Variax Guitars
Sunday, July 08 2012 @ 12:03 AM CDT

MacJammers,

I've seen previous posts on this topic, but not for some time - I'm curious, do any other MacJams participants use Variax guitars?

I have a Variax 600 I purchased off Craigslist for $250 (original retail was $1200), and it's my main go-to axe right now. For those unaware of what a Variax is, it's manufactured by Line 6, and it's a modeling guitar. It uses piezo pickups to capture information from your playing the strings, and then uses an internal processor to output the sound of a classic guitar: Teles, Les Pauls, Rickenbackers, Gretsches, a Strat, es335's, acoustics, 12 strings, resonators, and sitars, modeling 25+ guitars in all. It's an amazing instrument. Mine plays like a strat with a smooth maple neck and I love it for live gigs and recording.

John McPhee of the Doobie Brothers (on the right, stage left if you're nasty) plays the same model I have on stage. You can see it here:



All of the recordings I've posted to MacJams in the last 6 months use Variax sounds. You can hear some of my faves on "TFT Jam" - the Gretsch rhythm guitar, Les Paul lead, and Martin acoustic.

http://macjams.com/song/73951

This tech has been around since 2003, I think, but I wonder if the guitarist impulse to favor authentic or vintage gear keeps some of us from trying out new stuff like this. I'm not working for Line 6, just promoting a product I think might change how other MacJammers might work live and in the studio.

Cheers,

KF

Re:Variax Guitars
Sunday, July 08 2012 @ 04:21 AM CDT

Wow, that sounds like it would fit in perfectly with my mindset of 'get the most as you possibly can out of everything'.

If I had more money to buy gear (I'm focusing on getting a multi-effects pedal currently), this would probably be on my list.

I think the majority of musos out there would dislike the idea of this product, regardless of their age, and would claim it could never be as good as the real thing - like the whole digital vs analogue thing. The problem is the ignorance people have when they truly believe they are right to the point where when things get scientific, and a difference is extremely minute (unnoticeable), analogue will still be "better". Because of this way of thinking, new technology will almost always be held at a "it will never be as good" level.

Not saying that this guitar is perfectly capable of modelling other guitars, I just want to remind people to allow technology to have the potential of being able to perfectly recreate the tone and feel of the real thing. And what's "almost perfect" when it comes to the money and space you'd save?

[there's my essay ]
.aemyn.

Re:Variax Guitars
Sunday, July 08 2012 @ 10:45 AM CDT

My experience with digital guitar-related stuff is that it works great 'til you notice, then you can't stop noticing it's not quite right somehow. A case in point would be the DL4 delay modeller. Brilliant piece of kit, particularly at some of it's more extreme settings. But, after a while of using it, I realised that I preferred the sound and feel of my rig without it. It's not the sound of the echoes that bother me, rather the digitisation of the main signal giving a kind of grainy, not-quite-right feel under the fingers.

That said, if it works for you, then it works for you. Certainly, with the better modelling devices, it's pretty much impossible to tell the difference at playback, and the ratio of tones for bones is extremely good.

At $250, you'd be able to sell it on at no loss if you didn't like it - I'd say go for it. Hell, if you like the guitar but not the modelling, you could always fit it out with real pickups.

Re:Variax Guitars
Sunday, July 08 2012 @ 02:41 PM CDT

Quote by: Aemyn If I had more money to buy gear (I'm focusing on getting a multi-effects pedal currently), this would probably be on my list. [there's my essay .aemyn.

Just like MP said above.....

I had a multi-effects pedal and hated it, I use all-analog, now. No one listening notices or cares, but you will, eventually. You just hear the digital modeling, and it drives you crazy.

Re:Variax Guitars
Sunday, July 08 2012 @ 03:39 PM CDT

One more benefit of the Variax, to me at least: I had a pretty good idea what a Strat or a ES 335 sounded like, having owned these types of instruments. However, I feel like I have taken a masterclass in the coolest distinct guitar tones, by playing the Variax. I know the sound of classic Rickenbackers and Danelectros, Les Paul Jr.'s and more. Purists might balk that the sound I'm listening to is a model and not the real thing, but let's be honest: If I purchased all the guitars the Variax sounds like, I'd be divorced.

The Variax has shown me what tones really turn me on - my next guitar purchase will be a Gretsch. It's my favorite electric guitar sound. Of course, the Variax doesn't FEEL like a Gretsch, but this has some advantage also: I can switch guitars and tunings mid-song and still have the same feel under my fingers as I play.

