5 reasons why you NEED a Variax
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- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2024
- I'm going to give you 5 reasons why you absolutely MUST own a Variax. I'm also going to share a secret trick if you do own one that will make it 10 times better. You do NOT want to miss out.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:19 Gimmie one good reason
01:26 The models
03:30 The tunings
04:30 How to connect to computer
07:17 Add that secret sauce
(please consider watching the entire video rather than using the chapters to skip ahead, it helps the channel out a lot if you watch the full video - thanks for your help)
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#line6variax #variaxstandard #howtoconnectvariax #line6guitar #variax #variaxtuning #variaxworkbench #variaxtocomputer 
Развлечения
You should give the DS1 another try, here's why
ruclips.net/video/QTBqHJXU-uw/видео.html
I’m a JTV user along with Helix Floor and agree with every aspect of your video. This is the single most underrated technology available today.
They are fantastic bits of kit and can unlock so much potential. The technology is simply mind blowing sometimes
Good overview. That model is my main guitar in my cover band. I also have a JTV Variax as a backup. It amazes me that these are not commonplace at this point, my other guitars are fun, but these are the workhorses. And combined with a Helix (or really, even an HD500X to a lesser degree) it's an inestimable tool. And it plays SO nicely! NO LATENCY and no glitchiness like MIDI guitars.
I wanted a JTV for a while but when this came up on sale, I just couldn't say no. I use it as my main guitar mostly on the mag n pickups, but the versatility is great to have when I need it
Yes bought a standard I also have a 604 and 904 Pacifica and a Gibson. the standard is great !!!
It's still the guitar I keep coming back to. So comfortable to play 👍
definitely need one
Got 3 of them,. they're awesome, especially paired with Helix
Aye, I'm kinda kicking myself that I didn't go for the LT because the stomp doesn't have the option to link. It's a rabbit hole I could get lost in for sure 😂😂
I see that nod to Mr Mayer on the middle pickup, pleasantly surprised by this!
There are definitely some tones to be had here. I think Matt is right, you need one of these 👍
That tone bench thing looks fantastic, I could get lost in that
It's quite the feature isn't it?
Okay, here's my 2 cents. I owned and have used a JTV 69 (with the humbucker in the bridge) for a long while. I do like it for what it offers me, but honestly, I rarely use the modelling on it, except when I'll need an acoustic sound. I'll occasionally use an electric guitar model when I need a drop D tuning or the like, but I always cringe whenever palm muting is needed, which is a lot if your playing rock music, because you can't convincingly pull that off with the models, and believe me I've tried. Yes, it sort of palm mutes, but that real "chunk" just can't happen. That technique (as we all know) is muting a string between the pickup and the bridge, so because Variax technology relies on a piezo pickup system, that can't be done, there is no space between the pick up and bridge. I'm actually not that confident Yamaha will even continue making Variax guitars down the road, either btw. They haven't done a firmware update for years now, unlike their Helix. Again, I still like them, it has it's uses for me and was my main guitar for a decade or so, but it's now a secondary guitar, with my main axe being a PRS Modern Eagle V. If your playing with a larger band/ensemble and need a variety of guitar sounds/tunings for the music, the Variax is a great option. Whatever flaws you may hear would be mostly buried within a larger mix and an audience (most) wouldn't notice it. But if your in a guitar/bass/drum trio, for instance, I would go for a more traditional guitar. Your guitar sound is too exposed and important there and, at least I don't think, a Variax is the best option overall. Thanks.
I think that's fair. I use the magnetic pickups more than I do the modelling, but I love strat sounds 🤣🤣 I do hope they continue with the Variax and maybe move the piezo placement so they fix the palm muting issue
I’ve got the Variax standard after upgrading from a 300 which I owned for 14 years. I can’t understand why everyone doesn’t have one, it’s a no brainer. I play in classic rock bands, jazz big bands and do theatre pit band gigs. It does everything I’d ever want or need from a guitar. I’ve also purchased a Helix LT and now go straight into the PA. I walk into a gig with the Variax and the helix and I can get any guitar, amp or effect the job requires.
Such a useful rig
What did you think of the 300?
@@stonkpuppets6393 it was great electronically but I replaced the neck with a Strat neck, a lot of players replaced the necks on the 300’s. I’ve since bought a Variax Standard and a 700, both are much better quality builds. I keep the 300 as a spare.
