Line 6 Variax 600

It's a guitar for Strat players who want more sounds. The neck profile is slightly fatter than modern Strats but it isn't a major problem. The floating trem bridge is great, better than the traditional Fender bridge. The body is a nice weight and solid wood. This isn't a cheap guitar with a load of expensive electronics and the rolled edge fingerboard shows this. OK it's made in China but every country produces crap guitars and good guitars so don't judge. The fretboard is a nice grained maple on a maple neck with a skunk stripe.

It has them all. Much better than a decent copy of the modelled guitars but not as good as the originals I guess. Of course with a copy you only have one sound not 27 :)
The only thing you have to watch out for is you can't use a compressor with the clean humbucking sounds but you don't actually need to and it's not a problem with a dirty distortion. PLUS - no nasty mains hum.

The action is medium-low if you lower it from the factory setup. Better than any mid-priced guitar I've owned. The neck joint is very solid and tight on my guitar and there are no blems, rough frets.

I've had it for 18 months and no problems. I keep a backup guitar only because I worry about the footswitch power supply (no problems but I can't find a cheap spare).

The online forum is great and Line 6 moderators tell members exactly what to do if there is a problem. I just use it for Workbench tips (you have to get the Workbench package if use alternative tunings or just like messing around).

I've been playing gigs for fun for years and I just wanted a guitar which does everything but didn't break the bank. I don't play anything which depends on amp feedback so can't comment. I do use palm muting and pinch harmonics a lot so I don't understand all the people saying that this guitar can't do that. Do they actually own one?

I think everyone knows the deal--the manual or website's helpful for detailing all the different models this thing can do. You basically get a better understanding of each sound, as well as it's application. Otherwise, flicking the 5 way switch randomly yields various sounds which may seem a bit random at first.

Well, there really isn't anything quite like this (except the Fender VG Strat). The breadth of sounds and the quality of the emulations is really incredible. But there are some noticeable differences in how it all plays out.

The dynamics of the emulations are there, with none of the noise. That's cool. But I wouldn't sell your favorite electric guitar just yet.

First of all, your muting technique will go to hell in a handbasket if you play the variax exclusively. I.e. all those extraneous noises that you've learned to control with regular magnetic pickups--well they simply aren't there with the Variax. You know how the POD can cover up for technical shortcomings, well the Variax pretty much does the same. I just sound cleaner with the Variax. Whether that's a good thing or not is up for you to decide.

In terms of overall output--this thing has a built-in pre-amp. In terms of feel, well, overall it just feels hotter. The other thing you'll notice is that all the different sounds are pretty much at the same level overall. This is a good thing for switching between emulations, but purists may not dig it.

I could be wrong, but I get the sense that some of the in-between settings have a bit of phasing. There's this inherent 'whooshing' sound when you're using say, a bridge-neck combination. It's like they just slapped the two models together in the digital realm rather than modelling the real thing. It also doesn't sound very accurate. One exception--the Danelectro setting doesn't suffer quite as much. My guess is they modelled both pickups directly from the source.

On the other hand, the single pickup settings sound spectacular. Simply awe-inspiring. You really do hear the nuances of those guitars. Kind of spooky. I'm pretty much playing this through vintage tube amps with some fulltone pedals, and I'm floored by how good some of those settings sound.

In terms of look and feel--it's quite bland. I've got the black, with a black pickguard. If a guitar could be designed to feel "transparent" and look non-descript, then this would be it. It's balanced, hangs nicely on a strap, and is relatively light, without being a paper weight.

I'm used to wide-thin type necks, and a 25 1/2" scale length, so transitioning was pretty effortless. I'm sure you could replace the neck if you really wanted to though. Finish on the neck is nice and smooth--no sticky poly here. Tuners--could be better, but they're not bad at all really. Fretwork was decent, no complaints here.

In summary: a bland, uninspiring guitar, if not for the guts inside.

I hate batteries. But it's a computer, so that's life. The DI/power supply box does not play nicely with phantom power--that's unfortunate. Why not just design this to work with phantom power?