I believe that most people believe they could hear the difference, but I've seen some online double-blind quizzes on amp modeling that yielded results showing MOST guitarists can't tell the difference reliably. I'd still recommend checking them out.

Re:Variax Guitars
Monday, July 09 2012 @ 03:44 PM CDT

I have the Variax 700,same "models etc" as the 600 just a slightly different styling. I have had it for about 6 years now and every now and again think of parting with it....but it is just too much fun !...I mean come on 26 different axes including dobros ,sitars and banjo...what It has done also is lead me to buy an epiphone E175 £375 (cos a Gibbo E175 is about 4 times as much and and on my budget not cheap !!) As I like the hollow body sound that the Gretsches and Gibsons have....I would never have known that if I had not heard them on th V700...and I bought a 6 string banjo again because the V700 introduced me to the sound and again because having tried a real banitar 6string banjo I realise that the dynamics are different and while the sound on the V700 is great ...it just looks and feels wrong !!

Anyway I like the guitar very much ....however I do have a bit of an issue with Line 6 because they seem to have removed all support or spare part availability for the early generation of Vs in favour of the new series...........certainly in GB ...and to be honest their support mechanism over here is a bit pants......when my new guitar back then kept breaking strings at the bend on the blocks (like a strat it strings throught the back and then the string bends over the bridge adjusters) it came back minus the wammy bar holder a threaded insert that goes into the bridge threaded hole...then the bar goes into the little tube ....trying to get the dealer network to rectify this has proved impossible so to this day it never had its tremolo arm in place .

But overall,big thumbs up to the instrument....shame I can't play it !! lol

Jarvoid

Re:Variax Guitars
Tuesday, July 10 2012 @ 10:41 AM CDT

I was a line 6 user for a long time maybe 12 years or so mostly pods worked my way up to the hd500 and bought the dt50 both when they first released them and ordered me a JTVariax as well for the same reasons you listed basically to get the most for my money, maybe it wouldn't be exact but i could get ballpark "musical" sounds and have a huge assortment for my little studio.
However I struggled with the dt50/hd500 for almost a year due to basically tweeking constantly and not playing much. My bandmates would say "its sounds good for a modler" but the amp sounded better without the hd. I had to agree for the most part the hd was a tone suck unless being used for total sound and when sitting next to the other guitar player using a crappy solid state amp and a few pedals his tone was always good and his tube amp sounded better even but he didn't like to cart it around. I ended up losing my ass on the hd/dt50 the case and cables bought for it, selling it on ebay. I also recieved the variax the strat version and it was ok but not worth $1300 to me, If i had paid $250 it would have been a no brainer to keep though. I probably would have liked the les paul version better but the guitar neck didn't suit me the fret wire was much larger then I was used to and the overall sounds were decent but I decided to send it back after a couple weeks so I wouldn't lose my butt on it on ebay as well.
So what did I end up with? I have a prs studio great guitar but much higher end guitar than what I deserve or need probably would have been fine with a korean version. For amp i chose a mesa boogie ta-30 combo which is a great amp... but I have had technical issues with it and it has been in the shop twice in 8 months I hope to god it is finally done with being a problem child because it has really stagnated my ability to do anything I want recording wise being broke down. I had to buy another interface for recording since I couldnt do direct record out of the line 6 stuff. I also bought the basic single pedals most analogue high end boutique stuff except chorus and delay are tc electronic. Overall my sound is soo much better than it has ever been using line 6 gear and I spend more time playing (if amp is working) then tweeking instead of vice versa. To be honest I just don't have much time being divorced dad with a two year old and working fulltime (and girlfriend) to play so when i sit down to write or jam I want to play not tweak and this does that. Oh for acoustic i have a taylor 410 and a fishman artist amp. What I chose to do in the end is to buy gear I thought would last me a lifetime I was scared the variax would break down and be worthless at some point or the line 6 amp would short out and be gone. But who knows? I think the line 6 gear sounds great in the right hands and if someone don't mind replacing it every 5-7 years then go for it. That said some of the gear will last 20 years or more under the right conditions and luck. I hope my luck with the boogie holds out.
So to sum up the L6 thing wasn't for me and it took me 12-14 years to figure it out. Will I buy something else from them down the road? Highly possible I think if they continue to make variax's which is most likely a yes, a few more versions down the line they will be selling $2500 variax's that do rival authentic tone.

Regardless someone with clapton's rig who doesn't have the right recording interface or knowledge for setting sounds would still sound "not quite right" and someone with skill can make the L6 stuff sound amazing.