Variax anyone?

[Augie Peters]

Hi,Just wondering if anyone has had any experiences with the Line 6 Variax guitars.I added a link to Youtube where the player demo's the guitar.My interest is in the ability to tune the E and A strings down to a bass.I play in a duo behind a female singer and the added bass is a welcome addition.I have used a Roland Synth in the past but,the whole rig is a little much for live performance.Plus it has tracking issues and when you drop a bass note it's like a stumble in your performance.I've tried a Variax and found that they use a different
technology.No tracking issues or dropped notes.Also it's built in to the guitar.No extra units to hook up.
There is an optional software package (Variax Workbench ) that enables you to configure your guitar with different pickups and alternate tunings and a virtual Capo.There is just too much to describe in this post.Check the line 6 link.
I purchased a Variax Acoustic 700 off of Ebay.It will be here Wednesday.I would just like to connect with other Variax
users that play fingerstyle.That sounds like a needle in the haystack.I think if used discreetly it might sound good on some Chet tunes.What's not to like.........

Youtube demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUZ0ocHeCd8
Line 6 site: http://line6.com/

[rumrill]

I have a Variax 300 with a Warmoth neck & I play fingerstyle including lots of Chet's tunes & style. What's not to like, you ask. Well, not much overall, but there are a couple of things that annoy me:
(a) there is an unreal sound and a very slight latency when you use the V for different tunings. This is more noticable the farther you stray from standard pitch but I find it annoying even for simple Drop D. I'm told the new Tyler Variax addresses this issue but I haven't tried one yet. And I must admit that most other V owners I've talked to aren't bothered by it. I've tried your idea of tuning the 5th & 6th strings to bass git register but they sound too unreal & glitchey to me. Of course, in this case the real thing is next to impossible to achieve on a standard git, so why not...?
(b) the string-to-string balance varies widely among the different guitar models. One can adjust the string balance in Workbench - which, BTW, I find to be indespensible - but it's on a per-model basis: you might get your Strat model set up perfectly so no one string booms out over all the others, and then switch to a Gretsch model to find the D string way too loud & the high E almost inaudible. So if you use your V live and plan to use a bunch of models and/or you can't be connected to WB whenever you play, you MIGHT be bothered by this issue, as I am. I and others have asked Line 6 for universal string balance control in WB but no luck so far.
I use my V mostly for its acoustic models, as I think these sound more like the real thing than does a Takamine-style git with a piezo pup. (That is, if you use a PA or an amp designed for acoustic guitar. I use the Variax Acoustic amp model on their Pod X3L, running through the power amp input of a Crate Power Block into a single 12" cab.)
As for the V electric models, they're OK but my real electrics sound way better in every case. So when I bring along my V to a gig, I use it for acoustic 6 & 12-strings (my favorite is the Guild 12-str model with the octave strings muted via WB) and occasionally the National & banjo models. The string balance among these models is pretty consistent.
As for using V as a capo (not that you asked, I'm just trying to think of things I DON'T like about V), I wouldn't consider it - why not use a real capo that'll sound way better? - unless I really needed to tune all 6 strings DOWN, i.e. a "backwards" capo.
I'll record & post some Chet-style Variax soon. (Is it possible to do that on this forum? I just joined up now to answer your post. We Variax owners have to stick together!)

[Augie Peters]

Hi Rumrill ,
First of all welcome to the Chetboard and thanks for joining to answer my post.My Variax is "out for delivery" on the big brown truck.A welcome sight for all pickers.I owned a variax 300 for a while so I am familiar with some of their glitches.I don't recall the 300 having a dropped octave feature on the E and A strings but,I didn't have the Workbench software either.I was wondering if the Workbench would be worth the price for the Acoustic 700 since it already has the ability to create and save alternate tunings in the guitar itself.I think the alternating bass Chet style would sound great with this feature.I know all the chetboarders would love to have some video demos with the Variax.We all love our toys,especially if they can enhance our performances.Besides backing a singer where I incorporate the Chet style,I also do solo performances.
I know some of the Chetboarders may think that this is an off topic discussion but,you have to remember,Chet was an experimenter.I think he might approve.

[rumrill]

You say you can create your own tunings in the guitar itself. Are you sure about that? Please correct me if I'm wrong - maybe the Acoustic 700 is different - but as far as I know, all Variax guitars, with the possible exception of the new Tyler, come with some pre-programmed open tunings. You can move these presets around to different switch positions, but you can't make your own tunings without Workbench. And there's a lot else you can do with WB besides tunings. Some of my favorite models are ones I "designed" myself, like a Firebird with P-90's, for example.
All the Variax electric models - 300,600,700 - have the same electronics, so there wouldn't be a feature found on a 700 that's not on a 300. All the differences are in the guitar itself (neck, finish, whammy, etc).
Chet sure was an experimenter. Didn't he record an album with a special guitar that had bass strings for the low E & A?

[RandeDager]

That album was "Solo Flights" which came out in about '67 or '68. I fell in love with it. Those were actual bass guitar strings at the bottom. I did the same with my '67 CG right after that. I quickly learned how restrictive it was in choosing songs that were appropriate to that setup.

[rumrill]

Restrictive! I'll bet. All that extra tension must also play hell with the neck. Did your CG live to tell the tale?

[RandeDager]

Yes, my CG is still working just fine. It was also an unbalanced tension because replacing only 2 of the strings with these. The good thing is that I only did this for a short time. Then I realized that there were too many other songs that weren't meant for 2 bass guitar strings to "get in the way". You almost need a separate guitar dedicated to playing Chet's "octabass" style.

I also found that my ear grew "weary" of hearing this sound after a while and I wanted more variety. It was neat for a few specialized songs sprinkled in here and there but not one after another hour after hour. I got the same feeling trying to play a banjo. I need a different sound every once in a while. It's amazing the wide spectrum of "feelings" that are possible with a single "traditionally tuned" guitar.

[rumrill]

That's true. Chet certainly didn't need to stray from standard tuning (altho he did on occasion). To get back to the subject of this thread, that's what I find the Variax useful for: for a completely different sound you can switch to a banjo or a National or an acoustic 12-string and still play in good ol' EADGBE. Pedals will only take you so far. The Variax banjo sure turns heads on a gig!