Durability--yes it would stand up to gigging in the same way a mexi-strat would.

N/A

If you find one for less--get one! It's not perfect, but it's damn good. Just treat it as a swiss army knife, and you're good. Just keep playing your main ax!

I got the Variax 600 in black... you can find a list of features on Line 6's website or the other reviews.

Included was the power supply, a TRS cable, manual, some wrenches to adjust the neck/bridge.

The only thing that keeps me from giving it a 10 in this category is the absence of locking tuners... seriously, this thing just won't stay in tune very long if your playing style include lots of bends. Other than that, this is a fantastic piece of gear.

I mostly play blues and rock. I'm not a gigging musician but do record a lot of stuff at home so the ability to go from a Strat to an acoustic, from a Les Paul to a bass (with the Workbench) is what sold me. I listened to a lot of audio/video demos before buying it so I knew what I was getting (soundwise).

The guitar models sound spot on to me. I don't care if some people say it's not 100% like the real thing... With the Variax I got every guitar sound I could possibly want/need and sure don't have the money to buy the "real thing" times 30 anyway.

It doesn't sound "artificial" or "digital" at all, it's got tone and plenty of it. I'm using it with a POD X3 and well, the variety and quality of sounds at my disposal is more than I'll ever need.
My favorites are the Jazzbox and Strat models, followed by the acoustic. The only thing that doesn't quite sound "right" to me are the 12-strings.

I definately won't be getting any guitar-related gear for years to come unless either breaks down.
Only thing keeping it from a 10 rating are the 12-string sounds.

The guitar was actually still tuned when it got here, save for 1 string!
It was setup perfectly fine, and overall the hardware is great except for, as mentioned earlier, the lack of locking tuners.
I have to retune every 10 minutes or so, which wasn't the case with my previous guitar (a very cheap, Korean made strat copy)...

Other than that, this is a wonderful instrument that will definately be my main guitar until it breaks down/gets run over by an 18-wheeler.

This is a very well-made guitar. I've read horror stories about the 300 and some about the 600 and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Mainly some cases of the frets sticking out the sides of the neck...

Everything seems built to last a very long time. As I said, I don't gig but would definately use it live.

No complaints in this department!

Haven't had to deal with them yet but I have to say Line 6 has some of the best customer support I've seen.
Got a problem? Just post it on their forum, you'll not only get a dozen replies from fellow users (helpful and knowledgeable) but a tech from Line6 should help you out within the day.

Been playing for about 10 years... I used to play a cheap strat copy through a POD 2.0, had to sell both about a year ago.

As previously mentioned, I checked out a metric-ton of reviews and demos of both the Variax and the POD X3 before buying them and definately don't regret my choice. Nothing comes close to both in the modelling category IMHO.

The Variax has everything I need as it is... I guess a "metal" guitar model like an Ibanez or Jackson would be a great addition, but you can already get some great, custom metal sounds with the Workbench software.

I would definately replace it with another Variax without hesitation, provided I won the lottery.

Heavy laquered maple neck, Sunburst (unfortunately they never brought the light blue variax 600 to the store in chile), Kinda strat style body. Gig bag plus variax cable and Foot pedal included which provides AB selection between xlr and analoge outputs (this is great to have specially when you want to go directly into the mixing board with an acoustic modeled sound or into your amp with an electric.Though chinese Made the guitar feels preety good and solidly constructed(still gotta adjust the action) .All other features previously posted.

