seems to be more apparent when I use acoustic models though ,and heading the string open and not palm muting.  I have a Sherrick in and it is fine but I just got this G TV 89F and the low  Estring is almost useless.  I am going to try moving up to an 11 through 15 balanced tension set of strings and pulling the little Piazon out and making sure it’s clean underneath it. hopefully that works  

[mikeskyborn]

On 4/28/2018 at 10:51 PM, SymphonicDischord said:

 

 

 

Here you go. 

Thank's a lot :) But all those answers is like advices "try, maybe this will help .. " No reasons to check it at all, because when I swap 5 and 6 string piezo connectors, problem goes to 5th string, 6th string in this position, when it goes to channel designed for 5th string to the electronic - has ideal sound !

So it is no any reasons to check, problem is in the computer inside, I think this sound is notching in system for each string as usual, but L6 got a lot of non-liquidable electronics, which is unable to fix with new firmware. This is only one way I can explain this issue.

But anyway I don't use electric guitar emulations, they are not good to me, only acoustic models, they are incredible,  and I'm happy to play on this guitar :)

[brue58ski]

20 hours ago, mikeskyborn said:

Thank's a lot :) But all those answers is like advices "try, maybe this will help .. " No reasons to check it at all, because when I swap 5 and 6 string piezo connectors, problem goes to 5th string, 6th string in this position, when it goes to channel designed for 5th string to the electronic - has ideal sound !

So it is no any reasons to check, problem is in the computer inside, I think this sound is notching in system for each string as usual, but L6 got a lot of non-liquidable electronics, which is unable to fix with new firmware. This is only one way I can explain this issue.

But anyway I don't use electric guitar emulations, they are not good to me, only acoustic models, they are incredible,  and I'm happy to play on this guitar :)

 

I would try changing the piezo. I did this and it worked. I think a problem with the JTV's as opposed to the earlier Variax technology is the JTV's are way more sensitve to the piezo's. So you can hear variations it the piezos a lot more. It sucks. And make sure you get the right one if you do decide to change it out. The piezos in an 89F are not the same as the ones in the JTV69 for example.

[mikeskyborn]

On 12/20/2018 at 6:53 PM, brue58ski said:

 

I would try changing the piezo. I did this and it worked. I think a problem with the JTV's as opposed to the earlier Variax technology is the JTV's are way more sensitve to the piezo's. So you can hear variations it the piezos a lot more. It sucks. And make sure you get the right one if you do decide to change it out. The piezos in an 89F are not the same as the ones in the JTV69 for example.

I already did it, as told before :) swaping piezos connections, and problem goes to another string. So I can not understand a logic to buy a repair parts, problem is in electronic ...

And yep, piezos onboard has a lot difference between each other, more than 6 db, you need to turn up volume of the most unsensitive and then calibrate others , and increase overall volume, sad fact.

Tnx for advice, I left this issue as it is, not important to me :)
But what do you think about native humbuckers ? They are pretty good to me, but I didnt compare them to something another yet.

[Thark]

Here's a heretical idea. Don't play the 6th string ... ala Keith Richards. You could even get rid of it altogether. :)

 

[parsifhussain]

I need help,

Few months back I got a JT variax 69 from eBay since there aren't any distributors in India and now my 5th and 6th peizos are damaged , how to get a replacement? No seller ships to India , will a strat peizo bridge fit into my JTV 69

And now eBay seems to not work in India .

[dukeofdream]

I'm having the same exact problem, just opened a ticket right before i came across this... I really hope i get a solution but after reading all these i highly doubt it :(

[mikeskyborn]

8 hours ago, dukeofdream said:

I'm having the same exact problem, just opened a ticket right before i came across this... I really hope i get a solution but after reading all these i highly doubt it :(

Yep .. this is kind of problem. But honestly, after long time of usage this guitar stays in corner 98% of time, onboard magnetic pickups has pure sound, tried to change them - no way .. And all Variax models sucks for my opinion, you intuitively want to jump onto magnetic .. except only acoustic models, they are the best if you need to record something quickly and not so important (without comparison with real things of course). So all time I use few of custom made guitars. Maybe those made in USA is physicallymuch better, but problems of technology they must have the same.

