***The Official Guitar Thread***

Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
56,791
Location
Stoke on Trent
wow that is some versatile guitar if it's any good. The key thing is how it plays and sounds though.

it sounds like any major electric /acoustic and plays really well.

Back in 2011 I'd bought the Line 6 James Tyler JTV58 for live work and one evening I broke a string, picked up my Gibson Les Paul Standard and it felt awful compared to the JTV59.
A couple of weeks later playing again and broke a string so picked up my Yamaha SG2000 which also didn't play as good so I bought a spare JTV59.
Amazing playable guitar.

variax.jpg


variaxtwins.jpg
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
28 Dec 2017
Posts
8,386
Location
Beds
When I was a guitar tech we had someone who bought the basic Variax model, and once he was happy with the electronics/sounds, he had us make a solid walnut body and transfer the neck and guts to it. Nice project, though I think it was missing some of the fancier digital features.
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Nov 2019
Posts
3,307
When I was a guitar tech we had someone who bought the basic Variax model, and once he was happy with the electronics/sounds, he had us make a solid walnut body and transfer the neck and guts to it. Nice project, though I think it was missing some of the fancier digital features.
would that do anything for the sound though if it's all digitally modelled, or was it just for the appearance?
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Dec 2017
Posts
8,386
Location
Beds
would that do anything for the sound though if it's all digitally modelled, or was it just for the appearance?
It will have a bit of impact on the sustain and dynamics but probably pretty negligible on the tone. More about feel, both how it feels to play and the fact the original was a plasticy thick paint. Just going for a classier finish really.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
56,791
Location
Stoke on Trent
When I was a guitar tech we had someone who bought the basic Variax model, and once he was happy with the electronics/sounds, he had us make a solid walnut body and transfer the neck and guts to it. Nice project, though I think it was missing some of the fancier digital features.

I had the original Variax 300 and sold it when I had the two James Tyler versions above (only just noticed the picture wasn't showing if you want to look again).
I've now inherited my Dad's Variax 300 which I'll also be selling for a bargain.
There is also a Roland GK2 pickup attached for his Roland GR20 Synthesizer which I've now got two of.

variax300.jpg



This is a guitar I regularly play live that was built of all original Fender parts and I mounted an internal Roland GK3 into it to link with my Roland GR55 or Boss GP10.


fendermidi3b.jpg
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Dec 2017
Posts
8,386
Location
Beds
I had the original Variax 300 and sold it when I had the two James Tyler versions above (only just noticed the picture wasn't showing if you want to look again).
I've now inherited my Dad's Variax 300 which I'll also be selling for a bargain.
There is also a Roland GK2 pickup attached for his Roland GR20 Synthesizer which I've now got two of.

variax300.jpg
That's the one! I recall around the same time also wiring a different 6-pickup bridge into a Roland system for someone's ideal setup. Take a Les Paul that was their main touring guitar, rout out a huge cavity, surgery on all of the wiring. A lot of fragile little piezo wires and complex ribbon cable decoding. One of the biggest electronics challenges I had. But the end result was a finished instrument that looked totally stock!
 
Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
56,791
Location
Stoke on Trent
That's the one! I recall around the same time also wiring a different 6-pickup bridge into a Roland system for someone's ideal setup. Take a Les Paul that was their main touring guitar, rout out a huge cavity, surgery on all of the wiring. A lot of fragile little piezo wires and complex ribbon cable decoding. One of the biggest electronics challenges I had. But the end result was a finished instrument that looked totally stock!

The reason I made the Fender Partscaster is I have a 1978 American Fender Strat that has been valued at around £1700, I was going to put a Roland pickup inside that but my mate wouldn't allow me, so he gave me access to any parts in his Luthier room so I didn't destroy it.
The 1978 Strat is his when I die, he calls it Excalibur :)

fenderstrat2.jpg
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Posts
3,517
I'm trying yo play Tempted by Squeeze at the moment. It is fairly tricky, but a sign I'm getting better. A few years back I would have marked this as impossible.

Here's the version I am trying g to play (that's not me!)
 
Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
56,791
Location
Stoke on Trent
I'm trying yo play Tempted by Squeeze at the moment. It is fairly tricky, but a sign I'm getting better. A few years back I would have marked this as impossible.

Here's the version I am trying g to play (that's not me!)

I have everything by Squeeze, such talented writers but I only have one lasting memory.
They played bottom of the bill to Eddie and the Hotrods & Radio Stars at the Victoria Hall Hanley around 1978.
The crowd hated them and bottled them off the stage and it was the last time they sold bottles at Victoria Hall.
I thought they were brilliant.
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Posts
3,517
I have everything by Squeeze, such talented writers but I only have one lasting memory.
They played bottom of the bill to Eddie and the Hotrods & Radio Stars at the Victoria Hall Hanley around 1978.
The crowd hated them and bottled them off the stage and it was the last time they sold bottles at Victoria Hall.
I thought they were brilliant.

I only saw one band get bottled off. A truly dreadful glam rock band (Park Avenue? Or something similar) in a rugby club in the s Wales valleys.

The good old days...
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Dec 2005
Posts
5,006
loads of great sounds on the Helix - one of the best things with Line 6 is the built in interface - I'm back to a POD XT with no extra inputs but it's all you need to record if the only input is guitar. The Helix might even have extra L/R, mic? inputs so it functions even more like a proper interface...and if you already have an interface you can use them both with a DAW for recording of Youtube vids etc

might have posted before but had a Kemper/Helix rack and Axe FX all on demo at the same time...was pretty fun :D

 
Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
56,791
Location
Stoke on Trent
loads of great sounds on the Helix - one of the best things with Line 6 is the built in interface - I'm back to a POD XT with no extra inputs but it's all you need to record if the only input is guitar. The Helix might even have extra L/R, mic? inputs so it functions even more like a proper interface...and if you already have an interface you can use them both with a DAW for recording of Youtube vids etc

might have posted before but had a Kemper/Helix rack and Axe FX all on demo at the same time...was pretty fun :D


The Helix will be just for stage use, if we play 25 songs half are on keyboard and half on guitar (some both at the same time) and I need a different sound for every song.
I nearly bought off a scammer on Gumtree and the one thing he did to make the sale look real was to say he'd had extra sounds put on it by this guy and I think I'll be investing, he also does sounds for the Helix -

 
Soldato
Joined
14 Dec 2005
Posts
5,006
aye it's really versatile for gigging...I went with the Kemper because of the 'rawness', had to sell it due to being an idiot :p, but if I buy another high end modeller it would be the Helix or Axe FX due to the wider variety of tones

ideally I'd have them all all...oh well

Carl Brown of GuitarLessons365 stands by the Helix - if you watch him he plays and likes acoustic/classical/rock/shred... so not a one trick pony
 
Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
56,791
Location
Stoke on Trent
So I was in talks with a seller from Thursday who has now gone quiet so decided to contact somebody only 25 miles away.
Yes it's still for sale, he'll drop it from £670 to £600 and it's in a flightcase and only 4 months old.
I asked if I can go round tomorrow morning but he gets back and posts "You live in Stoke, I'll be there tomorrow so I can bring it to your house" - result.
I then stalks him and says "I notice you are a fan of 14 year old Freya who plays in a School Of Rock tribute band, she is bloody awesome.
He gets back "She's my daughter, it's her pedal and she will be with me tomorrow because I'm taking her to rehearsals".
Small world.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Feb 2009
Posts
3,191
Location
Sunny Fife
Some stunning gear in here, makes me wish I didn’t have sausage fingers, well that and the inability to carry a tune.

Driving my old man to guitarguitar in Edinburgh in about 20 minutes, he is off to buy another strat, he doesn’t play much since he had a stoke a few years ago but he thinks a new guitar might inspire him….the last couple didn’t really though lol.

My mum is raging, in that female I’m not angry but I am way, I get that he just wants it and maybe will only use it a few times but surely anything that makes you happy is a good purchase? Glad at least he kind of has her blessing this time, he bought a G&L (I think that’s what is was, something to do with Leo Fender) a few years ago when he only went in for strings, he came over to the car with it and I was lost for words, all I could say was “you are dead this time” over and over lol.
 
Back
Top Bottom