Line 6 Variax 700 Series

Features are too numerous to list here. Most of you are probably familiar with the features already. Those of you who aren't, I recommend Line 6's web site. It tells you most of what you need to know.

I'm writing this mostly to help you folks that are trying to decide between a Variax and a Strat VG because I own both now and I might save you some aggravation (and dollars). Bottom line is that the Variax is a way more versatile instrument than the VG. Fender really shot themselves in the foot when they opted not to make the VG connectable to a computer for updates the way Line 6 did. So, basically, you're stuck with what Fender gives you and it's not all that great. You're not really stuck with anything on the Variax - if you don't like something - change it.

The only things that the VG has going for it over the Variax is that it IS a strat and the battery "pod" works much better than the Variax's. However, the VG doesn't have the ability to power from the outboard pedal so I guess the VG looses that one too.

As far as actual sounds are concerned, with a little tweaking, the Variax can sound close enough to anything to pass. Does it sound exactly like my Les Paul, my Strat, my Tele? No, but then my Les Paul never sounds exactly like Duane Allman's did either (no matter how hard I try). My Strat never sounds just like SRV and my Tele never sounds just like Danny Gatton, despite having "his" Joe Bardens in it. The thing is that we all have this idea in our heads of what certain guitars should sound like and they almost never do - at least not consistently. What great about the Variax is that you can futz with it until it gets really close to your ideal sound, as long as you get the Workbench software and play with it. For example, the stock strat sound didn't sound that great to me, so I went in and switched out the strat pickups in that model for the lipstick pickups which, to me, sounded more like what I thought a strat should sound like. With the Les Paul sound, the treble pickups always sound too bright for me so I went in and moved it farther from the bridge to tone it down a little bit. Remember, when the LP was designed, amps had a hard time reproducing high frequencies so the pickups were placed to emphasize them. With modern amps, that's not really a problem so LPs can sound pretty piercing.

I was also able to adjust the output of the strat model so that there wasn't so much of a gap between it and the LP model. This means that my amp settings don't have to be changed, or pedals kicked on, to make the volumes comparable. Way cool. There's a lot more to talk about but you get the idea.

The 700 was remarkably well set up right out of the box. There is the slighted fret buzz on one note when it's bent, but other than that, pretty amazing. Definitely a strat-type feel since it has the same scale length, but that's fine with me. It's made in Japan so the workmanship is quite good. It's not fancy guitar but it's easily as good as any strat I've ever played or owned, and I've owned many. I changed the stock 10s to 9s, tweaked the intonation just a bit, and it was good to go. My LP needed way more than that to make it right and it was considerably more expensive.

The whammy bar design is awful as noted in the earlier reviews. Given it's quality, I'd have preferred a hardtail.

Too soon to know. For this kind of bread, and given the fact that it's been made for years, I hope it's reliable.

Haven't heard great things but no personal experience, so no opinion.

I've been playing for 38 years and still play in a band that performs almost every weekend. It's a cover band and I like the guitar to sound as much like the original as possible so this thing is a Godsend. I was humping a strat and a Les Paul and another ax in open G to each gig but now I could easily do it with just the Variax. The VG makes a great backup though, so they both come with me. I essentially carry at least two of everything to gigs (amps, pedals, cables, etc) and it wouldn't matter how reliable a guitar was, I would carry a backup.

Would I get another one if stolen? Probably so, but I'd hold out for a hardtail this time.

This is a really fun instrument to own if you're kind of geeky and like to play with lots of features. It's not really a plug n play although you could do so. The technology inside this thing is amazing and Line 6 deserves a lot of credit for coming up with it and making it viable. Used to its full potential, nothing else comes close to this thing.

The Variax 700 is the top-of-the-line modeling guitar from Line 6. The guitar features a wide variety of guitar models including an assortment of solid body electric models (Strat, Tele, Les Paul, Rickenbacker, etc.) hollowbody models (ES-335, Epi Casino, ES-175, Gretch, Super 400), acoustic models (including resonator and banjo), and even more obscure models (Coral Sitar, etc). The guitar comes with a footswitch that powers the guitar electronics without any need for batteries. (this was a very important feature for me since I didn't want to be replacing batteries before every gig. This was the main reason I chose this guitar over the Fender VG Strat). The footswitch also has the added bonus of providing an A/B switch to allow you to patch one side to your amp (for electric tones) and the other side into your P.A. or acoustic amp for the acoustic sounds. This proved to be extremely useful for live playing since I could easily select the P.A. output whenever I switched from the electric to the acoustic guitar models. One other important feature is that these acoustic and hollowbody models don't feedback. So you can select an archtop sound such as the Super 400 and turn it up loud enough to keep up with a live band and never have to worry about uncontrolled feedback, which is usually a tough to do with a real hollowbody Jazz box.
The guitar has a very comfortable neck with a similar feel to a strat neck with a C-shape profile. The body is comfortable and looks great with the carved top. The overall quality seems to be top notch aside from a few nits that I mention below. This is definitely a professional level guitar that you can gig with.

