Variax - what do you honestly think?

[boomtap]

I would by a digital taco if taco bell came out with one.

 

[Sky Blue Lou]

Interesting thread. Good info.

I play for fun. The money I make in the band goes to gear and beer. I have no delusions about my playing ability, knowledge or experience so I won't compare peni.

Having said that I can't help but think of the classic players and their guitars. Most were/are associated with a particular guitar and sound. Hendrix/Strat. Page/LP. Zappa/SG. And etc. I'm sort of that way. I've always been a Les Paul guy. I've played and owned some other stuff but I always wind up playing my '72 Les Paul with tube crunch (or whatever I can get out of the amp at my disposal at the time.) That's just what I like and I don't spend a lot of time chasing alternative sounds. Even doing covers I just play the Les and fuck around with stomp boxes. (I keep a G&L ASAT Deluxe SH on stage in case I break a string and I generally play it for three or four tunes but I play that crunchy as well.)

The one thing about this Variax that really piques my interest though is dialing in alternate tunings. Now that sounds cool. I'm a shitty slide player but I could get better if it was that easy to throw a "slide" tuning at it. I'm gonna have to try one of these.

Thanks again for the info.


lou

PS- ROBlows - Being cool is growing up and realizing you don't need to give a fuck. Not to be a mean-spirited shit about it. You'll get it eventually.

 

[ROblows]

PS- ROBlows - Being cool is growing up and realizing you don't need to give a fuck. Not to be a mean-spirited shit about it. You'll get it eventually.

I'm just goofing around, but you can feel free to go fuck yourself, Lou.

 

[Incanus]

Have been playing a Variax for about 4 or 5 months now, for studio work. I like it overall. I don't have enough money to buy 10 different, rad guits. We use a real guit half the time, and the variax just blends in. It is a very useful tool. I wouldn't recommend having this as your only guitar, though.

 

[Sky Blue Lou]

I'm just goofing around, but you can feel free to go fuck yourself, Lou.

Pretty much what I expected. But that's okay - I don't give a fuck. Have a nice life.


lou

 

[guhlenn]

HA ! you expected that because you were deserving that. You were being a mean spirited shit.

To the comment that the player makes the variax; true. But a squire costs less, hook up a berrie V-amp and your finished. You'll have to cope with the drowing reverb, but hey, you can play right?

 

[philboyd studge]

HA ! you expected that because you were deserving that. You were being a mean spirited shit.

To the comment that the player makes the variax; true. But a squire costs less, hook up a berrie V-amp and your finished. You'll have to cope with the drowing reverb, but hey, you can play right?

I'd wager that rig would be a tad noisier.

 

[tonyoci]

I can't help but think that somewhere not that long ago somebody said "Have you seen where they took a guitar, added some fancy magnetic electronics, and hook it up to an amplifier? That will never work, it sounds like crap compared to a real guitar."

I just love this quote because I can guarantee that is totally true.

My Variax 500 arrives today. I'm a "home" musician, no live playing, limited ability and no elitism, it's a great intstrument for me

 

[guhlenn]

@phillboy, i agree (and would never use that rig if offered an alternative. It just shows that dicussion killers like "it's all in the fingers", are somewhat true but very much irrelevant.
We are talking about the quality of the sound that can be created, not the input, which is different for each musician.


@Tonyoci; as true as that statement is, electric guitar is totally different form acoustic. Worlds apart if you ask me. I really don't see what it has to do with the variax. It;s kind a like the electric drum-kit; fine if you are a performing duo for weddign partuies, but a self-respecting drummer at least has a real drum-kit as well.... Unless you only play industrial, but in that case a laptop is more pratical.

 

[hueseph]

A lot of drummers are using triggered samples now. It's just more practical. Especially in a live setting where there can be feedback issues, bleed from drum to drum and from the other instruments. At that some artists are settling with Pod rigs rather than a row of stacks. What's wrong with that? It's nice if you have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on an arsenal of electric guitars and amps but amp and guitar sims are practical for home musicians. Now personally I do believe that if you have a pro studio and the money and time to spend on the real thing then you should do it. There is an art to micing an amp and the subtle inconsistancies from amp to amp and from guitar to guitar is what makes a recording interesting and unique. The reality is however that most people here are home recording not pro level. That being the case, the best tool for the job is the rule. For most of us that means the best quality at the lowest possible price. I have a brother that has produced at least two cd's with the variax. I'd challenge anyone to pick out when it's the Line 6 and when it's a Strat. Most people can't tell the difference.