This guitar suits my musical style greatly (Vintage rock-Blues). Very versatile. Im a profesional muscician from Chile,S.America and I play in a dance cover band. We have to cover an incredible array of styles as a band to make a living, this includes (Salsa,Rock ,latinmusic, DIsco,Funk,Tango, Jazz,etc...), and this guitar is what Ive been looking for a long time. It also does the blues pretty well which is my favourite style. I use this guitar with the pod xt live (on the pod??s analog input, I dont like the way it sounds pluged through the variax Input of the pod), as a pre amp to drive my Tube Peavey Classic 30 which I basicly use as a power amp. The variety of sounds are incredible.
The teles Sound exactly like teles, the Lesters incredibly close to the Les Pauls, so does the Les Paul goltop which is one of my favourite sounds. The 335 and casinos are right on (really close to the 335 copy I own). The ricks sound decent, and so do the Jazz gibsons, but they are pretty usable specially the gibson Es-175 on the neck position (I use it to play crooner Jazzy music with the band).The 12 strings rick can be used for some stuff, but througholy its pretty artificial. The Rockabilly models are pretty decent and usable too, though they lack a bit of character. The Acoustics are great (through the P.A using the AB box included) and the sitar is very nice to have too.
My only disapointment was the Strat.The sound modeled is not bad but I own a fender Stratocaster highway one and I have compared both sounds but the variax strat lacks character,prescence and sustain. I have tried to improve the bite on the variax through the workbench (I even found some hints on the line 6 forum on the vettaville link but I have not been able to hit the nail with it.If anybody has some hints how to improve the modeled strat i would be very greatfull. Anyways I own the real mcoy so I really dont have a real problem, its just that I wanted to avoid taking all my guitars to a gig which is why I bought the variax in the first place.This is the reason why I rate the guitar a 9 instead of a 10.

THe guitar was set up nicely from factory, though the action is a little high for my taste, I will take it to my tech. to fix it. The guitar stays in tune incredibly well, even with the use of the tremolo (I use it lightly though, not heavy metal dive bomb efect).

So far so good, the only thing is as some one sayd before, some presets dont hold on when you change the guitar sounds via the pod xt live patches. But I dont use it to much through this config. since I dislike how the guitar sounds plugged into the variax Input of the pod and secondly I use the guitar with a wireless system so I cant use the variax input of the pod anyways.

So far so good, since I have not had any problems with the guitar.

As I said before, the only thing I wish it had was a better modelation of the Fender Stratocaster, but having other wonderfull classic sounds on it I really think this guitar is the ultimate tool for the strugling recording-performing muscician who cant afford to have a ton of money to buy the original guitars the variax emulates.I think that with the gisbsons, this guitar already pays its price, plus having the tellies,holowbodies and acoustics this guitar is trully a bargain. If it were stolen I think i'd buy another one.

The features have been described in great detail by many highly qualified and also some pitifully ignorant and cloth-eared people. I fall somewhere in between, I think. Mine is a basswood body (and so is yours) with a heavily lacquered maple neck/fingerboard. The guitar came with 10s but plays better with 9s, in my humble opinion. The guitar came reasonably well set-up. I had to adjust the bridge after installing 9s. I have never owned a guitar with more features except my 80s Roland GR 500 which had hundreds of features, most of which were crap.

It sounds bloody great. The Fender type guitars lack a bit of presence (which can be a bit irritating anyway) but the Gibsons sound better than the real thing. I would never buy a Gibson again, but I use the Variax Gibsons for at least half a gig. The banjo sucks, but less than the real thing. The tunings make me play like Blind Melon Chitlin' who I never met. The Variax has opened doors I never even knew were there. You have to be open to this instrument, comparisons with traditional guitars may be difficult especially when you come up against your own prejudices (I'm a Fender man!!).

It was set up much better than the Fender Highway I took back to the shop and exchanged (reluctantly) for the Variax. The Variax is the only guitar - in fact the only musical instrument - I have ever owned that I have got to love more and more as time goes by. Usually it was love at first sight and then the gradual awareness of little faults. Like being married, really. Remind me never to marry my Variax...

Mmm...I think the woodwork/hardware is fine, I am an electronics engineer and I know the life-span of modern electronics is very long, but - the bridge? I know nothing about L. Baggs and that piezo thingy at all. Time will tell?

They don't respond well at all and have been much too busy making money to respond to my emails. Some Americans don't like us Brits because we play their guitars better than they do and we burned the White House once.

