Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: MickeM Aug 11 2010, 09:16 AM

I never was impressed with self tuning guitars. No, I know they don’t exist I just grabbed a random sci fi term out of the thin blue air, how could there be such a thing as a self tuning guitar? The thought is proposterus! inside joke, just don’t comment on it. I’m just obliged to write about it

Anyway, like I said these new innovations like self tuning, battery powered brain in a guitar or guitar modeling never was for me. Felt weird, strange, like future catching up with you.

There’s a new Variax out. It’s called JTV and comes from Line 6
http://tylervariax.com/

Three models for different purposes. The difference this time from the limited number of clips I’ve heard is that this guitar can hold its ground without a battery, sounds good. Models seem ok too.

I’m a little bit keen on this, don’t ask me why. I’ve got a H&K Switchblade with 10,000 preset sounds which is way too much already, I keep switching the channels old-school anyway. Take those presets times all the guitar models times all possible tunings and imagine how confusing that would get to me.
I really don’t need this JTV, I really don’t like too many options in a guitar or amp. But still I’m a bit caught with this one.
It’s not here in Sweden til autumn though so this decease will have time to pass. UK and USA has got them in stores I belive.


Does anyone have an opinion on the new Variax JTV, maybe even tried one?

That LP model is pretty sweet

Posted by: Staffy Aug 11 2010, 11:20 AM

Thats the only one that looks decent, the design of the others just stinks.....

//Staffay

Posted by: ZakkWylde Aug 11 2010, 12:58 PM

The only thing that is powered by batteries in my guitars are the active pickups!
Give me a tube amp, some stomp-boxes and a good-old-fashioned guitar and I am happy for live... The more electronics you put in a guitar the more is going to fail on you sooner or later

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 11 2010, 03:15 PM

I'm the same way as zakk, Batteries power my pickups, thats about it. Too each his own though, if a self tuning guitar tweaks one's knickers, I say go for it They look ok to me. I like the Black one with the inverted head stock, big shock.

The les paul looking one isn't bad, but I'm not digging the strat version. I'd like to have a roadie though to "self tune" and string and polish all of my guitars so I could spend that time playing them instead of maintaining them. But that's just me

Todd

Posted by: Daniel Realpe Aug 11 2010, 03:16 PM

I saw the promo for these,

pretty impressive!

but yes, I've got some doubts inside

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Aug 11 2010, 11:45 PM

LP look-alike, looks nice, but the others are indeed poorly designed. I guess they made them after Fender & Ibanez, but couldn't use the original shapes, so they made something that looks similar so people can relate too. Poor attempt if you ask me. I hope they don't play as good as they look.

Posted by: shatterd Aug 12 2010, 02:00 AM

Give me an Ibanez RG anyday!!

Posted by: kaznie_NL Aug 12 2010, 03:14 PM

Posted by: audiopaal Aug 16 2010, 11:25 AM

The LP actually looked good

Thanks for sharing!

Posted by: sted Aug 16 2010, 05:17 PM

Yeah I was gnna post Robs review as well! I know Rob quite well, he has his own guitar company now but still reviews other stuff for andertons, he was blown away by the quality of the new Variax guitars, and thats the Korean ones! Belive me this is a guy who knows his onions!
Me, I dunno really, I'd have to try it, I'm not in the habit of dismissing things out of hand anymore, I did that with EMG's for years until I owned a guitar with them, now I think theyre storming pickups. In the right situation this could be a good product, if you play a lot of diverse songs in a covers band then it could save you taking more than one guitar, also for alt tunings (Which the metalheadz love!) there would be no need for having different guitars at the stage side.
I'll definitley try one when theyre more readily available, think of it like this, they are decent guitars in their own right, they just have all the extra electric gubbins too! Can that ever be a bad thing??

Posted by: The Uncreator Aug 16 2010, 05:23 PM

I use a lot of line 6 products and love them to death, But Line 6 just shouldn't make guitars. I have played most of them and they feel fake. I don't even like the LP design, I generally don't like any guitar that is so obviously a failed immitation of already iconic images. Either have the guts to somehow license the design for use or try to do something new.

Posted by: Adrian Figallo Aug 16 2010, 07:17 PM

gotta agree here man, they look bad.
they sound i think good, BUT, rob is a great player...