Screw This Variax Shit!!

[Rambo66]

I am OVER this Variax ****!!! I bought a suburst 300 from GC when they were blowing them out. Went out and bought Workbench to be able take advantage of all of the tuning capabilities and customizing options. Hook everything up and I start getting all kinds of errors. Won't let me load any of the customized models into the Variax. After going back and forth Line 6 support I was told that something was most likely up with the guitar and since the guitar was still within the 30 or 45 day return window the guy at Line6 suggested I send it back and have GC send me a replacement. So I contacted GC and they sent me a FED EX return label and I boxed it up and sent it back. After a whole bunch of junk, GC told me they were out of the Sunburst they were blowing out so they couldn't go through with the exchange and they would refund my money. Now I was kinda pissed because I went ahead and bought Workbench from Sam Ash and since it's software I couldn't return it, so I was out $100. GC was cool enough to say they would honor the initial sale and send me a black one instead...same price $399. Cool.

The new Variax came today, not black.....sunburst EXCEPT that it's the 3-tone sunburst not the two-tone they had initially sent me. The two-tone is MUCH cooler than this ugly *** three-tone. And most importantly it's nowhere near as good a guitar as the last one was, just doesn't feel as good. Anyway....I hook it all up to my laptop, start workbench, try and load my customized models and..............SAME ERROR AS I HAD PREVIOUSLY. But not there's a whole new thing going on, sometimes I switch the pickup selector and turn the model knobs and NOTHING HAPPENS..... Unplug power and it works again. Change anything and nothing. BUT the custom models will still not load. What to do? Contact Line 6 and try and see if there's a problem with Workbench and have them send me a new one? Will I get it in the GC return window? If not I'm screwed.
I am sooo tired of this bull I think I'm gonna take the hit and lose my money on the Workbench which BLOWS!!! Send this ugly *** 300 back and get a credit and stick to real guitars. My Gretsch has NEVER given me a problem, plug it in.........always works. Same with my Gibsons...........Fenders.......**** even my $80 Brownsville Thug is a no hassle guitar.
Probably for the better, I can see this 300 being a $400 paperweight in a few years. "Oh that thing in the corner? That was one of those modeling guitars. To tell ya the truth it never really worked. The sounds were cool.....kinda but the whole selling point....tunings customizing the pickups and bodies was a major headache. And since it doesn't have a regular pickup I can't use it anymore." This is BULL****!!! What a major waste of time and money.

[n.j.]

Best thread title ever.

Also exactly how I feel. I have never like a guitar less.

[Nolatone Ampworks]

Originally Posted by n.j.

Best thread title ever.

Also exactly how I feel. I have never like a guitar less.

I saw two guys playing Variaxes through POD's direct into the PA system last weekend. It was a classic rock band. I found it quite uninspring to listen to. Not because the sounds were *bad* (they really weren't GOOD either) but because I'd just left my pub where I had a Saturday night act playing our amps (my band plays every Friday night, and we leave our backline set up!), and I was able hear both within a few minutes of each other.

The POD->PA sound was just very "boring", not having real amps on stage to blend with the PA sound. A LOT less dynamic and less exciting.

I posted this on the Seymour Duncan forum and immediately...for about 140 posts worth, got slayn for being a boutique bigot. It was silly.

A good guitar has a soul all it's own. Same with a good amp. Together they have complex and pleasing interations.

I don't see how a guitar with a silicon brain could have that same type of soul. Not that that's a bad thing and that no one should like that.

I'm feeling very spiritual about my gear lately though

[Glide]

If you want to model sounds simply get the GNX4: http://www.digitech.com/products/GNX4/index.htm

[Rambo66]

Is the digitech gonna give me 12 string electrics, acoustics, Teles, Strats, 335, Gretsch, Firebirds, Les Pauls, alternate tunings and on and on and on? We're talking about the VARIAX not a POD. Get with the program.

[Rambo66]

There's a guitar player here in Philly, Mark Julian Teague, really nice guy and an AMAZING player to boot. I saw him recently playing with Beru Revue and he was using a Variax and he sounded awesome!!! The other guitar player in the band Greg Davis plays a Guild Bluesbird and an early-60's Strat, they both had great tone so I know it can be had with these Variax guitars. It's just such a MAJOR headache that I can't be bothered anymore.

[pbradt]

Modeling is a complete and utter waste of time.

Again, tempting the mindless with the useless.

[Rambo66]

Originally Posted by pbradt

Modeling is a complete and utter waste of time.

Again, tempting the mindless with the useless.

I'm not digging this Variax but I have to disagree. Ask Jimmy Rip, Kevin Dukes, The Edge, Adrian Belew, Carlos Rios, Justin Meldel-Johnsen, Kenny Greenberg, Tony Iommi, Todd Rundgren, Steve Howe, Pete Anderson, Oz Noy, Mike Elizondo, Lyle Workman, Lukas Gottwald or do you consider them to be mindless?

I don't think you can write off anything with such a blanket statement as the one you made. That to me shines a spotlight on your ingorance and immaturity.

[pbradt]

I don't care what you think. If those guys are using that shit, they just lost ALL my respect. Case closed.

[Rambo66]

They are some of the greatest players in the world and they use whatever tools it takes to get the sounds they want. They have open minds when it comes to technology and making music, I suggest you give it a try.

[epluribus]

Hey Rambo.

I hear ya, my 300 was wicked ornery to get up and running. One of those USB peripherals that disappears and re-appears at first, till I swapped ports enough to make it happy. The Neutrix connector got stuck in and I had to get on both L6 discussion boards to learn the secret fix.

