Line 6 Variax 300

Made in China, this is the entry level Variax. Style very close to that of a hardtail Stratocaster with the 6 in line machine heads (as opposed to the 3 a side the 500 & 700 have). For those who don't know, the Variax is a modelling guitar, which can emulate the signature sounds of other guitars, both electric & acoustic (see the Line 6 webpage for the full list).

It is based on a L. R. Baggs piezo bridge, which is routed through the modelling circuit. It has a battery pack as well as a power distribution box - it can be played through any amplifier not specifically Line 6 only amps.

It has a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and agathis body. A note on agathis: it is a cheaper, softer wood, similar to basswood ... but nowhere as light weight. My MIM Stratocaster has a poplar body and is much lighter than the variax ...

Standard sealed tuners (nothing stamped on them though), the L.R. Baggs piezo bridge has the strings go through the body (like a Telecaster). It comes with the owners manual, allen wrenches for the bridge & truss rod, the power supply, distributor box and the special stereo cord that connects to the power distributor box.

Sorry, no gig bag!

I'm knocking a point for the weight issue, as far as features go they don't come any more versatile than this!

Is there such a thing as too much flexibility? Add a Line 6 Spider II or any other modelling amp to the Variax and the answer might just be yes! Some people who seem to have a heavy anti Variax bias will say it sounds sterile, that some patches are way off while a few are spot on, blah blah blah ... like a previous reviewer said: this is every sought-after guitar crammed into the one instrument ... personally, I'm impressed!

The only time the sound might be a bit off (hissy, sputtery signal decay) is when I use a pair of cheap high impedance headphones in the Spider II's headphone jack - my other guitars suffer the same side effects.

Here's where I'm a little less satisfied: while not excessively heavy, that guitar is rather on the massive side. And in spite of a in store setup the nut slots seem to have been cut rather high at the factory, something that's been confirmed to me by a fellow Variax owner.

While it's perfect for him as he likes the higher action at the nut for slide work, I prefer may action lower & playable, as I have it on my Stratocaster and home made Les Paul ...

No sharp edged frets that I've noticed (I've read a few complaints about this in other reviews). Once the action at the nut is fixed it will be a 10 ... well a 9.5 anyway!

Well here's the thing about heavier guitars: they can take more abuse. Not that I intend pulling a Pete Townshend on it, but it is solidly built. No name machine heads, they look like Grovers or Gotoh's and they work fine. While I prefer natural and/or translucent finishes over solid ones, the jet black finish looks sharp and glossy, no orange peel finish here folks it's mirror smooth!

Never dealt with Line 6 per se, but they have a wonderful knowledge base on their web page, along with a users Forum where people can share info on their Line 6 products. Going there helped me decide whether or not I wanted a Variax ... the sound samples featured in the products page were also quite the selling point!

Don't let the 'Made in China' label put you off, this is a wonderful instrument once a professional setup is performed. In fact many higher priced guitars can feature the same 'flaws', case in point: I once owned a Faded Gibson SG ... it had sharp fret edges around the 12-15 fret area on the treble side of the fretboard. And even a professional setup couldn't make that guitar comfortable to play.

In the case of my Variax, it's only a matter of lowering the nut slots everso slightly and adjusting the truss rod to make it more comfortable to play.

As described in the previous entries

As far as the sounds go, this guitar is bang on. Anyone who says they can hear the difference between these modelled guitars and the real thing (live or recording) is probably lying. Forget what you think you already know about how certain guitars should sound. Record with this guitar, and I gaurantee nobody will be able to tell the difference(except the lack of hum)

no comment

no comment

no comment

I've been playing guitar for 23 years. I've owned quite a vast array of instruments in my life, and being able to have all these guitars in one is a miracle. The reality is you can't practically own and play all the models this thing has. Toting 25 guitars to your next gig at the Pub, is by all respects, a silly notion. Buy one of these, use your ears, not your brain, and welcome to tone nirvana.

I just received a 2005 Variax 300 and though I have only about 3 hours playing time on it, felt compelled to submit a review.