I am learning to play the banjo on my Variax. This is so that I can more enjoy the guitar after I change the setting. Who put the banjo on the Variax? Whoever it was is probably a sadistic person more suited to traffic control or other forms of population control. Instead of a banjo, why not a nylon string guitar? My only gripe, to be honest. Perhaps I was a bit taken aback to realise that the guitar was made in China but there again, so was my friend Kien Kok Tan who has been put together remarkably well.

Chinese made but better than any other Chinese guitar I've tried. The neck is a standard Strat clone, basically identical to my MIM apart from the headstock shape. I was a bit wary of the high gloss neck finish after playing cheap guitars in the 70's which had a similar finish that basically glued your hand to the neck. This doesn't. The body shape is a cross between a Strat/Les Paul/Les Paul Junior. For a Strat player the "waist" is nearer the neck and much thinner but caused me no problems playing sitting down. It has Strat contouring and the weight is the same as a typical Strat. Using the Workbench software you have an almost infinite number of sounds/tunings at your disposal.The free gig bag seems to be padded with cardboard. I don't use it and would buy a better one if I didn't have a hard case.

Which sound do you mean? What this guitar does best is modelling guitars which are closest in build - solid body electrics. The Tele and Strat sounds are great. The Les Paul 2 pickup sound is ridiculously good. I struggle to play Les Pauls (they feel all wrong) but I now use this sound a lot. The rockabilly sounds are definitely rockabilly but I've never played either of the guitars modelled so I don't know how accurate they are. The ES335 can just about manage a BB King sound but the Epiphone Casino doesn't sound like John Lennon's and here's the problem. The Casino is a hollow-body. The more acoustic a guitar is the less convincing the Variax sounds. So the jazz guitars definitely sound jazzy but not like the guitars modelled IMHO. The Martin D28 is the best fully acoustic guitar with the 12 string version coming in second but the others only sound good for rhythm work otherwise it sounds like they are played in a small reflective room. If you listen through headphones it sounds like you are inside the guitar. The same goes for the Reso models although the electric sitar is a beaut and the Danelectro has great tone. If you aren't totally hooked on getting 100% emulation you get a massive palette of tones and, of course, no single-coil hum which is priceless. I was fairly unimpressed with the Rickie sounds though.

The action was set high which seems to be the standard factory setting. Overall this guitar is no better or worse than my MIM Strat except for the plastic nut which I believe is the true cause of tuning problems, I use graphite (pencil lead) to combat this. From what I have seen and read on the Net there seems to be a quality control issue with these guitars. Mine is perfect but others have had problems so I'd be inclined to buy the guitar you tried in a store rather than take pot luck on a mail order purchase. You'll also get a guitar which is set up properly :) My rating is based solely on my guitar.

Too early to say but the issue with these is the electronics. They either seem to fail early or keep on going. The tuners are on the cheap side but don't slip (see above for tuning probs). This is the only guitar I would definitely have to use with a backup. I can sort out the usual problems with conventional guitars at a gig but I don't have a Masters in electronics. One wise word from the Variax forum - cut your guitar strings when you change them. Pulling through the twisted end of a string can mess up the wires to the piezo saddles. You have been warned.

No personal experience but the vast majority of people seem to have had good service on warranteed guitars.

There is no way to rate this guitar. If you can afford all the guitars you want to play live or in the studio this is just a toy and I know a number of recording artists have bought them as such. If you are strapped for cash but want to play a lot of different sounds live it is great, just take a backup guitar. For people like me who rarely play live but do home studio work it is the only way to get all the sounds you want cheaply and record to a computer without that soul-destroying single-coil hum. I rate this guitar from my viewpoint.

The features have been well covered and can be found at any website that sells the guitar. I purchased mine from Musicians Friend which tells all about the wood, electronics, etc. I only bought it a couple months ago and got the antigue white finish. I give it a 9 only because the action was set too high. Other than that, it was fine.

