Line 6 Variaxe guitar?

[sparrow]

Hi guys
I'm new here. I've been reading the blurb on the Variaxe guitar. Anybody have any first hand knowledge of these things? Do they sound OK? Do they Play OK? Do they RECORD OK?

[Rockerbob]

I have a Variax 700 electric guitar. I like it a lot. It feels OK and it has a great variety of sounds. In particular I like the Gretsch and Rick sounds, but all are pretty good. I have demos of mine posted here:

http://www.rockerbob.com/VariaxDemo/

[A GUY NAMED JON]

I played the acoustic variax. I though it was a great peice of gear, with a lot of neat tricks such as alternate tuning, mic position, and of course guitar modeling, all with the switch of a button. It sounded real good, but it also sounded a bit synth like at times. I wouldn't recommend this for an acoustic player but more for electric guitar players that want to have it all with only spending once. Or if you don't want to lug around a whole bunch of guitars for a live show it wouldn't be a bad thing to have handy.

[JR#97]

Originally Posted by Rockerbob

I have a Variax 700 electric guitar. I like it a lot. It feels OK and it has a great variety of sounds. In particular I like the Gretsch and Rick sounds, but all are pretty good. I have demos of mine posted here:

http://www.rockerbob.com/VariaxDemo/

Dude.. you freaking kick ass on the geetar. Just had to let you know.

[Rockerbob]

Originally Posted by JR#97

Dude.. you freaking kick ass on the geetar. Just had to let you know.

Thanks! I appreciate the kind words!

[red_riviera]

I have a Variax 500 and a Acoustic 700. The're well built, I have found them to be totally reliable. Incredibly versatile, with these 2 I really don't need any other sort of guitar for recording. Oh, they're also very quiet, no hum from the single-coil (Strat) models or feedback on the acoustics.

However... they just don't look the part or feel particularly inspirational. I find it difficult to write songs / riffs on them, even though it's easy to come up with new sounds. Prefer my Garison acoustic / Strat / Rickenbacker to work out the song ideas, then use the V-axes for convenience of recording.

Anyway the 500s are so cheap now (£429 if you shop around) you can't go wrong.

[Neil Ogilvie]

I don't know if it's any help, but the guy from the Mars Volta plays a Variax and he gets some weird/nice sounds.

[lbanks]

Originally Posted by JR#97

Dude.. you freaking kick ass on the geetar. Just had to let you know.

Excellent playing!

[Rockerbob]

Originally Posted by lbanks

Excellent playing!

Thanks much!

[ahuimanu]

Originally Posted by JR#97

Dude.. you freaking kick ass on the geetar. Just had to let you know.

Please allow me to second that... very tasty.

[mishagolin]

i tried the acoustic one and was not impressed at all. not only did it sound bad, it played bad. the guitar has no feel. i would much rather be limited in my tones to only "good" tones than to be able to get a ton of crappy ones.

i won't be buying one of these. i'd rather save up for good sounding acoustic guitars one at a time. they will always sound better. once again i'd much rather have one guitar that sounds beautifully, like it should, than a guitar that does a poor job of emulating a bunch of other guitars.

[turnitdown]

You can now buy replacement bodies for the Variaxe... That's the key... I hate the original bodies... but in a nice Strat shape, with a slimmer neck??? SSSWWEEEEEEETTT!!! (My buddy just did this... NOW it's nice!)

[iwanarock]

I have a Variax 500 and have to say I think it is the single best investment I have ever made of guitar technology for the price. I was one of the fortunately who jumped on it when Guitar Centers started selling the 500 for $499 a while back. I have a Gibson Les Paul, Fender Strat, Ovation acc/elec 6-string, Fender acc/elec 12-string, Casio Midi Guitar just to name a few. Do I like the Variax better then my others noted above ....well I don't know if I would say better ....I would say it is far more versatile then any one of them and absolutely shines with clean tones. Does the Les Paul model sound like my Les Paul ....No .....But it is not the same model/year and I for one am glad it does not ...but it does provide Les Paul tones that I like and use depending on the song and tone I am looking for. The acoustics 6-string models are really cool ....I am not as big on the 12 string acoustic models ....The Reso give me tones and sounds I have never had before and feel in love with. The Semi and Jazzbox are great for Blues tones ...The Tele Models are really nice with clean tones ...I like my real Fender Strat for distorted tones better the Strats modeled, but like the strats models with clean tones better then my real Strat. This Guitar is the coolest piece of technology I have ever played with ....The Guitar may not have the best neck or best wood body or look the coolest, but I didn't buy it for that. I bought it for the technology and the chip/e-prom inside the thing that bring out unbelievable tonal possibilities from a relatively small investment. You just can't go wrong.