You buy a Variax for its 25 guitar variations. You are paying for the cost of the R&D and the electronics to make that happen. With that in mind, and the price of $500, I figured the guitar parts would be inferior, but they are actually quite good.

It has a Strat-style body and rosewood neck--I swear the neck and tuning machines are lifted from a Fender Squire Strat or Tele with a little trimming of the headstock.

It has a quality LR Baggs strat-style saddle with a piezo pickup in each individual saddle. The six pickup lines are mixed in the Line6 Variax electronics--their volume can be controlled individually (but globally) using Line6 workbench sofware.

The "pickup" switch feels a bit cheap, but the volume, tone, and model selector controls feel quite good.

Red solid finish.

I also purchased the digital cable and POD XT live, though they have not arrived.

Okay, how does it sound? First of all, Since I have only played my Variax for about 3 hours, I definitely have not explored all of the possibilities or possible hang ups. Oh, and FYI, I have three of the guitars it models (Les Paul, '78 Strat, Tele). So how does it sound?

The LP, Strat, and Tele sounds are all very usable, but do not exactly match the originals. However, for my ears and use, it is certainly close enough. Plus, as supporters are quick to point out, these variations are modeled from specific model years--who has those models to compare with?

The Semi-hollow body models are very good.

The Jazz box models are questionable, probably need some EQ tweeks. I did not tell much of difference between them and the semi models. They did not appear to have the deep resonance I look for in such a guitar.

The acoustic models blew me away. They sound great. In fact, playing the 12 string models brought the phantom limb syndrome to mind--it actually felt like I was pressing down 12 strings--I flashback to my trusted Takamine 12 string bartered off for an SG many years ago.

The resos (dobros, banjo, sitar) sound good, definitely offering a different sound for those offbeat tracks.

The Chime (Rickenbacher) sounds did not impress me, but more seasoned Variax Vets claim they are great so I will reserve judgement.

There are enough sound variations from Blue Grass to Hard Rock. However, I had difficulty getting a good heavy metal sound, and I really missed a nylon string model.

Having 25 guitars is great, but they do require some EQ and amp tweeking when switching from one to another. If you think you're going to just switch from a Lester (LP) setting to an acoustic setting and have it sound perfect, it ain't going to happen! The Line6 POD XTL live can be setup to work with each Variax variation, perhaps that is the answer--setup a preset with the proper amp and eq.

Overall, I think the sound kicks.

And now, recording... if you do lots of recording, either home or in the studio, you gotta at least try out a Variax. First of all it emits zero noise--none--nada--clean, clean, clean. Add to that 25 guitar variations.....yeah, it's like latching on to the holy grail!

Caveat 1: Line6 is famous for providing software updates of significant value for all of its products. This is a good thing. The bad part is the Variax cannot be updated without a $400 POD XTL or the $100 Line6 Workbench HW/SW product.

Caveat 2: No nylon guitar model.

From what I have read, and I have read a lot, there must have been a wide variation of Variax 300 quality. All I can say, is Sweetwater music setup my Variax to perfection. Frets, intonation--perfect. No fret buzzing, no string anamolies, just plays perfectly.

No flaws, sharp fret edges, glue, the guitar looks and plays great.

I figure the guitar will hold up to live playing, a lot of musicians, especially in worship groups use them tons. If you're a pro however, perhaps the 700 would be a better choice.

I have emailed Line6 a dozen times and have received feedback within 24 hours.

They have a special phone line just for the Variax.

Line6 has a software download site for all of its products.

Line6 has a custom tone site with zillions of custom tones (presets), though none for the Variax.

Line6 also supports an excellent set of Line6 communities (variax, pod, guitarport).

I have been playing off and of (mostly off) for 30 years. I have a '78 Strat that I bought new, a '77 Takamine D28 copy, and the before mentioned guitars. I am not guitar snob and frankly I have a $99 Dean throw away guitar bought for parts that I setup to play and sound pretty darn good. With that said....

If you're looking for a guitar that has the feel of Les Paul (bound neck, short scale, super solid feel), you may be disappointed with the Variax 300.