I truly enjoy the various sounds the guitar makes (the fenders and gibsons are spot on!). It is also a lot of fun to use the WORKBENCH software to change pickups, tunings, etc... The variety of sounds in this thing is vast. I think you could spend a life time enjoying the possibilities. The LINE 6 website also has some cool videos on how to use the tunings to do little tricks (almost like a digitech whammy effect). A word of advice, however, is to fully enjoy the sound of the various guitars, you have to play them through a very very clean amp or pre-amp. I use an amp modeler and have found that it tends to color the sound greatly - amp modelers do the same thing with regular guitars anyway. So, if you purchase this guitar, try running it through a small board just to hear the variations in the sounds - it's very cool and will let your ears hear the nuances.

Action - too high out of the box but easily fixed within an hour or so. I think they set it a little high for the acoustic settings.

Fit - everything was where it was suppossed to be. The tuning knobs are cheezy and I think that I will eventually change them as well as the nut.

Finish - high gloss on the body and the maple neck. I prefer satin/low gloss necks, but I'm okay with it. The paint job was superb but not remarkably awesome.

Like I've said, I have only owned it a couple months so I'm not sure how reliable it is yet. However, from what I've read it seems to stand the test of gigging. I play mostly in Church, so I'm not planning on doing any Peter Townsend moves with it. I think it will be dependable.

The Line 6 staff are great people and quick to respond to any questions. I have already corresponded with them twice. Once before I bought the guitar and once after. I am very happy about that and think this shows their committment to building quality gear.

So far so good. If I lost it, I would definately buy another. I have a feeling this will become my primary guitar because of the versatility. I'll always have my other guitars to use as back ups, but being able to switch from an electric to an acoustic at the turn of a knob is just too cool. Also, being able to go from standard tuning to DADGAD or any tuning I can think of, is very awesome.

Covered in detail in other reviews.

The sound is great, but I have one big complaint here - this guitar is pretty much useless for playing my favorite style, classic 60s surf, because the it cannot produce a decent sound when palm muting. This topic has been covered quite a bit in the Line 6 forums and no one seems to have a solution. The problem is probably due to a combination of factors - neck and body wood, piezo acoustic bridge, the modeling software, etc. Varies by model and string, with the open 'A' string being the worst (non-musical clunking that is dissonant with the A). My $140 Squier Strat sounds a thousand times better in this regard.

All good, except my tech had to remove the low E saddle spring in order to get the saddle back far enough for intonation.

I've had the guitar for well over a year and professionally setup twice - I can't remember what the factory setup was like.

The guitar construction is excellent and seems it will last a long time.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing on and off for 20+ years, but this is only my second electric guitar. If it were lost/stolen I would not replace it (see my comments under 'Sound' above). I do really like the high-gloss maple fretboard - I'm currently thinking about getting a high-end Fender Strat and won't even consider anything except an all maple neck.

The features are well covered in other reviews - no need to go into details here. I am also using the Variax Workbench and I have programmed my five most favored guitar sounds into Custom 1 settings. So with the flick of a switch I can change between Les Paul Bridge - Tone Control set to zero / Strat (Dire Straits sound)/ Tele (for country) / Acoustic Martin D28/ Gibson J200.

I own a Les Paul 1973, a Strat, a Nashville Power Tele, an Ibanez Artist Studio, and an Ibanez Acoustic. I own them because I play all different kinds of music, from Chicago Blues to Country, Rock and Pop. The sounds of the different guitar types on the Variax are just great. The Les Paul type sounds like a Les Paul, and the Strat type sounds like a real Strat.

I bought my Variax by mail order. So when I unpacked it i was prepared to start adjusting the action. I also expected a mediocre guitar considering the overall price. Was I ever positiveley surprised!! This guitar is as good as anything from Fender I've ever played. It doesn't get too close to a Les Paul, but then what does? It's a damn good guitar considering the price!!

I'v owned for a month now and everithing's just fine. Too early to tell anything else.

The place I bought it from is offering a three year warranty. This should cover most of the problems, should any occur. Still too early to test it really.

I have been playing electric guitar on and off for about 40 years. In addition to the guitars mentionend above I own a small Dean Markley Combo and a 160W Peavey Top with a 412 cabinet (which is residing in the garage since I only play for fun in my guitar room at home). I have no use for the tremolo, so am not using that. If it were stolen I would hunt down the bastard who took it and if I couldn't get it back I would immediately buy a new one. This thing is highly addictive!! I love everything about it, especially the clean sound and the action. Since I started using the Variax I almost completely stopped playing my other guitars.

