My thoughts on the Line 6 Shuriken Variax in 2022 with Sound Examples
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- I'd never really talked about my Variax despite having it for several years now, so I figured it would be nice to make a quick, impromptu video talking about it as well as showing just some of what it can do. I hope you enjoy.
I attempted to make a more casual, less comprehensive video, but this still ended up being just about as long as my other videos. Whoops.
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John McFee of Doobie Brothers playing this at Pine Knob Thursday brought me here. Sounded great. Cool to see great artists using these inexpensive but very workable instruments live.
It's an amazing creative tool. Using it with the Helix opens up a lot more as well
Solid explanation mate!
Dude, thank you so much! I’m looking forward to any new music/guitars you end up creating.
@@SethSilvaMusicA comment from the legend himself!
Thanks for the review. I was talking to my brother today about the Boaz1 maybe someday getting manufactured and he mentioned that Variax has something already being sold that maybe does it better. This was the most cogent review i could find on youtube about them, and it makes Variax worth a look. This might be a good solution for those of us who dont want to buy 20 guitars when we can just be bad at one:)
I’m glad you found the video useful! I’d actually never heard of the Boaz One before and it seems like a more analog take on the same concept, so in all likelihood it would sound better than a digital model (and I say that as someone who loves digital modeling, especially for amps and effects). Another one to look at for that side of things would be Somnium guitars, though those are fairly expensive, but use the same pickup cartridge system for quick swaps.
That said, the Variax can be a lot of fun. I’m just lucky in that I’ve acquired quite a few great guitars over the years, and for my ears, at least with the current version of the modeling, I prefer the “real deal” so to speak. The guitar itself is a solid, good guitar in its own right. I just hope the technology here continues to be improved upon in the future.
Wow, that is an absolutely filthy tone on the Drop C demos!!
What preset did you use if you don't mind sharing? Tube Screamer + 5150 + Greenback cab?
Glad you liked it. York Audio Mesa V30 cab V2 for the IR, but otherwise correct. Thats pretty much the combo I use 95% of the time for metal/metalcore tones. I just quickly dial the tone controls for the guitar I’m using.
Congrats on another great video. I appreciate your knowledge with each guitar. My favorite though is watching you play and hearing the music you create. Bravo once again your talents go beyond. Cant wait for the next one.
Thank you
Bad ass video!! I wish he had played some djent though lol.
Thanks! My djent days are behind me, but to be fair, i wasn’t ever really the best at it to begin with lol
What an interesting guitar. This thing seems like loads of fun, those demos were really cool to see. Also your hair is looking absolutely wicked, I love it.
Thanks Niko! Yeah the hair is getting long. I’ll see how long I can get it before I feel like I need a trim.
Great review!
Thank you!
@@SethSilvaMusic absolutely. I'd love to try one of those out. How authentic did you feel the sitar sound came across? Did it have a really cold digital sound to it or was it not bad?
I’ve never had a chance to play a real electric sitar for comparison, but I personally think it sounds good in the Variax. It’s definitely more convenient to be able to go from sitar to something more standard at the flick of a switch rather than having to swap guitars, but I’d imagine the real deal is a lot of fun as well.
@@SethSilvaMusic I've only played an acoustic sitar, if that is what you call it. Never played an electric. On my last electronic song I sampled a sitar and made the melody with that using a maqam scale for an Arabic sound. I was asked to create into music for a podcast so it's only a min or so long.
Gotcha. This is for sure its own kind of sound since its modeling a Coral/Danelectro electric sitar, but to my (untrained) it doesn’t sound very digital. I’ve messed with samples of a regular/acoustic sitar before and they definitely have a bit if a different character in much the same way that acoustic and electric guitars have a different character.
This has to be 100% the best review of a variax. You basically covered the stock settings LETTING US KNOW that theres sooooo much more than that. However, i think this review gravitated to a metal kind of player review, and the fun on variax is not just going down in tunings, that could be useful on a live setting but what really is cool about the variax is alternate tunings, and getting access to voicings outside of those that we use on Standard or Drop tunings.
A "more genres" oriented player would get the most out of these kind of guitars on most scenarios. Its hella cool how you can simply switch from playing midwest emo/mathrock to straight up djent
Thank you for your kind words! And yes, I definitely made this video more as a metal/rock focused kind of review, mostly because it seemed fitting for the aesthetic/spec for this rendition of the Variax. Most of the built in tunings on the Shuriken are drop tunings, whereas the standard Variaxes have a bit more variety. Unfortunately, I’m not all that comfortable playing in open tunings, otherwise I would have somewhat attempted to show those off a little more. I really hope Line 6 revisits the Variax and improves the modeling side of things. I love all kinds of music, and with a more “neutral” Variax, I definitely would try to provide a wider range of examples.
Hands down
Your use of casual conversation style to convey your message made for a very comfortable and informative video. It facilitated your continued showcasing of in-depth technical knowledge and guitar mastery. Your comments on the clean sounds with Filter Tron heads was right on reflecting my experience with my Gretch White Falcon. Excellent video!
