Variax Electronics

[Guitarfrenzy]

I was just curious if anyone know if Line 6 is, or is considering selling Variax Electronics? ....or if I'm wanting them I'll have to do like others have done and buy the complete guitar and strip the electronics from it?

[Gorecki]

I was just curious if anyone know if Line 6 is, or is considering selling Variax Electronics? ....or if I'm wanting them I'll have to do like others have done and buy the complete guitar and strip the electronics from it?

As it stands right now, you can only get the electronics by purchasing the guitar. They currently aren't (or expect to) an OEM provider of the electronics.

[Guitarfrenzy]

Thanks Gorecki, from what I hear the Variax 300 doesn't have the XLR out right? But if you get the Variax 500 and up the electronics are all the same right? Or am I missing something.

I know there are people out there that are transplating them into their guitars.

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I thought I might do that with my next build, but haven't decided yet. I do like the sound it gives you and the fast alternate tuning you can do with it are very cool, but I really don't care for the way the original Variax plays.

[Gorecki]

Yes you are correct, but think about it. The other models have an XLR connector but I don't see how it can be 'balanced' from a two conductor signal origin. I certainly can be mistaken.

I don't think there is any difference in the electronics in all models, just how they are applied. Not knowing for certain I would suspect the XLR pinouts are on the board just not being used on the 300's.

[GregP]

Is it a 2-conductor origin? It's not a traditional pickup. I think it uses 6 individual piezo elements and suchlike. Then it goes to an onboard processor. From there, the signal is sent... it's very very easily imaginable that the onboard electronics will produce a suitable signal for balanced connection.

Greg

[crafty]

Yeah, they just use stock L.R. Baggs bridges set up for hexaphonic input to the boards inside the guitar. You could probably use a Floyd with the Graph-Tech GHOST saddles and get the same results. Every once in a while the Musician's Friend Clearance Center will have a beat-up Variax in stock, but they get snapped up real quick--my guess to put the guts on eBay or inside a Warmoth body.

[lovekraft]

I think it's extremely unlikely that Line 6 will ever decide to sell the Variax setup without the guitar. Unless they could sell the system for only slightly less than the complete guitar, there's no profit motivation for them to do so. After all, they are in the business of making money, so it wouldn't benefit them to make less profit on the same item, right?

[Guitarfrenzy]

I think it's extremely unlikely that Line 6 will ever decide to sell the Variax setup without the guitar. Unless they could sell the system for only slightly less than the complete guitar, there's no profit motivation for them to do so. After all, they are in the business of making money, so it wouldn't benefit them to make less profit on the same item, right?

I think your right, but you never know. It's worth a try to find out, I guess I was just wishful thinking. The main thing that has caught my attention on the Variax nowdays is the software that will let you do alternate tunings and save them back to the variax.. Very cool. Has anyone else seen the videos I'm talking about? At the bottom of this page scroll the video links until you see Variax Alternate Tunings with Workbench and click on it to watch. Very neat. Also watch the Variax Pitch Tricks one that's next to it.

I'm pretty sure I can get the routing templates for the Variax from Ronny at Guitarbuildingtemplates.com, but I'm not sure if Line6 has change them lately or not.