On 3/31/2019 at 7:34 PM, parsifhussain said:

I need help,

Few months back I got a JT variax 69 from eBay since there aren't any distributors in India and now my 5th and 6th peizos are damaged , how to get a replacement? No seller ships to India , will a strat peizo bridge fit into my JTV 69

And now eBay seems to not work in India .

Im from Ukraine, had the same problems, guitar came new, packed from factory, without nut screws, with some tape under it ... (lollipoplollipoplollipop) Korean assembly. Can you record small video to show your problem ?

[klangmaler]

Quote

And all Variax models sucks for my opinion

 

Sorry, but I cannot agree with this at all (and I also have a 'Korean JTV').

Some folks talk about second hand guitars here, others mention very dubious fabrications...

My new JTV was - and still is - in a very good shape ;-)

Check these mods out (problems with plinging strings) - if you haven't already:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJhdSczB-lI

 

[mikeskyborn]

4 hours ago, klangmaler said:

Sorry, but I cannot agree with this at all (and I also have a 'Korean JTV').

Of course, for everyones personal taste :) I was looking for kind of universal guitar, but single pickup models has no the same level of high frequencies, like low pass filter, humbucker models - I feel that sound has no this small nuances when you play with pick on them, kind of linear de-convolution character(and it might be a static convolution in general technology vision). And after you use some hi-gain(or middle gain) channels, this problems becomes only bigger.
And of course I can not require a 100% similar sound from emulations, only for my studio workflow goals it is not enough similarity. Only Jumbo and Dobro acoustics are great (but sometimes I thinking to collect money and buy a real ones finally)
 

4 hours ago, klangmaler said:

Check these mods out (problems with plinging strings)

Yeah, thanx ) I have 89f, so tape behind the saddles is not a solution unfortunately. As I said, when you connect 5th string saddle into channel for 6th string on motherboard - you have plinking on 5th string - problem is only electronical (in my case maybe, not everyone).

PS. I was big fan of L6 products  .. But now 89f is almost in corner, and I sold Helix, bought AX8, this is my todays subjective experience, regards ;)   

[klangmaler]

I'm sorry that you can't be helped with your instrument!

However, this says little about other JTVs and certainly nothing about Helix.
Good luck again, cheers!

[amsdenj]

Maybe it's a matter of realistic expectations. Do the Variax models sound as good as their real counterparts? No, they don't. And there's some variability in different guitars that result from variability in the piezo pickups, how well the neck is attached to the body, quality of the setup, etc. So I'd never claim that I love to listen to the Variax models when playing by myself while practicing. Nor would I be too motivated to record with them. But gigging in a live band situation - nothing beats Variax, nothing. The flexibility of the models, tunings and MIDI control is just fantastic. And in that context, with a full band, playing in anger for an audience, I really doubt if anyone could tell the difference between a Variax model and the real thing. If you're Matt Schofield, you're not going to use a Variax. But if you're playing in club bands semi professionally, you can't beat a Variax.

 

I have a 60 year old Les Paul, a very nice Strat Deluxe, a Tele and a Epi Sheraton Pro - all really fantastic guitars. For gigging, I always bring my JTV-69S as my main guitar, and rotate the others just because I love them and want to play them. The JTV really does all I need for gigs and always gets the most playing time. But that Tele... It's new to me, and I'm really loving it. That Tele quack really seems to speak to me. I haven't gigged with it yet, but will soon. I get that its always the new guitar that gets the attention. But this feels different to me.

 

 

 

[mikeskyborn]

18 minutes ago, amsdenj said:

Maybe it's a matter of realistic expectations. Do the Variax models sound as good as their real counterparts? No, they don't. And there's some variability in different guitars that result from variability in the piezo pickups, how well the neck is attached to the body, quality of the setup, etc. So I'd never claim that I love to listen to the Variax models when playing by myself while practicing. Nor would I be too motivated to record with them. But gigging in a live band situation - nothing beats Variax, nothing. The flexibility of the models, tunings and MIDI control is just fantastic. And in that context, with a full band, playing in anger for an audience, I really doubt if anyone could tell the difference between a Variax model and the real thing. If you're Matt Schofield, you're not going to use a Variax. But if you're playing in club bands semi professionally, you can't beat a Variax.