The main reasons I bought this guitar was for the variety of sounds it has. The benefit of any modeling guitar is to have instant access to a wide array of tones from one axe and this one really delivers. The solid body models are excellent. After gigging with the guitar I find myself using the Tele, Strat, and ES-335 tones over and over. Does it sound as good as the real thing? I would have to say it's darn close. It helps to pair the guitar models with the appropriate amp sounds that can bring out the most of the model you're using (for example pairing the Tele with a Fender Tweed model sounds great for country, pairing the ES-175 with a Fender Twin sounds great for Jazz). I use a Vox Valvetronix modeling amp and it makes a great combination with this guitar. The main differences between the model and the real thing are in the responsiveness to pick attack. However, it would be hard for any listener to notice, it's more of something that the player would notice. However, this responsiveness is designed into the models, just not as 3-dimensional as the real thing. The Tele twangs and snarls like a real Tele, the 335 gets that fat sustain just like a real 335, etc.
The big surprise to me was how good the hollow-body Jazz guitar models were. The ES-175 and Super 400 models deliver some amazingly good warm tones for Jazz. Both of these models seem to emulate the sound of these guitars with flatwound strings on them. You can almost hear the wood in the guitar with the Super 400 model. It sounds like you're playing a big archtop. These models work well for fingerstyle stuff or for single-note playing. You can easily emulate the tone of Pat Metheny or Wes Montgomery with these models, they're that good.
The Acoustic guitar models are not as good as the electric models, however they sound as good as any other piezo-equipped (real) acoustic guitar plugged in. This is still very usefull for live applications and can hold it's own next to any Takamine acoustic.
The Resonator models are actually better than the acoustic guitar models. The resonator models are very usable for recording or live. You can get some great Dobro sounds with these models and a slide. Does it sound exactly like a Dobro, no, but you can add tons of delta-blues vibe to a recording by adding a finger-picked or slide part using one of the resonator models.
The Coral Sitar sound is great fun. At last I can get the solo guitar sound from that Steely Dan song "Do it Again". This model is very acurate and a ton of fun to play with.
A few surprises to me where the Rickenbacker models. There's a 6 and 12-string version of these models on the guitar. These sound fantastic for rhythm parts (pair this guitar model with a Vox AC-30 sound and it's instant Beatle or Tom Petty guitar tone). There's a slight noticable delay on the 12-string model but still very usable for adding extra chime and shimmer for rhythm parts. The 6-string Rick sound is fantastic for getting Beatle-esc rhythm sounds.
All in all, I would have to say that I'm extremely pleased with the available models of this guitar. There are so many usable tones it's unbelievable. The only ones that I didn't like as much were the Epi Casino (sounding a little muddy). I also don't use the Les Paul model that much as I like the ES-335 model so much better.

The guitar arrived with a great setup. The action didn't need to be adjusted and the intonation seems to be fine. The bone nut looks as if the string notches were a bit narrow but the strings seem to stay in tune unless you take deep dives with the whammy bar.
I bought the transparent Red version and the finish is flawless, very nice looking axe. The neck has a natural finish, feeling much like a Strat neck. The frets seem to be fine wit no noticable flaws.

My only nit is that the whammy bar fits into the bridge plate with a little too much play room. When you shake with the bar it tends to nock around a little inside the bridge plate. They provide a set screw on the bridge plate to help secure the whammy bar and this helps some but it doesn't seem to eliminate the problem entirely. (maybe a little plumber's tape around the whammy bar might help)

The guitar seems to be solid. However, modeling guitars are essentially a signal processing computer inside a standard guitar. The guitar part should hold up fine as far as I can tell. The electronics should also hold up fine, however I do worry about the guitar electronics becoming obsolete over time (like most other computer hardware). As long as Line 6 continues to support with firmware updates, etc. the guitar should last for many years of playing.

