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JTV-69 - is it the best of the Variax models?


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So, I had an 89 (this thread refers only to Korean models) and liked it, but a few things really bothered me to the point of selling it. The first was lots of clicking and popping while finger picking. I rarely use a pick and play aggressively at times. I don't have particularly light right hand most of the time. (and I'm not really ok with changing how I play) The second thing was the 89 neck profile never felt comfortable to me. That's just preference thing and I understand there are 59's and 69's that could solve that easily. 

 

When ever I read this board and people are having problems they seem to occur most often with 89's and 59's. Pre 89F I would attribute this to the wrap around bridge/peizo configuration. I don't know enough about the 89F or the type of player that would prefer it to make a judgement but I still see less complaints about the 69. Is it just me imagining it or are 69 owners generally experiencing less artifacts and more satisfying performances from their instruments? It does have a different bridge so maybe that accounts for some of it. This is just speculation but I'm curious because I'm considering getting a 69 as I enjoyed a lot of what variax had to offer.

 

Thoughts?

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There are different issues with JTV69's ....... but the big plus point is that you can swap out the neck and have your own choice of neck that you prefer - it just has to be one that is designed to fit a standard strat pocket.   That way you get a guitar that is perfect for you.

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Eh, I prefer a standard Tele width nut...the 69 did look narrow, but the 89 felt wide to me but it's not really wider than my 2008 SG standard just flatter. Lots of great responses here, and honestly it's pointing me at not getting another variax which kinda sucks because I like the features, but my claw hammering right hand is what it is.

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IMHO, the 69 (that I also own a 69s) is the worst of them... 1st, has the worst bridge, it is not fixed, it is not floyd, it is a strat lollipopy tremolo....After it is alder, without the awesome sustain of the mahogany... Finally, the piezo are the only one that can not be swapped by Graphteck, because the specific style doesn't exist....

 

Now why I bought one?? Because the rest of my guitars are humbuckers and mahogany only!

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I bought my JTV-59 about 5 months ago. I called tech support and asked them to tell me what serial numbers would be of recent stock (to avoid some of the issues in past years.) Its a fine guitar and has been trouble free.

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Eh, I prefer a standard Tele width nut...the 69 did look narrow, but the 89 felt wide to me but it's not really wider than my 2008 SG standard just flatter. Lots of great responses here, and honestly it's pointing me at not getting another variax which kinda sucks because I like the features, but my claw hammering right hand is what it is.

 

the 69 comes with a vintage nut width which I believe is just 1mm smaller than a standard fender nut width - that 1mm difference may make it just too close for comfort for some people - but you won't know for sure till you try one.  If you don't like it then it is a simple job to swap it out for your own ideal neck which means you get all the JTV features with your ideal neck.   The JTV59 is very close to an traditional LP in terms of neck feel and size - so if your favourite neck is a standard Tele then you may not like the 59 but you can always put a standard Tele neck on the 69.    But you don't want to do that until you are sure the rest of the guitar will behave as you want with your playing style - so I recommend getting one from an online dealer with a 30 day returns policy - try it out, see if it performs as you want knowing that you can always change the neck if its not to your liking.  I also recommend looking for one of the many deal offers out there - you can save 30% if you go for one of the old stock offers or even more if you don't mind a "scratch and dent".     Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

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