For me, it is great! I like the fast neck, bound or not. It has good radius and compliments my non-shred style of playing quite well.

The variations are incredible. There is room for improvement, and I have no doubts that Line6 will continue to release updates that improve the models. The latest update, by most accounts, drastically improved some of the models.

Add to that the Line6 workbench that allows you to further play with the variations, and you have one heck of a guitar playground for $500. Just wish I would have purchased it sooner.

And if you plan to purchase a Variax, figure in the POD XT Live and VDI cable--you will want them sooner or later to do the updates, provide power, record, adjust EQ and AMPs on the fly, etc.

I bought the all black variax 300. It's a solid top, one volume, one tone, one guitar selector knob, and a 5-way pickup selector switch. With certain guitar models, that switch becomes very handy. I haven't changed anything yet as far as swapping out the factory tuners. It plays very well if you ask me. The only thing I don't like is that it didn't come with the gig bag (which i'm plannign on buying a hard case anyways) but with a budget like mine, which is very small, you have to make with what you got. And what I have for it now is the gig bag from my ibanez bass! So a gig bag would've been helpful. The neck is very smooth. i had gotten my guitar right out of the box and i've had no problems with the action. Seems set up very well.

I use a line 6 flextone II with a flooboard. So versitality is the name of my game here. I play in a christian worship band and there's not one style that I stick to. So having the different guitar models AS WELL as the different amp models from my line 6, it's great. The sounds that come out of this guitar are wonderful. The one thing i fell in love with was NO BUZZING. no buzzing coming from the pickups from my other guitars. I used to play a les paul standard and a fender strat and there was always some kind of buzz. I'd always get CRAP from the sound tech about it which always ticked me off. I usually have a sound like The Edge from U2. One thing i've noticed though when i'm really getting into the music, i sometimes have a tendancy of hitting the volume knob. You have all sorts of models to choose from with this guitar. You have les pauls, strats, teles, gretchs, acoustic guitars, resonators, banjos, rickenbachers, hollowbodies. You name it. I've plugged the variax into a fender acousticsonic amp and it sounds beautiful. I love this guitar.

I got this guitar straight out of the box. The guitar was set up very well. action very low, i liked the all black look. Like i said earlier, there's no buzzing whatsoever because of the piezo pickup in the bridge. Totally eliminates the noise. no need to replace your strat or tele pickups with noiseless ones. This is all you'll need.

The guitar is light compared to the 500 and 700 models. Which is why i bought it. If this guitar only came with a gig bag i'd be happy. i've already broke into it being that right after I got the guitar I went straight into gigs. I only had one night to really explore the sounds. The ebony finish seems to hold up. The strap buttons are solid, but i'd probably upgrade to strap locks. Till I buy the 700 hardtail, i'd use this for everything. Once i get the 700, this will immediately become my back up guitar. In the mean time, i have no choise but to use it without a back up. All my other guitars got stolen!

Haven't had to deal with Line 6 yet. Hopefully I'll never have to.

Overall, i think this guitar is well built. The neck feels like old strat, it sounds great, no noise or buzzing, the sounds are all great. If it were lost or stolen, i'd DEFINATELY buy it again or buy the 700. I was actually looking for something that could combine both acoustic and electric guitars and I found this amazing guitar. I've been playing for 5 years now, on and off piano, but more guitar. I own a fender acoustisonic amp and the line 6 flextone II plus w/the extra cab. So no matter which amp i plug it in, it sounds awesome. I love this guitar.

A hard tail agathis electric guitar with no mangnetic pickups. Instead in the bridge are piezo pickups and a built in digital signal processer that effectively emulates the frequency and phase responses of a variety of famous guitars.

On first go at neighbour friend volumes flicking through the types quickly can be a little disappointing leaving you feeling that you are just selecting a range of EQ presets ? but to some extend that is effectively what real guitar body and pickup responses are. However with real guitars your feel all the resonances and experience the instrument in a way an emulation can?t reproduce ? much like you experience playing a real Steinway in a way you don?t with an electronic keyboard.

