I bought a 600 in 2007 or 8 - I used it with a floor POD XT and digital cable plugged in to the PA as my gigging set up - the POD also can control the guitar so all my patches were on stomp switches. On the #1 custom slot I had detuned Les Paul so the singer could get the high notes of All Right Now and I could keep the correct fingering for the riff. on #2 custom slot I had DADGAD acoustic and Dano, G tuning Tele for Stones and octave down for bass guitar for my solo looper spots. The guitar itself is a dream to play if you are a Stratocaster fan. The only time it ever let me down was an outdoor gig in high humidity where it just stopped working and I had to switch to backup Strat. After a couple of days drying out, it came back to life again. Around 2016, one of the piezos packed in, so I emailed LRBaggs and they sent me a couple of freebies. It stopped working one day so was hung on the wall for years until one day I plugged it in to the POD and realized it still had a heartbeat. Stripped down and cleaned up, I found the problem was in the cables to the jack socket. This old girl is coming with me to the next gig.
I have just dug my 500 out, and connected it to the line 6 pod xt live. I have managed to change settings on the xt live via computer, it is so much easier than trying to change settings via the little screen on the xt. I have not as yet got as far as setting patches on the variax yet, nor getting the xt to change settings on the variax yet but I am getting there. :)
@@ianryan5727 I found it easier to program the POD XT if it was on a chair in front of me so it is easier to see that pathetically tiny screen. If you connect the variax to the POD with a network cable, the POD will control the variax. When you save a patch, whatever guitar model the variax is set to will also save with it. I have one bank of presets - Strat, Tele, Les Paul and acoustic - and of course, the model selector knob on the guitar still works, so I can dial in a 12 string or a detuned guitar. I also have one bank for All Along The Watchtower - clean Strat, Strat with 12 string and delay for the slide section, Strat with Wah then clean Strat again, so all I have to do is hit the pedals in sequence left to right to get the sounds I want as the song progresses. I get some funny looks from musos in the crowd who can't understand where all the guitar sounds come from. I still carry a Strat as a backup!
Thanks for that Graeme. I am still just getting used to setting up sounds on the xt but it is soooo much easier via compter. I am getting used to the system then I will start to investigate getting patches to control the variax. I dont need a lot, just the ability to change settings on the variax by foot, from 12 string acoustic to les paul at one tap for stuff like Hotel California and Stairway to Heaven possibly a resonator sound in open G for slide. Cheers mate that is much appreciated. If you have any links for youtube for that sort of thing id like that a lot, i think not many posting stuff for the older models.
Thank's Dan that was very entertaining. I like how you played the song that goes with each one of those different tones. Very impressed with how you were lit, high contrast, really made that white pick guard pop.
I bought one of these in 2009 (even the same colour) - it's still going great. Guitar snobs don't like it but hey, it's close enough and super handy for home recording.
I do have this exact blue Variax 600 model since 2007 and in addition to its flexibility I must say it really feels and plays nicely and the trem is actually pretty good. Its main problem is while you can switch the sounds - it always feels the same and sometimes a different feeling makes more of a difference for the player than the sound itself. In 2009 I added the Pod X3 Live, which works great with the Variax and you can set stuff up to also control the guitar so the guitar models are adjusted together with the amp models so you can change your whole sound with the push of a single button.
If I'm not mistaken, you can change what each preset does in Variax Workbench, which I believe could either be connected using their USB adapter or via another USB hardware which could interface with the Variax, like a POD XT/X3.
I’ve got a Variax 600 and an Epiphone Les Paul. I mostly use for Variax for Strat sounds, but I also like the Semi, acoustic and alternate tunings. I got 2 USB rechargeable 9V batteries and mostly play off those. They last about 2-3 hrs so I can swap and charge them every week or so. If only they made it look a bit sexier…
There seems to be so much negativity about the variax from traditional guitarists. I own the Newer variax standard, and frankly it’s the best gear I’ve ever bought. For a gigging guitarist in a small band, its rediculously versatile. Offering great acoustic and electric sounds is a no brainier. Why isn’t it more popular? It’s head and shoulders above everything else, including my old Roland VG88 which I still love!
Worth noting, Yamaha took over Line 6, the variax under Line 6 has the same electronics as the old versions but updated, it also now resembles a Pacifica in its standard version. There may be various magnetic pick up variants but mine is the strat style with 3 single coils, it’s a good guitar in its own right but it’s stand out when you include the electronic gear. Had mine since 2016 no problems at all🎸
Dumb question, but can the 500 be played with either output jack, or does it have to be just the CAT-5 looking one? I have a Variax 500, but it's not working and I am not sure if it needs something other than the standard 1/4" guitar jack and basic amp. Thanks!
amazing guitar. Really surprised with this one. I wonder if there's like other brands nowadays that makes this kind of guitar. Im more interested into the acoustic sounds both steel and nylon sounds. It's because Im so used to electric guitar that when I play acoustic guitars, I tire easily and my fingertips feel like bleeding after 5 songs. hehehe.
