All user reviews for the Line 6 Variax 500

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For my part I find the concept rvolutionnaire and very effective with a violin, a very high-end electronic and innovative design.
I put the note at the top, even if I prfr 24cases, rather than 22.

edit: after two years of using the Variax, I can add that the guitar is very stable, it holds out the arrangements agreed it is still very easy to change the strings, the advantage over a floyd !

The handle is very enjoyable, it's easy to play for me.
Access to acute impeccable, no worries.
The grip is IMMEDIATE, guitar lgre.
This gives a good sound easily, simply set the amp according to the Modl guitar with a nice clean / pitcher, you become crazy so each sound is good.

The sound is the lment with the most important being a musician, how dcrire, I'm an amateur, passionate guitar since I was 10 years Ocassion MODELS testing of high-end, I also lag the beast a californian solid mahogany, which adjacent sounds beautiful and is quite versatile.
The Variax, it sounds more vintage (but I also have modern sounds), they are really sounds adaptsa what I always looks for the old fender, the tlcaster the stratum, gibsons sounds hot, I find full of guitar sounds that sound more beautiful than the other.
Workbench with the possibilities are endless, I'll just say that the 12 strings seem a little less "natural" sounds a bit pitch shifter, but I never had the opportunity to play on a real 12cordes by against any solid body which is the top c, and for me I care about the comparison and the opinion of the purists.

edit: after 2 years of use I am always delighted by the sounds, thanks to the workbench I can create Custom Guitars that sound like I want.

I bought it used by a Audiofanzine intermdiaire of 450euros, almost like new.
I find the quality exceptional price report and this even if I had bought 3x more expensive.
I would just say that it was scratch allucinant that much dmoli in forums, "the Variax c of shit" and company, m'exasprent purists, those who swear by the lamp and a strat old and who will say there that AC supplies.
I rank my lag the beast in its holster, and for now it is the mouth.
In the meantime I am making progress and I m'clate with my Variax.

edit: after two years, I have scrapes with the progress it makes you want to play ...

What has been said in the previous opinion is complete and clear so I will just quote:
"- American Basswood body
- Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and pearl round markers
- 22 medium-profile frets
- Handle length: 25 1 / 2 "
- Baggs Bridge Sensor
- Radius button: 10 "
- Output Type jack 1 / 4 "standard
- Digital input / output for connection to a PODXT Live, Vetta II or Workbench
- Korean Hand (registration key guitar)
- Comes with footswitch XPS A / B to switch between two outputs "

Overall when you take the instrument in hand, it was clear print quality and robustness (in terms of violin making in any case, that is, Channel + body + Mechanical + bridge)

EDIT: for years after: The guitar did not hold, I have not mistreated, and even after a repair at the electronics that cost me € 180, I again had to crash

The handle:
Channel a bit "dry" or "neutral" ...
Neither too large nor too small.
The varnish is very simple ... It slips but no more.

Access to treble seems a little difficult but I am not good "shredder"

Ergonomics:
The shape is classic no surprises at this level.
However the weight is substantial. It is - not really - a light guitar.

Do you get a good sound easy?:
The particular nature of this guitar is that how you play should depend on the instrument you have selected.

Guitar emulates an impressive array of stringed instruments, so that the Variax will suit most styles of music.
For my part I play the "punk", blues, rock, and some metal-ish, it's the latter that the Variax style "fishing" a little ...
Indeed, the Variax does not emulate the "big ibanez" or any other guitar model of "metallic".
For my part when I want to play the big sound, I position myself on the Gibson Les Paul.

I will not go to the debate of whether or not the emulation is reliable compared to the models 'real'.
Just because I never had the opportunity to play on these models ^ ^
Except for the Telecaster I have already tried a lot!
And it turns out that the Variax offers an emulation of the different telecaster to fall backwards! The sound is amazing, round warm but bright and vibrant!

Emulations of acoustic guitars are bluffing! I play in these cases, on my acoustic guitar amp (Marshall AS50R) and we really believe a "real" acoustic guitar. I want to say is that this type of modeling is really not the order of the gadget.

Finally I would say two simple things:
If you need to buy a Variax here in my opinion the reasons that you will not be disappointed:
1. faithful emulations or not, in any case you have a real guitar, with thirty different sound and credible

2. The Variax is assessed over the long term and requires some expertise. What I mean is that if you choose to play with such an emulation of acoustic guitar must be played "like an acoustic guitar." Better still if you play banjo emulation (which I love) it will play like a banjo, and then make the "riffs" typical American folk ^ ^
But this is difficult at first, because no matter what emulation you choose in any case what you will be in the hands an electric guitar, with his body electric guitar and electric guitar neck.

I use my Variax for 2 years now
The characteristic I like most is twofold:
Credibility of the emulated sound / play many opportunities
What I like least is explained at the end of this section

I tried a lot of more conventional models of guitars before buying the Variax and I'm tempted by numerical modeling ... And I'm pretty happy

Value for money: Very Correct

With experience you will do again this choice? :
That's the problem.
All I have said before is positive and I do not see why not repeat that choice by relying on these arguments.

The trouble is that there is an aspect of the things I had not anticipated:

A digital modeling guitar is packed with electronics.
The electronics of the Variax is relatively fragile.
In fact, if you search on a search engine by typing "Variax failure" or "mute Variax" etc ... You find a lot of testimony from people who have had exactly the same problem with their Variax:
Mute, no way to get any sound ...
The problem is that most everyone on the forums to find a different solution to the problem.

Moreover, in my case I bought this guitar used (I found the announcement on AudioFanzine) and after two years I dropped the guitar. Currently it is 3 months it is being repaired Line 6 ... and I will have to pay because it is out of warranty!

I felt compelled to finish this "flat" because I'm really not the only one who had problems with the Variax electronics. This means that it is a real lack of range and not an isolated problem.
I know a quality instrument is expensive but I still an instrument that cost me € 480 should be reliable for a few years ... And apparently this is not the case with the Variax.

To conclude:
I would say that the Variax is a very good instrument that keeps its promises in terms of emulation, sound, sound quality etc ... But a weakness of the electronic equipment relegates the guitar to a level slightly lower I had expected.