Variax Strat Comparison Video Using Line 6 Helix
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Test between Fender SRV Strat, Variax stock strat sounds, and Variax modified model sounds. Let me know which you like and why.
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Explanation of Strat mods:
• Line 6 Variax Strat Mo...
Soundcloud Link: / variax-strat-test-usin...
Strat custom bank Download:
bit.ly/2uyox5a
*CLEAN*
3:03 Fender Neck
3:15 Fender Neck + Mid
3:24 Fender Mid
3:33 Fender Bridge + Mid
3:43 Fender Bridge
4:51 Variax Neck
5:05 Variax Neck + Mid
5:14 Variax Mid
5:23 Variax Bridge + Mid
5:33 Variax Bridge
*DIRTY*
3:52 Fender Neck
4:08 Fender Neck + Mid
4:14 Fender Mid
4:22 Fender Bridge + Mid
4:29 Fender Bridge
5:43 Variax Neck
5:51 Variax Neck + Mid
5:58 Variax Mid
6:07 Variax Bridge + Mid
6:16 Variax Bridge
*EXTRA*
4:40 Fender
6:29 Variax
Very helpful thank... You saved my time.
Excellent video!!! Thanks!!! My Favorites:
1. Variax at 5:43, first 3 positions. Just seemed to have more soul than the Strat.
2. Close 2nd, Strat at 3:54, first 3 positions.
3. Variax clean in last set. Best of the clean tones.
Last tone with dirt/distortion was too muddy for my taste.
+calvinandhobbes1968 thanks!!
Variax was definitely hotter than Fender's magnets
25 yrs? - that's clean!
+Dagan Haddad hard to believe I've had it this long! I used to tour with it a lot, but since Variax it just stays in my studio ;-)
Great video Chad, I was thinking about doing the same comparison a few weeks ago. I feel that if you’re playing in a cover band that covers different genres of music the Variax is perfect and gets a “pass” for emulating a strat. I feel in some ways I’m a purest and own a Fender Strat myself but honestly once I bought my JTV-59 I haven’t really touched my strat. Now “psychologically ” my strat plays and sounds like no other guitar, and I feel more in touch if I’m covering Stevie Ray, Hendrix etc. I would use the Variax in most situations however playing a strat gives me that “mental edge”.
+John Alves I agree there is a psychological impact of playing different guitars. That's one of the reasons I ended up buying a jtv69 and jtv59. They sound the same but feel totally different.
Now that I have both I rarely pick up my strat or les paul :-)
Interesting - that’s true for me, too. Even though I have a few guitars that sound very similar, it is fun to switch up for the feel. Maybe that is why so many entertainers switch guitars for every song. In a live performance, the crowd usually can’t tell the difference. But, it looks cool and HAS to feel fun for the player.
A really interesting video Chad. I guess, ideally as a listener it would have been better if it had been edited down so that direct comparisons between the Fender and Variax were possible, but appreciate that you have a life to live and a dog to walk. ;) My belief is that confirmation bias is always going to be a problem in comparing any guitar against a Variax. I found myself watching and wanting the Fender to sound better, and I'm not sure that it did. Clearly looks can prejudice sonic judgement. Btw... I was pleased to see your dog move a paw towards the end of the Strat demo, I was getting concerned. :)
That probably would have been a better way to edit it I agree. Your assessment as to why it wasn't edited that way is also pretty much on point :)
I enjoy doing these videos, but have a lot going on so I try to get them put together as quickly as possible while still, hopefully, providing good content.
Confirmation bias I think is HUGE in all aspects of digital vs analog gear, heck even with brand vs brand in the analog world. To some only a Gibson, Fender, Marshall, etc is ever going to be what they love. And that's fine. At the end of the day it's about whatever tools get the job done.
What I love about Helix/Variax is it allows me SO much flexibility, especially live. Even if I felt like I was giving up some tone with that setup, which I don't, the features and flexibility would be more than enough to compensate some level of tone loss.
To me a good comparison in the analog world are delay pedals. People are so picky about their delay pedals. While I have my own preferences, such as preferring a modulated delay, I highly doubt anyone in the crowd could pick out the difference.
There are so many small details that we as guitar players worry about, and I'm one of them, that if we just focused on making good music with a band these details wouldn't drive us so nuts.