Get vid as always. New a guy called Roger Dean who had a guitar that was Midi at that time. He never stopped working. But I wonder did they make a Bass version, and if so any good ? Cheers Atb 👍
this technology is just amazing . . . and now that is part of yamaha . .all innovation and creativity that line 6 had as a company seems gone .. even now chinese knock off of this ideas from Mooer is getting good reviews .. but they are not at level to what the engineers more than a decade ago achieved in Line 6 . . the quality of tone is amazing . . hope they return to their creative and leading the pack way they used to have.
Not familiar with the guitar that covers basically my whole collection… may I ask, in your opinion, which model/brand guitar the neck most closely resembles? My curiosity is piqued. Thanks Dan!👍
The problem with Variax is that if you lose the XPS footswitch like I did, you are stuck with using batteries to power the guitar. I have been searching for years to find a used XPS online and no luck! I wish Line 6 would made a new version of the XPS for Variax owners.
Very powerful features but not all rosy. I’ve seen a guitarist in a live band kick off a piece with the tuning set wrong. Instead of owning up he doubled down to complete the piece in the wrong key and messed up the song/gig as everyone else had no idea why the song fell apart. We were asked to cut the set short after that. Oh and he tried to make out that everyone else was out off tune - w£&ker!
I bought a 600 in 2007 or 8 - I used it with a floor POD XT and digital cable plugged in to the PA as my gigging set up - the POD also can control the guitar so all my patches were on stomp switches. On the #1 custom slot I had detuned Les Paul so the singer could get the high notes of All Right Now and I could keep the correct fingering for the riff. on #2 custom slot I had DADGAD acoustic and Dano, G tuning Tele for Stones and octave down for bass guitar for my solo looper spots. The guitar itself is a dream to play if you are a Stratocaster fan. The only time it ever let me down was an outdoor gig in high humidity where it just stopped working and I had to switch to backup Strat. After a couple of days drying out, it came back to life again. Around 2016, one of the piezos packed in, so I emailed LRBaggs and they sent me a couple of freebies. It stopped working one day so was hung on the wall for years until one day I plugged it in to the POD and realized it still had a heartbeat. Stripped down and cleaned up, I found the problem was in the cables to the jack socket. This old girl is coming with me to the next gig.
I have just dug my 500 out, and connected it to the line 6 pod xt live. I have managed to change settings on the xt live via computer, it is so much easier than trying to change settings via the little screen on the xt. I have not as yet got as far as setting patches on the variax yet, nor getting the xt to change settings on the variax yet but I am getting there. :)
@@ianryan5727 I found it easier to program the POD XT if it was on a chair in front of me so it is easier to see that pathetically tiny screen. If you connect the variax to the POD with a network cable, the POD will control the variax. When you save a patch, whatever guitar model the variax is set to will also save with it. I have one bank of presets - Strat, Tele, Les Paul and acoustic - and of course, the model selector knob on the guitar still works, so I can dial in a 12 string or a detuned guitar. I also have one bank for All Along The Watchtower - clean Strat, Strat with 12 string and delay for the slide section, Strat with Wah then clean Strat again, so all I have to do is hit the pedals in sequence left to right to get the sounds I want as the song progresses. I get some funny looks from musos in the crowd who can't understand where all the guitar sounds come from. I still carry a Strat as a backup!
Thanks for that Graeme. I am still just getting used to setting up sounds on the xt but it is soooo much easier via compter. I am getting used to the system then I will start to investigate getting patches to control the variax. I dont need a lot, just the ability to change settings on the variax by foot, from 12 string acoustic to les paul at one tap for stuff like Hotel California and Stairway to Heaven possibly a resonator sound in open G for slide. Cheers mate that is much appreciated. If you have any links for youtube for that sort of thing id like that a lot, i think not many posting stuff for the older models.
This is the best review of this product i've found, nice work man!
Thanks!
Just picked up this guitar second hand in same colour, stunning in real life
My mind was blown by this 20 year old gear. Thank you for the opportunity to get to know about this guitar.
Thank's Dan that was very entertaining. I like how you played the song that goes with each one of those different tones. Very impressed with how you were lit, high contrast, really made that white pick guard pop.
I bought one of these in 2009 (even the same colour) - it's still going great. Guitar snobs don't like it but hey, it's close enough and super handy for home recording.