Features are covered in other reviews. I bought this primarily for the ability to get a huge variety of sounds (including acoustic and 12-string models) without changing guitars in mid-set. The ability to interface with the POD XT Live, so that changing patches on the POD automatically changes the guitar model as well, is especially useful to me. I can go from strat->twin to les paul -> marshall instantly.

I have absolutely no complaints about the quality of the tone. I cannot tell the difference between the Strat model and my real Strat. I don't own an actual Les Paul or any of the other guitars that are modeled, so getting even close to 'the real thing' is better than what I had before. Only the 12-string models sound discernibly artificial to my ear, and even that is an acceptable price to pay, since it gets me way closer than I could with my Strat, and I'm not about to buy an actual 12-string for the two songs we do that could use one.
Since the pickups are piezo, not magnetic, you don't have to worry about hum. On the other hand, for the same reason I sometimes get microphonic feedback when playing at high volumes and/or high gain. For those who don't know, string feedback can be good and musical (when controlled); microphonic feedback on the other hand is usually a harsh, unmusical squeal. So you have to find the right combination of gain and volume so that you can get string feedback when desired but still avoid microphonic feedback.

Sonically, my main complaint is the whammy bar, which has very noticeable play at the point where it inserts into the receptable (you push it rather than screw it in). Because of that play, there can be knocking sound that gets picked up by the piezo sensors unless you're very careful how you use the whammy. Seems like a design defect to me.

I previously played an American Standard Stratocaster. Relative to that guitar, I have not discerned any shortcomings in the finish or action in this guitar. It feels good to me, it's well set-up, and it's a pleasure to play.

This is the one category where I have to start taking the Variax 600 down a few pegs. I've had several problems:

1) Soon after I bought it, the digital interface between the POD XTL and the guitar stopped working. I took them to the local authorized service center, and after a couple of weeks, they had gotten replacement boards (I think only for the POD, not the guitar), and I was back in business.

2) At a gig recently, I was using the guitar without the digital interface cable, instead using the power supply unit that comes with the guitar. In mid-gig, the power supply quit, and because I didn't have batteries in the guitar, I was dead in the water and had to fall back on my old Strat. I still haven't investigated further, but the power supply seems to have a problem in that when you plug the audio cable into the 1/4" jack, the power light goes out. It's not the cable's fault BTW. So now my options are digital interface cable (which supplies power) or onboard batteries.

3) When using it with the POD and the digital interface cable, changing patches on the POD can change guitar models at the same time, which is extremely handy, especially if you want to go from an electric to an acoustic and/or 12-string model with one tap. But I have found that the guitar model often doesn't "stick" .. for example, it will go to the selected model for a short while and then jump back to where the model selector switch is set on the guitar. It SEEMS that this is principally the case when the selector switch is set to the Les Paul model (and this is consistent with what others have reported on the Line 6 forum. Either way, it's a bug, and it potentially impairs one's ability to use the digital interface effectively in a live setting -- expect that as noted, the problem seems not to occur (much? at all?) when the switch is set to something other than the Les Paul model.

Not much opinion on the physical durability of the guitar itself; it's the electronics that have me a bit on edge. I never play without a backup anyway and, as mentioned, I've already needed it on one occasion.

When I had the problem with the digital interface, I took it to our local authorized service center, and they did a good job with it. The main delay was waiting for a replacement part to ship from Line 6 (took about a week for them to get the part, I think).

I've been playing electric guitar on some level for 17 years; I've been in a gigging cover band for about 7. I love the tonal flexibility this guitar gives me, especially when combined with the POD XT Live. Unfortunately, reliability is now a big concern .. when you play out, especially at something like a wedding reception, you want things to go smoothly. I've had some issues right out of the starting gate, and I'm hoping that things are now under control. If the pattern continues, I might have to reconsider using the Variax as my main gigging guitar.