Variax to Tele Transplant

Kebabkid · October 2022

Don't say 'Poor reception'

Who's transplanted the gubbins of a Variax into another guitar? I've a decent Harley Benton Tele and wondered what my challenges might be if getting this done (by a luthier) and what to look out for?

Thanks

axisus · October 2022

I was going to do this, I even bought a secondhand Variax. It was on the backburner for many years and eventually I decided not to do it. I worried that it was a lot of work, and that I'd be royally stuffed for spare parts somewhere down the line.

Other people have done it. There was a good blog years ago where someone went through it and took pix along the way. He had a black telecaster but I don't recall the site now.

I could be tempted to do it with a more modern variax to transplant, but they are a lot more money! For what it's worth I rather enjoyed noodling around with the Variax before I pulled it apart!

stickyfiddle · October 2022

@Sporky definitely did one

Sporky · October 2022

I did - on a guitar course, into a custom body. It's a bit more work as you need a lot of cavities, and I needed custom ribbon cables too.

Kebabkid · October 2022

Of course @Sporky and apologies Andi - I now remember trying it at a SE Gearfest and being impressed at your handiwork.

I'll look into it some more and speak to my luthier at Guitar Guitar or even my go-to, Charlie Chandler - thanks

Kebabkid · October 2022

axisus said:

I was going to do this, I even bought a secondhand Variax. It was on the backburner for many years and eventually I decided not to do it. I worried that it was a lot of work, and that I'd be royally stuffed for spare parts somewhere down the line.

Other people have done it. There was a good blog years ago where someone went through it and took pix along the way. He had a black telecaster but I don't recall the site now.

I could be tempted to do it with a more modern variax to transplant, but they are a lot more money! For what it's worth I rather enjoyed noodling around with the Variax before I pulled it apart!

Thanks and I found your blog and look for the other one. In the meantime, if anyone has the link or knows of it, could you please send it through

Sporky · October 2022

I've still got all the bits from a 600 (I think - one with a trem) to do something with.

FelineGuitars · October 2022

We transplanted the guts of a variax to a GMP Roxie (LP style) a number of years ago , and also made a replacement walnut body for another one.

We have that black tele mod in the shop currently for a swap of parts as something has conked out on the Variax electronics

Funkfingers · October 2022

FelineGuitars said:

something has conked out on the Variax electronics

This happens! Often.

impmann · October 2022

Funkfingers said:

FelineGuitars said:

something has conked out on the Variax electronics

This happens! Often.

Thats unfair... they aren't *that* bad. ;-) TBH, they're fairly simple things to put right/fault find - but you need to have an understanding of digital circuits and how the different elements talk to each other.

Yup, I've assisted with a few - including rebuilding the one off 24fret 335-alike Steve Howe has, sorting out a botched up Birch Star Guitar, a Warmoth thingy and a few others... plus I used to run the UK Variax dept at Line6 (and the Service Dept).

The challenge is really based on which Variax you are using. Unless you want a lot of problems I'd avoid the V300/V600 which uses a "coffin" assembly with all the electronics in it for transplant into a Tele. The V500/V700 Custom is the donor to find - but both of these have issues with the super-fragile and no longer available bridge cable ribbon.

A better idea would be to use a damaged JTV59 as the basis (or JTV69 if you fancy a middle pickup), as these were designed to be used in conjunction with magnetic pickups. These are also much better made, with far less niggles on the electronics side and will run on a Lithium Ion battery that truly does last well... the early things are useless on battery.

One thing to look out for - the Line6 system uses a lower output (and capacitance) piezo that the generic stuff fitted other bridges. This can cause clipping to the op amps *before* the A-D convertor on the board, this manifests as hideous artifacts in the sound that can't be dialled out (its not a nice clipping). If you play gently and use light gauge strings you can get away with this, but it was a big conundrum on the Steve Howe guitar as that uses Ghost saddles in a Badass style bridge. He also can dig in considerably and this caused some challenges. I don't have the schematics any more but I seem to remember that we had to use some in-line caps to resolve this. The JTV89F uses Ghost saddles on a generic Floyd Rose and to rectify this there is a small daughter board that plugs in between the bridge cable and the main PCBA. I believe this again is a capacitor array.

The woodworking isn't hard - plenty have done that. Getting the electronics to work with the analog stuff takes some understanding and knowledge but its not rocket science and there's even YouTube stuff to assist.

In my opinion, if you are looking to rework an old school Variax, I'd just swap the neck if you don't like the feel. All of them are Fender scale length and bolt on so thats a shed load easier. If you want to stick pickups in it... well, I wouldn't bother tbh but its up to you.

The JTVs were a much better guitar in their own right - but the 69 did have a "unique" feeling neck that didn't appeal to all. Again, swapping that isn't tricky and then they are very good.

Good luck, either way

Kebabkid · October 2022

impmann said:

Funkfingers said:

FelineGuitars said:

something has conked out on the Variax electronics

This happens! Often.

Thats unfair... they aren't *that* bad. ;-) TBH, they're fairly simple things to put right/fault find - but you need to have an understanding of digital circuits and how the different elements talk to each other.

Yup, I've assisted with a few - including rebuilding the one off 24fret 335-alike Steve Howe has, sorting out a botched up Birch Star Guitar, a Warmoth thingy and a few others... plus I used to run the UK Variax dept at Line6 (and the Service Dept).

The challenge is really based on which Variax you are using. Unless you want a lot of problems I'd avoid the V300/V600 which uses a "coffin" assembly with all the electronics in it for transplant into a Tele. The V500/V700 Custom is the donor to find - but both of these have issues with the super-fragile and no longer available bridge cable ribbon.

A better idea would be to use a damaged JTV59 as the basis (or JTV69 if you fancy a middle pickup), as these were designed to be used in conjunction with magnetic pickups. These are also much better made, with far less niggles on the electronics side and will run on a Lithium Ion battery that truly does last well... the early things are useless on battery.

One thing to look out for - the Line6 system uses a lower output (and capacitance) piezo that the generic stuff fitted other bridges. This can cause clipping to the op amps *before* the A-D convertor on the board, this manifests as hideous artifacts in the sound that can't be dialled out (its not a nice clipping). If you play gently and use light gauge strings you can get away with this, but it was a big conundrum on the Steve Howe guitar as that uses Ghost saddles in a Badass style bridge. He also can dig in considerably and this caused some challenges. I don't have the schematics any more but I seem to remember that we had to use some in-line caps to resolve this. The JTV89F uses Ghost saddles on a generic Floyd Rose and to rectify this there is a small daughter board that plugs in between the bridge cable and the main PCBA. I believe this again is a capacitor array.

The woodworking isn't hard - plenty have done that. Getting the electronics to work with the analog stuff takes some understanding and knowledge but its not rocket science and there's even YouTube stuff to assist.

In my opinion, if you are looking to rework an old school Variax, I'd just swap the neck if you don't like the feel. All of them are Fender scale length and bolt on so thats a shed load easier. If you want to stick pickups in it... well, I wouldn't bother tbh but its up to you.

The JTVs were a much better guitar in their own right - but the 69 did have a "unique" feeling neck that didn't appeal to all. Again, swapping that isn't tricky and then they are very good.

Good luck, either way

Thanks for that comprehensive overview and great coming from the actual person that ran the UK Variax Dept.

If I'm honest, I'm now totally put off the idea of the transplant but not against trying one again and then seeing if I'm happy to use one as they are and noted with the later models being better all round.

Cheers everyone for your comments

Sporky · October 2022

I put pickups in my transplant for looks. Never wired them up.

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