I do have this exact blue Variax 600 model since 2007 and in addition to its flexibility I must say it really feels and plays nicely and the trem is actually pretty good. Its main problem is while you can switch the sounds - it always feels the same and sometimes a different feeling makes more of a difference for the player than the sound itself. In 2009 I added the Pod X3 Live, which works great with the Variax and you can set stuff up to also control the guitar so the guitar models are adjusted together with the amp models so you can change your whole sound with the push of a single button.
In case you're unaware, your review of the Variax 600 is the best out there, and for too many reasons to go into here. Thanks.
Thank you!
Brilliant
If I'm not mistaken, you can change what each preset does in Variax Workbench, which I believe could either be connected using their USB adapter or via another USB hardware which could interface with the Variax, like a POD XT/X3.
Just dug my old variax 500 out and it is still rather amazing, thanks for the review. Nice bit of Yes too! :)
I’ve got a Variax 600 and an Epiphone Les Paul. I mostly use for Variax for Strat sounds, but I also like the Semi, acoustic and alternate tunings. I got 2 USB rechargeable 9V batteries and mostly play off those. They last about 2-3 hrs so I can swap and charge them every week or so. If only they made it look a bit sexier…
There seems to be so much negativity about the variax from traditional guitarists.
I own the Newer variax standard, and frankly it’s the best gear I’ve ever bought.
For a gigging guitarist in a small band, its rediculously versatile. Offering great acoustic and electric sounds is a no brainier.
Why isn’t it more popular?
It’s head and shoulders above everything else, including my old Roland VG88 which I still love!
Worth noting, Yamaha took over Line 6, the variax under Line 6 has the same electronics as the old versions but updated, it also now resembles a Pacifica in its standard version. There may be various magnetic pick up variants but mine is the strat style with 3 single coils, it’s a good guitar in its own right but it’s stand out when you include the electronic gear. Had mine since 2016 no problems at all🎸
Got my red 500, best toy I ever bought
Dumb question, but can the 500 be played with either output jack, or does it have to be just the CAT-5 looking one? I have a Variax 500, but it's not working and I am not sure if it needs something other than the standard 1/4" guitar jack and basic amp. Thanks!
amazing guitar. Really surprised with this one. I wonder if there's like other brands nowadays that makes this kind of guitar. Im more interested into the acoustic sounds both steel and nylon sounds. It's because Im so used to electric guitar that when I play acoustic guitars, I tire easily and my fingertips feel like bleeding after 5 songs. hehehe.
The lack of gear snobbery is refreshing. Sounds good enough for a hack like me.
It helps me out with local theatre pit work.
This model has the best acoustics in my opinion, shame there is no option to load this models on the JTV or standard variax. Great video and playing 👏
Used to play gigs with a mate who had one. Always got great tones. I liked the open tuning setting and eh…the banjo! 😂
Looks live a real problem solver that one 😎
Great demo! Is there a so to speak built in amp simulator in the guitar, and therefore no need for a heavy guitar amp? 🤔
Not on this model at least-not sure on the new ones, but I’d guess not as they want you to buy the POD XT or other line 6 stuff!
Get vid as always. New a guy called Roger Dean who had a guitar that was Midi at that time. He never stopped working. But I wonder did they make a Bass version, and if so any good ? Cheers Atb 👍
The acoustic guitar simulations are most impressive!
this technology is just amazing . . . and now that is part of yamaha . .all innovation and creativity that line 6 had as a company seems gone .. even now chinese knock off of this ideas from Mooer is getting good reviews .. but they are not at level to what the engineers more than a decade ago achieved in Line 6 . . the quality of tone is amazing . . hope they return to their creative and leading the pack way they used to have.
Hey that's my guitar! Bloody love this thing
Not familiar with the guitar that covers basically my whole collection… may I ask, in your opinion, which model/brand guitar the neck most closely resembles? My curiosity is piqued. Thanks Dan!👍
The problem with Variax is that if you lose the XPS footswitch like I did, you are stuck with using batteries to power the guitar. I have been searching for years to find a used XPS online and no luck!
I wish Line 6 would made a new version of the XPS for Variax owners.
You can power it through a pod via the digital cable.
If you have a POD, it can power the Variax via PoE (Power over Ethernet), since the Variax cable is a bog standard CAT5 network cable.
I bought 2 USB rechargeable 9V batteries. They last about 2-3 hrs. When one runs out, I’ll charge it and swap in the other one.
Great video
What other gear are you using?
I’m just going into Logic with a UA interface and a Fender amp plugin.
Gobsmacked is the word !
No nylon??
Unfortunately not! That is a shame definitely…perhaps it used to be available as a sound..
Very powerful features but not all rosy. I’ve seen a guitarist in a live band kick off a piece with the tuning set wrong. Instead of owning up he doubled down to complete the piece in the wrong key and messed up the song/gig as everyone else had no idea why the song fell apart. We were asked to cut the set short after that. Oh and he tried to make out that everyone else was out off tune - w£&ker!