Though when plugged into a pod (or ampworks) with suitable amp models for the different types, monitored through headphones and recorded with Sonar - you really get the point of this instrument. All the models do a pretty good job at capturing the distinctive timbre of the guitars that they try to emulate and if you listened to the finished recordings you wouldn?t be able to tell you?re not hearing a regular guitar.

The models aren?t perfect ? the Strat doesn?t sound quite as planky as the real thing, the Rickies aren?t quite as delicate and the acoustics have a hint of peizo edge that anyone who owns an Ovation will be familiar with. Though it?s fair to say all models are 95% there and the variety is really quite impressive. I especially like the neck pickup settings of the Gretsch 6120, Ricky 360 and Thinline Tele.

(as well as the twelve string Ricky - which with a little compression takes you to Byrds heaven).

Note - the acoustics models should really be played into a mixer or keyboard amp to be appreciated ? the frequency response of a regular guitar amp might spoil the effect.

Not bad though the frets could have been finished off better. It plays like an average #300 guitar ? nothing special.

Don?t really know yet ? feels sturdy ? though given it has microelectronics in the body it?s probably worth investing in a case and a stand ? and registering for the warranty.

Line 6 has and extensive web site ? and from my experience with the Pod they do email back when you have problems.

Overall I?m really glad I bought this guitar ? it?s a heck of a lot of fun and inspiring to record with.

I have too many really nice guitars including a Gordon Smith, Eggle, Burns, Epiphone Sheraton, a few acoustics and a bass. I?ve also borrowed a US Tele and a Ricky 360 for long periods so know these guitars very well. The Variax certainly doesn?t have the looks, the feel and perhaps subtly of the rest of my much loved collection though this guitar is the guitar I practice and record with these days ? the fun factor is so much greater than the rest.

I currently play keyboards in a band, though will probably be taking my Variax (and wonderful little Korg Ampworks) to rehearsals for those numbers where a second guitarist might be handy.

The Variax is to guitars what the Pod was to amps or samplers were to orchestral instruments ? the technology works so well it?s a serious option - and will get even better and cheaper. Luthiers beware!!!

The 300 is made in Indonesia,the guitar I tried in the shop came right from the box and to my surprise the factory set up made it instantly playable. It also came fitted with a set of 9's Daddario strings which is my preferred string choice anyway.
I would imagine it would need a slight adjustment for your own preferences of make and guage of strings.
I have bought dozens of guitars over the years and this is the first one ever that needed no tweeking on the set up,it truly was perfect from the get go.
The body shape takes a little getting used to but after wearing it and playing it for a while it feels very comfy. If you want a stat or les paul you should buy thr fender or gibson.
Your buying a well designed instrument that is packed with features that are well worth the price and I believe it will either be used by the player as great asset and addition to their collection or indeed you'll get rid of all your other guitars and never use anything else apart from the 300.
I bought a black 300 and preferred it to the red. It took me longer to decide blkack or red than it did to try the guitar out.
Mde from basswood without any visible pick ups there are none,this takes a few minutes for your eyes to take in but you have to bear in mind the whole ethos of the guitat's technology is what the variax is all about. It would probably be like wearing a strat to play I think would be the best description and the bride set up is very good ,it has to be ,this is where the sounds all start from.
The tuners are strat style in line and are adequate but I would imagine some guitar players would change them for a better quality movement.
The rosewood neck is very nice and has a vintage look to it which I liked/
It came with no gig bag ,mains unit trs lead batteries etc.

The sounds are stupendous for the money. I play a whole mixture of styles of music and they are all here.
I use a marshall mg 250 combo which is very rich full body sound and it will suit the guitar with your own settings.
There is no extraneous noise whatsoever at full tilt it is silent.
Every kind of guitar sound you may wish to play can be rich full bodied say for a gibson and then over to tele sounds in an instant it is really impressive
Sitar, banjo are fun sounds yet convincing and acoustic sounds and twelve string are terrific.
There is nothing not like about this guitar it is one instrument which does so much

The factory set up for me luckily suited my playing and string requirements so once again full marks.
I have played mega expensive guitars that were much worse in every respect. I really think line 6 have come up with a winner here.

