MrBluesman Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 So is it me or when buying a guitar we expect it to last a lifetime? I've had my JTV69 since launch (uk based), no issues at all until now. My battery charger has recently broken (and some batteries have died), can I for the life of me get a replacement for these in the u.k? Nope You'd think they'd keep at least making these for a decent amount of time as we all bought guitars that should be useable for many years, (their whole features I mean, so that includes the modelling side) but nope. I put a support ticket in to Line 6 who told me to contact sontec.co.uk - so I thought great they'll just sell them direct not via a retailer. No, they come back to me today to tell me that Yamaha said - the battery charger is no longer available and due to brexit (don't get me started on this) batteries can no longer be ordered from Germany. Even if they could get the batteries I couldn't charge them anyway! Now I'm probably gonna be forced to but a line 6 Helix or something just for the VDI input (which I'm sure they'll phase out) as all my other LIne6 gear doesn't have it. I don't need another unit. This is crazy Rant over - just venting as I'm sure there are many others having the same issue. I feel for anyone who bought these and is relying on them for regular gigging etc... On the off chance anyone has found a solution to this (uk based) I'd be very grateful to hear Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Battery and charger kit is available. They just need to order them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 On 2/26/2024 at 5:31 PM, psarkissian said: Battery and charger kit is available. They just need to order them. Where? I can't find them anywhere in the UK. I've been in touch with Sontec.co.uk who supply parts for Yamaha here. They've said the charger is no longer made and batteries can't be obtained due to Brexit. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Try E&M Electronics in Milton Keynes near Bletchley. They are the L6 authorized service there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 On 2/27/2024 at 12:30 AM, psarkissian said: Try E&M Electronics in Milton Keynes near Bletchley. They are the L6 authorized service there. Thanks for that. I tried them, however, they tell consumers to go to sontec.co.uk as mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Strange. They are available, so Sontec should be able to order some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 On 2/27/2024 at 4:19 PM, psarkissian said: Strange. They are available, so Sontec should be able to order some. Yes, sontec told me that the battery chargers are no longer available from Yamaha and they cannot get the batteries from Germany. Although it doesn't matter (in my case) if they can get batteries as without a charger they would be useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 On 2/27/2024 at 10:08 PM, MrBluesman said: Yes, sontec told me that the battery chargers are no longer available from Yamaha and they cannot get the batteries from Germany. Although it doesn't matter (in my case) if they can get batteries as without a charger they would be useless. This is the email. 'Good afternoon Thanks for your email. We are the service and spare centre for Yamaha/Line 6 UK. I have checked and the battery charger is no longer available for us to order from Yamaha I'm sorry to say. We were informed that since the changes brought in by Brexit we could no longer order batteries as they cannot be shipped from Germany (where Yamaha spares are held). However I have emailed Yamaha just now to see if this is still the case. As soon as I hear back I will let you know. Kind regards Customer service' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Hope to hear back soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 On 2/27/2024 at 11:04 PM, psarkissian said: Hope to hear back soon. Thanks, do you mean you've contacted them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 No. Hoping you'll hear from them soon. If there is a problem, I'll take it to my people here, and see what's up with that. I don't get why Brexit would make it such a problem. It's not a fishing territory issue like it is with UK and France. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 On 2/28/2024 at 4:32 PM, psarkissian said: No. Hoping you'll hear from them soon. If there is a problem, I'll take it to my people here, and see what's up with that. I don't get why Brexit would make it such a problem. It's not a fishing territory issue like it is with UK and France. Oh right ok. It's a major problem Brexit for shipping simple items into/out of the UK. Also it doesn't really matter if I hear back from them as they've said the charger is no longer available. So if I get batteries I can't charge them anyway! Very disappointing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 They should both be available. Hmmm,.... odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 On 2/28/2024 at 8:46 PM, psarkissian said: They should both be available. Hmmm,.... odd. Oh right, that's strange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Someone in Support here recommended try going through a retailer there using the following part numbers,... 98-034-0009 for the battery 98-034-0001 for the charger kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 On 2/28/2024 at 10:47 PM, psarkissian said: Someone in Support here recommended try going through a retailer there using the following part numbers,... 98-034-0009 for the battery 98-034-0001 for the charger kit OK do you mean ask someone like Anderons in the UK?, also got this back today from sontec. 'Thank you for your patience whilst we have been waiting for an update from Yamaha. The charger is no longer available I'm afraid so we will not be able to source this for you. Yamaha have confirmed we can order the battery but we do not have a firm ETA. We suggest 4-6 weeks but this could be longer. The total price for the battery including vat, UK packing and carriage would be £85.90' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBluesman Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 Also the part numbers you gave above don't exist in the u.k they are USA part number. Sontec order from Yamaha In Germany so can't order from the USA if the parts are available over there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 They are Line 6 part numbers. I'll look for the equivalent Yamaha numbers. "OK do you mean ask someone like Andertons in the UK?", yes, someone like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 On 2/26/2024 at 8:48 AM, MrBluesman said: So is it me or when buying a guitar we expect it to last a lifetime? Generaly speaking, yes...if it's just a guitar, with more or less universally swappable electronic components that can be had from any of a thousand sources. But anything with proprietary high-tech guts in it is gonna have a finite lifespan. The Variax was pretty much doomed from the get-go to eventually become less than what you purchased...or at least less useful, as other devices and technologies evolved. There's a lot of fancy stuff in there, and if I may quote Capt. Montgomery Scott, "The more complicated the plumbing, the easier it is to clog the drain". I ride a Harley...truer words were never spoken, lol. The Variax is finicky on a good day, and requires everything to be "just so" if it's to work as advertised. Also, it often it requires some adjustment of one's playing technique, and/or the use of specific string and pick gauges, to yield the desired results...this is particularly true for getting a convincing sound from the acoustic models. And now with the line discontinued, a scarcity of replacement parts was inevitable. I liked mine at the beginning. It does some things very well, others not so much...but after a while it's limitations became a nuisance, and I found myself going back to other instruments. On the bright side, if you ignore the modeling the 69 is quite a nice Strat clone. While a bit noisy, I actually like the mag pickups...and we'll all expire before they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stenji49 Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 If you are still seeking a solution for your battery charging issue, I can tell you that the battery used in the JTV's are standard camcorder batteries, and are widely available... including chargers. Just search out "Line-6 JTV battery" on Amazon. I've purchased 2 batteries (as a bonus they have greater capacity than the Line-6 battery) and a charger. My original charger died a couple years ago, and the original battery just bit the dust recently. No issues with the replacement batteries or charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 "... the battery used in the JTV's are standard camcorder batteries,... ", No, they are not standard camcorder batteries. Li-Ion yes. Using the current control circuitry to our specifications,... NOT some camcorder maker's specs. Use the specified parts, I've had nothing but trouble with Variaxes using 3rd party power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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