Updating Workbench and Monkey was a pure headache, but doing that was the final key to making it work as advertised, and it's been a piece of cake since.

Now that it's working, I've frankly been shocked to find out what a good guitar it is. Most VAxes I pick up in shops just feel numb and dead in my hands, and that's without any electronics on at all. So with this one I was very lucky, to be fair. Bought it from a great guy on EBay who told me it was one of the best playing Variaxes he'd ever tried. It was immaculate when it showed up, very nicely cared for and packed. Had to agree with him on the feel, this one just went together right--lucky find. Also responded wonderfully to a good setting-up and a set of Elixirs to tame the piezo quack slightly. (A comp works best though.) I really expected to yank the guts and do a Warmoth conversion or something, but this really is about the best playing VAx I've ever picked up, even among the 700s, et al. The neck even stays straight. It's a keeper.

BTW, not all patches are created equal, IMHO. Over the course of several A/Bs with my guitars and some loaners, it does an excellent Tele bridge pup, but a weak Strat. I like the P-90 LPs much better than the PAF patches. The archtops were all surprisingly good, but I spent a lot of time getting good Ric sounds--which I eventually did. The flattops also took a fair amount of tweaking, and I got by far the best results building "amp" patches in my Pod and/or my CyberTwin to really nail the acoustic sound in a PA. But the twelve-strings? They sound like piezo Thwock! on steroids, even the patches I nabbed on the web, and the thin body and weak articulation just melt into mush in a PA, even solo. All just IMHOs, of course. Lots of folks on the VAx boards hear it different, so vive le difference I guess. :BEER

Oh yeah...like any PC-based gear...support? It's only as good as your Googling, but it worked for me.

--Ray

...oh, yeah...

Originally Posted by leftys-bbq

The POD->PA sound was just very "boring", not having real amps on stage to blend with the PA sound. A LOT less dynamic and less exciting.

Agreed. I carry a Pod as a backup, but IMHO it is indeed pretty lifeless in a PA, and tending to be sterile, esp in a mix. Both the VAmp Pro and the CyberTwin whip the daylights out of it in that dept., the CT being the most realistic behaving "modeller" I've ever laid hands on.

But the VAx...that's another surprising thing. I've found that when I plug it into my various tube amps it behaves pretty much like its real counterparts, interacting very nicely with the electronics and holding its own in the mix as well. Not an exact match for sure, but I'm amazed at what I can make it do, and how intuitive it feels--kudos to L6 on that.

As many have said, probably the best backup/variety guitar ever made. Whatever the case, once ya get the dang thing workin' it's just way too much fun.

sykocybernetic

[pbradt]

They are some of the greatest players in the world and they use whatever tools it takes to get the sounds they want. They have open minds when it comes to technology and making music, I suggest you give it a try.

Sez you.

I don't care if they're the second coming of Django, not a one of them sets my nose hairs on fire. I don't care a whit what *anyone* else uses anyway. Whatever floats their boat. You can sing the praises of any of that stuff, whatever floats YOUR boat. Just don't ask me to call it good. I won't.

Furthermore, I have not a single intention of wasting my time or money on that junk. I have three lovely Tweed amps, A Telecaster, an Esquire, A Stratocaster and a Dano Baritone. They give me *exactly* what I need, every time. Why would I waste money on technology that can't possibly match the originals? I mean, I might as well take the money I'd spend on that junk and light it on fire.

Or as a friend of mine just said, there's no substitute for the real deal.

[Rambo66]

Hey Bro I hear ya..... maybe they don't offer anything that appeals to you. I can understand that BUT they do offer tons of things your guitars can't do. The tuning capabilities alone are worth the price of admission. Then there's the whole pickup and bodies and control swapping that you can do. Your guitars can't do that....no way. Granted you may have no use for that, that's cool. But there's no reason to rail so hard against the stuff. I looked at your profile, your 52 you'd think in all of your years you'd think you would have learned a thing or two about being so close-minded. I checked out the clips of your playing and I was all set to be unimpresses with your playing (so many of the cats here that spout off about gear can't really play) but you sound good. You play in tune and have a tone.

I didn't think the models sounded EXACTLY like the guitars they were copying but then I opened my mind and started listening to them for what they are on their own, their own merits and there are some really, really cool tones to be had in there. Does the Les Paul Special sound just like a real one? Nah, but it's VERY VERY close and more importantly it's sounds good. If you can listen to the sounds/models with your ears and not your brain, or your ego or your pride then I think you would find something in them you could get with. Just saying.

I have a bunch of very cool guitars and some AWESOME old amps. Like you I am BIG into old tweeds. I have 2 tweed Supers, 3 tweed Deluxes, a Harvard. I've had a '60 Bassman, Pros etcl..... They're awesome......guess what? I have also taken my POD to sessions and left the amps at home and the tracks still rocked!!

[pbradt]

Hopw do you like the Supers? I'm thinking about building one, because my Bassman is too loud and too heavy to carry. I've got a couple of NOS Mojotone MP10Rs out in the garage, just waiting for an amp to go into.

The Bassman sounds great but I'm just not using it enough to justify keeping it. Any idea how a 5F4 Super stacks up afainst a 5F6A Bassman?

[Rambo66]

Tweed Supers could be thee greatest amps in the world. I love mine. I have 2 '57's.

I have to say, I never liked my Bassman. Just not the sound for me. I love 10's but I don't think I like 4 10's. Although I have played a couple of Super Reverbs that I thought were pretty spectacular. The Bassman was in AMAZING condition, C-L-E-A-N but not for me.

having said that, you can't go wrong with a tweed super. 35 watts 2 10's, that could the greatest guitar setup ever.