 

I have a 60 year old Les Paul, a very nice Strat Deluxe, a Tele and a Epi Sheraton Pro - all really fantastic guitars. For gigging, I always bring my JTV-69S as my main guitar, and rotate the others just because I love them and want to play them. The JTV really does all I need for gigs and always gets the most playing time. But that Tele... It's new to me, and I'm really loving it. That Tele quack really seems to speak to me. I haven't gigged with it yet, but will soon. I get that its always the new guitar that gets the attention. But this feels different to me.

 

 

 

Yeah, agree with you at all, in mix, and even in "middle" quality club room acoustic you can not feel the difference :) . And yea, my work til the last summer was half by half playing in cover band and studio recording-mixing-mastering. Now I quit play covers and all time spend in studio, maybe this is the reason its not enough for me now. I have custom strat and custom 2x humbucker guitar a-la Suhr(shape, etc), love to play on them all time, especially on strat. And I made this tele mod on strat (when you turn on neck in bridge position), so tasty sound :)

Here is one of my video with this strat, it is not for comparison, just for fun, sorry for offtop, regards ! (But 89f is also there, so not a big offtop, lol)

 

[novumlucis]

So I just picked up a JTV-89F, factory refurbished from Line 6, with the intent of gutting the electronics to put into a custom built guitar, or changing out the neck on (not sure which yet).  I have monster hands (like 5XL), so I have the hardest time fretting clean (bratwurst fingers).  I wish I would have seen this multi-year year problem before buying this refurbished guitar.  One thing I noticed on a replacement parts website is that the guitar (89F) has three different part numbers for the piezo pickups.  E-E, uses one part number, A-B another, and D-G yet another.  My guess is the piezos are tuned/designed/engineered for specific frequencies.  And it might just be a problem in how the low E resonates within the piezo, causing damage to it, or maybe it is a result of an aggressive shredding style that causes them to fail, or maybe they are just mis-engineered.  My suggestion would be to swap the two E piezos and see if the problem is reproduced in the high E, while the problem in the low E goes away.  If this happens, I would suggest replacing the low E piezo to see if you can remedy your problem.  Part found here: https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/284906-line-6-30-51-0689-piezo-low-e-hi-e-saddle-for-jtv89f  For other models, you might not have the option to replace individual piezos.  I did find this part number for what appears to go in the JTV-59 bridge, but not sure which strings its for, or if they are universal.  https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/234088-line-6-11-00-0010-piezo-pickup-for-jtv  Good Luck!

[dukeofdream]

15 hours ago, novumlucis said:

So I just picked up a JTV-89F, factory refurbished from Line 6, with the intent of gutting the electronics to put into a custom built guitar, or changing out the neck on (not sure which yet).  I have monster hands (like 5XL), so I have the hardest time fretting clean (bratwurst fingers).  I wish I would have seen this multi-year year problem before buying this refurbished guitar.  One thing I noticed on a replacement parts website is that the guitar (89F) has three different part numbers for the piezo pickups.  E-E, uses one part number, A-B another, and D-G yet another.  My guess is the piezos are tuned/designed/engineered for specific frequencies.  And it might just be a problem in how the low E resonates within the piezo, causing damage to it, or maybe it is a result of an aggressive shredding style that causes them to fail, or maybe they are just mis-engineered.  My suggestion would be to swap the two E piezos and see if the problem is reproduced in the high E, while the problem in the low E goes away.  If this happens, I would suggest replacing the low E piezo to see if you can remedy your problem.  Part found here: https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/284906-line-6-30-51-0689-piezo-low-e-hi-e-saddle-for-jtv89f  For other models, you might not have the option to replace individual piezos.  I did find this part number for what appears to go in the JTV-59 bridge, but not sure which strings its for, or if they are universal.  https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/234088-line-6-11-00-0010-piezo-pickup-for-jtv  Good Luck!

 

Before ordering anything, open the back of the guitar and swap the connector for the E and A string... If your problem is with the piezo, it will stay on the E string... If the problem moves to the A string then it’s most likely not a piezo issue... 

