Variax and modeling tech: The Glass is 90% FULL
Everybody needs to take into account that guitars and amps and most everything else we use with guitars, has variation from one unit to the next in the same production run. "Fidelity to the Original" in this context raises the question "Which Original?" Line 6 models the best example of a particular instrument or amp or stomp box that they can find.
In GuitarPlayer April 2005, P. 104, Pete Anderson said:
"I don't want to disappoint guitar freaks, but I haven't used an amp for recording for six years. Line 6's Amp Farm plug-in does it for me. I am
a Fender Deluxe Reverb guy, right? Line 6 loaned me the original Deluxe they modeled - the Mother of the Clones - and I did an intensive study comparing Amp Farm's Deluxe model to its Mother. I could never tell the difference."
So modeling technology can deliver the goods. How you use your POD or Variax makes all the difference. The acoustic models are never going to sound truly right without an Acoustic Amp. (They are true to their originals: the originals sound bad over a regular guitar amp, too.) And the Amp models will sound great if you play them through a neutral amp. You can't expect to get the full impact of a Mesa Triple Rectifier with a cheap 8 inch speaker 15 watt practice amp that has a cheap speaker and a wimpy ampllifier section. I have not been disappointed with ANY of the models after I tweaked my rig. (and don't moan to me about tweaking.. have you ever sat down with a Mesa and tried to get your sound? You can tweak those babies for MONTHS to find the tone you want, and you generally have to do it a a hgher volume than is appropriate for many practice settings.) And the difference in
my PODxt Live patches now that I can assign the appropraite Variax model, rather than having only my Les Paul, is astounding.
I am glad I have all this stuff at my disposal! I do not understand all this nit-picking bitching and moaning. What Line 6 has delivered might be imperfect, (What isn't?) but it is such a vast improvement over what most of us had before that there is really no comparison. Compared to what I had before, my Les and a Roland amp, the Line 6 stuff is almost an embarrassment of guitar gear riches. I could never touch any of this stuff were it not for Line 6 technology. Face it, guitar people are the biggest Luddites in the world. These guys often have tattoo's and piercings all over their bodies, because they want to be different, but they are way too conformist to play anything but at Tele, Strat or Les Paul. All of which are 50+ years old. The REST of the world has made dramatic advances due to technology. What happened here? Amish Rock?