I am sure the guitar will stand up to live situation and can only hope the the hardware will l;ast ,time will tell.
The finish is well good enough to last and the strap buttons are safe amd I think you may come to depend on it.
I would use it on my live gigs without a back up and probably experiment from gig to gig ,one week its a strat the next it could be a 335 or a les paul that's how my mind works anyway.

I have never dealt with line 6 before so I don't know.
The warranty as far as I know is one year.

I have played professionally for 30 years and have seen great changes in technology and NOW is the best time ever for what is available to any musician. It is awesome the amount of top class innovative ideas that are being researched and developed by many different companies today and we should be inspired by what is available today.
If it were lost or stolen I would probably have to get another to replace it.
I just am amazed at so much guitar sounds are available from one guitar without getting into effects of any description the guitar sounds are worth the money three times over.
The variax 300 represents the best value for an instrument like this I tried the 500 and the 700 they all have the same technology but are slightly different in make as an actual guitar.
I wish it would have had a tremelo on the 300 but hey you can,t have everything.
This is the best new guitar I have ever bought and would recommend you try one and see if it's for you

Ok, let's cut the crap, we all know this thing is made out of Basswood, Black or red, bolt on, and made in Indonesia.

I wish the neck was 24 and 3/4 instead of 25.5. I'm a Les Paul nut, what can I say? Otherwise the neck is just fine. No case, no gig bag, just guitar and a few accessories.

If you combine this with a PODxt, THIS THING SOUNDS AWESOME!!!! I cannot stress the importance of this fact. With the PODxt you can tweak the sounds to pure authenticity, with no buzzing! I have been able to make it sound even better than my Telecaster, the Firebird kicks butt, the Les Paul is right on,harmonics and all. The strat sounds like the old alnicos, and you can use the tone control on the Bridge. Two of the acoustics sound great, one is not so great. The twelve string acoustics sound better than the originals. The tricone, Sitar,and Dobro sound great, the Banjo needs some serious help. The rest, I don't know much about so I won't elaborate on them.

The strings sucked, the neck was bowed, and needed intonation. Of course I took care of all in 10 minutes.

Buoght it brand new, don't know how long this will last.

Never needed any.

I've been playing for 25 years, so I know my guitars. If it were stolen I'd hunt the bastard down like the dirty dog he is, and take it back.
The feel of this guitar is like the Strat.

Recent model, Indonesian made. Nice finish for the price, die-cast machine heads and a better neck than the 500 (for a lot less too). Supplied with stereo lead andpower supply unit. No other extras with the 300 model. I bought the Black model, which has a black scratchplate too, looks far better than the Red body with white s/plate.

Most of the models sound good (except rhe 12 string Rick, although recorded with single string melodies it's passable). The acoustics are excellent and of course you can waste lifetimes with the Sitar and Banjo!!!. I normally use it at home studio only with my Vox Valvetronix, it's great for "ideas", where you can sketch out a song witrh one guitar and then replace the parts if you like later with the "real thing"

Action a little high out of the box, shimmed nexk with a single piece of paper was enough to avoid lowering the saddles right down. New strings made a vast difference, although it was strung with D'Addario's from the box. No gaps around neck pocket, fretwork fine. No neck plate, just bolts but all seems very secure, no movement at all!

This is only to be used at home and I think it will last forever!. I'm planning with a luthier a "transplant" of the electronics into a Warmoth body, to be fitted with two "normal pickups too (probably P90 or P100).

Not applicable at present

Superb value for money, glad I didn't waste #500 on the 500 model as they are all exactly the same inside (same LR Baggs bridge and electronics on the 700 model too!!). You don't get the gigbag but I view this as for home use only.