I might also add, that Line 6 provides a digital interface on this guitar so that you can download firmware updates to it. There is also available called "Workbench" that you can use to edit the guitar models and customize them. This is one of the pther reasons that I chose this guitar over the Fender VG-Strat since there was no way to change or update the models on the VG.

No opinion. I haven't had a need to contact customer support yet.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this purchase. This guitar is a godsend if you play a lot of styles of music, or if you simply need access to a large pallet of tones to record with. Line6 has done an excellent job of providing an assortment of useful tones in one package. Even if all it did was to accurately mimic solid body tones it would have been useful, but add to that the great hollow-body tones, acoustic sounds, resonators, Sitar and you have an unbeatable instrument for live playing and recording. I've been playing guitar for 31 years now (it's hard to believe it's been that long). I've been waiting a long time for a guitar like this one.

Well-noted. Mine's a naturally finished tremelo model. Excellent finish - also noted by a excellent luthier.

Versatility. This is like a major toy with multiple personalities. I can go places on this guitar that are impossible on others. I like unique sounding songs. This guitar is THE HOME to a huge range of tones. If I was a "purest", I'd play only acoustic instruments. As a alternative, this guitar is excellent, and I'd highly recommend it to players who have some real curiousity in the electronics department. The models in this guitar are not perfect - My ear hasn't been influenced by a high end electric with straight pick-ups. I love Zepplins' range, Claptons rhythms and leads, ZZ Tops sound, the Beatles VERSATILITY, and all those one hit wonders with a unique sound. This guitar can find those sounds. Minus 2 points for piezo pick-ups, and plus 11 points for the range of tones - net 9.

Initially, the tremelo version had trouble staying in tune. And, the frets were terrible compared to my Japanese STRAT. A luthier added extra springs to firm up the tremelo and that fixed the tuning issue. He also crowned all the frets and set the intonation and action. Man, what a difference. If you never had a good luthier set up your guitars, find the best, and tell him exactly what's wrong. I couldn'tbelieve what I'd been missing. Now, it's a multiple-voiced, imaging guitar that plays like a dream. Japanese fit and finish are beautiful. Rating 6 before luthier ($90.00)

Overall, excellent. Had one piezo go bad and it was easy for a authorized repair center to fix. Bought two extra piezo's and haven't needed to replace any others. I'd gig with this baby. After the luthier set-up, it's been perfectfor 6 months.

Excellent. Fixed under warranty with no issues.

Very happy. Everybody loves this guitar. Would have bought the fixed bridge version. However, with the extra spings installed by the luthier, there are no more tuning issues. I may add a pair of PAF's with a blender. Yes - 25 modelling tones with PAF's and a blender - like a Fishman. The luthier can do it.

I compared this to the new Ovation and Fender modeling guitars. This one sounded best to my ears.

Have a Ovation acoustic and Japanese STRAT. Looking for a high end acoustic like a Martin Limited Edition, Golden Era, Marquis, etc. Play though a 210 Ampeg Bassman and older Ampeg AX-70 with neutral modelling speaker. Also play piano and bass.

I don???t want to repeat what a lot of people have already said. The features have been listed in numerous reviews before. I got the 700 sunburst as a replacement for a 600 that I had bought before that had a piezo problem with the ???G??? string. I???m glad I made the upgrade. This is a much nicer guitar than the lower priced model. The finish is very good and the ash top looks nice (not a 10 but nice). That???s about all I have to say for this category.

This guitar is very good for what I do which is recording. I use it with my BR-1200CD digital studio and it is amazing. Sure, maybe the models aren't perfect, but to my ears they are pretty close. I did a side by side comparison of the strat model and my Custom Shop 60 strat and they was no noticable difference in sound. That was enough for me. I think the acoustic models sound fine and the 12-string models are pretty convincing. i don't have much use for the alternate tunings at this time but maybe in the future. The resonators and very good as well. The jazzbox models are my favorite for tradition blues sound. I like the versatility of this guitar a lot.

I bought this guitar from a company that does a 40 point set-up of all guitars before they leave the premisies and this guitar was very well set-up when i got it. Intonation is dead on and the action couldn't be better. Fretwork is very smooth and everything is as you would hope it to be. My only complaint is the guitar will not stay in tune very well if you use the tremelo very much but otherwise it keeps in tune very nicely. It is a big improvement over the 600 that I owned before. If anything could be improved it would be the tuning instability.

