Line 6 Variax

When we invest money in something we tend to invest emotionally too. This can make it difficult at first to determine if the thing is actually worth all the hope and cash- especially if we find there are features that we like mixed in with things we don't.
I have mixed feelings about this guitar (Variax 600). First - the body is largely a $100 guitar. I have seen better cheap guitars out there.
The action is low but the strings are mysteriously 'tight' and feels like a guitar would if it had been tuned up to an open A. The neck is maple and should be fast, but it is not. It is a struggle to play fast on this instrument - due to the string tension. Perhaps a lighter guage set would work (a 9 on the first e instead of 10 etc)

For the most part I love the sounds even if they sound largely fake - I find the sounds have their own validity, so I prefer not to try and compare them with the guitars Line 6 claims they sound like. There is a freedom in this.

Unfortunately I am baffled as to why when I use the 1/4 output eith with the power-supply or direct into an amp, the signal fades and sometimes disappears altogether. This doesn't happen with the digital cable - just with the regular audio cable. I am so new to the guitar that I am wondering if there is something I am doing wrong, but hey, it should work without problems.

As I said earlier: The action is low but the strings are mysteriously 'tight' and feels like a guitar would if it had been tuned up to an open A.

Sadly I feel like this guitar could fall apart really easily. There is a cheapness about the body that I would ordinarily reject out of hand if it were a regular guitar.

I think the guitar will hold up in live situations as well as the next cheapo guitar but I would never go to a gig without a backup guitar. I simply do not trust this product much beyond the living room.

Well I have written to Line 6 a few times and I am not in the least suprized that they have not written back..duh... Like soooo many companies these days Line 6 has moved away from serving the customer to serving itself!!

I have been playing a long time and overall I think the general quality of guitars have improved much, especially in the lower price range. However, Line 6 has managed to package a great computer in a piece of driftwood and call it good. I would be considerably more impressed if Line 6 upgraded to installing their clever computer into a Woolworths guitar...heheh

Still, bad bodies and necks aside, I still love the range of tonality - especially the open tunings, 12 string and accoustic models. I don't know a whole lot about Martins or Gibsons and cannot tell the difference between a 57 strat and a Fender CBS 70's clunker, and I don't care either as long as it sounds good. Overall the Variax sounds ok and is brilliant in what it can do, but I am not convinced that they are a totally serious or reliable guitar.

Good on features- loads of guitar sounds to choose from (if that is what you want?)

some sounds more authentic than others- depends what model you compare against. Think "jack of all trades..."

not a bad set up. a little tweak here and there to get a more lower action. a couple of frets not level so watch out you who like a real low action!

got a problem with the selector switch from new.
Studio use- yes
live- too much to wrong me thinks!

quick support and return of product.
got a free "ding" in the guitar-neck which added unwanted character- thanks line6.
Oh, and they didnt fix the fault or put the guitar back together properly!

I have no confidence in this product for a live instrument.
ok for studio where you have time on your side but i'd prefer to stay with a basic/simple/standard set of electrics instead of the more volatile CPU based guitar

Everybody knows now... My Variax is a 500, bought in july 2003 - the price was TWICE at this time... Argl!
Good natural resonance with the alder body but the sound is not NICE: unplugged, there's a reminiscent focused metallic high frequency (4khz)... Bling, bling... The finish of the alder body is not that good: you can see the limits between the three parts of wood through the black paint.. the pots are already rusted... Playability good enough.

Well, here is an update of my previous review:
- You have to know that you just CAN'T compare the Variax and its "real" models without some tricks, because the Variax doesn't emulate all the vintage electric axes named in the manual: what the Variax reproduces, in EVERY case, is a vintage electric guitar THROUGH A 20 FEET CABLE! Nobody never says and everyone seems to ignore that the lenght of a cable plugged after some passive pups DEFINES the tone: the high cut filter shifts down of 1khz (mimimum) each time you add 10 feet to your cable... So, if you want to compare the Variax and a real Strat/LP/ Tele etc., USE A STANDARD 20 FEET CABLE. With this trick, you'll hear that the tones are pretty close... The problem is that most of the hobbyist guitarists use SHORT cables, which rise the frequency resonance of their passive pups... Then they say that the tone of the Variax is muffled... Now, it's true that this FIXED parameter is a PROBLEM with the Variax. People at Line 6 should do something... But maybe they had a reason to do that (see below).
- Another advice: don't judge too fast the Strat tone of the Variax. They've choosed a 1959 model: the pups were overwound at this time . A 1958 or a 1964 Strat HAS NOT the same tone, not to mention the CBS models or the modern reeditions... So, don't say that the Strat clone of the Variax is not accurate... Or be honest enough to compare it to a REAL 1959 model (plugged in a 20 feet cable).
- Now, the Variax is not perfect: the acoustic tones are useable, even if they sound synthetic and "piezo" (this color added by the transducer is not worst than with my Takamine); the Hollow body models are good... but you can approximate their resonance with a solid body and the "Guitar sim" provided in the Boss GT8; the electric models are good enough with a clean or a slightly crunch tone; their distorsion is REALLY less convincing: with an high gain settings, a "hiss" takes the place of the "hum"; the distorsion erases the differences between the models and enhances the piezo "clock-clock".
- This piezo sound, ALWAYS there in EVERY tone, is the big problem of the axe. Sometimes, I live with it. Sometimes, I find it unbearable. I still believe that this parameter explains the choice of a "20 feet cable" type of tone: it masks a bit the natural sound of the piezo. The other flaw of such a transducer is that it LACKS OF DYNAMIC! I've played a PRS Soapbar II some weeks ago: what a difference!! The "Les Paul Junior" model of the Variax sounded lifeless, neutral, flat, blank... With my real Les Paul and my real Strat, same thing: the overall color is the same (through a 20 feet cable). But the natural biting attack of magnetic pups is not there with the Variax. You have the piezo "clock" instead.
Sum up: I'm still happy with the wide range provided by my Variax. But I'm not really seduced by ANY electric model among its 25 tones. This is definitively a second guitar. These days, I use the axe mostly for its acoustic sounds, more versatile and useable in studio than my Takamine (even if it stays more synthetic)...

See above

See above.

I've sent some questions and never had any answer.

I don't know if I would buy it a second time: I've played it a lot, searching THE tone, finding sometimes a good sound, but I can't say that I've had a real moment of pleasure with it. It's a useful piece of gear, a TOOL. It's REALLY not the holy graal. I dream about a modeling guitar with MAGNETIC pups AND a piezo transducer...

V500 Sunburst.
Lot's and lot's of tones (models).

Suits the many styles I like to play. Metal, Classic Rock, Blues, Bluegrass, Acoustic. I've noticed that to get the full effect of the various models, you must use a full range amp. I use mine with a POD 2 through a Roland 40watt KB amp with excellent results. The raw guitar sounds good not plugged in and when played through a full range amp, the models all come to life.

My first model needed the model selector calibrated. The Line 6 service centers tech was out on vacation so the price matched the offer I got at Guitar Center and I got beutifully set up sunburst. The fretboard was a tad on the dry side but a little lemmon oil fixed that right up. Truss needed minor adjusting to resolve some buzzing. Action was spot on for my style and comparable to my 61 LP Custom.

The guitar has a solid feel and the finish is nice. I replaced the strap buttons with strap locks as is my standard operating proceedure.

Called Line 6 to figure out the model control issue. Call was answered in under 5 minutes. Staff kew exactly what was wrong and set up service center repair. Was off the phone in under 5 minutes.

I'm 43 and have been playing guitar since I was 13. I've owned some of the modeled guitars over the years and still own a Strat and LP. This guitar feels good in my hands - like a cross between my Strat and LP. Since I fot the V500 I really haven't played the others much at all.

tons of fetures
as stated nylon string would be good.
k most will know what it does, its a guitar, that pretends to be other guitars

nope...... just no....... its so wrong....... how to describe it.....
can't add much. sterile sounding, unpredictable changes with the toggle switch. can't palm mute (my main problem). has sound. lacks playability. but the thing i hate. and i mean hate, is that once you put even little bits of distortion, or overdrive, it starts to honk, and badly. the sounds are aproxamate, but there is a diffrence, the strat sound is worse than my $50 strat copy i got in china, if that is a pointer. and again with litle bits of od dist, the 'guitars' loose their character, and sound like honky crap. clean is much better, i never play it with any amount of gain, it hates my tube amps.
i have a parker P38 which i got for a similar price, and i think it is way more versitile; in short i have a humbucker sound, single coil sound, and a pizo which i can blend with the magnetic, or have alone. i can also split the signal to 2 amps, (mag and pizo)
the variax has nothing on any of my guitars in terms of sound, and as far as sounding like the real thing, i think they are haveing a laugh. listen to the 12 string and the resonators, and you should understand.
if you don't then, what the hell, yea why not.

what a joke!!!!! try keeping it in tune, i have never had problems like this with tuneing. i can hear it slipping, i have done every thing, and it just won't stay in tune.
now the goddam thing is falling apart!

thats it "i'm afraid its going to fall apart,"
Oh wait it has fallen apart.
First the strap button came off.
then the model selector switch came off in my hand (and no i didn't pull it off)
then the 1/4 jack, fell into the guitar, and i had to retreive it (though that was my fault) but then the wire came loose and i re solderd it back on, and it was fine after that
but i opened it up to fixed every thing. voiding my garentee, which ment i was completly stuffed when it gave up completly, i had no idea what is wrong, with it, all wires in place, took it to be fixed but it they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Can't get a replacement, can't get it fixed!

don't make me laugh! Try buy something and they are very helpful, as soon as you have a problem your on your own. they are not at all honest about their products.
Fainally any one who has signed up for the free rifftracker software and tryed to unsubscribe before the free trial period ends will know what i am talking about. but at least they are there, so a 2

takeing into acount that i'm the only one who's variax has simply lost the will to live, i accept that i am a special case. but i was never that impressed with it in the first place, and whats worse, now i can't sell it to some unsuspecting, tone deaf idiot. Because it won't even make a sound.
who ever gives this a 10 ina ny catogory is dreaming or just stupid.

Pretty cool idea.
could have had more models (eg nylon string, baratone models, stuff like that) especially as the majority of the others are dissapointing.
easy to use, the amp you use is very important, i have used it in every situation i can think of, and the diffrence can be phanomonal.