This lesson only took me 25 years of endlessly tweaking rigs to come to this conclusion :P
Back to the actual video, I do prefer the Variax. The Fender is more mellow and maybe more of a "rounder" sound. I always struggle to find words to describe guitar sounds. But I deliberately tweaked the Variax to very in your face and punchy. It works great live, cuts through the mix, and blends well with humbucker/P90 models, which I tend to use both on my custom bank.
And yeah, Great Pyrenees can be known to lay quite still for long periods of time. Until it's time for the humans to sleep, at which case they love barking non stop! :D
Another great video.
I really wish they'd made the JTV69 closer in body to a strat. The body just seemed smaller, more angular and that pick guard did nothing for the aesthetic contour to me. I know you've swapped the neck but that original headstock was also just to out of proportion in my mind. I ended up going to the JTV59 which really was a les Paul body with some subtle contour changes, but was a second choice for sure just given my own preference for neck and body
Always wish Line 6 would have just done a straight strat copy, seems other manufacturers get close (Suhr eta) so not sure if patent is an issue.
+Peter Danner I initially had the same thoughts as you. Hence I bought the 59 first. Then I got a good price on a demo 69.
Now I play the 69 way more. I use the 59 as a backup, or if I want to play a les paul style guitar.
I've gotten used to the 69 and now and don't really notice the difference between it and a regular strat. It definitely grew on me.
Love your Variax videos, Chad! I haven’t found many up-to-date videos on tweaking tones in Workbench HD. I’ve studied and learned a lot from the couple you have done. Thank you! 😄 Would you consider doing more Workbench HD videos, focusing on the different parameters you would use to improve stock banks? Thanks again!
+Dan Ziegler thanks! I can certainly do more workbench videos. Do have any specific questions you'd like me to talk about?
Chad Huskey I’d like to learn more about what you would do to a stock bank to make it sound better - like how you worked to match the stock presets to match your SRV. Like what pick-up position would do (moving it forward, rearward, and angling), changing capacitors, layering pick-ups close to, or even on top of, one another. And how blending wet and dry pick-up sound works.
Oh, and if you thought a certain modeled pickup sounded too hot (or quiet), what can be done in Workbench HD to tweak it.
Sorry for rambling. Lol! Guess I don’t know enough to know what to ask. LMAO! 😂
I would love to see some more work bench videos too. I got a helix and a JTV 89f at the same time not too long ago. I have been spending so much time learning the Helix ins and outs, I haven't really delved into work bench much. I love the mag pick ups and the Lester model, but I would like to get a bit more of a thicker and less bright tone out of the Strat model. I'm loving some of the tones you are getting!.. I am also struggling to get Good acoustic tones, would appreciate any tips there also. Ps love your band, you guys rock and your singer is amazing.
MrGrateful1 +1 on more workbench videos. I’d love to know how to tweak all that stuff to get what I want out of the different models.
+Dan Ziegler those are good ideas for videos 👍. I'll definitely work those in :-)
1) great vid and great job matching tones between the srv and variax
2) first time through I watched the whole vid and when the variax came in I immediately could tell and thought there was a noticeable difference. I went back to each pickup selection for each guitar and A/B’d them and they were a lot closer than my first assessment.
Overall there is a slighter “thin-ness” to the variax in my opinion. When I say slight I mean only noticeable when A/B’ing both while critically listening and even then I had to do it more than once SO good luck telling the difference live or on a recording if you didn’t know.
Thanks! To me in a real world scenario you can't really tell.
Plus with Variax I can sound like lots of other guitars, do Alt tunings on the fly, get acoustic tones, don't have to worry about 60 cycle hum, have the helix using snapshots control changes on the guitar, the list just goes on.
The SRV is a little more mellow on the top end, but some of it is the way I dialed in the Variax. Isolated it might not sound quite as smooth, but live it punches through the mix really well.
I'd have a difficult time choosing between the two based on sound quality. Given the flexibility of my JTV59, I usually choose it over my 74 Strat with Gold Lace Sensors. Lately I got around to trying the JTV's mag pickups -- pretty nice.
Great vid, very informative, Chad. I have to say, my favorite part is watching your dog move his paw! I know, I'm easily amused. :))) In all seriousness, this video was really helpful for me.