I love the casual conversation style too!
Starting looking into the Shuriken because I just found out that Stevic uses it but sadly there's no place to buy it...
Yeah i really wanted to buy this guitsr because its amazing with all of its different tunings and sounding guitar but the guitar company Variax got discounted
Thank you for this vid. After just hearing about this guitar and all the hype, after hearing what you had to say - no thanks. My wallet said thanks also.
I’m happy to to be of service. There are definitely some people who get a lot of mileage out if a guitar like this one, but it’s definitely overkill for others. I’ve said it in other comments, but I really hope Line 6 revisits the variax and updates the modeling. The potential is definitely there and its a really cool idea.
The gauge/action manipulation alone is what makes this guitar crazy good for anyone in the metal genre.
I can't stand a mid action, and it's usually what happens when you play in CGCFAD. With the variax, you can put on 9s and have the action low as possible without issues.
Super flow with the same sound as a guitar with thick gauge strings. I am on the fence though. It's been a while... and I don't know about how it will sound recorded.
Killer job man..this is the first time I've really looked at what this guitar is and what it can do..I'm pretty blown away..seems like it could be a studio dream if property done..I'd go for the shorter lengths as well but damn for what they are brand new is really the biggest steal in high tech guitars.. awesome bro..I can see how appealing the kitchen sink guitar concept is but unfortunately usually when u are a jack of all you are a master of none...does sound great..but as u say..novelty wears off..but it's really interesting and would make a fun rainy day axe🤘😁🎸🎶
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! I mentioned this in some other comments, but I’d love to see Line 6 revisit this and update the modeling. I definitely think it can sound better than it currently does, even though it doesn’t sound “bad” now.
@@SethSilvaMusic you're very welcome and I was thinking the same..cuz they have far superior modeling these days..I love the unique concept to model diff guitar tones..it seems like rather than any specific model maybe the goal was to just make it sound like a version of each like single cut double cut hollow body etc...I can't wait to see what they do next..I'll probably pull the trigger at that point..gonna subscribe and check out the rest of your channel my man 🤘😁🎸🎶
Thank you for the sub. I appreciate it and I hope you enjoy the other videos as well
Great review
Thank you!
i discovered a work around regarding the piazo pluck you mentioned mate as when i first had the 250 i was getting a lot of plink especially when tuning down,the trick basically is that you play the variax and nothing else for a few months.Yup that sounds a bit sucky but the thing is that you have to change your playing technique especially your right hand placement when chugging,bringing the position further back which is probably further up the bridge than your used to. also check out chad huskeys workbench setups regarding the models,his strat sounds are much better than the factory predets and saves hours of trying to get a tidy strat patch.Have subscribed to your channel as i really enjoyed the video and it made me pick my shuriken up again,beautifully played as well and your sound patches are stunning.After a few months of just playing the variax i seemed to have found my sweet spot and thankfully when using a normal guitar reverted back to my original hand placement so that when i switched guitars i automatically changed the way i played both normal and variax guitars. The strange thing is that when i play just the guitar tuned down it can sometimes sound 'processed' a little but when you put the guitar in a mix you really cant tell,this can put people off buying one but when played with a band or other instuments you really cant hear it---
ruclips.net/video/hl7Ir_PxdxE/видео.html
Thank you so much for the info and for subscribing! I really do appreciate it. And yeah, I see what you mean about how the full mix hides some of the weirdness of the variax (cool song btw). The scale length is honestly the biggest deterrent for me. I may end up selling this one and picking up a JTV or just the 25.5 Shuriken, but I also really hope Line 6 revisits the variax and makes a newer, improved version considering there hasn’t been a major update for several year now.
definitely a good investment if you like to go to a cabin in the mountains and do some binge songwriting.
Not happy with my Sr250 you rightly said can’t replace the conventional guitar
Was unhappy with drop d tunings might as well buy another EVH aane tune it
Acoustic sound can be reproduced with effects no need to piazio pickups
Really good honest review thank you dude. I keep toying around with getting one, and I love the 'swiss army knife' of guitars analogy. I do wonder how it would interface with a helix, and if you would even need one in most gig scenarios, as I kind of see a Variax as an extension of the helix? Do you have any thoughts on this and could this be a potential video for you? I've gone from full tube guy with my Mesa to a modeling amp set up, and now I'm looking at my guitars thinking, why would I want to lug my les paul, strat, amp etc gig to gig, when I can simply have a gig in a box with one axe? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this please. Great video mate, you seem to have a good honest style, rather than the 'they sent me this, so here's what I'm allowed to say' video :0)
Thank you so much for your kind words! I have messed around with using the Variax with the Helix years ago, and it is a really cool setup if you like the way the Variax modeling sounds. You can change guitars, pickups, tuning and the entire amp/fx signal chain through preset changes or even snapshots in the Helix. I haven’t performed live in over a decade now, so I never got to test it in that context, but I definitely can see the utility of it in that context. You can essentially set things up to where you never touch the guitar controls at all for an entire show/set, so it really is awesome and it works. I just am not in love with the Variax models sounds as they are now and since I’m playing exclusively at home and through an Axe Fx 3, I don’t really need/can’t fully use all the crazy stuff the Variax does.