Well it could be pretty convincing, if it wern't so sterile sounding. try to mute, or make the guitar wail, scream, and you will be extreamly dissapointed. clean is ok, you can hear the pizo element and clicking of the pick against the strings, fingers rubbing the strings is accuntuated on a pizo pickup. (tho i don't find this a problem as i have 2 other guitars with pizo's, so i am used to it) but the signals are weak sounding, there are volume changes between settings some so much so that changeing on the fly is just not plausable. not only that but to get a good sound out of each model you need to do a lot of 'tweeking' of settings on pedels etc, so unless you have some digital modeling system where you can just switch a bank, then every time you flick the switch you could end up doing a lot of tapdancing with pedels, or usualy just end up sounding like some muppity plastic pop band.
the Guitar is cheap, and the inherant tone is awful, (just strum it unpluged) and for this kind of money i would expect more, (yes i know you get the computer system and everything, but for less cash i got a fender jaguar, and with that i can do much more than this).

the 'sounds' are ok they dont convince me, that plus the sterility, and the other limitations ,dosen't much like distortion(i never go past 3 [i.e i never use very much]) and this thing plus a chorus pedel is a complete ringing disaster', palm muting sounds like you turned the volume down, and so this should demonstrate just how expressonless this guitar is (it dosent respond to your playing style like a real guitar).

one of the first lessons most people learn when they start the guitar is that 'jerry garcia (to be honest i don't really know who he is so sorry about any spelling) sounded like jerry Garcia, nomatter what guitar he played.' my point being that guitaring isn't just about 'sound', you need tone, and most importantly style (which for me includes expression in your playing).

That said I wouldn't recomend this guitar to any one. as i think it would kill your playing style and only hinder the development of your guitaring skills. its all just a matter of opinion, and that is mine. I could see how it would be usefull for a cover band, but i still think the compramise you make is too great.

It was set up nicely, and everyting.
the tuners are not good.
the torque of the vol and tone knobs is diffrent (small point but it drives home just how cheap this guitar is, line 6 must be making a killing)
the 5 way switch is really cheap and feel loose.
the moddel selector switch fells like it will fall off.
of the guitars i saw (sunburst) many had inconsistancies in the finishes) includeing mine.
no problems with the neck (personal thing)

seems ok, don't like the fact that my guitar needs to be pluged into the mains to work. batry life is a joke, so never forget the power, or you will be left standing as it dosen't work with out it, (as well as being exclusive, and expencive and somtimes difficult to replace)the exterior of the guitar seems like it could fall apart at amy moment.

well they seem to either be great, or complete twats. my experiance was the latter. but worth a try i guess, bit like a lottery. In genral i have noticed that their products suck. as said in other reviews, i also believe they spend more on marketing than anything else (Do you think permission to use the original names was cheap?), shearly as their products suck, and if they didn't they wouldn't be anywhere, (just look at pop music, they pay for it to go on tv and the raido, then it sells itself till people realize it sucks, by which time there is something else)
can you tell i was a radio DJ?:
after readign what they say about the variax, i just couldn't believe a word they say. either they are just musically incompatant, or (more lightly) just money weasels.

to be honest i don't consider this a guitar. it is a pourper. I hear of people wanting mass line 6 product burning and whilst i don't wish any one any harm, i guess i would join in the fun (as i do resent the fact that line 6 products are takign over stores world wide, pushing out the quality products). I haven't herd a good line 6 product ever and i don't know what posesed me to get this, now i feel like a right plonker. and i guess i would like to get my money back, but it is too late for that. I just wonder how many people who buy their stuff have actually listend to the real things? not many i would presume. i would rather spend the equivilent amount of cash on an original product that actually does what the manufacturers say. just like pop music, market to the young, dumb and mindless (like me i guess) and you are garenteed to make $hite loads of money, we're all suckers. People allways want more for their money, but is more really more when everything you get just sucks?

2004 built black Variax 500. Please read all the other reviews about the features.

I thought it would be nice having that Variax for practising at home. So I bought one. As long I played it through my Guitarport, it sounded nice. Plugged in my VOX AD30VT I was wondering about the crappy sound, that came out. I tried to adjust the Vox. things became better bat not good. For hours I was trying and comparing with a Tele and a Strat. But the Sound still kept unsatisfying. The next day at the rehearsel room had the same result. All the sounds were synthetic, but not closed to the originals.

Well made for a Korean guitar. Had to make some adjustment to meet my needs. The tuners could be better.

For me it would have been just a backup for my main guitars for live playing. But it seems to be solid enough for some gigs. I would change the tuners.

I had some problems with another Line6 product and the guys were very helpful, friendly and reacted very fast.

I am playing for 25 years now and playing one gig a month.

My other gear: Fretking Corona 50 (strat copy by Wilkinson), Morgaine Chopper (Tele Copy by master luthier Jorg Tandler), Dr.Z Carmen Ghia mini stack, VOXAD30VT, Voodoo Sparkle Drive, Boss DD3.

I love the idea of having a guitar with this incredible flexibility. But unfortunately the sounds do not get close the originals at all. Maybe it will be better with the Variax Workbench Software, when you can create your own guitar sounds.

The Variax idea is about great vintage guitar sounds and this is its weak point. It does not deliver convincing sounds, which are close to the vintage originals. But most of the guitar players are looking for that last 5% of sound to make there (vintage)sound dreams come true. And this guitar gives you maybe 75%...

I sold mine on eBay.

this is about the 500
Read bleow...
only an 8 due to unimmaginitive choice of guitars moddled, missing a nylon sting as well as some others. and the actual guitar itself is nothing special, and sounds bad unpluged (to me this is a sign of a cheap guitar).
I think it would be much better if they made it with magnetic pickups, (as well as the pizo) then you could that an electric and an acustic at the same time (like a parker)

Ok well it kinda sounds like the guitars moddled, but i work in a guitar shop and so spend all my days playing all the guitars moddled and am sad enough to have sat down with the manual and compared all the guitars, and It unquestionable that the varix only sounds slightly like each one (70% i think is about right though i would say about 60%). When you take into account the weak signals, the pizo element, and the sterility and genral expressonlessness of the variax. WHY is this a problem? It wouldn't matter if line 6 where honest about their products, in which case i would say good on them for pushing guitarists into the future. but after spending large amounts of time with their products and reading their hype, i (along with many other people) have come to the decision that its all just blatent and total lies. Like it says on the advert here on HC 'just turn the knob and BELIEVE'. well i believe that i can play like jimi hendrix, but my freiends (and I ) know that is not true. the only way this sounds like the guitars moddled is if you BELIEVE it does. I think Line6 are haveing a good old laugh at every one, as they have proved that with enough marketing it is possable to convince people that their substandard products sound like the most expencive butique ones. If this was the case don't you think everyone would be useing their crap? CRAP being the operitive word.
there is a constant stream of people returning thses to the shop and selling them on ebay. I wonder why? when will people realize that guitaring is not just about sound, it is also about style, one of the first lessons you learn (or should), this guitar is so sterile that it is pretty much expressonless, (try playing the blues on it). whats more, i have herd and made recordings of the variax, i have herd it played live, and the first thing my musically diabolical friend said to me was that 'guitar sounds like a guitar trying to be another guitar' (his english is not so good but i understood what he was saying) it just sounds phoney. I spend the day with a variax and a 8 track and made 2 recordings of the same song, when i played it to my band members they immediatley picked out the variax recording, it was the first one i played and they simply laughed at it, (as they thought i had used midi).
also it dosent go well with even slight amounts of distortion or indeed, most effects i have tryed, (get kind of ringing overtones, the become really annoying). on some that i played there were problems with digital clipping (especially on the jazzbox settings). The 12 string banjo and sitar are just plain stupid and sound nothing at all like the real thing.
to be honest this is simply the worst guitar i have ever played. (my first electric was a $50 strat copy from china, and that compares favourably to this)

i read a comment somewhere else (i was pretty intrested in this guitar) that 'if you like this guitar then i think you don'T know guitaring'
it is kinda harsh and extreame but i think lots of sounds is no substitute for the ability to express i.e. make the guitar sing, scream, wail etc, this is impossable on the variax and i say beware as this guitar could well kill you style, (which is ok if you wish to be in a crappy pop band opr rip off other people)

sounds awful unplugged.
really bad tuners.
havent seen one yet that dosent have an inconsistant finish on it.
the selecter switch is cheap,
the tone and vol knobs have diffrent torques, the moddel selecter switch feels and looks like it could fall off at any time.

dont ever loose the power supply.
never owned one so cant really comment but i have owned line6 pods and these have failed me on sevral occasions, and this is just a cheap guitar with a computer in it so i wouldn't make it my only guitar, (infact i would never use it ever).

'Good coustmer suport starts with honesty'
well Line 6 is immediatly a 1 as they are everything but honest (just read what they say about thier products then use them and you should know what i mean the fact is no one expects it to sound exactly like what they moddel, but they say it does and that is just a bunch of lies). from my dealings with them their primary concern is money, your money and how they can get it. Dont think so?
why is it that they try and make their products so they don't work withanything else (i talk mostly about the foot switches and power supplies) they change the shape of the podxt ever so slightly so that it wont fit in the old pod bags. It is not a major point but i think it says alot about the motivation of the compney (money). but they are on to a real money spinner here. think about it, you pay through the nose for line6 (digital) gear, after some time its problems become apparent, and hay presto there is an upgrade you can download off the net (for a price ofcourse)but it dosent come with the dam thing does it, hell no.

Line 6 need to be taught a lesson. (hell mc donalds only started makeing CHICKEN mc-nuggets with REAL CHICNKEN after bad publicity)

Line 6 is pushing the future of guitar sound, yes, but they have lost sight of the essence of guitaring in their endlss pursuit of sound. and so it seems have many guitarists. (just read rave reviews below)
i have been playing since i was 7, i have worked in a guitar shop for over 20, i have played just about everything, and I would never recomend this to anyone, and is in my opinion the worst guitar i have ever come across.
some one needs to stop line6 they are takeing advantage of stupid people. That makes them a pretty mean compney in my books.

WOW! with the workbench software, this is a dream come true..

This is the score. I tried this out in a shop and whilst i was very impressed with the sounds this is my main ( and a big gripe)
You cannot palm mute with this guitar. Maybe it was me, maybe it was the amp, situation, whatever...but there wasn't any palm muting going on....no feel. The sounds are amazing, yes, you will never be able to tell the difference in mix with this, but the feel? if i cannot palm mute, this worrys me with other natural nuances with the guitar...
And no, i dont play death metal or heavy metal, or even use distortion that much even.