Great video chad, the variax is such old tech now. L6 seem to think that updating it is a new colour. I don’t believe there isn’t more that can be done with the firmware.
+Ac30 Helix thanks! It's hard to believe it's been out as long as it has. I'd love to see something new done with it!
Coulda fooled me. Variax sounds are “hotter” with a slightly harsher high end, but harsh isn’t meant there in a categorically bad way. Could be great for Gary Moore style aggressive blues, or Buddy Guy types as well.
I agree the SRV has a more "mellow" tone by comparison. I have the Varaix setup pretty hot as far as pick up output as I like the way it pushes the amp. I would describe it as having a more aggressive high end, but I find in a band context I like it as it helps cut through the mix. And I tend to play kind of aggressively :)
They all sounded fantastic.... out of curiosity, what is the internal latency for the processing in the variax? Wonder what total is from variant through helix....
+ckjjclan thanks! I've never tried to measure the latency with Variax. I've never really noticed any latency when playing it.
Very good comparison, Chad. You definitely showcased the way that the two guitars are similar to each other. But I’m curious to know is, when you picked up the 69, were you playing from the magnetic pickups or the modeling section?
Or was the third run through the one where you activated the modeling system?
Thanks!
I was only using the modeling on the 69. I didn't use the mags on that guitar at any point.
The second run through was the stock strat settings and the third was my customized strat settings.
Hi Chan, I just recently following your channel. Great stuff. You did put another Strat style neck on your Variax JTV right?
Thanks for following the channel! Yes that's a replacement neck. Here's a video where I talk about the neck that I put on there: ruclips.net/video/lJhqzIVcsbU/видео.html
Chad Huskey Thanks man! I will check it out.
Great Chad! Great playing , hands and sounds! Can I ask you to share the Helix patch used in this video? I love too much this sounds. Thank you very much.
Stefano Thanks so much for the kind words! Here's a link to my main patch that I use. I use this for pretty much all of my gigs and just customize the snapshots for whatever songs I'm playing for that gig: line6.com/customtone/tone/3822015/
Besides being a very good musician you are also a great person to share what you do. Thanks again
Hm. You just made me torn. I've had my eye on a blood red 89F, but I usually play an SRV Strat. I was thinking that with a modeling guitar it's a lot less important what pickup config you go with because you can get any kind of guitar sound the models support. But maybe I need to reconsider that? I love the Floyd Rose trem on the 89F but I definitely still want the ability to get a couple of classic Strat sounds.
If you're looking for a floyd I think you'll be good with the 89F. With the expectation of the actual SRV strat here, everything I'm playing is modeled so you can make the 89F sound exactly like that.
The physical pick up configuration of the guitar isn't very important in my opinion with Variax. I never use the magnetic pick ups, and my SRV stays in the case.
@@ChadHuskey Thanks, that was my hope and exactly what I needed to know. I guess only other consideration is whether I'd ever plug it into a tube amp, and I think the answer to that is I will never want to. I can keep the Strat at home, but for shows stick with the new rig.
por la forma de tocar me da la impresión que disfrutas mas con la variax que con la fender
+julysevilla I do enjoy the Variax the most. The neck I put on there is the most comfortable to play, and I really like the tone of it :-)
I did the blind test first and preferred the Stevie Ray Strat, mainly because it was sweeter and cleaner. I don’t think this is a perfect test, considering that the JTVs are definitely hotter. I might have padded the input on the helix, to get more at the basic tone for the clean examples. None sounded crappy though.
I agree that the SRV had a more mellow top end and wasn't as hot. I didn't attempt to match the Variax sounds to the SRV at all, just wanted to show a "real" Strat compared to Variax because so many have complained about poor Strat sounds in the 2.x firmware of Variax.
The way I have mine setup with my custom settings on Variax is how I like my Strat sounds these days. Particularly for live use I like the hotter more "in your face" tone of the modded Variax sounds.
I love my SRV, I've owned it for over 25 years and it was my first really nice guitar. It's been with me for countless gigs all over the East Coast and I don't ever plan to part with it. But for most applications these days I usually go for the Variax.
For live use there's no comparison once you factor in all the other tones the Variax has including acoustic, and the alternate tuning function.