I hope that answers your questions. If you have anymore, I’d be happy to answer them too if I can. Idk if i’d make a video on this since I’m trying to sell the Variax and I’m by no means an expert on the Helix as I haven’t used it in a while, but I did get my Helix back after loaning it out so there may be other Helix-related videos in the future.
U wanna get good acoustic sound? Hook it on an acoustic sim pedal
The piezo sound, is the "piezo quack". It's really annoying. Picking up a Variax has this weird russian roulette type deal where you can have your 6th string sound plinky or quacky. It basically makes the 6th string have this annoying mid-high tone while your other strings sound fine.
Idk why Line 6 can't just add a firmware patch to help eliminate the issue. They said they programmed filters to help get rid of the issue but its like it never really 100% works. If you look at the workbench software, there's variables like editing string volume and all. They should add adjustable values to those supposed filters so people can edit it to accommodate the severity of the issue on their guitar.
100% agree with you here. I really hope Line 6 revisits the Variax in some way in the future. It’d be nice to see something like the leap from POD to the Helix for the Variax, since it seems like software wise, not much has changed for a long time.
@@SethSilvaMusic I was saying this too. I feel lile they can revamp the modeling again and make it sound better. Would be nice if there were more options too, like emg pickups or something.
Would be nice if they focused on ironing out everything even more, but we'll see.
This other guy on YT got 3 tips that I want to try out: fretwrap; tape around the strings at the piëzo side; and some foamstick in the springs on the back of the guitar. Maybe it helps.
ruclips.net/video/bJhdSczB-lI/видео.html
Do you find that the palm muting is flubby compared to a real guitar? What you've shown sounds great, but I find that it's much muddier than a guitar with real pickup. Perhaps it's due for some new strings or something. I think this is what you were talking about RE the bridge pickup sounding more like a middle pickup.
I definitely concur that the palm mutes don’t sound quite right and it’s definitely as a result of the design. Essentially, the Variax is using Piezo saddles, so when you palm mute, your actually placing your palm on the part of the guitar that’s sending the string signal to the Variax “brain” so it can’t really sound identical. But yes, overall it is definitely less defined sounding than a lot of regular pickups. I still think its a cool idea with a lot of potential, and there are plenty of people that use Variax for live situations and I definitely see how it excels in that context.
Hey bro I do have the 25 inch scale I meant to get the 27 would you wanna trade?
Thanks for the offer and for watching but unfortunately I don’t really do trades as a general rule. Plus, I’m thinking about potentially selling this guitar since I haven’t been playing it much outside of making this video and I could use the funds to get other things for the channel.
How much? Need a xmas gift for myself.
The guitar is (finally) listed on Reverb. I feel iffy about posting the link directly, since I didn’t really make this video for the sake of getting a sale, so if you find it in your independent searching, feel free to make an offer. There’s actually a few other ones listed as well for a decent price if you guys are looking for one, so whether its mine or someone else’s, I hope you end up enjoying it!
No whammy bar for dive bombs??
Not on this model. This one has a hardtail bridge. They do make Variaxes with tremolos however. The JTV-89F come with a Floyd Rose style bridge.
I read when you are using any of the modeler aspects of the guitar you can’t palm mute? Is that correct?
But heres the big question my friend.. do you recommend this guitar for a beginner with only an Epiphone Les Paul model and a line 6 spider V 120 amp?
The funny thing is, when I was a beginner with an Epiphone SG and a Spider III, I would have been absolutely smitten with this version of the Variax. So yes, absolutely. Let the beginners unleash creative sonic havoc by running the acoustic sims through the insane channel (or current equivalent). It’s what nature intended.
Thanks for the great video. I was impressed with the fake bass tones you could get from the Shuriken. Would it be possible just to have the -12 octave on the lowest strings (E and A) and blend it with the standard tuning, so it could potentially replace a bassist?
Thanks for watching. The big thing for the fake bass tone was using a model of a bass amp and cab. You definitely could mess with the parallel pitch parameter to get a lower octave + standard string on the low E and A, but there’s no way (to my knowledge) to split that octave sound to a different rig, so it would all be coming through whatever you have your guitar plugged into. In that sense, it wouldn’t fully replace a bassist, who would have a completely different setup and occupy different sonic space, but it is definitely a fun way to fill out the sound if you’re playing by yourself. I hope that helps!
Line6 Shuriken Variax + Positive grid spark = ultra combo tech instruments
LOVE flat finishes on guitars.!!
Wish a political celebrity would hop online and tell me very simply tell me what color this guitar is :(
Is it true his thumb print is on it?
I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. Are you talking about the guitar finish?
Shuriken stays in tune, unlike a Les Paul. You sound like you hate everything.