Nice, nice...looks a bit strange, but thats all personal.

fine

The only thing i wanted to comment on here is the palm muting. I do not have a good review here as i dont have much experience. As i said, it sounds amazing..truely...the power of this thing is great, but im worried about it if you cannot palm mute....

This guitar is feature-packed. No one making a serious attempt at a review for this guitar could possibly give it less than a ten. This is as feature-packed as a guitar gets.

As for the rest of the features, this is a Korean-made, good, solid, no-compromises guitar. It's a no-bull version of a working guitar (no fancy stuff here folks).

The finish is good, I have the black/perloid version which is nicely done and good-looking. Oddly enough it doesn't seem to pick my finger prints as any other of my black guitars, which is a big plus. (for some cosmic reason, all my guitars are black, even when I didn't intended it that way)

The neck is a comfortable c section neck, more than a strat, much more than an Ibanez (obvious, I know). Although it's visibly "chunckier" it doesn't feel that way at all. It's not easy to explain, but I have no other way to put it. It feels like a regular strat neck as in it is not cumbersome at all. Very confortable guitar in all aspects. And its so light.

The tuners are not very good. Really they are not, I'm thinking about replacing them. Anyway, not a big deal, but they "kinda" suck.

The included accessories are fine. Top-notch gig-bag, all the equipment to run it. Excelent work and value pack by Line6. The gig bag must really make a hit in their margin, but is such a nice thing to do in these "lets-cut-everything-that-costs-money" days.

This guitar is my dream come true. I play mostly at home, I record and compose music of all genres (really) and this guitar was everything that I could hope for. I have an Ibanez 7 String and a modified strat that I love dearly. I had to really force myself to pick them up after three weeks, it was so hard to put the Variax down. I simply didn't feel the need to pick any other guitar.

As an inspiring tool and for music writers and composers, this is a well-oiled factory of ideas. I mean, just turn the knob, and it's there! So many usable sounds.

As far as I'm concerned, all sounds on this guitar are usable, especially in a recording evironment. Coming back from the recording there is NO difference. It's no wonder to me if this thing creeps into every goddamn studio in the world (very much in the way the POD has).

Another advantage is that all Variaxes sound exactly the same... try loosing your 30 year old Les Paul and then replacing it the next day for an EXACT copy of it.... good luck! You may never find another guitar quite like that, EVER. Imagine now that you are halfway through in recording your next album when it gets lost or stolen or (god forbid) broken.

I practice with a band every week and I can't really say that I'd rather take any other guitar to practice. It has everything! Acoustic, solid body, hollow body, jazz, it has it all. No fuss, no feedback, no volume problems, nothing! Everything I need is there, always. In ONE guitar. Rehearsals felt just like moving into another country before the Variax.

Compared to the real deal, I must say that as a Strat user for many years, this was the sound that I was most disapointed with. But I can't really say that it is because of the sound, it's probably from the "feel" of the guitar being different than from anything else. The sounds that come from the guitar are real, are solid, very musical and very inspirational. I can't bring myself to believe that someone has picked this guitar up and was not amazed, or at least impressed. The hard truth is that this guitar has NO competition whatsoever.

Pros:
- All the sounds are very professional sounding with no or little tweaking;
- All the model guitars are very good aproximations of the real deal (the feel isn't obvously there, but you have to play it, no new guitar can ever compare to one that has been played for thousands of hours for years and years)
- The comfort of having an acoustic model and any electric model at hand with the same guitar is incredible.
- Unless you have money falling out from your pockets as you walk down the street and (let's not forget us, married men) a LOT of space to spare, this is THE only solution, period.
- When the new computer interface is out I will buy one IN THE SAME DAY. Imagine that you could design your own guitar... is that amazing or what?
- COMPLETELY noiseless.... completely. I forget that the guitar is on and with a full volume all the time. In front of the computer! Nothing short of amazing. Try doing that with a strat... pfft... Not even in the same house almost, let alone in front of the computer.

Cons:
- The models do have the acoustic component imbeded into the sounds and I find that this problem is worse in some models than in others, however, a curious thing happened as I'm hearing these "component" frequencies in "regular" guitars... so maybe it's something we hadn't noticed before. I'm curious as to if someone else has felt this (you can email me at will about this as I would love to discuss this with someone else).
- The knob is a bit flimsy and sometimes when changing guitars it will not work in a positive way, meaning that sometimes you'll wonder if you have indeed changed the guitar or not, or worse, be sure you haven't.
- The tuners aren't really that good. And now I feel that the guitar has the right price (around 500 euros) but 1000 Euros for this guitar?? Forget it! The Japanese version seems so much better.
- As a

The guitar setup was fine, but the action was set very high. The neck, however, was setup very well, the relief was spot on. Just had to adjust the height of the saddles and I was on my way.

I setup all my new guitars and I really felt that I could save money on this one. Good, solid, professional job. Once again, nothing to write home about, but no compromises. Everything professional. And I think that I'm very picky about setups and action.

As far the finnish is concerned, this guitar is perfect. Very good finnish. Funny thing is that the pictures don't really do it justice, it looks so much better live, it's unbelievable.

For a Korean guitar of this price range? A nine for sure.

I'm certain that this guitar will handle beatifully live.

The hardware seems very solid indeed, and just don't kick it around, it has computers inside, so don't go Yngwie on it, if you know what I mean.

The finnish is perfect and will last for a long, long time.

I would depend on this guitar absolutely. But the good thing is that it is so easy to get a spare, you'd be stupid not to get another one if you play professionally. And remember, it will sound EXACTLY the same as your other Variax.

No sure about the knob and the tuners are not very good.

Never dealt with them, and I own a LOT of Line 6 material. If that doesn't tell you something, I don't know what will. Excelent Internet site and support there. Good, solid, vibrant community of users.

The question of how many years I've been playing, as anyone who plays the godamn things will tell you, means JACK. This is the most stupid question there is. I play for fifteen years. What does that tell you? That's right, SQUAT!

I don't play professionally, but I play hard, many hours and I record a lot. I rehearse regularly and perform maybe ten times a year. If you were a professional, you'd say I play "pretty good", but in a condescending kind of way.

I don't have the least bit of regret of buying it. I would buy it again, and again. As I said, no one can seriously say that they would buy another guitar instead, because it would not compare. There is, simply put, no other guitar like it. To say that you would buy a Les Paul instead?? What does that mean? It's the same as saying that you would buy an Ibanez Jem instead of a Guild Jazzbox... How does that compare??!?

I love Line6, and I think that they are doing now what Leo Fender and Les Paul and Mr Gibson did 50 years ago. They are kicking ass, they are in the forefront of their business, they clearly have the initiave to which everybody else is responding, and their products are good all round, consistently good. Solid built, good quality and feel and professional sounding. ALL of them.

People talk about "passion" and "feel" and "love for the instrument". I have all of that, and then some, and I don't believe for a second that anyone that builds and devises these things is nothing short of a complete nut for guitars and guitar playing in general.

If you only need one sound to do your thing, don't buy this, buy the best guitar for your thing that money can buy. If you need a vast array of guitars, that are equally confortable to play, sound excelente with ZERO noise or feedback and that you can take in ONE guitar case, or this case (no pun intended) a gig bag, buy one today. At 500 euros there is almost no reason not to buy one.

Made in 2003, this one was black with a black pearloid scratch plate and a maple neck. Came with a footswtitch, power supply, stereo lead (for powering the guitar using the footswitch) and a very nice gig bag. 5 way selector switch and a pretty good manual. Load of technical wizardry - hence the 10.

12 string models sounded like a six string being played through a chorus pedal. Apart from that, the models all sounded fine - the sitar was brilliant (when I was trying it in the shop, I played the intro to paint it black by the stones and it turned every head in the shop). Most impressive thing of all was that on the Les Paul model, if you selected the neck pickup, the volume actually increased as you strummed closer to the neck!

Finish was ok - nothing brilliant (you have to remember this is a cheap guitar with some expensive computer parts inside). The action was fairly low and the neck was neutral - somewhere between a strat and a les paul - although closer to the strat as it was unlaquered.

Seemed tough enough to me

Never found out

Don't really know why I felt I needed it. Already owned a Rick 330, a strat and at that time a 2002 Les Paul Standard. Have been playing for 15 Years and use an Engl Screamer 50 Watt tube amp. When playing in the shop, had it connected to a Marshall Blues Breaker and a Marshall Acoustic amp for the accoustic models and had no problems. When I got home however, all of the models sounded like a normal electric guitar. This is when I discovered that my amp needs to be pushed a little to get the best out of the models which caused a problem as an Engl is a VERY LOUD amp and cannot be pushed in a home environment and doesn't come with a headphone switch. This rendered the variax virtually useless for me as I couldn't listen to it without buying another amp simply for this guitar. After much deliberation I actually sold the guitar on ebay and used the money to upgrade my les paul to a custom which sounds superb whatever you do with the amp! Main problem with the guitar is that although it sounds close to the guitars it models, you don't get the feel of the guitar - a les paul custom is a pleasure to play, whereas this was like playing a low range Ibanez. Also, it felt weird playing an electric and hearing an accoustic! Overall, this is a nice idea, but it didn't work for me.

Variax - 500...I now have two. Sunburst and Black. G Center had blow-out sale and I couldn't resist.

You all know how it's made and what it does...Some others have mentioned alternative models, (eg. mandolin and bass). If I could swap the banjo for a bass, or mandolin model, I would. My personal favorites are the Gretsch 6120, the Tele(s) and the Epiphone Casino models, but I have no problems with the other choices.

The Variax is just a whole bunch of fun. I play the Variax predominantly through the PodXT. The Pod allows me to match the amps, and effects with the Variax models. I first purchased the PodXT in May '03. I discovered, (and purchased), my first Variax within a couple of weeks of that. Sounds geeky, but my Variax models along with the Pod settings are now on a spread sheet. The real fun part is once I feel like I have a sound down, I wind up drilling down even more. A total "work in progress." Some of my "real" electric guitars are a '73 Gibson ES-335, '82 Rickenbacker 360-12, and a neat NAFTA Tele. I love playing each, but it's much more fun twisting a frickin' knob than pulling guitar bags out of closets, and re-tuning when I'm looking for a sound. I think my hearing has survived the years pretty well, and I don't hear a great deal of diffence between the "real" tones and the modeled ones. I also enjoy playing the acoustic models "straight" through the P.A., or through the POD.
By the way, having two Variax guitars, I was very pleased to find that the sounds coming from both guitars was identical. (I'm thinking that I'll try setting them up with different types and guages of strings...)

