MGR/Derek Mok « Line 6 Variax »
Published on 11/16/03 at 15:00I test-run this guitar at 30th Street Guitars in Manhattan. It was on sale for $999; I didn't buy it.
Lots and lots of tonal variations. And I didn't even hook the guitar up to a stompbox. Imagine the possibilities. All the sounds are already built into the guitar -- no special amp, foot controller etc. necessary.
The pickup selection is very confusing because on some settings the selector flicks between traditional "neck" and "bridge" sounds, but on other settings the selector changes the instrument model completely. I would've preferred an extra control for instrument changes and left the pickup selector as a normal rhythm/treble switch. The guitar itself doesn't feel like a player -- a little stiff. And the body shape is horrible to the eye; you won't catch me playing one live.
Good, although as I mentioned, I don't like the guitar from an aesthetic point of view.
This guitar would be tremendously useful as a recording and songwriting tool because of the number of textures you can get. It won't replace the other instruments you have in your arsenal; the modelling technology isn't acute enough to make genuine Strat, Les Paul, and sitar sounds, and I'd never try to do a 12-string acoustic guitar part on it. However, the quality of the sounds is still high enough that you will be able to get some unusual tones that you can't get anywhere else.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
Lots and lots of tonal variations. And I didn't even hook the guitar up to a stompbox. Imagine the possibilities. All the sounds are already built into the guitar -- no special amp, foot controller etc. necessary.
The pickup selection is very confusing because on some settings the selector flicks between traditional "neck" and "bridge" sounds, but on other settings the selector changes the instrument model completely. I would've preferred an extra control for instrument changes and left the pickup selector as a normal rhythm/treble switch. The guitar itself doesn't feel like a player -- a little stiff. And the body shape is horrible to the eye; you won't catch me playing one live.
Good, although as I mentioned, I don't like the guitar from an aesthetic point of view.
This guitar would be tremendously useful as a recording and songwriting tool because of the number of textures you can get. It won't replace the other instruments you have in your arsenal; the modelling technology isn't acute enough to make genuine Strat, Les Paul, and sitar sounds, and I'd never try to do a 12-string acoustic guitar part on it. However, the quality of the sounds is still high enough that you will be able to get some unusual tones that you can't get anywhere else.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com