I could imagine this guitar would be gig worthy. I haven't played it through an amp too much and never taken it to a jam or anything but it feels like, with a little care, it would be fine.

I haven't had to deal with customer service except through the company (Sweetwater) I bought the original 600 through and their service is excellent. I highly recommend them. Line6 I have had no dealings with.

I have been playing guitar for 40 years but more serioulsy for the last 20 years or so. I have played in a couple of blues bands over that time and been involved in regular jam sessions with many of those players for years up until the last year or so. I have started recording more recently. If I had to I would replace it in a heartbeat. I own a lot of live playing gear that is just sitting in my gagage gathering dust. I have 5 guitars (Fender CS CC 60 strat, Line6 700, Taylor 714CE, Larrivee 12 string acoustic and a Yamaha bass). I am lookig for some time to take the 700 out and run it through my Fender DR and some stompboxes (one of the days)

Sunburst model, 2006 made in Japan, bought new. Others have listed features. Expensive guitar - I know you're paying for the electronics - but I expect more from a guitar at this price. Nothing really wrong with it, but it's really like a $500 import guitar. The things that really annoy me are (1) the tuners are very poor and I have to keep adjusting them, (2) the trem bar does not fit in snugly so you get that "knocking" thing when you use it, and (3) the action is way too high. You can tighten the trem bar, but you have to use a hex wrench, and then it doesn't swivel. Trem bar throws it out of tune faster than a cheap strat knowckoff. Neck if fine, feels good, way better than the 500, which was too fat, and the guitar certainly looks nice.

I am using it through a POD xt live. The tele, p90, and special models are really good, and the acoustic models are a lot of fun. I also like the 12 string; tough to make it sound like the real thing, but I give them credit. Also, I like the banjo and jazz box models; again, not a perfect jazz guitar, but definitely usable. The les paul and strat models sound hotter than the guitars they model, and a bit fake or tinny. I don't like them very much, and no, the les paul models don't sound like the real thing. The strat models are closer. Sadly, a lot of people buy this thing for the les paul and strat models. (Also, why is the strat model called "spank"?)

frets are well dressed. Guitar came with 10s and the action was much too high. No cosmetic or electronic flaws at all.

Solid. Workhorse gigging guitar; only complaint is the trem bar. Maybe I'm making too bi a deal about that but I am picky about trem bars, I like them to fit in snugly, and for the thing to move smoothly without rattling about. Best one I have is on an Ibanez S, believe it or not; Ibanez ZR trem is the best design ever, I don't know why they're not more popular because there is simply nothing else even close.

Line 6 is terrific. I have had other stuff from them, and it's not all purpose, but their people and their web sites are their saving grace.

played 20 years. Righ now I have an Ernie Ball Axis Supersport, Fender American Deluxe Tele, Ibanez S-series, a Martin, and this thing, but I have owned every other guitar on the planet ;-) If lost or stolen I wouldn't buy another. Keeping it for now because I bought it new and can't make my money back on a resale.

How could there be more features on a guitar? Maybe if it mixed your Margarita and tied your shoes. It's been listed before- made in Japan, 22 frets, gazillion guitar emulations, your own custom guitars with Workbench, etc,etc,etc. Check the Line 6 website.

BTW, Workbench is a great tool and tons of fun to play with. It really does allow you to tweak your guitar with amazing flexibility. I only wish it had an individual EQ. Well, maybe in the next software update. Line 6 is world class for giving FREE software updates that improve modeling, functioning, de-bugging, etc.

Also, when plugged into a Pod XTL or Vetta, you can switch guitars, and amps, and effects with one foot tap. How cool is that? It's great at a gig to go from a Strat into a Deluxe Reverb, and with one tap you're playing a Les Paul into a Dual Rectum Fryer. No more tap dancing on stage.

The answer to the ultimate question- does it sound like a Les Paul, Strat, Tele, Martin D-28, Rickenbacker, ES-335, Coral Sitar, Banjo, Les Paul Jr, etc? For the most part, an emphatic YES! Does it sound like your Les Paul, Strat, etc? Maybe not. Does it FEEL like your Les Paul, Strat, etc? Probably not.

Here's why you buy a Variax:
1. You want a multitude of different guitar sounds without having to switch guitars.
2. You can live with the fact that every sound it makes is not perfect, nirvana, Holy Grail tone- but pretty damn close.
3. You can't afford the vintage axes that you lust for.
4. You're into cutting edge technology-i.e. you don't relic-ize new guitars to make them look old.