I thought my first Variax was put together well. (I had to mess with intonation a bit, but not much). My second Variax, however, came out of the box ready to go. I have a Sunburst and a Black Variax. Both are real solid. The finish on both is fine. Everything seems put together fine. I've had no problems with the mechanics or the electronics...

Since purchasing my first Variax in June '03, I have played it almost exclusively. I've recorded seven new songs with it since then. The Variax was used for all of the guitar sounds, (acoustic and electric), on these recordings. For all the playing I've done on it, the Variax shows no sign of wear.

I'm hoping that I will never have to contact them.

Well, thank goodness I don't have to support myself by playing music for a living. However, I've been playing for over 30 years and right now I can't wait to get home to turn on the P.A., the PodXT and fire up my "new" Variax to make a little more music and maybe drill down to a new sound I've been working on. I'll be back recording another song soon and when I do, I'll probably be tempted to use one of my "real" guitars on the recording. Truth is though, by that time I'll have some new sound combination, (Variax/PodXT), that I'll want to pull off of the spreadsheet and slap into the mix. Ciao!

My 2003 black solidbody Line 6 Variax 500 has a 25 1/2 inch scale length, a basswood body, maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets. It is loaded with the features found on the guitars it emulates. The tone and volume knobs and selector switch respond as they would on those guitars. It includes models of a 1960 Fender Telecaster Custom,1968 Fender Telecaster,1968 Fender Telecaster Thinline, 1959 Fender Stratocaster, 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard, 1952 Gibson Les Paul ?Goldtop?, 1961 Gibson Les Paul Custom (3 PU), 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior, 1976 Gibson Firebird V, 1955 Gibson Les Paul Special, 1959 Gretsch 6120, 1956 Gretsch Silver Jet, 1968 Rickenbacker 360,1966 Rickenbacker 360-12, 1961 Gibson ES-335, 1967 Epiphone Casino, 1957 Gibson ES-175, 1953 Gibson Super 400, 1959 Martin D-28, 1970 Martin D 12-28, 1967 Martin O-18,1966 Guild F212, 1995 Gibson J-200, 1935 Dobro Alumilite, Danelectro 3021,
Coral/Dano Electric Sitar, Gibson Mastertone Banjo, and 1928 National Style 2 ?Tricone?.

This guitar sounds like most of my favorite vintage guitars. It is not noisy, and has a as rich and full sound as the guitars it emulates. It has more variety in sound than any other guitar. It records very well. You can play loud onstage. Since there are no pickups, it does not feedback. For live sound I run it into a Mackie 1200 VLS mixer, with a the effects sends running to a Johnson Amplification J Station and Roger Linn Design AdrenaLinn. The outputs from the mixer then go through a Marshall Valvestate V40 amp on the left side and a Rogue GS 100R am on the right. These amps give enough stage volume, nice wide stereo imaging and are then miked into the main PA for the house mix.

My variax 500 has a black finish. It played very well as it was shipped. It took very little to adjust it to my playing preferences. I have not had any problems with this guitar.

This guitar is very dependable, the finish seems to holdup well, the strap buttons are solid. No problems on a gig with the variax 500 as your guitar. It is great to have sound of my favorite guitars withoout having to risk losing the vintage models.

Line 6 is very helpful and return with answers to my questions very quickly.

I have played guitar for over 40 years. If thisguitar were ever lost or stolen I would have to find another one. Maybe I'd get a variax 700 the next time. It is going to be expandable with new sounds comming out for it overtime. I wish they would make the nylon string sounds of the new Varriax Acoustic 700 series available for the variax 500 guitars. The link at
http://www.line6.com/VariaxAcousticPreview/#
tells more about the acoustic model. Each guitar has a unique character and feel. The variax gives you alot of sound, playability and tone for the money.

This axe was made in 2003 somewhere in the Korea's, they really can produce topquality guitars. It''s a solid top and has a five way multi purpose selectorswitch. Sound is produced thru a piezo bridgesystem and is totally active. Strings are mounted string-thru wise. Tuners non locking and it comes with a case, and a/b switch with powersupply.

Sound is awesome. I use a Marshall AVT 150 VST 2000 and a Mackie PA when switched to acoustic mode.The guitar is without any noise. Usefull for any kind of music. vanHalen, Shadows,Dire Straits,Crosby Stills,Naish and Young, it's all there. Variety is nearly unlimited.Only likes.O.K you have to get used to the fact that it is a multi guitar in one.

Setup has to be altered to fit your own needs, wich is easy. Did not find any flaws. I do have ather guitars. (A quality stuff, Fender and Custommade Warmoth)

Yes I can and will depend on it without backup if needed, but I do have other guitars. I treat my guitars with care

Customer support is totally O.K. Did have a problem with one of the piezo's and the Dutch representative mr. Ron Huisen, fixed it in no time.

I've been playing for over fourty years now and I do own a variety of guitars.And yes if lost or stolen I would probably send an APB or wanted DEAD OR ALIVE out to regain my guitar. If that wouldn't help I'd buy a new one. this guitar suits my purpose especially in a coverband it's a "must have".And yes I did compare it with my Fender Telecaster'52 Butterscotch Blonde, and Les Paul All Gold, and Fender Stratocaster Jimi reiss. This Line6 Variax kicks a... . It screams like Eddy and sings like Mark and Hank and so on, and so on.
This might sound a bit corny, but I really like it.

As described by others below.

Here is definite, detailed test:

In order to help many prospective buyers I have thoroughly tested
my brand new $490 (black) Variax 500. Apparently Geetar Center sells them even for $449, and as you will see at that price some of you may buy it.

So, here we go: I play guitar(s) since 1960, so it's easy for me to feel and hear any shortcomings of any guitar. The Variax 500 is basically $299 Korean made solid state guitar and feels like many other inexpensive Korean guitars, yet my actual guitar sounds very nice dry: lively, ringy, balanced ... pleasure to hear it un-plugged and it's very playable ...

To test the sounds I plugged it (exactly as instructed by Line6) into (arguably the most varsatile, fully class A tube amp) THD Univalve (with 6550a powertube and Fane Vintage 112 cabinet).

The amp is so analog / tube sounding and so natural that it was easy to hear any difference with any of my other guitars ...

So, immediately I heard THE core truth and nothing but the truth:

With a clean amp the Variax 500 sounds basically like any of the guitars it is supposed to emulate BUT WITH mixed 'piezo component' on top. Imagine a jazz guitar sound (like Gibson L-5) and mix with it 40% Fishman or Baggs or RMC piezo sound addition from the bridge =that Variax Jazz guitar sound ...

It was easy for me to discover that as I have a Start Plus with Fishman piezos and RMC Les Paul (used to have Godin LGX-SA too) ... BTW, in a detailed Guitar Player Variax Review issue (summer '03) John McLaughlin also remarked the presence of this piezo sound component (or was it John Scofield?)

I then switched my THD Univalve to early singing bluesy-distorted sound and just used the neck pick-up Variax selection. As I switched from one guitar option to the other I could notice some EQ difference, yet the core tone was
from my fingers ... Here the Variax emulates the guitar of choice yet due to the piezo component (which is constant) the more you enhance the gain the less difference you hear among different guitar models-emulations.

Still, the differences do exist and in some cases (semi & jazz guitars) I really enjoyed the sound and was able to completely forget that I am playing a digital guitar ... that is quite a compliment (from me :-)

Finally, when I added my SansAmp Classic in Marshall-burning mode and used THD Hotplate to create VanHallen-singing metal-gymnastics sounds of the hot-distorted-guitar, it mattered little which setting I
chose on the Variax 500, except obviously for the acoustic settings that tend to sound harsh (even the treble was off on the Variax) ...

On the extreme distortions all setting sound similar yet the sound retains definition better than some Gibson Les Pauls in that mode ...

And the good news is that Variax did sound nice in most settings and there was never any noise or muddiniess, yet the core phenomenon is that the aforementioned piezo-component was always present subtly modulated into the sound. So, my conclusion is:

The Variax sound = Guitar it is supposed to emulate, mixed with 30-40% piezo component

So, should you buy it?

Well, if you want and need many guitars sounds to dial quickly
and can afford $449 - I'd say yes. namely, the guitar is worth $299 and for extra $150 you get great choice of believable EQ of many guitar species that we all like. The thicker the guitar sound (like jazz and semis) the more acceptable is the overall emulation, as piezo component gets lost and you hear it only as a clean-component. On the Strat out-of-phase sounds or any other thin sound guitar the piezo component can appear ''digitalish-sounding'' ... still, it is virtually impossible
not to find at least 10 VERY USABLE sounds in the Variax 500
hence my bottom line is:

If you are VERY purist, stay away.

If you need many sounds fast, can afford $450 - go ahead buy one ... as you will save a lot of time: Rickenbacker can be dialed in VG-88v2 but here it is immediately there and Gibson J-200 is
not far awa

Fine, but not a PRS ...

Seems fine.

Seems fine.

If you play church shows or in a top-50 cover band or record a lot or are laizy (like me) to tweak VG-88v2 forever and if you have an extra $449 (present price) - then buy one - as long as piezo sound component doesn't bother you.

When you test the guitar make sure that you try THE actual guitar you will bring home, as these are made in Korea and the wood, finish etc may vary and the (dry) sound may differ too ... and that IS important ... overall, I am happy with my purchase.

Brand new sunburst model 500. It's nothing to look at, but the electronics are why you buy these things.

I use the A/B box and run the electric guitar sounds through a Rocktron Replitone, Rocktron Intellifex, ADA power amp and 2 Avatar 2x12 slant cabs loaded with Emminence V30s. The acoustic sounds are run direct into the board via an XLR cord. The sounds are damn close. I've owned several of the guitars modelled and Line 6 has done a great job. They may not be absolutely perfect, but all are usable. I particularily like the Les Pauls and jazz boxes. At first when I played the acoustic sounds, I thought they didn't seem very authentic, but when I recorded them and played them back I was very pleasantly surprised. What you miss when playing the acoustic guitar sims is the feel of guitar vibrating against you. This thing gives you a broad palette to work with.

The guitar itself is definitely a cheapy, but it was setup well and I've gotten used to it's feel. It would never be my main stage guitar, but when I'm recording, it's the one I reach for. Whatever sound I'm looking to put down, is going to be there.

