Tried a Variax JTV69 and was disappointed by acoustic sounds

[tochiro]

Hi,

I saw great presentations of this Variax with wonderful acoustic sounds on youtube and I was eager to try one. One was lent to me for a few days and I tried it through my HD500 and Bose L1.

The electric sounds are good but I was really disappointed by the acoustic guitars. They sounded fake in the Bose, completely different from what I could hear on youtube. Sort of halfway clean electric halfway acoustic sound, very artificial. I spent quite a few hours trying to improve things but could not really turn the acoustic sound into something good.

Did you have the same experience or is it different for you? Thank you for your time.

[mchalebk]

Did you try running the Variax directly into the Bose without going through the Pod? There is no reason why the Variax shouldn't sound as good as (or better than) most plugged-in acoustic guitars. I would assume that the HD500 isn't set up properly for a pure acoustic sound.

[GmanJeff]

I find my JT-59 to be remarkably convincing when played through both EV ZxA1 powered speakers and through my SoloAmp. The POD or settings on the Bose could color the sound in undesirable ways. You might check to confirm that the guitar's firmware is up to date - Line6 has released several updates since the guitars were introduced - and that you're familiar with the effect associated with changes made to the position of the tone knob (as described in the release notes with the latest firmware update, that changes the apparent mic position and changes the tone of each model a bit). Another factor may be whether your tastes run towards the underlying modeled instruments - if you don't like a real Gibson J-200, for example, you probably won't care for the modeled version. Lastly, you may be experiencing some disconnect between the sound you hear and the feel of the guitar - it's a bit weird to play a guitar which is obviously electric in character, and has none of the body resonance of an acoustic instrument, while hearing sounds which you'd expect from a different type of guitar altogether.

These are just possibilites, but it may well be that the Variax acoustic sounds just aren't your cup of tea!

[tochiro]

I really tried everything for several days either through the HD500 or direct to the Bose but nothing was convincing. I know the Bose quite well now as well as the HD500. I tried with various EQs, compressors, with amp sim, no amp sim, etc. The Variax is not hard to understand.

I was expecting a decent acoustic sound but what I could get was not nearly there. I did not experience a disconnect with the guitar or something like that. I must say I am not thrilled by the guitar in itself and find the neck a bit artificial, plasticky and not really comfortable. But I guess I could have gotten used to that after a few weeks. I really wanted to like the guitar but the acoustic sounds were a real no no.

I have come to wonder how the Line6 promotional videos I watched on youtube could sound so good with the acoustic guitars... They must have "produced" the sound very carefully. I tried to politely tell my feelings on Line6 youtube video page but the comments must approved and my comment was not selected apparently...

[googoobaby]

I had a Variax Acoustic 700 for a while and found those acoustic sounds to be very convincing, especially the "Jumbo" (J45). Can't claim I was so impressed by the acoustic sounds on their nominally electric models, though, or of their feel as musical instruments.

[mchalebk]

Far and away the best plugged-in acoustic sound I have ever heard was a Variax 700 Acoustic. It was at a local Irish pub and just sounded fantastic. The guy let me play it for a song and it had extra light strings on it, which surprised me. I hated the floppy strings, but it still sounded great.

It's worth pointing out that the Variax acoustic models were not actually acoustic guitars. They were specialized electric guitars made to look and feel like acoustic guitars. I find it hard to believe that a new Variax electric wouldn't sound at least as good as most acoustics when plugged in.

When you went straight into the Bose, are you sure you didn't have some of the mag pickups blended in?

Craig Anderton is doing a Pro review (Harmony Central forums) of a JT Variax, along with an HD500 and a DT25 amp. He posted a sound clip (Variax only) that was recorded "direct into an Octa-Capture interface with no further processing of any kind, other than converting the original WAV files into MP3" which consisted of short samples of the following models:

Martin D-28, Martin D12-28 (12-string), Martin O-18, Guild F212 (12-string), and Gibson J-200

See post #24:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/...5-amp%29/page2

I didn't find the 12-string models all that good (they sound like some chorus effect has been added). However, the 6-string clips sounded pretty convincing to me, certainly better than most piezo USTs I've heard. With a little reverb and some judicious EQ, I think they would be very usable tones.

[mikealpine]

I was also underwhelmed by the Variax JTV69. In truth it was overkill for me, with too many features I wouldn't use (all the drop tunings, dobro sounds, etc.) but at the price, I thought it was worth it. I found it complicated, and while I am sure I would have learned it throroughly, I also didn't feel all the sounds were as good as they could have been, so it wouldn't have been worth the effort.

All I wanted was to get four sounds; Strat, Tele, Les Paul and acoustic. And I don't have such a discerning ear, so they don't have to be perfect replicas. I hand out with some folks that play a wide range of music, from classic rock to modern country, so this would work.

If you're interested, here's what I did. I was able to find a new, but 2006, Fender Power Strat (HSS with a Fishman bridge) for about $600. I bought custom pickups and am having the electronics customized to do a bunch of things at the press of a button or flip of a switch. In total I will probably spend about $1200, and have all of the bases covered that I will need. It's in the hands of the tech right now. You can probably cheapen that up by $300 or more if you can do your own modifications.

If you want more details, let me know!

Mike

[phuufme]

I also have a JTV-69. I use it at all my gigs now, through the Bose L1. While I will agree that the acoustic sounds do not sound exactly like the acoustics they portray, what we hear and what the audience hears are two different things. I have heard some of our fans say, "how did you get that acoustic sound from that electric?", when from my vantage point it sounded a bit tinny and thin.

So, its no acoustic but it plays one on stage.

As for what I use, I use the Tele, Les Paul, acoustics, primarily, however, I love the sound of the Les Paul Special and now I use that sometimes in place of the acoustic. I use the Semi sound and, yes, we play "Rainbow Connection" and I use the banjo sound as well. My wife sings several songs at Capo I, II, III and V, so I've replaced some of the alternate tunings they provided with those.

It is what you make of it, and it does take a bit of time to get the sound you want, but, at least for me, it is there.

[tochiro]

I've just come across that video and it sounds a bit like what I could get with the Variax and the Bose: http://youtu.be/SfytZ-2vL9Q

It's a harsh sound, halfway electric, quite far away from what you hear on Line6 videos.

[phuufme]

Originally Posted by tochiro

I've just come across that video and it sounds a bit like what I could get with the Variax and the Bose: http://youtu.be/SfytZ-2vL9Q

It's a harsh sound, halfway electric, quite far away from what you hear on Line6 videos.

Realize, that I have no intent to record any of the Variax sounds on a CD or whatever; my purpose is to have acoustic like sound options while on stage. When I play through my Bose L1 and use an acoustic setting, audience members ask where the acoustic is. So, what our ears hear and what our audience hears are different, maybe due to our listening experience to acoustics.

Anyway, to me, the sound through the Bose is close enough to acoustic (or Tele, or Strat, or etc.) for live performance.