If you're only into one kind of music, you don't need a Variax. But if you play all kinds of different stuff, this is tone heaven.

This is where the Variax 700 has it over the other models. It's just a much better instrument- quality of woods, workmanship, and design. The carved top is beautiful to look at, the neck is a great balance of comfort vs speed, the tuners are high quality, the guitar is nicely finished. If you're used to the quality of a Gibson, or higher end Fender- this guitar is right there.

Is it custom shop quality? No, it's still production guitar. The fret job needs a little smoothing. The nut grabs the strings just enough to keep it from being perfectly in tune when using the trem. The action probably needs adjustment out of the box. BUT, for the money, it compares well to the new Fenders, Ibanezes, and other guitars in the price range. Buy this axe, and take it your local luthier and have it made perfect. After doing this, I can honestly say that it's equal to the best playing guitars I own(Fender, Gibson, PRS, Guild, Anderson).

It's built like a rock and should be very durable. I've heard that you have to be careful when changing strings- cut off the bent end of the string when pulling it through the bridge so you don't break the little piezo wires. Big Deal.

The finish is on the thick side- should hold up to abuse. It doesn't effect the sound of the guitar. This is a digital guitar after all. The tone comes 99% from the software.

I've called Line 6 and have been treated well.

I've been playing for over 30 years and play in a versatile cover band. This is the best thing since sliced bread!! If it were stolen, I'd pick up the other Variax 700 I just bought as a backup and keep playing! Then when the gig was over, I'd kill the thief with a rusty butter knife.

Obviously, this new technology isn't perfect, but neither are any other guitars. But it really has no equal in what it can do, and I can see eventually when all the dinosaur guitar players die out(you know, the bald 60 year old guys with pony tails), this technology will eventually take over.

I purchased a 2005 model Variax 700 in Trans Amber or Honey, with the tremelo.

I think you are familiar with the particulars from the previous posts.

This category has to warrant a 10 due to the amount of guitars this thing models, and the ability to shape the acoustics with the mic placement.

This guitar will only really suit players that require a vintage sound, although most music today can be played using either a Strat or a Les Paul, this guitar is more expensive that other guitars on the market that an produce those high gain sounds.

This is no hockey stick, if you are into metal this is not for you. I play mainly classic Rock and Blues, and I am also in a Pink Floyd tribute band.

I have not had the guitar fro long, so I will comment on the sounds that I have tested.

The strat sounds, in comparison with my 60s' strat, are very authentic, you can coax those strat squeeks and whoops (some of you will know what I mean) with ease from the neck position, and the bridge has all the power and grit, but none of the annoying unwanted squeeks.

The Les Paul is also very close to my Les Paul Classic, there really is no tonal difference in it, I love the 56 Goldtop Bridge position with the P90, that is very good.

The Gibson ES 335 is quite stunning, you can really hear the hollow body in all three of the pickup positions, it is just fabulous for blues.

The Jazz guitars are also superb, you can really hear the hollow bodies of each guitar, and they instantly have the warmth and smoothness that we associate with Jazz guitar.

The acoustic guitars are formidable, I ran the Variax through the XPS (supplied power and switch box) direct in to my PA system, the quality of sound just blew me away.

I went straight for the Gibson J200 as I am a big fan of Gibson acoustics, and I have to say I was gob smacked at the quality of modelling, I could not get my head around that fact that as you play you can hear every single noise that you would hear from and acoustic guitar, if you close your eyes, you really cannot tell that you are playing an electric guitar.

The Guild 12 string is also amazing, the sound is just mind blowing, and if the fact that it sounds more like a fantastic 12 string than a fantastic 12 string, the guitars have an amazing sense of dynamics, the harder you pic or strum, the more tone and resonance you get back from the guitar, even if you pick the 12 string very softly you hear the lower gauged string as the dominant note, then picking hard brings the higher gauge string into the mix...FANTASTIC.

I have given this a 9 as nothing deserves a 10, because not even THE Les Paul or THE Strat that have dreamed about all your life ever sounds as good as you want it to as I have experienced.

The first guitar I was sent by the music shop was a joke, it had clearly been hanging on the rack in the shop, and had been played by everyone that passed through their doors, it arrived with an inch of dust on the guitar and rusty strings (and they sold it to me as brand new) there were cracks in the laquer on the rear of the guitar, and scratches in the headstock.