I don't plan on using this guitar in a live setting.

Never tried it.

Anyone who complains about the models not being perfect is missing the point of the guitar. If you a perfect sound already with your axe you don't need this guitar. If you're like me, and like to have a broad palette of sounds to draw from and can't afford all thes guitars, this thing does the trick. All the models are damn close and very usable. My customized Carvin Bolt will always be my main guitar, but this thing is what I'm cutting almost all of my rythm parts on. For jazz stuff, the jazz boxes can't be beat.

Variax 700 - Made in Japan. 21 Frets, Same as Variax 500 but inlay on neck, better tuners? (Gotoh), tremelo, nicer body.

See the Variax website (Line6.com)

Comes with gig-bag (fairly sturdy) and an a/b switch for going to amp or PA (acoustic models). The switch also powers the guitars electronics, bypassing the batteries.

I have had this guitar for 3 days. I will submit another review if I feel it useful for other guitar shoppers.

I have played it through a 100 watt Marshall Triple Super Lead with an extension cab. Even though the acoustics would shine better throught my PA, I haven't gotten around to that yet.

The sounds are very, very close to what they are trying to model. I have a Les Paul Standard and an American Strat.

They nailed the Telecasters. I have a 52 reissue and the 1960 Custom in the bridge sounds as good, if not better!! Shit! Very spankin' and twangy.

The 59 Strat is cool also. My Strat sounds more full, but it sounds very close to my friends 64 Strat (yes original). The out of phase (number 2 position) is dead on.

More favs:
58 Les Paul Bridge pos, both Gretsch's, the Jazzbox's are happening, very nice if you don't have the money to go buy these guitars.

The acoustics are pretty good also. My fav is the 59 D-28. Pretty damn close to a real acoustic, even through my Marshall (after I tweaked the tones)

On most all electrics you can do all the dynamic pick scraping, muting, chirping...all that. Anyone who says different, can't play.
BUT, some things sound a little digitized or just plain "diffent" when using the Variax. BUT, it's a compromise that is worth the various sounds you get from this cool chameleon.

Gripes: A small one for now....
The 12 strings sound the least real but have some use. When you do pull offs (Over the hills and far away), it sounds crappy.

But strumming is okay with the 12 string gutiars. The six strings are very good.

Maybe they will have a 6 string bass soon? Better than faking an extra string for every pluck.

I got the 700 because I heard poor reviews on the 500.

Well, even the 700 is not that good. No match for a $1000. guitar. But, like most other reviews, and I agree, you are paying mostly for the technology.

I lowered the action on my 700 and will take the guitar to my guitar repair guy (he's a wizard) to set the trem up so it won't go completely out of tune if you breathe on it.

Seems very sturdy. Everything is solid and built of quality.

Have only had 3 days.

I've played for 25 years. Rock and blues mostly. Been in a few bands. This guitar would be a great addition for live playing, even some studio applications.

My suggestions for Line6:

Make the 700 (supposedly the deluxe model) of higher quality. Maybe have a slightly flatter neck and a little faster action.

Definitely, have a bass on this. I thought that would be a no brainer!! (hopefully, an upgrade will come with this)

Maybe Line6 could make a little "less" profit and make the 700 model in USA?

Fix the 12 strings pull-off, hammer-on, dynamic modeling.

I liked 90% of the models. Very good 1st run at this Line6.

www.line6.com/variax gives you the lo-down. Quite simply, there's nothing like it. :-)

You may want things like different woods, a trem (the 700 series has one as an option), finishes etc. etc., but for what it tries to be, the feature set is pretty much complete.

This is where people have a lot of different opinions. I think it all boils down to your attitude; or put differently:

Would you use a POD?

Some people would, some people won't touch it. The Variax is very much the same sort of decision. With the combination of Variax + Pod I can get pretty much any tone I seek. Again, those who've had their AC30 since the 60's and know the difference between putting it on 8 and 8 1/2 may not be convinced; the rest of us are.

I've got a '78 Custom Telecaster, a Taylor 714, a Yamaha Pacifica 112 and a Tanglewood Earth 200 acoustic. I've also owned a Japanese Strat and a Korean Epiphone Casino over the past few years. Am I going to sell the Tele? Nope. Am I going to sell the Taylor? Over my dead body! But the sound out of the Variax is quite simply fantastic. That is especially true through the Pod; I get better results with Variax + Pod than I do with Tele + Pod.

Here comes the second key bit: If you've had your Strat since the early 50's, you pick up a variax and peel your ears, you will be disappointed, just like you would if you picked up one of the new "relic" Strats. But doesn't mean the Variax doesn't sound good on its own. If you really, really want a 50's strat, save up your money and go buy one. If you want a good strat tone, buy a new American strat. If you want a good strat tone, a good tele tone, a good les paul tone, a good ES335 tone and a whole host of other tones, and you don't have the cash to buy one of each, the variax is a blessing.

I put my Tele through a Peavy Classic 30 and compared that to the tele sounds of the Variax. They're not identical, but honestly I wouldn't call one better than the other. Perhaps if I'd been gigging my tele for 40 years I would have more of an opinion, but I'm quite picky about my guitar tone and the tele sound is great. The same goes for most of the other sounds; people lament the Strat, but I find it very useful, especially with an overdriven amp.

I'm not quite so convinced by the acoustic sounds, but then again I wouldn't buy a real Martin either. They do sound quite "clinical" and lack the depth of a real acoustic. But the real problem has more to do with playing style. If you've got a decent electric and a decent acoustic, you just don't play them in the same way. And the Variax is very much an electric guitar. I'd use the acoustic sounds for non-prominent parts of my home recordings (since it's so easy to record it hurts) and maybe a gig if I had to, but it's much more of a backup than the real deal.

I'm also not in love with the 12-string sounds, but since I've never played a real 12 string (or hardly heard one live, come to think of it) I'm not really qualified to comment. Again though, for a non-prominent strum, it's incredibly convenient.

The "novelty" sounds, the sitar and banjo are both very usable. I still think of these as a gimmick, but these are the sorts of sounds you may well want to layer into a complex mix or as a second guitar live, and they work well for that. And again, the Variax is an electric guitar, not a banjo. Big surprise.

I don't play slide, so I can't tell you anything about the resonator sounds.

It's very playable. Like with any new guitar these days, it pays to get it set up properly (e.g. if you buy it from Regent Guitars in the uk [www.regentguitars.co.uk] they set it up profesionally before it leaves the store, and it does make a difference). In terms of playability it feels a lot more like my Pacifica than my Tele. Not a big surprise, and honestly, I'd rather have a light (my Tele is so heavy it hurts to stand up for a whole gig), no-frills, easily playable guitar. I've been playing the thing solidly for hours without problem. The neck feels fairly chunky, which I like, and is comfortable to play.

Playing it's not better than sex (my Taylor has something in that direction going... ahem....) but it's not worse than ... oh nevermind.

Some people commented on problems with mutes, rakes etc. I honestly don't know what they're on about; compared to playing my Tele, there's nothing in my playing style that I can't do with the Variax.

It feels very solid to me. I've not gigged it excessively yet. I can't really find any flaws; certainly I'd trust it live until it gave me rason to do otherwise.

Never tried it.

Really, it's unique. I do consider it my second electric (compared to my Tele), but I may just never buy another electric again. It's not diminished my dreams of a Taylor 514 (or P series or 914 or 810 or...), but that was never to be expected either.

Don't nit-pick this tele versus that strat versus your vintage guitar. It really is like buying any other guitar - put it through the amp and effects you intend to put it through live or in the studio or at home; have a good play and decide if it's worth the money.

If you use a Pod or a Line 6 amp (especially the Vetta II - omg!) I very much doubt you'll be disappointed. The combination is almost perfect, as you would expect.

If you are a total purist who will look at 95% of the guitars in the store and go na-ah, then this guitar was never intended for you. Move along, move along.

How can you NOT give this a 10?

This is where you need to be patient and give the Variax a chance. I've found that while you're playing you might get too hung up on how it sounds (is it sounding like a strat, ric, acoustic, etc.) which can really get in the way of your playing. But... when you listen back to the recording the sound is amazing. It also depends on the gear you play it through (amps, effects) and because it has SO many possibilities one can get overly hung up on sounds instead of the groove. Bottom line: the Variax sounds good, great if you're willing to take the time to tweak it with your other gear (think of how much crap you went through to program your POD, VF-1, or rack multi effects). I do a lot of jamming and one of my friends has a Variax as well. When we listen back to our recordings it's a trip to hear realistic sounding acoustics, sitars, les pauls ... showing up in mid jam. The Martin sounds particularly full and yes the elecrtic models do need some extra drive before they kick in. I'm very happy with the Variax and don't really care if I ever get any "upgrades" via the internet.

The Variax I have now is very playable. Not as smooth as my Parker Nitefly but still easy to play and attractive. The first one I got had a "twisted neck" but was replaced promptly.

It's a computer in a guitar so I'm very careful with it, but I tend to be very careful with all my investments.

Well, as I stated above, my first Variax was far from problem free but between my dealer and Line 6 the guitar was promptly replaced. I've never need to deal with'em direct.

The Variax is a good guitar with great possibilitites. Too many of us are way too critical when we should be grateful of the opportunity to be able to make music. If you have the chance to try out a ton of gear, great. If not, you still get to make music. How cool is that?

VERY DISAPPOINTED.. I BOUGHT THIS VARIAS WITH THE INTENTION OF DOWNLOADING NEW SOUNDS (LIKE NYLON STRING) IN THE NEAR FUTURE FROM LINE SIX WEB SIGHT THRU THE COMPUTER PORT... LINE SIX SAYS THIS MIGHT NOT HAPPEN.. WHAT A HYPE... THIS GUITAR PLAYS LIKE ANY OF MY MANY 200 DOLLAR ONES.. NOT GREAT ACTION.. NOT GREAT TONES... JUST A COMMON GUITAR WITH FUNNY SOUNDS... DOES NOT COME CLOSE TO A MARTIN SOUND.. OR A RICK..DEFINATELY NOT A STRAT SOUND..... WHEN THEY COME DOWN TO 300.. THEN YOU MIGHT HAVE A BARGAIN..

I AM A FINGERSTYLE GUITARIST.. THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR THAT..