[mikeskyborn]

44 minutes ago, dukeofdream said:

Before ordering anything, open the back of the guitar and swap the connector for the E and A string... If your problem is with the piezo, it will stay on the E string... If the problem moves to the A string then it’s most likely not a piezo issue...

100% agree with you, that's the only way of proper purchase.

[novumlucis]

@dukeofdream, good point.  But consider this...if the problem stays on the E string and it isn't really a problem with the piezo, you won't know.  But if you physically swap the low E saddle with a replacement one, or swap the low E saddle with the high E saddle the next time you change strings, then you can truly eliminate the piezo as being the issue. 
If the problem moves to the high E, then it is either the piezo in the saddle (probable), or a physical issue with the saddle (doubtful).

If the problem stays on the low E, then we can assume a physical problem along the path where vibration travels is causing the issue (probable); or worse yet, an issue in the electronics (unlikely).

 

I'm curious which models of the guitars have this low E issue.  Is it only the models which share the same bridge and piezos, or is across the entire JTV lineup.  If the latter, my guess is electronics, since not all models share the same bridge.

 

Also, is the plinking sound heard only when the Variax mode is enabled, or in magnetic pickup mode only, or in both modes?

 

I did do some more research and discovered that the Floyd Rose bridge in the JTV-89F is built by Graph Tech, and the piezos in the saddles are supposedly built by L. R. Baggs (Radiance Hex).  To me this seems unlikely that Line 6 would choose two separate vendors for the bridge and saddles, especially when Graph Tech builds their own piezo enabled saddles for the Floyd Rose bridge they sourced to Line 6. 
https://graphtech.com/collections/ghost-pickup-systems-guitar-saddle/products/ghost-floyd-rose-saddles-black-6-string?variant=29500005449751  

 

 I think the L. R. Baggs piezos are in the JTV-59 model.

https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/250726-line-6-50-04-0069-bridge-assembly-for-jtv-59

These are the piezos in the bridge above.

https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/234088-line-6-11-00-0010-piezo-pickup-for-jtv

Furthermore, looking at the Graph Tech installation guide for their piezo enabled saddles, you can see why the E-E, B-A, and D-G saddles share the same part numbers, respectively, in the Line 6 parts catalog.  Again, my bet is that their are Graph Tech Ghost piezos in the JTV-89F, and the description on Line 6's website is wrong.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2372/8913/files/string-saver-floyd-rose-saddle-installation-instructions_1.pdf
https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/284906-line-6-30-51-0689-piezo-low-e-hi-e-saddle-for-jtv89f

https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/284907-line-6-30-51-0690-piezo-aandb-string-saddle-for-jtv89f

https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/284908-line-6-30-51-0691-piezo-dandg-string-saddle-for-jtv89f

 

https://shop.line6.com/hardware/line 6 jtv-89f blood red guitar w/ ebony fretboard.html

 

Looking forward to feedback...  ;-)

 

[cruisinon2]

9 hours ago, novumlucis said:

@dukeofdream, good point.  But consider this...if the problem stays on the E string and it isn't really a problem with the piezo, you won't know.  But if you physically swap the low E saddle with a replacement one, or swap the low E saddle with the high E saddle the next time you change strings, then you can truly eliminate the piezo as being the issue. 
If the problem moves to the high E, then it is either the piezo in the saddle (probable), or a physical issue with the saddle (doubtful).

If the problem stays on the low E, then we can assume a physical problem along the path where vibration travels is causing the issue (probable); or worse yet, an issue in the electronics (unlikely).

 

If your guitar "plinks", swap the wires for the low E and A strings... you'll find that the "plink" is now on the A string. Can't be a physical problem with the low E saddle if you can relocate the unpleasant sound at will.

Quote

 

I'm curious which models of the guitars have this low E issue.  Is it only the models which share the same bridge and piezos, or is across the entire JTV lineup.  If the latter, my guess is electronics, since not all models share the same bridge.

 

Any Variax can suffer from this problem.

 

Quote

 

Also, is the plinking sound heard only when the Variax mode is enabled, or in magnetic pickup mode only, or in both modes?

 

It has nothing to do with the mag pickups... it's purely a modeling issue.