Agathis wood for the body, and maple neck with 5mm thick rosewood fingerboard. Neck is very similar to my PRS custom 24 (dimensions of course, not the finishing). Frets are medium size.
No magnetic pickups here, only piezo.
My Variax 300 is mounted with 11-52 blue steel strings, and this increases sound and sustain.
1 volume, 1 tone , a guitar type selector and a "pickup or guitar" selector. Body is strat style.
Only a regret, no SG or Ibanez types of guitar.
Sure with the workbench software it 'll be solved.

Sound is really good for the price of the instrument. Telecaster, strat, LP and acoutic sounds are terrific plugged in my H&K Triamp all tube amplifier. Not sure for the other guitar types (335, gretsch), i'm not familiar to these types of sound.
In fact, all the guitars modelled in the Variax doesn't sound exactly similar to the real models, but be sure, the sound is very good and near the original models. The output levels are a little heavier than the originals, but you can use the volume button to drive it.
No noise from this axe, even with single pickup positions.
Beautiful sustain like my Gibson Lespaul or PRS (same duration in fact :) )
Artificial harmonics are well reproduced as all the playing effects you can do.
If only i had this guitar when i started to play !!!

Action and intonation were set by the reseller before he sold it to me.
I told him to change the strings to 11-52, lowering the action, setting the trussrod and the intonation. But only with the factory setup, it was good, just the action was a little high for me.

The guitar is well finished, it's low price is due to a good and modular conception and low cost choices in the design (flat body, electronic is attached on the pickgard, bolt on classic neck, low cost tuning machines).
Quality is very close the quality of a Fender Mex, but sound is better !
I think i 'll change the tuning machine because they're not accurate.

i own this guitar for only a month now, and i didn't have no pb with it.
As i said before, i 'll change the tuning machines else the entire guitar seems built like a rock.
I hope the electronics will not fail.

I also own a POD and they answered me really fast for it.

I've been playing since 1986 and i own :
Fender Stratocaster 1988, Gibson LesPaul 1995, PRS Custom 24 1994, a few acoustic guitars, and i play it in a Hughes and Kettner 6L6 Triamp stack with a 4*12.
I love the Variax, it permits to me to test some different new guitars into this one.
I think now i will purchase a US Telecaster because i love its sound from the Variax.
Like with the POD for the Triamp, this guitar will make me buy real guitars (and not the reverse path like some other people...)

I'm pretty happy with the Variax,wich is very versatile and sounds good.
For me, the real <put the name of your dream guitar here> sound is not very important, and in fact sound depends on the amp you plug it into.
Sure i will take it for holidays,it costs less than a Gibson or a PRS and sounds really close to them.
I only wish it looks better cause it is UGLY !!!!

Technology is the same as in the 500 and 700. Neck is definately more comfortable to play, and the body is slightly contoured for comfort. Having 25 guitars to play in one instrument still astounds me, so full marks! Didn't buy the guitar, was just testing it out, but will return to purchase it on the near future.

The acoustic models are brilliant. When I plugged it in it was set to an acoustic, and I had to do a double take when I heard what was coming out of the amp! All the twelve strings are convincing except for the Rickenbacker, which sounded like chorus. Les Pauls sound great, really sounds like they're coming through 3 inches of mahogany, minus some sustain. Strat model was quite convincing, as was the Tele. As I actually own a Tele, the variax one was close, but didn't quite get there to the sound of my own. I absolutely loved the sitar, sounded incredible.

The action was fine on the one I played, but the intonation was dodgy, but easily fixable. The controls felt solid and positive. I would probably replace the tuners when I buy one. Felt nice to play overall.

I only tested it, but it seemed pretty solid. It wouldnt be my only guitar for a gig until it had settled in properly, and I was sure of its build quality. Finish seemed fine and was well applied. Strap buttons felt solid, no wobble at all. The bridge was very well built and installed, looked and felt quality.

Only tried it, so didnt deal with them.

I think this guitar was great. Although some of the models dont sound exactly like the originals, their pretty damn close, closer than an Epiphone, Squier or any other copy would sound. It felt great to play, and sounded good on nearly all the models. If you coupled this with a podxt live or vetta ii, youre definately on a winner. I own three other guitars, but I reckon if i bought a variax, they wouldnt get played much after that.