SHOULD BE MUCH NICER FINISH AND BETER ACTION FOR A GRAND

GOOD LIVE.. WATCH THE BATTERIES.. YOU WILL NEED A BACKUP.. LOTS OF ELECTRONICS THAT COULD TAKE A SHIT

FAST ANSWERS, BUT NOT WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR.. THEY ORIGINALLY ADVERTIXED TO SUPPLY NEW SOUNDS DOWNLOADS FROM THE NET.. NW THAY ARE BACKING OUT.. WHAT A SCAM..

39 YEARS.. I DID NOT GET WHAT I WS TOLD .. A SCAM

I'll spare you the details (everyone else has mentioned these), Mine's black.

Playing through a Line 6 Spyder 112. My only gripe is that going from electric to acoustic via the footswitch gives a pretty good pop in my in ear monitors.

Action is a little high for electric, but dead on for acoustic. Remember what this thing is for. Variety.

No problem with mine. Have giged for the last 2 weekends without a problem.

I've been playing semi-pro for 25 years. I love this ax. I need the variety it offers, especially the acoustic to electric with the flip of a switch. This guitar is all about VARIETY (Simliar to the way a keyboard emulates diffferent instruments). The sounds are good, and very close to originals. _In a mix_, no can tell tell that they are not the real thing. Look at the pros that are playing the variax, and all those who have issues with the sounds can argue with them, not me. The real plus here is yet to be realized.... the "future jack" that will allow updates to sounds, meaning you are not stuck forever with the sounds that come stock.

I'm reviewing the Line 6 Variax playing experience. Will not get into specs, don't know that much about it and you can find that info elsewhere. Other than to say it 's a modeling guitar that models a variety of Pauls, Telecaster, Stratocaster, jazzboxes, dobros, Coral electric sitar, banjo (?),acoustics, and other goodies. For what it is it's a pretty cool toy/gigging tool if you need a wide variety of sounds on a budget.

I'm a working pro, i.e. my income is derived from playing guitar as well as teaching others how to play. I could see this being a useful gigging tool for cover/wedding gigs, I play everything from country to rock to jazz to blues and the guitar appears to cover the gamut. I played this thing split through a PA for acoustic sounds and a Line 6 Duoverb for electric. Plenty of variety obviously, that's this guitar's hook. Tele, Strat, Paul, acoustic, sitar, blah blah blah. Not noisy, but kind of a sterile sounding thing. None of the guitar sounds really sound like a guitar. I actually didn't detect that much of a difference between a lot of the sounds and I played it for a good hour and a half. The sitar sound was pretty cool, I hung with that for a while. Bottom line: if you need a decent backup guitar or want some off the path sounds buy this, but don't buy this expecting to replace the experience of playing any of the guitars modeled. People have preferences (Fender, Gibson, semi-hollow, hollow, solidbody) for a reason.

This guitar felt fine to me. No objectionable qualities as far as construction. Saw a lot of reviews slamming this area, but the one I checked out was fine. Feels like a good $500 guitar. Was pretty comfortable to play, and pretty light. For what it is I'd give it a high mark.

I think the main hook to buying this guitar would be the lack of need to change guitars on a cover/wedding gig (just like the hook of buying a Line 6 amp would be their light weight, variety of serviceable sounds, and one stop shopping features.)Seemed solidly built.

I've heard bad things about Line 6 customer support, but I don't really know.

Been playing 17 years. Have a Fender American Classic Strat and a Parker Nitefly, Boogie Mark IIa head and more recent cab, some stompboxes. What I dug about this guitar was the 12 string and sitar models. The wide variety of sounds would create a creative sitting around and fooling with ideas experience (kind of like my cheapo Boss ME50 processor.) I wouldn't buy this guitar, ever. The models just don't sound like guitars. Kind of like cheap Casio keyboards with different modeling sounds (my understanding is the levels of technology involved is similar), those models don't really sound like B-3 's do they? Feels like a guitar and works like one, but just isn't really. Buy it if you want some of those off the wall sounds like sitars and 12 strings in an electric format but do not expect to replace any of your beloved Strats, Teles, etc Line 6 does a great job of hyping their stuff but most of their of their products are underwhelming. Their stuff is very overpriced and just like computers, their stuff becomes obsolete overnight. Hopefully in a few years the technology will improve drastically (I think it will) but for now, beware.

If you are on this site, you know what the features are at this point.

The sounds are close enough that you know what the guitar is trying to emulate in most cases. The actual instruments would sound better but who has the kind of money to have all of these guitars?

What I like best is the tonal colors and flexibility that is available in one instrument notwithstanding what the guitar is mimicking.

I imagine that Line 6 will introduce a higher quality guitar in the future. The model I have plays like a mid level strat. It is definitely playable but there is a noticable difference when I pick up some of my higher end guitars.

I have had my Variax for about 3 months. There is a problem with the foot A/B switch. The xlr connection is apparently cutting out. It did this during a gig and was pretty annoying. There have also been a couple of times that the guitar I dialed up did not respond. I had to move the pickup switch to get the correct sound to kick in.

I am going tomorrow to get another foot switch.

I have been playing for about 20 years. I do some studio work but I primarily use the guitar for live purposes playing covers. I love the flexibility of the guitar and the ability to switch to an acoustic sound without changing guitars. My Takamine Garth Brooks model acoustic is significantly better but the Variax acoustic sound is not bad. For anyone who plays covers and enjoys trying to sound as accurate as possible, this guitar is exactly what you need.

Many specific guitars, including acoustic and 12 string models, plus some odd instruments like the banjo and sitar. The whole concept is amazing. Although I own some of these actual guitars, I would never have the need, or money for them all. This instrument gives me the opportunity to dabble with all the sounds for all the guitars.

Amazingly, many of the sounds are very close. I realize I am not an expert, and I do not own most of the guitars to campare with, I can tell you the sounds are very close to what I am familiar with. I run my variax through a Line 6 PODxt and a Barringher piano amp, and I am very impressed with the sound I get. I also get a very good sound through my fender amp. All the models may not be perfect, but they are very good.

Sort of a Fender feel to it, odd looking without pickups, but easy to hold and play. Action seems pretty good to me. I'm sure the more I use it, the more comfortable I will be with the feel.

No problems fo far, I've had mine for about four months. Although I do not gig, (i play only for my poor family, my pets and myself) the variax seems to hold up as well as any of my other guitars.

Haven't had to use it, but that is a good thing.

I'm a bit surprised at the bad ratings some people have given this instrument. I suspect they really haven't played the variax much, or may be tone snobs that have a need to impress people with their 'music ear'. For the price you really get a lot. It plays very well, and sounds as well or better than my Gibsons, Ric, Fender and Ephiphone. I have been playing for many years, and this is my favorite guitar (I seldom pick up any of my others anymore). I would recommend the variax to anybody wanting to play many different guitars, but not wanting to spend the money for the actual guitars.

Variax is to guitar what POD is to amp. Volume, Tone and guitar model knobs, and a five-way selector. Bridge pickup. String-thru body. Tuners are no-name, but they stay tuned OK. Comes w/ gig bag, TRX cable and special foot-switch.

The sounds are very cool. There are 21 different guitars, most of which have different pickup config options. When run thru a PODxt this guitar is really something. The models aren't perfect, but this guitar's sounds are unique. That's good.
I play rhythm, lead and acustic. This guitar is not an acustic, but the D-28 model could do in a pinch. For all else this guitar is great.
Oh yeah, and not having pickup noise is nice too.

Action was good out of the box. A little high for fast leads maybe, but perfect for rhythm and finger picking. Can be easily lowerd with the little alen key that came with it. Everything is tight, no loose fitting parts. Mine is black, and the finish is average or above average. Nothing fancy. Very practical. Not going to get oos and aahs when you open the case, but everything is shiny and clean.

I've only had the guitar for about three weeks, but the hardware seems durable enough, and the finish is not going to wear off any time soon. It's been reliable for me so far, and I would probably play without a backup as long as I had a spare set of strings handy.

A good axe.

I won't go into detail about spec as others have covered that.

I like it a lot. I see a lot of 'purists' railing against this instrument, and I just don't agree. I have a few guitars, but I don't have an electric 12 string, a good Jazzbox or a dobro. While I agree that the sounds aren't 100% perfect, I'd say they are 90% of what I'm after. This guitar is great for jams. You can turn a switch and change tones to differntiate yourself from other guitars in the mix.

It's fine. Nothing spectacular. I saw an early version that didn't have great fret dressing, but the one I bought was done well. The action could use a little adjusting, but that's true of my expensive guitars too. It feel like a medium priced American Strat or much like a Carvin I used to have.

I hope it's good, but I've just got mine and can't say as yet. I have to admit I worry about durability. Electronics can be fragile.

BEST EVER!! They have been so helpful, enthusiastic and pleasant. I'd love to work there! They sound like they're all very involved with the company and their products. I like that.

I worry about a waiter that won't eat at the restaurant where he works. I get the opinion that they use this stuff and that their enthusiasm comes from pride in their products.

I love this guitar. While I wouldn't sell the Heritage guitars I own, I did sell my Carvin to get the Variax. It's just so much more fun to switch tones and experiment when you aren't carting guitars out of cases and setting up. Great jam guitar. I plan to use it on stage whenever I need acoustic sounds (so much easier to get great sound without feedback!)

True modelling guitar. Features and sounds well documented elsewhere. I bought one without trying it mainly for the sitar which I wanted to use on recordings and a Coral, if you could find one, would be #1,800 up.

Most of he sounds are successful. The Teles, 58 LP, 335 and Gretsches have the wow factor, the big disappointment is the Strat especially played clean, it has no real depth. The 12 string acoustics seem to 'implode' as well. I can now do complete demos using many different guitars without getting off my chair. Hopefully, Line 6 will do some improvements and give us all an upgrade, a nylon strung would be nice. I've done a demo ( through a POD MK1 ) using all my fave sounds and everybody I've played it to has been knocked out.The difference in output that people have complained about is silly, a Les Paul is louder than a Tele. There is a slight piezo quality to the acoustics which is a shame but I have gotten good results by using a studio quality compressor and a Aphex Acoustic Xciter.

I was pleasantly surprised by the finish, ( sunburst ) and the neck, chunky at first but I soon had that tamed. The neck and action will put a lot of more inexperienced players off but it is obviously a compromise between electric and acoustic shapes/sizes etc. Can't really fault the build quality and finish, you're not buying a PRS so stop whining. Only fault was a fretting out at the 12th top E but his is easily rectified. Gig bag was high quality and the switch box is well thought out. Good quality cable.