As if this wasn't bad enough, when I plugged it in there was suddenly a huge snow storm effect coming from the guitar, I could hear the sounds through the snow storm, but it was like doing an open air gig in the north pole. After 10 minutes of frustrated attempts to find the cause, the guitar packed up altogether.

BUT....

I contact the shop and they shipped out a new one direct from Line 6, it is PERFECT, the setup is better than my Les Paul, and the finish rivals any of my Strats.

I have given this a 7 only because the tremelo is supposed to be a floating tremelo, and mine is resting on the body, so it requries me to setup the tremelo.

I cannot comment on this yet, as I have not really road tested the Variax.

I had emailed Line 6 with a query before purchasing an POD XT Live, and had no reply, so I would say that they suck. But time will tell.

I have been playing the guitar for around 20 years, and been performing live for at least 15 years, I am also a collector of instruments and vintage equipment.

I own a collection of vintage Fenders, Gibsons and Burns guitars, and a collection of Fender, Marshall and VOX amps. I also own too many FX pedals and processors to mention.

If this guitar was stolen I would definately consider replacing it.

I love this guitar as it just models the guitars so well, even if some of them are not tonaly correnct, they are close enough to give the flavour and are very useful sounds.

I wish this guitar came with the Digital cable for us with the POD XT Live, it is pain to have to spend an extra 30GBP when you have just spent 800 GBP.

I have the Variax 700 tremolo model in Trans Blue. Beautiful guitar but no locking tuners or strap buttons? And for the price I think a hard case and Line 6 Variax Digital Interface cable should have been included. I wonder if a Floyd Rose version might be in the works.

I love the different models included with the guitar. The acoustic 12 string sounds better than my buddies Takamine. The strat isn't very strat-ish with the bell like tones one would expect. Overall, I think the sounds are fantastic.
The rest of my band comments on the sound of the guitar constantly. Even if I totally blow the lead, they still say how wonderful the guitar sounds.

No problems with anything in this category. She's a beaut!

I like the options for powering the guitar. I initially put the 6-AA's in the guitar but I also left it plugged in all night. Therefor the batteries were very dead the next time I picked it up. So I've been using the suppied power pedal since then.
I NEVER leave the house without a backup guitar. I don't care if this guitar was created out of titanium and diamond. No one should gig without a back up guitar.

I've tried several times to register my guitar and POD XT Live with the company, but because they were previously owned and registered, I cannot accomplish this. I had one reply that gave me a little hope, but it dried up rather quickly. I like the online options for patches for the POD and can't wait to use the Variax workbench to tool around with the guitar sounds.

I've been playing 28 years and currently own 39 guitars; strats, les pauls, PRS McCarty, etc. Love all my guitars for their individual nuances. I would buy another Variax but I think I would settle for a 600 or 500 series instead of the high priced 700 series. I received this guitar for my birthday from my wife, (she's a keeper!). Really should come with the RJ-45 cable...oops, Line 6 Variax Digital Interface cable available for a mere $39.95 on their site. (the same length RJ-45 cable is comparably prices at $2-$5.)

I have the 700 tremolo version! i found out of the box all was set up well, all i have done is lowered the action a bit because i play maianly fast stuff, also i changed the first 5 strings to nines because that is what i am use too.

I did not need to change the tuners! mine seems to hold tune well with heavy bending and even with a fair amount of whammy bar use.

I did put some dampening around the springs to stop them sounding and all is well, but this happens on most axes so i expected to do this anyway.

The sound is very good! i use it thru the vetta 2 or my practise 15 watt spider 2 and sounds very good thru both, and is very quiet which is gr8 i really like that part.

A friend of mine who is a brilliant player imho! tried most of the guitars models against the variax in a store, and found them very close to the guitars modeled on the variax.

As mentioned above was setup well! i just adjusted it to suit me, i found the fretboard is excellent for chording and very good for fast play too, if the fretboard was a bit flatter on the higher frets may be a tad better to play but not sure, i have found it is also good for sweeping and palming muting as well.

The action is good because is easy to lower right down if u wish, and the neck is medium size to suit most hands, and is high gloss, which again is Gr8.

So is a very good allround axe! and the body is soild and has a excellent finish! i have the red one.

I have had near on a year now and played it nearly every day for up to 4 hours so seems good in this department, and has no flaws on it yet.

Only rang once about my vetta! that was line 6 uk and were very helpful.

