Variax - a bit meh?

axisus

I bought one about 4 years ago to try a transplant. Ended up in the loft as I lost the cables etc. I chanced across that cables a couple of days ago and I thought I'd give it a spin. To be honest it all seemed a bit dull to me. The Tele sounds didn't sound like a tele, the strat sounds didn't sound like a strat, the LP sounds didn't sound like an LP, and by the time I plugged into my often used high gain sound with delay and reverb they all sounded the same!

Any fans out there? 

Collings

Steve Howe used to like em and used them live I believe.

Like you they never really impressed me when I tried one,

Sporky

I did a rehouse as my first guitar build and like it. 

The Tele models sound like Teles, the Strat models sound like Strats and so on.

With enough gain, deejay and even, ask guitars do sound the same so that sounds pretty authentic.

The base guitar was OK if you remembered that half the money went on the electrics so it was never going to be on a par with a same price guitar that just had a couple of magnets wrapped with wire...

ICBM

I think they sound OK unless you make the mistake of comparing them to the real thing. At that point even the cheapest Strat, Les Paul or whatever sounds better.

To me the most useful purpose for them is being able to use more unusual 'guitars' at a gig without having to carry multiple extra instruments - eg resonator, 12-string etc.

ArchtopDave

My first electric guitar was a Variax, when they first came out. I found it useful for giving me an idea of how different electric guitars sound, but I soon discovered that a Mexican Strat sounded better and had much more sustain than the one on the Variax.

prowla

Collings said:

Steve Howe used to like em and used them live I believe.

Like you they never really impressed me when I tried one,

I think I've seen video of him using one instead of an acoustic.

octatonic

I find them pretty unimpressive.

SteveRobinson

I think the Strat emulation sounds more like a Stratocaster than a real Stratocaster does. If that makes sense? Maybe it's over-egged?

EricTheWeary

I’ve seen ( well, via YouTube anyway ) some reasonably big bands use them. Quite popular in folk rock bands, one of Stevie Nicks’ guitarists and the back up guy in the Doobie Brothers also come to mind. Always the utility guy or gal playing  them , in a band context I guess they sound close enough to the real thing for some stuff without the hassle of multiple instruments some of which might also be a mild PITA to amplify. 

axisus

SteveRobinson said:

I think the Strat emulation sounds more like a Stratocaster than a real Stratocaster does. If that makes sense? Maybe it's over-egged?

Mine really doesn't sound stratty at all??? Maybe someone buggered things up with the editor before selling. I'll have to see if I can reset to factory defaults.

Fretwired

They actually sound quite good .. the original guitar was a stinker though. I used one for recording and its pretty convincing in a mix.

TonyR

My brother in law uses one and he loves it but I can’t say I’m a fan, to me it just does sound like a “real” guitar...

meltedbuzzbox

Didn't it have a banjo and sitar sound?

neilg

I've got one (haven't used it much though) from watching a few youtube videos it looks like it's the same and any other modeller where the presets aren't much to write home about and you have to use the editor to create your own.

Funkfingers

Adrian Belew has the Variax technology built into his Parker signature model guitar. Unfortunately, because he adds so much signal processing after the guitar, it is difficult to say how closely the digital modelling resembles the real instruments on which it is based.

Voxman

Tried a james taylor variax jtv 59 at Yamaha Music at the same time as trying the Yamaha Pacifica 611vfm.  

Build quality and playability was very good & I liked the ability to set different tunings.  It's 'own' pick-ups were surprisingly good too. However, modelling tones were unconvincing and I found the controls really awkward not least because you have to refer to a complex list to see which/where each guitar model is and what the pick-up selector does.  Fine in a studio but a nightmare at a gig unless you set your favourites for easier switching.  It does take some getting used to but ultimately it just wasn't for me.

I ended up buying (not from the store) a pre-owned but near mint 611VFM which gives me some nice Humbucker, p90 tones & combinations.  

richardhomer

As I’ve said in other Variax threads - surely the trick is to have the electronics in a floor board, with good displays and an intuitive user interface - with piezo saddles that can be retro-fitted to popular guitar designs.

Sporky

richardhomer said:

As I’ve said in other Variax threads - surely the trick is to have the electronics in a floor board, with good displays and an intuitive user interface - with piezo saddles that can be retro-fitted to popular guitar designs.

So a Roland VG-88..

richardhomer

Sporky said:

richardhomer said:

As I’ve said in other Variax threads - surely the trick is to have the electronics in a floor board, with good displays and an intuitive user interface - with piezo saddles that can be retro-fitted to popular guitar designs.

So a Roland VG-88..

Yes

Sporky

That was an ace bit of kit.

If they'd combined that with the full GT effects engine and used a less ridiculous cable...

Funkfingers

Sporky said:

If they'd combined that with the full GT effects engine and used a less ridiculous cable.

VG-99