Only used it for recording. No pickup noise is a real plus. Yes, I would take it on a gig no problem but don't rely on the batteries.

Not had cause to use it

I have been playing since 1965 and have many of the guitars modelled but find it totally convenient for laying down demo tracks quickly, it's a must for any project or even pro studio and it's perfectly matched with the Pod. I expect to hear the sitar on some hit records very soon, it's irresistable. Fave sound has to be that and the middle and neck positions on the Les Paul and ES335.

This is a new guitar, and I'm not going to go into a detailed explanation of how it works, etc, as that stuff can be found in the guitar magazines. The guitar itself is Fenderish, (25 1/2 scale)but with a wide nut and 3 on a side tuning pegs. The nut is a little wide for my taste, but if it gets to be a drag, I'll rplace it with something more like a standard Strat. There is a volume knob, a tone knob, and a five way selector swith, and this other knob that lists each guitar model and two "CustoM" settings you gan rpgram for a different sound in each of the five positions. Like you could have an "accousitc", a "banjo" a "Les Paul", a "Gretsch", and a "Tele" all on one position of the knob, and switchable from that five way switch.The overall quality of the the Korean made guitar is about what one would expect from a nice $400 to $500 Strat Tele Clone

Well, I'll get right to the point. I'm not going to run out and sell my Tele, Strat, Les Paul and Ibanez AS-100, nor my Martin. They all sound better than the models in this guitar. Not by much, in some cases. But, it is close enough and one could play one on stage, and no one in the audience would have a clue, sound wise. But, there are some modles on here of guitars that I would never play enough to justify buying. Coral Sitar, a Jazzbox, A couple of Gretsches, an acoustic resonator, a Dobro, a six string banjo, etc etc. The "accoustic" sounds are pretty close to what one gets with a piezo equipped accoustic, and better than most of the systmes that you can get built into a solid body. This would be a great guitar to take to a Jam session, as well. No matter what tune gets called, you can make the correct sound for it. It's got to be a great ax for a cover band guitarist that wants a certain degree of authentic sounding tone, but doesn't want the stage cluttered with guitars.

The action was set a little high for my taste, and I'm going to take it to a good set up guy I know, but really it was pretty good considering the price. No complaints, no rough frets, and the finish was really quite good.

Who knows? If I gig with it, this will be the "backup" guitar, in fact it probably is the ultimate backup guitar for a musician, as it can sub for about any guitar, and add a lot of versatility on top of it. How long the electronics work is the ultimate question.

Line 6 has a website, and toher products I've had ffrom them have always worked. I had a pod and was abnle to update it to 2.0 status for a reasonable cost. They are supposedly going to offer updates, and other things for this guitar

I'm not currently gigging, but that never lasts for long, I'll be out there again. I've got a 63 Tele Custom, a 52 goldtop, An Ibanez AS-100, and a Bandmaster Reverb converted to a 2 x 10". I've been playing since 1965. I bought this to be able to make a lot of different sounds, as a guitar to take to jam sessions, and something to have fun with. I've owned a few "specialty" (Fender Electric 12, Dano Baritone, Washburn jazzbox) guitars but I usualy sell them after I realize I don't play them a lot. with this one, I can have a guitar to use for tones I don't use too often, but would like to be able to make from time to time.

Lots of different sounds. average hardware.

How do people stand this thing? The strat, tele, and paul sounds are total crap. They sound about 75% accurate. That would be acceptable If the feel of playing this guitar was anything like playing the actual thing. The sitar and banjo are hardly recognizable. There is no way to get the effect of changing p'up heighth. Muting and harmonics are extremely subpar. Unless your in a wedding band or a cover band that has to switch from boston to bon jovi I could see no reason for not just buying the actual guitars. The price is woth it. Also the level difference in settings makes it impractical for live use. It's more accurate to the actual guitars but there should be an option to have even levels. Switching mid-song could create bad level problems. I would give it a one but there is huge variety in the sounds you can get.

This is the main reason to save up and buy the more expensive real guitars. If you cut out its guts and installed it in a squier strat the playability would be about the same. If you are used to playing a gibson or an american fender you will hate this.

As far as I can tell it is very reliable.

I own a fender strat,tele and gibson explorer and flying v. I play through a peavey duel 212(very nice, hard to find). The variax does not compare with my other guitars.

Year: 2003
Price: $999.00
Frets: 22
Controls: Vol / Tone / Model Selector Knobs, 5-way pickup selector switch
Jacks: one 1/4" trs output / power in jack, one (future) digital in/out ethernet jack for loading new models and connecting digitally to Vetta II or your computer.
Pickup: Baggs X-Bridge Bridge Pickup
Electronics: Active computer processor unit, rear battery box for 6 AA batteries(12 hrs.), or 1 9-volt (2 hrs.), if you're in a pinch.
Neck: Maple with Rosewood Fingerboard
Body: Maple (not sure)
Finish: Black
Body Style: Strat-like
Bridge: Adjustable Individual Saddles
Includes: Powered Footpedal with A/B Switching, Heavy Duty Gig Bag, Planet Waves High-Quality Stereo Cable.

Great for the studio -- no complaints at all. All the models are dead-on. One of the previous reviews states the Strat model doesn't sound as good as someone's "real strat". Let me just say that you have to compare apples to apples to really judge this axe. You can't compare the Variax Strat to a Ritchie Sambora model with hot pickups and a mid-boost circuit and expect the two to sound close to each other. That being said, I have used many of the models on pro recordings, and have been thrilled with the outcome (Ah those jazzboxes!). The banjo is a little weird because you have to play it with a guitar voicing. I haven't really figured out a good way around that yet, but for light texture it's good.
This guitar does fine live, especially with the addition of a POD or PODxt. With that combination, you have a ridiculous arsenal of sounds. Just make sure your monitor mix is good. If you're playing the acoustic models through the front of the house (as theyre meant to be plugged in), and you can't hear yourself, you'll have a tendency to overplay, and the acoustic models will "bottom out". I have noticed that I have to alter my playing style slightly for the acoustic models, for strummimg especially. I hit a real acoustic pretty hard, and you just can't do that with this axe. Ideally, it would be great to have a Variax with heavier strings on it for the acoustic models, and just use this one for electrics -- but who's got that kind of cash? Maybe next year. But make the right playing adjustments, and it's a great live axe. I've also read references to the differences in volumes between the models (Strat and Les Paul, for example). Well, a real Les Paul is louder than a real Strat, so it stands to reason. I found a fix, though -- it's called a volume pedal.

My Variax had pretty good action straight out of the box. Overall setup was good. I did exchange the first model I received for another one due to a bent tone knob. This may have happened in shipping, I'm not sure. The frets could have been a little better dressed at the edges. The neck is not going to please everyone. It's about the best midpoint for all neck styles and playing styles. The string spacing is good for different picking styles. The Variax plays very easily. I'm not sure I won't replace this neck at some point with a more standard Strat or Tele neck, but I'll have to give it some nore time. A friend of mine had a shop shave the back of his neck so that it wasn't quite so chunky, and that seemed to work pretty well (gave it kind of a soft V feel). I'll probably replace the nut at some point soon.

This guitar is built very well, and seems like it will stand up to wear and tear for a long time. Line 6 set out to build a solid axe, and they have.

Line 6 has always been good with me -- if you call them. They don't answer their emails. Answer your emails, folks! As a quick side note Sam Ash, whom I ordered the guitar from, was a huge pain in the ass to deal with, had rotten customer service, and delivered my replacement model to someone else's house! In addition, they accepted no responsibility whatsoever -- ***holes. I'll never buy from Sam Ash again. Line 6 is good though. Sorry for the sidebar.

I have been playing since 1979, and have a lot of other guitars. This guitar is truly a breakthrough, and will definitely revolutionize the electric guitar. Outstanding. If you're on a budget and don't have a lot of different guitars, go get this one. You couldn't own even one of the modeled guitars for the price you pay for this instrument. We're seeing history in the making, and just like they were with the POD, Line 6 is once again at the head of the pack.

This is the guitar that models strats, teles,Les Pauls,Ricky's 6 & 12 Semis and several acoustics.
No Pickups just modelling technology.
replacable neck(a Strat neck will retro-fit)
five way selector. volume and tone, model selector.
Made in korea but you wouldn't think it when playing it, honest!
really good quality Gig Bag( and that's all we want lets be honest)

All the soounds are spot-on. for instance when you select Strat(Spank) positions 2, you are Knopfler. all the other sounds are just great!!(Nuff said)
Tone controls, everything is great, you can't go wrong.

Action a bit high, but playabilty is great. This guitar feels lovely to gig, it really rocks.one problem with emergency re-stringing is tha the Bottom E string saddle had to be retracted a bit to allow the Broken string to be removed and the new string to be put in. this is no fun during a half time break at a gig!!!!!

THis seems like a solid guitar. My only criticism is that I have over the last two years got used to the tuning stability of the parker Fly Deluxe.My other guitars(Les paul and Ibanez Blazer, share the same tuning failings as the Variax so I have been forced to buy a stage tuner!
It is always at the back of my mind that the batteries will not last long on this guitar. The foot pedal is very nice in providing power for the guitar electrics but who wants the bother of running mains power to the front of the stage?

uuuhh...pass....

As a guitar player I love this guitar, it is a guitar player's guitar.This guitar really feels great and comfortable to play.When you switch to Les Paul it really rocks when you switch to Tele/Strat sounds it's great, the acoustic sounds are spot on. In fact there isn't a sound on the guitar that isn't great and usable.
Playing live is a completely different storey. My three issues with the guitar is 1, when you switch from les paul to strat,or any of the other sound for that matter, the difference in volume is massive.In the studio this won't be a problem but live it renders the other sounds vitually useless because nobody has time to run over to their amp and change gain settings during a gig. 2,the switching between electric and acoustic sounds requires not only switching by hand but also switching on the foot pedal to select the DI path. In the studio you have all the time in the world, but on stage you have nano seconds to get it right for the next change. 3, the batteries which run the on-board modelling system don't last that long and have let people(not me yet) down. Pro players don't want to have to run out mains to the switching unit just to power the guitar.Line6 really need to put their R&D people out on high pressure fast moving gigs which is where us pros live, because it is live musicians that get noticed for what gear they use and influence other players whether they be bedroom heroes or live gig adrenaline junkies.

I wish I could change the models e.g. the output level and so on (maybe with a special PC-Editor) but it's not possible (yet ?)