Yes i like the 700! is a very nice guitar and if lost or stolen would replace with another one.

I purchased the red trem version and have been playing it for 3 months. Also, I am a home/hobbyist and my review will be slanted toward that experience.

As far as features it includes 25 guitar models, a banjo, and a sitar. Take into account the different pickup configurations and you have 50 different sounds out of the box and practically limitless combinations with the Workbench.

I'm giving it a 9 instead of a 10 because there are no locking tuners (which you'll need) and it came with a gig bag instead of a hardshell case. The gig bag is top of the line as far as gig bags go but for the price you should get more. The gig bag is fine for all home players.

When judging the sounds keep in mind that the guitar sounds included weren't modeled from YOUR strat or YOUR Les Paul. Line6 had their own models from specific years that they used and unless you get to compare against those models you can't make the perfect comparison.

What I do know about the sounds is that the tele sounds like a tele, the strat sounds like a strat, the Rickenbacher sounds like a Rickenbacher, and...well you get the idea. I'm sure they're not all perfect and I don't care. What they do have is great.

The few models that I didn't like (Firebird Neck & Bridge for example) I went into Workbench and changed it to what I wanted.

The acoustics do sound digitized. Others have referred to them sounding like an acoustic using a piezo pickup. That's probably true. They're still much better than trying to pass off a clean sounding electric as an acoustic sound though.

The 12-strings sound very good to me. I've heard complaints about those but I would disagree.

Also, to get the right sounds you need to couple the guitar model with the right amp. Playing the acoustic models through a clean Marshall doesn't sound good at all. Line6 has given you a starting point in this if you use the POD.

Certainly very versatile for those that play a wide range of musical styles. It's great for me as a hobbyist. If all you do is play grunge or metal don't waste your money but if you switch between Chuck Berry and Motley Crue then you've got a winner.

There has been much talk about the trem version staying in tune. Well, I can tell you that it doesn't! The common suggestion is to put on locking tuners. There are also two other suggestions that I've read about and decided to try those before buying the new tuners. First, I put on a fourth spring on the trem. That did absolutely nothing. Second, I lubricated the nut which did seem to give some help. Finally I replaced the tuners with Grover Mini-Locking tuners (which require NO modifications to the guitar or extra drilling) and finally the tuning stabilized. If you buy the guitar plan on buying the locking tuners with it.

There has also been talk about the spring vibrations from the trem being heard. I do not have that problem at all. The guitar is essentially silent in terms of unwanted noise.

I was concerned about how palm-muting and harmonics would sound via the pick-ups in the bridge and again no problem.

When I saw the guitar on the Internet I thought so what? It's okay looking but when I opened the box I was blown away. It's a beautiful guitar. Pictures are not capable of showing how nice this guitar looks. It's great looking and the first thing that family and friends mention when they see it.

Mine was setup just fine when I got it. No defects of any kind.

I'm not a big fan of the neck. It's too thick and sticky for me although I'm used to it now. The frets are larger than what's on my strat and I like that.

I'm giving this a lower rating due to the electronics involved. It's got a little computer inside this guitar and as a programmer/analyst for the last 10 years I can tell you that computers will die in a second for no apparent reason at all. If you gig you will need a backup. If you bought an electric guitar 40 years ago you could plug that thing in today and it would likely work. I don't think that will be true here.

The actual build of the guitar seems very solid. When I was deciding on what to buy it was between this and a PRS CE. The quality seemed comparable and this won out on versatility. The PRS wins on playability though. (I still dream of the PRS Custom).

I have only tried their e-mail support and it's been horrible. I've asked them three questions and they didn't give any reply at all to the last two. Others have said the phone support is good so I won't trash them too bad on the rating.

I play through a PODxt Live via a cat 5 cable. I immediately updated the firmware on my Variax to version 3.x and downloaded the additional patches to my POD that are designed for the Variax. I also use the Workbench software which is free to download providing you can update your variax via a POD or Vetta otherwise you'll need the USB interface.

The Workbench takes this great guitar to a whole new level - alternate tunings being my favorite feature. With Workbench I can upload the model into my guitar and then program a patch into my POD to use that model and then with a click of a pedal I can be using a Les Paul in drop D through a Marshall JCM-800!

I chose this guitar over a PRS and Les Paul and have not regretted it. I would replace it if I lost it. However, like most guitar players I will buy other guitars regardless of how much I like this one. I just like guitars and I like playing them.