 

[guhlenn]

I'm an amateur. I spend all cash that isn't going to basic needs on my hobby... I could care less about price/quality evaluation.

 

[Phildo]

I'd say that the VAX doesn't, for whatever reason, record particularly well - it's not got the "zing" of a good ol' classic axe. But then it's not fair or reasonable to compare a £399 techno-beastie to £2000-worth of vintage LP.

Still, I love my VAX (and I actually like the way it looks!) and it's just such goddamn FUN to use live.

Good to see a sensible(ish) debate about it, though.

 

[guhlenn]

LOL. i think it looks kinda cool too, but was afraid to tell with all the tough guy comments on how ugly it is...

 

[Phildo]

LOL. i think it looks kinda cool too, but was afraid to tell with all the tough guy comments on how ugly it is...

Shhh...

 

[tonyoci]

I just got mine finally last night (an ugly red and white 500) but I also think it looks cool. It feels small and it's pretty light. For some reason I just wish there were pickups on it, even fake one's, so it looked more normal then a lot less people would ask questions.

Tony

 

[nkjanssen]

It's nice if you have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on an arsenal of electric guitars and amps but amp and guitar sims are practical for home musicians.

I've never understood why home musicians feel that they need an arsenal of electric guitars and amps in the first place. What's wrong with just getting one good guitar and one good amp, and working with that? That's what people used to do.

 

[ibanezrocks]

The variax isnt cheap either, for the same price you could get a good used guitar, that will sound, play and look better than the variax. For the price of the pod and software and such you can get a good used tube amp. So for the same price you can get something thats better and that you can create your own sound with, in the sense that a good guitar and a tube amp with be more responsive and really let your playing style come through, giving you a unique sound more so than a million software-edited digital sounds.

 

[acidrock]

Six of one and a half dozen of the other.

While I don't own a Variax I have heard recordings of it and they were pretty impressive.

It seems like a once a lot of people spend money on an expensive tube amp or some other recording gear they feel the need to turn their nose up at anyone that owns something of lesser cost.

I own several guitars and a couple of amps,if my house were to burn down or my stuff were to get stolen I would seriously consider a Variax.Not as a main axe,but to replace all those one trick ponies I have lying around.

And there's no way I could have just one guitar,no more than I could eat just type of food.There's too much variety of sounds out there to limit yourself.

 

[nkjanssen]

It seems like a once a lot of people spend money on an expensive tube amp or some other recording gear they feel the need to turn their nose up at anyone that owns something of lesser cost.

Actually, I think ibanezrocks' point was that you can get a pretty nice guitar and tube amp for about the same price as a Variax and a POD.

And there's no way I could have just one guitar,no more than I could eat just type of food.There's too much variety of sounds out there to limit yourself.

I can get lots of different sounds from just one guitar and one amp. Throw a couple of pedals in there, and I can get even more. I probably couldn't sound like Pantera one second and then Albert Lee the next. I can see how that might be be kind-of fun to do when I'm just messing around. But, I can't really see wanting to do that when making real music. How many of your favorite guitar players sound completely different from one minute to the next?

Different strokes for different folks, though. I don't exactly understand the "I need a million different sounds" thing, but it seems that a lot of people agree with you.

 

[tonyoci]

The variax isnt cheap either, for the same price you could get a good used guitar, that will sound, play and look better than the variax. For the price of the pod and software and such you can get a good used tube amp. So for the same price you can get something thats better and that you can create your own sound with, in the sense that a good guitar and a tube amp with be more responsive and really let your playing style come through, giving you a unique sound more so than a million software-edited digital sounds.

You know what that is, ibanezrocks, it's an opinion and as you know like certain body parts we all have one.

Far too many people round here seem to want to push their "ideals" onto others. Me I couldn't care less. I can play the guitar, I can get a solid simulation of an acoustic, a strat and an Les Paul and a huge range of sounds. For me it's great, for others it may not be and I'm not trying to change anyone's mind