Variax - what do you honestly think?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Phildo
  • Start date Start date

Variax - good, bad or ugly?

  • It rocks!

    Votes: 33 22.9%

  • It sucks!

    Votes: 23 16.0%

  • Haven't tried one.

    Votes: 72 50.0%

  • Do you want fries with that?

    Votes: 22 15.3%
  • Total voters
    144
I don't buy the technology, and I seriously doubt it will ever be, as the saying goes, ready for prime time.

They certainly do not do what they claim to do, or at least not perfectly.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light said:
I don't buy the technology, and I seriously doubt it will ever be, as the saying goes, ready for prime time.

They certainly do not do what they claim to do, or at least not perfectly.
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Actually they have been in prime time for quite some time now. When the likes of U2 use Variax gear live, it’s there. A quick look at the artists who use it today is another good place to start.

I believe that Line 6 does exactly what they claim to do with the Variax: They model other guitars. Each player has to decide which models are suitable for this use and ears. Some I like and some I don’t. But the same is true for every electronic piece of music gear I have ever encountered. Some parts always sound better (to me) than others. No firm has yet to product a perfect piece of gear, and Line 6 is in good company here...

Ed
 
zrockisaddictin said:
the 12 string rules on it lol
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On the acoustic the alternate tuning is a Nashville hi string.......very handy. The 12 sounds good for most parts but it can jam up and make some pretty wierd sounds with fast Leo Kottke type picking.
 
I tried one and liked it for the range of instruments you can dial in and for the alternate tunings. But I like to bang on my classical guitar, which the Variax ain't built for.
 
Ed Dixon said:
Actually they have been in prime time for quite some time now. When the likes of U2 use Variax gear live, it’s there. A quick look at the artists who use it today is another good place to start.

I believe that Line 6 does exactly what they claim to do with the Variax: They model other guitars. Each player has to decide which models are suitable for this use and ears. Some I like and some I don’t. But the same is true for every electronic piece of music gear I have ever encountered. Some parts always sound better (to me) than others. No firm has yet to product a perfect piece of gear, and Line 6 is in good company here...

Ed
Click to expand...


Fine, let me refrase that.

It is completely incapable of doing what it was designed to be able to do, which is to say recreate the "classic" guitar sounds of an old Strat or Les Paul. It can make aproximations, but side by side with the real thing, they NEVER sound right.

That does not mean it does not have its place. It can almost certainly come up with new sounds which have never existed before, and of course there is nothing wrong with using it to approximate the sounds you really want (well, yes there is, but that is an opinion thing). (Of course, this whole thread is about asking for opinions, so fuck it, I was right the first time. IN MY OPINION, they are not even close to being ready for prime time.)

They certainly will never replace the real thing, ever.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
And don't even begin to tell me the 12 string sounds great. I have spent my weekend playing a 12 which sounds better than any other 12 I have ever played. No modeled POS will ever come close.


But I do admit that -having grown up with high end hand built acoustic guitars - I have a different frame of reference from most people.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light said:
Fine, let me refrase that.

It is completely incapable of doing what it was designed to be able to do, which is to say recreate the "classic" guitar sounds of an old Strat or Les Paul. It can make aproximations, but side by side with the real thing, they NEVER sound right.
Click to expand...

I disagree. My first question would be how long you have owned a Variax with which to make a comparison.

I do own one, and half a dozen of the classic guitars it models. I don't play them any more as the Variax is far more flexible and much quieter.

Some months ago I loaned my Vax to a friend, who only plays "true" electrics. He was a basics kind of guy, but that day only had his acoustic with him. He needed the out of phase Strat sound. He played mine. The smile on his face when he turned around was unmistakeable. That day he saw the light on the value of these "non-true" digital guitars.

I do agree that the 12 string Ric sounds are not so good. The initial firmware version sounded better to me than what is there today. The acoustic 12 strings sound better, but I generally don't use 12 strings sounds anyway.

However overall, the $670 I spend for my VAX 500 is the best guitar money I ever spent.

Ed
 
I'm not normally a crotchety old bastard, but when I consider the possibility of downloading firmware for my guitar, my instant reaction is "no fucking way!" This is maybe the most closed-minded thing I've ever said, but I will never, ever play a Variax. I don't care how it sounds. There's just no goddamn way I would ever want to be seen with one of those things. Talk about uncool. Yow! It would be like strapping on one of those "keytars". Not a chance. Uh uh. Not even in the privacy of my own home. I'd be afraid somebody would walk in. Holy crap, the whole concept is the most un-rock 'n' roll thing I've ever heard of. Sweet Jesus! Just thinking about it makes me embarassed. Eeek.
 
