Product: Line 6 Variax 300 Nylon String Acoustic
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
12/20/2007
at
03:39pm
by
JEPA
Features
:
No Opinion
Modelling guitar. Nylon strings.
You will probably only buy it when you want to use it on stage or for recording. Has no natural sound of its own.
In fact it's a solid body with nylon strings and the hard/software tries to make it sound like it has an acoustic body and that's just way too complex. Lot of solid bodies just don't have that resonance and it is too complex to replicate even with special "resonators" in it and modelling hard/software.
You can make it sound acoustic-like, Nylon-like, but that's just it.
Look at it like this. Donald Duck is modelled too, you know it is duck-like, most of the world calls him duck, but it's just not a duck, you wouldn't wanna eat it.... You can laugh about it BTW and he earned more than most real ducks....But i wouldn't make a nature movie about him.
2 types Concert or Flamengo bodytype. Can be blended.
Compression, though lot of Line 6 stuff sounds overcompressed "without compression".
The body: well you have to like the model.
Another word about modelling. Can be convenient if you are after different sounds within a short time, limieted budget and space. But when compared to the real deal, whether amp, guitar or what...i have never found it convincing enough. But on stage: well sometimes good alternative (but i am afraid modelling guitars sound even worse than modelled amps, effects..)
Sound
:
1
Style: All kinds of music. On Nylon stringed guitars i play classical, flamengo, jazz, latin-jazz and some more.
Tried it several times because i got tired of miking real guitars, don't like piezo's and other types of PU's and have experienced serious feedback problems in the past, particularly with classical guitars.
This guitar sounds fake. Ok, it sounds Nylonlike but it's just not there. Even sounds a little like a banjo.
To processed, to compressed, to unreal.
Maybe wehen played with several other instruments but that's just not what i want most of the time.
Well you can think: does the audience hear it. Well if they don;t then still it will probably affect your playing in a negative way. But in this case i think lot of non guitar players canbb tell the difference and that's just not good is it?
Even for 200 euro's (just less than half the price) i wouldn't consider it for playing. If you want a good guitar for 500-1000 just buy a real one (they can be found, really, just take the time)
Maybe i will try an Alhambra again with piezo and condensor and with an Aura or just continue miking my old classical guitars (probably best results) and use that guitar on stage (cheap enough)
And beware of soundclips and movies on manufacturers site: they sound way better than the real modelling guitars, amps, effectboxes and so on.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
No Opinion
Looks a little cheap.
Reliability/Durability
:
No Opinion
Will probably withstand playing live. I have read about hardware and software problems of other variaxes, no personal experience.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No opinion. Visit Line 6 site. Read some, judge their style and ask yourself, is this a company for serious players or mainly shredders, teens, starters, "i really believe 1 guitar can sound like 30" persons...
I f you wanna find out which tone you prefer most than maybe buy modelling stuff but when you have nailed your tone you will probably sell and buy something real.
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
Have been playing for about 30 years now. Also live and recording
I own 2 acoustics, 1 bass, 2 classical guitars, 1 electric.
Maybe my ears are spoiled??
I wish it had (natural) sound.
But beauty is in the ear of the beholder so judge for yourself and compare.