OK, I know we all have this thing with looking out for new and impressive guitars, it’s like guitar porn as one of you guys said once.

Yesterday a friend of mine sent me this by mail and since I own a Variax guitar, which can be easily considered a chameleon guitar, it got me started!

I personally didn’t know at first where to put it so I put it both in acoustic guitars and modeling guitars categories since it has a bit from both.

Personally I am not a big fan of resonators, but I must admit this guitar would be great in someone’s guitar collection, isn’t it?

I only ask myself wouldn’t be a be difficult to carry it around with all those wood “sound boards”? I mean, hey, guys, wait a minute please, to switch my sound board to something else. Yeah, now we’re talking!

And yes, of course, I said you will also be interested in it, so here it is, the chameleon guitar from MIT:

Well, would you buy one or not?

Would you if you had payday loans?

By the way, here’s the original article(PDF).

Bookmark It

Bookmark It

As you may know, I am a bit of a recent fan of Line 6 technologies, especially after I purchased a TonePort UX1 recording interface and the Line 6 Variax 600 Guitar, so I try to stay in touch with what’s new around Line 6. Well, it was interesting to find out that

Line 6 Announces Unlock Code to Access Additional POD(R) Guitar Technology in Guitar Hero(R) World Tour Music Studio

Now, that’s very cool, a cheat for a game, so what else is new?! But wait, what Line 6 has to do with Guitar Hero (R)?!

The sound modeling technology of Line 6’s POD, which is integrated into Guitar Hero World Tour’s innovative new Music Studio. Thanks to the incredible processing power of the next-generation video game consoles, we placed the actual tone algorithms into Guitar Hero World Tour to give players the tools to choose their own sounds for the music they create. For the first time, gamers will have the ability to compose and record with the same technology used by professional musicians
(Marcus Ryle, Line 6 Founder and SVP of Research and Development) read the press release here

Damn! Line 6 powers up Guitar Hero sound engine?

What do you know?!! I play Guitar Hero at home everyday and I didn’t even know about it!!

I am a bit confused…can I still wear that t-shirt with “I play real guitar?”!

By the way, today I have been called by the guys I purchased the guitar from(Variax dealer), to come to a workshop they plan 2 weeks from now. OK, I said, send the invitations over here! By the way, would you like to play a song there? Well, why not? So in two weeks from now I will join that workshop, should be interesting…

Bookmark It

Bookmark It

Note: What I am going to write here should not be considered a review. It is not since you need more time in order to write a review. These are just my practical observations on playing MY new Line 6 Variax 600 guitar. I don’t want to say that all Variax guitars behave the same, because frankly I don’t believe so. This is not a review of how it feels, I will not say here if the sound of Gibson models is close to the real Gibson model or anything like this, this is not the reason for this post. I started as a fan of Variax possibilities, I truly believe this is the way to go in the future and I do support this as much as possible. Read on…

Later edit: please read until the end because of a last moment phone call.

So, yesterday evening I have received my new guitar, a beautiful Variax 600, blue. I can tell you I have waited almost 3 weeks for this guitar to come here from UK so I didn’t have the chance to test it, I saw this particular guitar for the first time when I opened the box.

I opened it, took the guitar out, I am sorry I didn’t make a movie out of it, it should have been interesting, but I had no camera and no patience to wait anymore. The guitar is nice, I love the finish on the neck, natural wood color, I had no problems with the quality of details, playability, or general feeling of “cheap” as I have seen some people saying on the internet. Nothing in this direction, but hey, I get excited pretty fast and a new guitar can blind you in the first days from that point of view, right?

So, let’s test it to the rehearsal room!!

I plugged everything together, as you probably know if you are familiar with Variax guitars, you need 2 input lines in the PA, a guitar input, as usual, and a voice input, for the acoustic guitars. There is a foot switch that makes the…switch between the two lines. Done! Let’s see the baby in action!

First, a jazzbox model, because it was set there. I started to pick a few notes…surprise! I was picking a straight D major chord and the notes were…well, how to put it, not right! The notes on the G string sounded like having some kind of flanger or rotary effect, like in a wave, coming to me and then disappearing back! WTF?! I switched to an other model, then to an other one, then to an other one…

General result?

The Spank models, meaning the Stratocaster emulations, on all positions had big issues with G string from 2 points of view:

• volume: the volume of the G string was lower than the volume of the B and D strings. Picking the notes in a chord gave me the impression that one string was not present there. Playing the same pattern on the 3 strings gave me the impression that somebody was having fun with the volume knob while on G string.
• sensitivity: when picking B string or D string from as smooth as I could to hitting them hard, they sounded as they should, low in the first case and loud in the second case. Well, not the same situation with G string. When picking notes on G string easily, you can barely hear the notes, while when increasing the force applied on picking the same notes, the volume suddenly jumped, it was like having only 2 levels of volume on G string.