I have a JTV 89 , a Helix and fun! fun! fun!
That L6 link is a very tempting thing. Part of the reason I don't use the modelling more is because I forget to charge the battery 🤣🤣
Hi @PBOD - is this guitar still in production? I noticed the software is long outdated and unsupported on new Operating Systems.
Yup, these are still in production and the software is still working on current operating systems. The old workbench software is for the previous generation of Variax guitars (300, 500,700 etc), this one works on workbench HD I believe.
Hey, this is so cool and I’m considering purchasing one to use with my loop rig,is there any latency with the -12 as I’d love to design a bass tone that can surpass the bass tone capabilities of my Roland gr55
The tracking for the -12 seems as good as any other. You can definitely hear something when you are running 12 string mode as you are pushing it to its limits but even then it's still very useable. Hope this helps 👍
@@PBOD
Thank you for responding 🙌 have you perhaps tried a -12 on each string, I want to partially use my 6 string as a bass 👍👍
That's what is shown in the last segment of this video very briefly. I've used it to do basic bass tracks when doing some home recording before 👍
Do you agree with these choices? Let me know in those comments 👍
I may be biased but that last trick was fantastic 👍
I have the JTV59 - great guitar in it's own right.
I was on the hunt for a 59, then the standard came up at a great price. Still kinda want to add one to my collection though. You got the HSS or the SSS version?
I need it! How wide is the nut? Comfortable for finger picking?
I don't know the nut width but it is a very comfortable guitar, it's been my main gigging guitar for about 2 years 👍
@@PBOD wow, need to get one. Thanks for the fast reply. Nice content, I am subscribing to your channel. Cheers mate.
When I tried one years ago it was a bit naffly made and uncomfy to play.Has it improved somewhat ? Is it as comfy and classy as a normal Strat, Tele etc ? Technology alone is not enough.Thanks.
The build quality has always been great, but the set up wasn't perfect out of the shop (but then again, neither are Fender a lot of the time). I shimmed the neck when I got it so I could get consistent low action and it quickly became my gigging guitar. It is a modern neck profile and has a flatter board than most fenders, but a lot of people in the forums say they are very easy to do neck changes on to get exactly what you want. Hope that answers your questions 👍
Hmm, but when you buy a Variax without a Helix? could you still use the workbench?
The workbench software is available stand alone, it doesn't require a helix. The helix allows you to switch guitar model at the same time as the patch. It's a great feature but not essential
@@PBOD Thanks.
Can you put a -12 cents lower octave effect on only the bottom E and A strings? Like a fake bassist for a two piece band? That would be very cool. Blend the octaves with the original signal, then you would have the normal guitar sound and a fake bassist on the E and A strings. Are the octave effects good enough to make it sound good?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure this can be done. They tend to be higher fidelity than most octave pedals, so it could work but the issue would be it all needs to go through the same amp at the end so the bass sounds will still always sound like a low guitar rather than an actual bass. I could give it an experiment though to see how good it can get
@@PBOD Thanks for the reply. I'd be very interested in a video showing if it works. I wonder how it would sound through a bass amp and guitar amp?
I still need to get around to doing this 👍 it sounds like a really fun experiment
@@PBOD You should try it. It might make a good video.
i love mine , you can only chose 2 pickups not all three at one time on the work bench..
Is that so? My bad. Either way, it's a target versatile but of kit, eh?
Should be able to activate 3 pickups at once, one of the factory Lester settings is that - I don't like it and never use it but should be an option for those wanting it
Do all Variax do the samething? Why are they from $799 to $1799? Different looking styles for sure but different options or sounds?
