« Line 6 The Variax Guitar »

I came to be an owner of the Variax through necessity more than want. I've been lucky enough to be performing as a 'one man band' 5 out of 7 nights a week for the past 7 years. After years of using Ovation acoustic/electric guitars (with satisfaction),I learned about the ideal innovations of the Variax guitar from a fellow professional, who gave a high recommendation. I have special requirements because of the nature of my act, & the Variax sounded like just the thing I needed. I went to Guitar Center because they have been giving me the best deals for over 17 years.

When you entertain nightly visitors along with a regular following in a downtown atmosphere, the instruments you use better have no equal. I need the best equipment that delivers from the first to the last note, including a state of the art guitar with streamline make-up; and the Variax fits this bill perfectly.
I play guitar, play harmonica, sing, & play percussion rhythm with my feet via four pedals which are hooked up to a digital drum module. I have different sounding percussion, but the mainstay of my set-up are 2 snares (one for each foot), a kick, & a cymbal I crash or choke. My act is as visual as it is audible, & the only drawback is that I have no time to mash any stomp boxes or momentary foot switches for different sounds. Well, the Variax opened more doors and dimensions for me by having the very sounds I need built right into the guitar! With a flick of my finger I can go from a sitar sound like I need for 'Norwegian Wood' to a 12 string Martin for in between the verses. Everything I play is live, yet many people ask me where my 'back up' cd's are! The streamline shape of the Variax enables me to keep the guitar close while I'm stomping away on my pedals, & the sampled sounds within are nothing short of lush musical purity. It even has a built in port, so that you can hook it up and record on your computer! And here's the REAL kicker; all for the price of a regular guitar! Hats off to the innovative creators of this mind blowing guitar which makes me sound better than I am! My only hope is that the same people that came up with this extraordinary instrument come up with a way to house orchestral sounds as well, so that an end to those expensive synthesized guitars is realised! For those of us who don't have a lot of money and/or have families to feed, yet would love to have the many vintage sounds of some of the most coveted guitars in the world; THIS is the guitar for you!!

The only drawback about the Variax is the neck. It seems a bit more in depth & width than my electric, which makes it a bit more difficult to play than my electric, but not difficult enough to make me want to put another neck on, which you can do easily enough as it is a simple bolt-on style neck. It does handle much better than a neck on an acoustic. Also, I would gladly trade some of the vintage guitar sounds (as I don't need as many as it has to offer) for some string sounds, piano sounds, & the like. The only sample that isn't up to snuff in my opinion is the banjo sound.

Construction is solid. The shape is perfect for me because it's difficult enough playing beats & fills throughout the night without stretching over a wide guitar & balancing yourself on a drummer's throne! As far as the quality goes, the body's A-1, but the neck's a bit iffy, being a bit too thick & wide for a 'buttery' feel.

I see this guitar as a hopeful trend of musical products to come. It's great that this instrument can be used as effectively for recording as it can for live applications. In my 28 years of performing, I've never owned a piece of equipment that's made my act even better, at a price that is equally as mind blowing. Just think; a plethera of vintage guitars for the price of one! Awesome.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com