Gibson models gave me a beautiful sound for distortion, I was quite happy with how my guitar sounded on Gibson models through my BOSS processor…except at one moment when I had the sudden impression that I was tuned to some radio station, since my guitar suddenly started to make a hum-buzz-radio-like sound that scared me since the volume was high on the PA.

At one moment I had the surprise to see that a string just disappeared from the mix…it was not there anymore, WTF?!! As I have understood from somebody from the internet having similar problems, switch to an other guitar and then back to it. OK, I did and the string was there. That sounded too much like a reset on a computer. I know this guitar is a computer but come on…

On a 12 string guitar, the low G note on low E string was way too powerful, IMO, produced a strange resonance. Now, I can not be sure if this was real or just an impression caused by the particular room conditions, because the 12 string is produced by kind of an octaver or something. Now, this low G note may have been resonating with somebody else in the room, like the speaker or drums, or who knows, I can not tell for sure but the impression was that playing a F, G, A sequence, the G was louder and that was not good.

I had the impression of a strange behind-the-note effect in some cases, again on G string mostly, like picking the G string, hearing the clean G note and then behind it a long distorted but very low volume tail, like a low volume distortion. Strange. I can not tell you on what guitar because I have stopped looking at the models and focused more on how the particular notes sounded. Like I have never done with any other guitar, I have started to take every single fret and play it in order to see if sounds strange on some notes…

I also experience a strange noise on an acoustic model that was set on custom bank, so I just switched to custom bank and started to hear a noise like when the cable is broken and you move it around to have the two pieces in contact.

At that moment I was already mad with the fact that the guitar was not what I expected but what happened after this really put an end to it: I tried to save a model on the cutom bank following their procedure described in the book and that was the end of it, after this I wasn’t able to start the guitar anymore, nothing made any noise anymore, the guitar was dead!

I unplugged everything and called the guys at the company that sold me the guitar decided to ask my money back since I needed a reliable guitar, not a toy, but there was nobody there at that moment.

I called Silviu, my friend who owns one and told him about my experience with it and he somehow convinced me to give it another chance and have it fixed or replaced by the company instead of asking the money back. Also, I experienced a loud noise when pressing the foot switch and I was also mad at it because it can not be used on stage like this, imagine hearing a shot amplified as loud as possible every time you switch your guitar from acoustic to electric. He explained me, however, that this is normal and not a bug, you just need to turn of Phantom power on your mic line. Well, good to know…

I am going to call again the guys from the company to see how I can fix this and keep you posted.I expect a good feedback from the guys who sold me the guitar, I hope for the best and I hope to end up with a good, reliable guitar that can be played on stage.

By the way, I have also attached a few pictures with the guitar and yours truly!

Later edit: I have managed to get the guys on the phone and they told me to cool down cause there is no problem, the guitar is actually a computer (of course) and needs a bit of “tuning” using their Workbench software so I should get back to them with the guitar, they will connect it to their computer and “re-tune” it, kind of how they do it with your car computer, when something goes wrong. Strange, very strange, but efficient, if it works. So, I am happy with this solution and probably tomorrow I will take a day off to go to Bucharest to tune my guitar. Damn!

Bookmark It

Bookmark It

A quick and happy(for me) news now: yesterday I placed an order for a brand new guitar!

Yep, for real! I ordered one of those modeling guitars that I’ve got so crazy about, I have ordered a Line 6 Variax 600 Blue, the guitar in the picture here.

But since the color is not so “usual”, they don’t have it on stock for the moment, so I have to wait for 2 weeks to bring it from wherever they bring it, Germany or UK, I think. I am usually the typical customer to buy a black (electric)guitar and in the beginning when I saw this color, i said WTF is that? The most stupid color ever!! I have first seen it on Fender, along with a crazy green, but after looking again and again, I’ve fallen in love with this color for good! It has a vintage look…

However, my band mates still think it looks stupid…

So, two long weeks of waiting…oh, well…

Bookmark It

Bookmark It

You already know my interest in Variax modeling guitars so it is normal to also test one, beside reading reviews and listening how it sounds on YouTube. So, this last weekend, because, Silviu, my friends who owns one, was in Pitesti, I had this occasion so I asked him to let me test it at our rehearsal room.

So, Sunday morning we’ve met there. First impression? Despite what I have read on the internet and I was afraid of, the guitar is very beautifully built and gives a nice feeling of a job well done. He owns a beautiful Variax 700 model, red, so my opinions are about this model. I hope 600 model will also be well built…

The first guitar I was curious how it sounds was an acoustic model. Actually, any acoustic model, since if you find there at least one that sounds realistic, it’ great! So we’ve plugged the guitar in and started to play.