 

As you can see by the advanced age of this thread, this isn't a new phenomenon. Line 6 themselves weighed in early on, and have since publically announced that they wouldn't be spending any more time or resources trying to figure out what makes some guitars suffer from this, but not others.... in other words you're wasting your time trying to figure it out. The folks who built the damn thing don't even know.

 

[dukeofdream]

56 minutes ago, cruisinon2 said:

As you can see by the advanced age of this thread, this isn't a new phenomenon. Line 6 themselves weighed in early on, and have since publication announced that they wouldn't be Sorenson any more time or resources trying to figure out what makes some guitars suffer from this, but not others.... in other words you're wasting your time trying to figure it out. The folks who built the damn thing don't even know.

 

 

Yeah and that really is a shame :/ I made peace with my 89F having the plink... The only way to get rid of it would be to swap the board and hope for the best... So yeah, good luck with that i guess xD I was reading about a guy who sent his guitar over like 4 times and they always either did nothing or swapped the piezo pickup of the Low E... BTW i took the time to test the same piezo pickup on all 6 connections on the board... My 89F also has the plink on other strings, its just not apparent the way the other strings are tuned... I do laptop and console board repair for a living and i thought i could give it a shot to try and diagnose the pcb... The problem is that L6 uses proprietary chips and of course there are no schematics available...

 

I have found some schematics of the old gen variax and if it's anywhere close to the 89F then the pcb devides the strings in 3 groups and feeds it to 3 l6 made proprietary chips, each chip handling 2 strings(the same chip is also used in some line6 amps)... Each piezo pickup has to pass through a circuit with resistors, caps and an amplifier... It could very well be a faulty resistor that's causing all these issues... I really don't know how line6 approached this issue but if you give this guitar with this issue to a guitar technician to figure it out, then good luck... This issue needs to be solved by an electronics engineer who also understands stuff about guitars... After so much searching and saving money for so long to get my 89F i really can't afford to brick it(Given the fact that if i do brick it i will most likely never get my hands on a new board). If someone could sacrifice a guitar for testing out a potential fix to this issue i would be happy to try and give it a shot i guess lol :P

The only "safe" fix i can think about is swapping the low E string connector with another string that doesn't have the issue and it wont be as apparent once it does...Then take the time to reprogram all alternate tunings to the new layout...

Again such a shame to have this issue and have no other alternatives... I bought mine knowing about the potential problem since there's no other guitar on the planet that can do what the variax does... For now i made peace with it, i mostly use the mags and only use the modelling for crunch tones or alternate tuning ONLY i really have to...

[novumlucis]

1 hour ago, cruisinon2 said:

 

If your guitar "plinks", swap the wires for the low E and A strings... you'll find that the "plink" is now on the A string. Can't be a physical problem with the low E saddle if you can relocate the unpleasant sound at will.

 

Any Variax can suffer from this problem.

 

 

It has nothing to do with the mag pickups... it's purely a modeling issue.

 

As you can see by the advanced age of this thread, this isn't a new phenomenon. Line 6 themselves weighed in early on, and have since publically announced that they wouldn't be spending any more time or resources trying to figure out what makes some guitars suffer from this, but not others.... in other words you're wasting your time trying to figure it out. The folks who built the damn thing don't even know.

 

Thanks for the responses.  That certainly clarifies things a bit.  If it is across all lineups, and swapping the E and A wires moves the problem to the A wire, then it is probably an electrical issue.  My guess is the summoning circuitry has a bad transistor, and it is clipping.  I'll know more when my guitar finally shows up. 

 

Having worked electronics for many years, the most common problem with cheaper electronics that have been outsourced to China for their production is cold solder joints on the PCB.  Many times the root cause is in the post production, where they don't clean the printed circuit boards with a cleaning solvent.  The fluxes used in the soldering process are acidic and with time they degrade the solder connections.  If you look at the solder joints they should be shinny; if they have a dull look to them, they are at least suspect.  I like to use alcohol and a toothbrush to go over the solder contacts to see if they cleanup.  And then with a high power magnifying glass I look very carefully at the connections I suspect.  If I see a bad joint, I use a low power needle soldering iron and re-heat the junction, then clean again with alcohol.  This trick fixes most issues 75% of the time.  The other 25% of the time you will need to de-solder the component and re-affix with fresh solder.  I'll post back here what I find in my guitar.