The alt tuning function is something I use at every gig. It would be tough to go back to a normal guitar at this point because the Variax has become so much a part of what I do.
Very nice! I have the JTV59 (always been a Paul player, so it feels great). Would like to hear the same guitar models from the JTV59 to see if the neck or body differences impact the tone. I am sure that the 69 plays much more like a strat than compared to the 59. Half tempted to get the 69, but not sure would be worth bothering.
They both sound pretty close to identical. To me it just comes down to if I want the physical feel of a fender or Gibson style guitar.
I bought both so I'd have a back up for live gigs.... And because I couldn't decide which one I wanted more 😉
Yeah figured it all comes down to the necks and the feel. I have my Gibson Les Paul for a backup, but would be nice to have another Variax as well. Such an amazingly versatile guitar. Plays so well too. Glad they have expanded the lineup a bit and the guy from 12 foot ninja giving them a lot more recognition. I like how they changed the Shuriken's tune knobs to be User 1 2 etc on some. Be nice if they could somehow put little scribble strips on the tuning knob to show what it is, that would be sick. I adjust mine quite a bit and they rarely match what is on the knob, so just gotta remember it. Need to start working more to have the Helix control it more in that regard, other than just powering it. I usually control the guitar models/tunings on the guitar.
I can't get over how Stevic can keep all of those tunings square in his head especially while he is playing. Some of those tunings he utilizes are insane. I never thought of going to the level he does. Even the parts he turns strings off never crossed my mind. I usually just use the tunings as a virtual capo when some of our worship singers change the key too much for me to try to figure out the different shapes especially when I need to ride an open string. Nice just dropping or raising it X tones and play it like I always do.
I was at namm this year and watched Stevic's demo and chatted with him for a bit. Really cool guy as well as an amazing guitar player!
That's awesome. I watched that demo and he definitely seems like a cool dude and great player. I find it hard wrapping my head around his ability to keep track of all the different tunings/voicings and knowing where to play. I have enough problem remembering where everything is without switching things around during a song. LoL.
I haven't listened to much of their stuff as I don't think that is really my cup of tea, but gonna give them a try after hearing some of his stuff on the demo.
The 69 is beastly heavy for a Strat style. And I didn't care for the neck. I actually prefer the Standard by far. The problem is I just don't think Variax is there yet. It sounds fine with a little gain but cleans tend to get plunky and the current acoustic stuff is just bad. I can make my Kiesel AE185 sound 100 times better with its piezo and the Helix. I have tried everyone's Variax stuff out there. I even upgraded my tuners and string trees because they wrre lame on the Standard(not a tine thing but improved tuning stability). Ritchie Castelano makes a decent patch for the Variax that models an acoustic. It's the best I have heard and passable on a pinch. I did notice the higher the volume, the better cleans sound but it's just not good enough. I know guys use them live and they work great. The audience can't tell. To me it like a Swiss Army knife. It does most things ok but nothing great. And a few things are just clunkers. I can't even sell mine and it's like new. If I thought a firmware update was on the way I might keep it longer but other than a quick patch to add the Shuriken it's basically abandoned technology. I suspect if we see an update it will be a brand new Variax format, perhaps with different technologies. So mine sits because I won't take lowball offers. I pull it out maybe once a week and play it then back it goes.
Hey mate I am trying to update the firmware on my jtv 89f but it seems to throw an error each time. I am using the helix as a usb interface to connect it through. Also plugged in the 1/4 inch jack as well. couldnt get the problem to go away. can you possibly share any videos on how to update the variax
My understanding is that with the current helix firmware you can edit Variax, but for firmware updates you have to use the USB interface that comes with the guitar. Not sure why unless the helix drivers just don't work with line 6 monkey, but that's just a guess.
Chad Huskey thanks four the reply buddy only problem is i Jane list that interface 😐
There's a dead link for the strategy bank. Could you please give a new link? It would be nice to test your settings.
I just updated the link. Let me know if you have any issues with it. Thanks!
@@ChadHuskey Got it. Thanks. For the neck, you add two strat neck in parrapel? That's strange, but sounds good.
Yeah I just kept experimenting until I found what I liked. I tried to step outside of what I would try in the real world. Sometimes it's good and sometimes you don't hit save 😉
Looks like a nonstandard neck on the variax
It's a warmoth neck