I can tell you it was not what I was expecting, the sound was not realistic at all, in my opinion. It sounded like a strange electric guitar but nothing like an acoustic. Maybe a bit that string scratch you get on an acoustic more than on electric.

Silviu told me that live, on stage, when set up correctly it doesn’t sound this way, sounds more realistic, since it should not be plugged through a combo.

OK then, let’s plug it on the PA system directly on a voice channel. We’ve plugged it in, cut the EQ and let it ring!

Well, here the situation was a bit different, the guitar sounded more realistic than through the combo and it emulated an acoustic guitar quite close. The 12 string acoustic guitar was nice also! So, as a short conclusion, the acoustic model is OK. Does not make your jaw drop, but it is OK for those moments when you need an acoustic guitar and don’t want to carry one with you. Plus that setting it takes only a spin of a knob while setting an acoustic guitar on stage takes more than that…

How about electric guitar models?

Well, here I had a blast! Really! I totally loved the distortion you get when you play the Gibson Les Paul modeled guitar, both on bridge and on neck “pickups”. Yeah! Rock on! True, rich sound and clear at the same time, notes that blend well when playing power chords and distinguish well when playing solo! I loved that! We played it through a Digitech (for electric models) and we bypassed the effect for acoustic models.

I also liked the Strat model, but I liked Tele models better for clean patches due to that sparky sound which worked great with the clean preset on the Digitech. And again, Gibson model works great on clean too!

The rest of the models were fun to try, but I don’t know if I will ever find an use for them: 12 strings Rickenbaker sounds great, I love it, banjo, sitar, great feeling but…where would I use them? Also jazzbox guitars were fun to try but not very useful to me also. But Gibson and Fender models work great!

The guitar was not heavy, or at least seems like a regular weight I am used to. I haven’t tested the tremolo bar, it was not mounted and I had no curiosity about it since the model I am interested in is 600 and not 700 and these 2 models differ very much when comparing the tuners so it wouldn’t have been relevant.

Very easy to play, beautiful fret inlays, knobs and “pickup” switch easy to use.

As a conclusion, the guitar made a good impression on me and the possibility for me buying one increased dramatically. However, it would be interesting to also test a 600 model…

Or just buy the God damn guitar and move forward!!!

Bookmark It

Bookmark It

Considering the interest I have developed lately for Variax modeling guitars, I started to look at reviews and user opinions. Seems that the 600 model has some issues with strings going out of tune when using the tremolo bar. Well, this is no surprise, if you think about it. I wouldn’t expect anything else. If you don’t have a Floyd Rose system or a similar locking system, then using the tremolo bar is not the thing to do.

But, looking at the 700 model, it comes with Gotoh locking tuners. Indeed, this seems to be a good alternative to regular tuners. Locking tuners have a back screw that locks the tuner to not go out of tune,so I think it is way better than having no locking mechanism, but I have no idea how this would compare to a regular Floyd Rose mechanism. I have never used a locking tuner so I don’t know how good it actually is.

I guess that it makes the process of actually tuning the guitar a bit more difficult since they have those screws but comparing to the Floyd Rose systems I guess it is easier, anyway.

So, if you have experience with both Floyd Rose locking systems and locking tuners similar to Gotoh tuners, please share some of it here, I would really be interested to know if they are worth. Because if they are, changing the regular tuners to locking tuners would be the thing do do on such a guitar, in my opinion. They cost around $100 and they could save you on stage.

Silviu, my buddy that owns the 700 version, told me yeah, it has no Floyd Rose and it was a bit difficult to get used to not having one in the beginning, but it has Gotoh tuners so it’s OK.

Does this mens the locking tuners do the job when using the tremolo bar? Anybody using them?

Bookmark It

Bookmark It

Because I had a few articles about Line 6 Variax guitar, Silviu, a friend of mine (ex-band colleague, proud Variax owner and reader of this blog) pointed me to a few videos with his band (Spin), where he plays the guitar at a concert here in Pitesti, a concert that I totally forgot about a few weeks ago, reason for which I consider myself an idiot cause I really wanted to see him playing this guitar live.

So, here’s one of the songs, for the rest search “trupa Spin” on YouTube! I really like this song. Plus that, when this song was released, the guitar player was an other ex-band mate of mine, so I felt connected to this band at that moment and I feel connected to it now too!

Enjoy!

Bookmark It

Bookmark It

A few weeks ago I have written an article about Variax modeling guitar and, if you remember, I was quite amazed by how it sounds.

But so far, despite the fact that I have watched enough videos about it, I have never seen these 2 videos that blew me away! Really, no joke, I have seen the list of guitars a Variax emulates, but when you hear every one of them AND SEE PICTURES you really understand it!

Here’s the complete line of guitars a Variax guitar emulates:

and here are “just” the acoustic guitar sounds:

Frankly, my jaw dropped and I am still watching the videos! Isn’t this guitar great or what?