In a way, I can't help but think that it was a great idea to start out with that just didnt turn out. Explore for a second though the possibility that it does work out and they get it sounding good, what will happen to the classic guitar makers? scary thought.
 
ibanezrocks said:
Explore for a second though the possibility that it does work out and they get it sounding good, what will happen to the classic guitar makers? scary thought.
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Not really. There are plenty enough guys like me around.
 
Light said:
But I do admit that -having grown up with high end hand built acoustic guitars - I have a different frame of reference from most people.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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I've been in the music business since long before you were born and I really don't think you're going to have much influence on my opinion of the Variax line of guitars.

I'd suggest logging a couple of hundred hours of playing time on the Variax of your choice and then chiming in with an opinion.

Bottom line; my Variax acoustic does some things well, some things better than anything, and truly sucks at a few others. Worth every cent.
 
EddieRay said:
I tried one and liked it for the range of instruments you can dial in and for the alternate tunings. But I like to bang on my classical guitar, which the Variax ain't built for.
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Yeah the nylon string just isn't right, mostly from the fact you can't play the steel strings in the right fashion.
 
ibanezrocks said:
In a way, I can't help but think that it was a great idea to start out with that just didnt turn out. Explore for a second though the possibility that it does work out and they get it sounding good, what will happen to the classic guitar makers? scary thought.
Click to expand...

VAX like guitars will likely continue to improve. Today they represent a very good choice for many players, especially those who need a range of sounds and have no stage room for multiople guitars. One very good fit is for praise and worship bands, where stage space is usually very small and time between songs very short.

They are also a good fit for young players who have little $ and need multiple sounds. That fact that they are dead quiet is also a plus for most, and perhaps the most underrated feature.

Many VAX owners have classics in cases now in storage. This fact alone should offer some weight as to how well they can work. My one year old PRS Custom 24 hasn't been out of the case since the second week of my VAX.

Ed
 
Ed Dixon said:
VAX like guitars will likely continue to improve. Today they represent a very good choice for many players, especially those who need a range of sounds and have no stage room for multiople guitars. One very good fit is for praise and worship bands, where stage space is usually very small and time between songs very short.

They are also a good fit for young players who have little $ and need multiple sounds. That fact that they are dead quiet is also a plus for most, and perhaps the most underrated feature.

Many VAX owners have classics in cases now in storage. This fact alone should offer some weight as to how well they can work. My one year old PRS Custom 24 hasn't been out of the case since the second week of my VAX.

Ed
Click to expand...
So are you saying you really think that the variax sounds and plays better than the PRS? or is the convenience playing a large role in that decision?

ROblows said:
Not really. There are plenty enough guys like me around.
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Although I don't like the variax, because I'd rather have one good sound than lots of decent ones, I'm in no way against the concept of it, and if they COULD perfect the technology (its not a certainty) then I would get one, and I don't quite understand why some people wouldnt want one even if they could sound exactly like the guitars they were copying.

But it's all speculation really, because they have a long way to go, so I'll stick with the old stuff.
 
ROblows said:
I'm not normally a crotchety old bastard, but when I consider the possibility of downloading firmware for my guitar, my instant reaction is "no fucking way!" This is maybe the most closed-minded thing I've ever said, but I will never, ever play a Variax. I don't care how it sounds. There's just no goddamn way I would ever want to be seen with one of those things. Talk about uncool. Yow! It would be like strapping on one of those "keytars". Not a chance. Uh uh. Not even in the privacy of my own home. I'd be afraid somebody would walk in. Holy crap, the whole concept is the most un-rock 'n' roll thing I've ever heard of. Sweet Jesus! Just thinking about it makes me embarassed. Eeek.
Click to expand...

too damn funny!

i'm dreading the music that will be coming out over the next 10 years with all this "plastic" tone. oh god! it's just not right. the amps, guitars, direct boxes, etc. it's all like androids of the real thing.

i will admit, i own a line6 amp but as soon as i can afford a decent tube rig, this thing is outta here and won't be missed a bit. using it does'nt stop me from playing, but it's not very inspiring either. i've got about 50 amp sounds that sound like plastic, and maybe 2 of them don't make me want to puke. i just got a fender blues jr. to get me going with the tube thing, but i can't wait to get a nice tube amp.

i personally feel that anyone that is serious about tone will not stay with line6 gear. it may have appeal in the beginning but after you've had the real thing, there's no going back.

i wonder if line6 had anything to do with "real dolls"?
 
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