The older Variax models, 500, then 300, 600 and 700 don't have pickups. They also don't do the tunings. I had a seafood green 600 and loved it. Yamaha bought Line 6 and added the standard model. The next generation Variax was designed by James Tyler who was running a ve4y popular boutique guitar shop in LA and known for customized Strats. JTV-59 looks like a Les Paul, JTV-69 looks like a Strat with a humbucker bridge pickup and JTV-89 is a two humbucker shredder with a Floyd Rose tremolo. The Shuriken was released later with design input from Stevic McKay of Ten Foot Ninja. I have a black JTV-69S with a maple neck. It has a single coil bridge pickup. I also have a Helix. My guitar has locking tuners. James Tyler not only designed the neck and body, he did the bridge and tremolo as well as wound the pickups. Mine was made in Korea. It's quite an instrument. I actually would love the collection. One thing not mentioned here is using a Variax VDI cable (Variax Digital Interface) to the Helix I can store custom patches on the guitar, along with having 88 amps, 60 some cabinets, over 150 effects, XLR in with phantom power and bass effects. It even has looping, pads and multiple stereo channels that can be sent to a DAW. Using the app to control the Helix you can set the Variax knows to control Helix parameters. There are bass amps and effects as well as effects for vocals. You can receive a modeled guitar and the magnetic pickups at the same time. You can also create two completely separate audio chains with different amps. You can store hundreds of patches that change your rig and tunings. There is even send and returns. The combination is limitless.
@@kittyhooch1 Thanks so much!
I'll add to this, the old Variax models differ from the new ones too. Part way through production of the the JTV series, Line 6 bought out "hd models"of all of the same guitars and allowed the newer JTV and standard models to update to these new models. The old 300, 500, 700 series cannot update and will be guaranteed to use the old models, where most of the guitars after will have these new "hd" models.
The old models do have the ability to change tuning, but you had to save the tuning in the patch (through workbench) because it didn't have a tuning knob. It meant that you'd need to be very intentional about the patch you made as it'd not only have a guitar model but a tuning too.
The ultra expensive ones ($1200+ USD) were handcrafted in Japan or America depending on the model.
Most of the special ones from Japan are the 700 series like Steve Howe's and the Americans are just the JTV models as identified by a little "USA" decal on the front of the headstock.
Otherwise the price used to reflect the model but now things are getting kind of topsy-turvy with the much less equipped "hundreds series" being close/equal in value to the magnetic pickup models.
You guys are tops. thanks. still no variax here. always interested. I go back n forth. Les paul thru Helix is fun but new sounds are always inspirational.
The Variax line has been discontinued. :(
I know, sad times 😭😭
This is hilarious
Not what we were going for, but hey, we will take it. Thanks 👍
Think twice before purchasing a line 6 product. Customer support is disappointing.
I'm sorry to hear that
workbench? Don't you mean Wankbench?
What you do in the workbench in your own home is your own business 😂😂😂
this also sounds annoyingly nasal. Just checked an other dude's video. D same here
The guitar models?
@@PBOD yes, d models. I have d same Standard. Acoustics are nasal, other models are meddiocre, headache makers, issues at soloing with string volume differences. When the hype is over u face the reality. Why most of guitarists stay away from Variaxes.
And, I would prefer a guitar with only the suitable piezo system, electronics should stay in a pedalboard.
Oh d Standards' pups are meh too. Undynamic, harsh clippers
They've been going for a good while now, it might even be reaching the decade mark so I think it's safe to say that the hype is over. Some people swear by the Variax models, using them for theatre productions and function bands, so not everyone has the same thoughts. I respect it though if it's not for you, we all like different things eh?
right. Different things: music:) OK, so according to my experiences, the Variax's piezo is a hit or miss thing. Way too sensitive and can cause volume issues among strings that sometimes is difficult to manage (cleaning the individual piezo area or tricking in the software. My best result for acoustic sound was running its acoustic sound through a different acoustic simulator effect. I found my standards' pups a bit harsh , lacking bass/mid territories. t is made of honest alder, but on the heavy side, neck is a bit narrow to my taste, but well worked out, precise Yamaha stuff with excellent QC. @@PBOD
reason 6 you hate palm mute
I'll be honest, it's been a fair few years since I've needed to palm mute, so this has never been an issue for me. I'll have to give it a go and see how bad it is, eh?
Do you use a Variax and have experienced this issue then? Are there any work arounds I should know about?
@@PBOD I almost bought a shuriken last year and it's the piezo pickups that can't palm mute. I'll probably still get one in the next couple of years, but that's the only reason it's not my main guitar, ended up with a hardtail RG premium with the coil tap for now, and I wanted to build a custom pedalboard anyway.
They palm-mute fine, you just have to use the more conventional method of resting your palm on the tips of the saddles - muting the strings over the middle pickup isn't going to result in much usable sound