By the way, you can buy this guitar from Amazon.

Bookmark It

Bookmark It

Yesterday I was speaking about the fact that I haven’t found much time these last days to spend in front of my computer and about the Easter grill party that we threw at the rehearsal room. There, I met an old band mate that I haven’t seen since, I don’t know, maybe 6-7 years (OK, I think I have seen him a couple of times on the street but this doesn’t count, cause we’ve didn’t talk too much). He currently plays in a band here that is quite known, Spin is the name, that had, I think 2 hits, and is doing fine, he says.

The previous guitar player of the same band was an other band mate of mine, from my previous band, Kapela…man, WTF am I doing, my ex band mates have good music contracts, I think I must be a lucky person, I definitely must be the reason they are doing well, don’t you think? I think I am some kind of a talisman of some sort, who knows…

By the way, an other ex-band mate, drummer, is also doing fine and has been in a few well known bands here, see, the talisman story stands…damn, I must move to Bucharest too!

But the reason of this post is not the fact that already 3 ex-band mates have a visible music career, but the fact that while drinking a beer and eating some cooked lamb chops, me and Silviu spoke about electric guitars, about preferences and latest acquisitions. And there he told me about his last acquisition, a brand new guitar that he is very happy about! Well, let me have it, what’s that wonder guitar name?

I was expecting some wonder Fender, some high tech Gibson, this kind of guitars, considering his expression. Well, no! How about a no-pickup guitar? No pickup? What? Is it a MIDI guitar or what?

Well, no, after he explained it to me a bit and he showed me on the internet (we have internet connection next to the grill, did you know that?) I understood what he was speaking about.

The guitar he bought was a Line 6 guitar. I have seen it before, just that because it has no visible pickups, I didn’t give it too much attention. A MIDI, guitar, of course, I thought! BUT IT IS NOT A MIDI GUITAR!!! No!

Line 6 Variax is a regular electric guitar,(at least from the point of view of how the string vibrations are caught by the pickups), otherwise you could call it an electronic guitar, I guess!

The guitar has pickups, just that not 1, 2 or 3 regular pickups but 6 pickups, one on every string, but they are not visible because they are in the bridge.

I guess you could call Line 6 Variax a modeling guitar, the way they call it, or an electronic guitar, or a guitar collection, because this is exactly what it is! A collection of guitars, electric and acoustic guitars!! The manufacturers studied a lot of famous guitars, like Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul, acoustic guitars, hollow bodies, etc, and put all those studies and statistics into some electronic processing unit INSIDE THE GUITAR!

Then, by adding an extra knob on the guitar, you could just PICK THE GUITAR YOU WANT FROM THE COLLECTION! I must say I was amazed! With one single move of the knob you could get the sound of a genuine Fender Telecaster or of a Gibson. And if this does not amaze you, how about getting the sound of a regular acoustic guitar? Well? He showed me a live show on YouTube where he was playing his new guitar using the acoustic tone, right from the guitar! I must say it was quite impressive and at first I thought it was not live!

I was also impressed by the line of musicians playing Line 6 Variax, artists like Steve Howe (Yes), Andy Taylor (Duran Duran), Ed O’Brien (Radiohead), David Whild and Donnie Mathis (Outkast), Khaliq Glover (Prince), Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails), because in the beginning I thought it must be one of those gadgets that everybody loves but nobody really uses. Well, seems not!

For a studio musician I guess it must be the Heaven on Earth, because you don’t need to carry extra guitars for getting THE SOUND. With just a spin of a knob you have a double six guitar right there along with the the large hollow body guitar!

There are 25 models the guitar emulates, 3 Telecaster models, 1 Stratocaster, 11 Gibson, 2 Gretsch,
2 Rickenbacker, Guild, Dobro, Danelectro, a Sitar, a banjo, an Epiphone and a National, if I haven’t missed some, see the exact list here and the sample collection with how this guitar sound when emulating the guitars here.

There are a few models, Line 6 Variax 300, 600 and 700, my friend got the 700, which he said it costs around $1400 but worths every cent. The 300 and 600 models seem to have the exact same modeling features, what is different is the quality of the “outfit”.

If you also count the fact that with the use of Line 6 Workbench you can tune the strings the way you want, so you can get the drop D tuning or the open tuning without actually tunning any string other way than the standard international way, then I think you should have a look at this guitar if you haven’t already done it. I know I took a long dive into this new (for me) guitar and I must admit I would love one!

I ask myself, am I too impressed or this guitar is a must have? How do you see this? Would you buy one of these? Do you know anybody using one? Would you invest trust and money into a guitar that has actually no “real” pickups?

Can the modeling guitars be the future of electric guitars or this is just an other direction as with MIDI guitars and guitar synthesizers that will never replace “real” electric guitars?

What’s your call on this?

Bookmark It

Bookmark It