I play guitar for years (mainly blues stuff). My main guitar setting is a fender custom shop strat (with two texas special puckups and a jeff beck humbucker) and a fender tube amp (DeVelle 4*10").

Beside of this I use other guitars and some virtual amps (Yamaha DG-Stomp, VAmp).

I liked to buy a LesPauls and found the variax which claimed to model the LesPauls and other guitars too.

I checked the Variax in a shop with both an fender tube amp (clean channel) and a Marshall combo (drive settings):
First I checked the fender (clean channel):
The clean sound where very good and all sound different (more or less).
The acoustic sounds sounded bad and the 12 string very bad.

Than I use the Marshall:
Both Strat and LesPauls settings sounded nice. I thought of selling my strat.

Than me and another customer compared the variax with a 'real' Les Pauls (the sound I am interested mostly).
Both instruments sounded almost the same !

After about 2 hours of testing I bought the variax.

At home I switched on my fender amp and compared the variax (strat setting) with my 'real' strat: If my strat is a 10 the variax is a 5 or 6. I dislike the sound of the variax strat compared to my strat. But I have to say the my strat is a special model 'Ritchie Sambora' Custom Shop with some pickup replacements and other modifications.
I was very disappointed of the sound of this guitar all pickup positions of my real strat sounded much better.
Maybe the variax sounded as a 'normal' old strat - Maybe I can compare it later.

Then I connected the variax to my virtual stuff (VAmp) and again everything sounded not very nice - I was short for returning the guitar - and went to bet very disapointed.

The next day I tryed the acoustic sounds and again it sounded not very nice thru my amp. I connected the variax directly to a mixer and a PA and now the sun rises ! The acoustic sounds are very good but you need a special acoustic amp or go directly into a PA. (The 12 strings are still bad !)

After some tweaking on the VAmp I got a lot of nice sounds out of the box and am happy with the guitar now. I use the VAmp for the E-Git sounds and the mixer for the A-Git sounds and it works and sound nice.

The problem with the strat sound is, that the variax output level of the strat models is very low compared with the pickups of my real strat. Thats why the guitar sounded so poor compared to the 'real' thing.

Mine is very well build - I like the guitar and can play very fast and easy.

I found that if you play a string and increase from very soft to hart the sound is very low at the beginning, gets louder and suddenly much louder, after this step is reached the volume gets louder as expected.

This is a little strange but all this happend only by vers soft playing - the advantage is you have some kind of inbuild noisegate.

You need a special cabel and a special footswitch with included power supply. Or a normal cable and 6 AA's (for 12 hours of playing)

You name them!

If you are into clean, non-damped stuff or stick with the acoustic and reso-sounds the axe sounds quite nice if not great. One thing that really pisses me off is the balance of the string-volumes. It can really be a pain in the ...e to play a clean solo without any compression added. Some strings are always louder than others... Especially on the acoustics this is driving me mad.
As is the damping on the electrics! Try to play the intro of "Summer of 69" (Yeah, I hate that song too..) and tell me how that sounds. The pickup is just not in the right place for damping behind your palm. What can it pick up there when damping? Not much, as you can guess. Also you always hear something like a clicking when muting the strings and playing through an overdriven amp, and although the undamped sounds are pretty good, they really suck when you are damping the strings, this is a fact! (I cannot write this often enough!) I want Line 6 to please put (almost) linear-sounding magnetic pickups (3 of them!) into this axe for the electric sounds, that would be ...king perfect!

It was perfect set-up, finish is great, everything was in the right place, better made than most of the most newer Gibsons that ran through my hands.

I will only use it as an acoustic-guitar substitute and for its special reso-sounds which are great, I will definitely not use it for Rock, Blues or Metal.

Overall I#m looking forward for the next step in guitarmodeling!

2003 Sunburst... Very cool look, nice balance, and solid feel! I noticed on the reviews that the Variax gets much better reviews from those who have been playing a long time. I have been playing since 1980 (23 years)... This guitar is fantastical! I'm giving this awesome baby a 10 because she deserves it and because some weenies rated her way too low!

This is the most important quality. I have a Fender Acoustasonic amp for my acoustic guitars and I am very pleased with the precise quality of the sounds. They exceed or perfectly match the Martins, Gibson, and the old Guild 12 string. The Guild 12 string is dog nuts, and since it is played on 6 strings, you can play barre chords all the way up the frets! How cool is that!!! The only beef I have is that you have to adjust the volume from one axe to another.

The action from the factory was right on. The natural wood is nice but could have been a more attractive wood type. Still she looks sweet. The neck is "no frills" and would be faster with maple fret board, but still very nice.

I have played this axe inside and outside, hot & cold temperatures, ballads and rockers all in the same week without any problem. It stays in tune so faithfully, I don't feel the need to change strings as much as I do on my Les Paul... I always have a back-up guitar in case a string breaks, but that's not happened yet with this Variax.

I have dealt with Line 6, and they fixed a glitch on this guitar and had it back to me in 7 days from the time I sent it back. No problem since then. (By the way, they were kind and paid the postage both ways, and patiently answered lots of questions).

I've been playing for 23+ years. Those who say the sounds do not match or surpass their favorite guitars are either sentimental, have spent alot of time with their gear, or are just plain dolts who do not know much Clapton, Page, Santana, or Schon. A tremolo bar and steady volume on all guitars would have made this perfect... If stolen I would buy another ASAP.

The features are great on this guitar. Although, we're not all the way there yet, it shows us that physics, mathematics, and computers can come really close to the real thing.

I love the sounds of most of the electrics, eps. the Tele and the LPs, but the acoustics still need a little work. There are about 2 or 3 that need to be fixed.

Although the sleek metal finish is attractive, there's no body to it. I would still much prefer a carved body LP.

This guitar is very solid. I like it a lot. It seems to hold itself real well.

They will be offering updates on the different models here in the future and that's a plus. You don't have to go buy the newest version of it everytime!

I've been playing for over 2 years but I've been around guitars for A LOT longer (maybe 5 more?), it just took me a while to pick it up after a friend told me to. I'm more of the singer, but I love guitars. I've studied physics, construction, and method about them.

I really like this guitar. Just some minor things that need to be fixed. Like adding an XLR out, body design, and the acoustic models.

Easy to use, plays well, many guitars and other stringed instruments to play with.

There are one or two models that need improvement, but due to the foolish reviews some others have posted my 9 will become a 10.

This is a solid instrument. Althought it doesn't match up with the best (most Gibsons, American Fender, Paul Reed Smith, Gretch), it is better than say a Mexican Strat and most other Korean guitars.

Very solid.

A little slow with updates on their products, but overall a good company to work with.

I have an '81 Les Paul Standard. I like the Les Paul sound on the Variax better, believe it or not. But I like the feel of the Gibson better. It is nice to be able to switch guitars instantly in the middle of a song.

There are obviously some trolls and tone deaf individuals posting reviews on this product, so I must counter them...my 9 is now a 10.

Great idea. My dream guitar. I wish it worked. Maybe the next generation will have a different pick-up and better quality.

I?ve played several Variax guitars and this is the prognosis. The variax does not accurately reproduce mute techniques. For example: (not that you would necessarily want to play these songs). The intro to The Clash ?Should I stay or should I go??. The muted rake will sound like a regular open strum. You cannot reproduce the muted no-cord sections similar to Rage Against the Machine, ?Killing in the name of?. You cannot get the semi-muted+chord strums that you may want to use for ska or funk. This guitar is also useless for heavily and semi-muted individual plucked note runs that you may find in country music as well. And forget about heavy metal or nu-metal played by someone over 13 years old. The piezo transducer is a bad choice of pickup for standard electric guitar picking dynamics. It just will not reproduce the strum+mute semi-mute or the pick+mute correctly. It doesn?t glitch, it just doesn?t mute right. I can?t believe that serious guitar players aren?t sickened by this guitar. This is only useful for guitarists that use an on/off mute techniques (1st year beginners?). It does sound like a decent guitar in straight strumming situations. Incidentally the quality and construction are a joke. Most $100 import strat copies are built much better. Some of the variax?s that I played had the truss rod cover cut to the wrong size so it was not flush to the head stock, touching the strings at the nut with the screws in crooked.

The quality and construction are a joke. Most $100 import strat copies are built much better (squire, etc). Some of the variax?s that I played had the truss rod cover cut to the wrong size so it was not flush to the head stock, touching the strings at the nut with the screws in crooked (on a $1000 guitar?!?!). The action and amount of fret buzz varied dramatically from one to the next. This is NOT even close to the quality of a 300 dollar guitar (Hamer import, Fender-Squire, OLP, JB Somebody etc).

Good Luck on this. If the construction is so poor, I would worry about the electronics.

Don't know.

See above text.

Anyone who has read the other reviews doesn't need me to say this thing has a 5 way switch, vol, tone and bank control. The guitar itself other than that isn't exceptional, but it is obviously unusual to have 30 odd different sounds in one guitar

Can people please wake up here? This is NOT the same as owning a dobro/sitar/etc. It is like a guitar with an effects processor, which you could buy externally for a lot less than #750

It's not so bad, but it isn't comparable to other guitars at 750 (eg Fender/Gibson)

Not that I've had any opportunity to break the thing, but just imagine if you do: who can fix it? How long will this gimmick be in production? Compare this to a 1950s telecaster: no one's going to be fixing this in 50 years' time, in the same way no one is fixing the 1980's computers in cars: when they go wrong, they're cheaper to scrap. There's no investment value here: in 2 years time these guitars are going to be half the price and twice as good, and your guitar is going to be worth half that if you're lucky. You're buying a computer!

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I've been playing for a long time, but I'm not such a great guitarist. What I can say is that I've played lots of different types and this doesn't fool anyone. Buy a cheap guitar and cheap effects pedal (like the zoom or toneworks ones), and you'll get better vfm. Better still, you can keep updating your effects pedal, which will be obsolete after 5 minutes (like this guitar will be)

Lots of different guitars...of course, nothing else comes close.

I do miss tremolo arm (for strat and gretsch) and nylon string model.

I also think there should be a heavy metal model (maybe Ibanez JEM), then tremolo arm would be even more missed of course.

I like that you can easily create your own 'custom guitar' (Custom I and II)

I like almost all sounds. I've played 3/4 of the modeled guitars in real life and they all sound very source characteristic.

To mention some Favourites:
56 LP Junior with P90 - great rock'n roll position, more transparent than LP with humbucker, more drive and mids than tele. Very authentic.

Rickenbacker neck - very smooth but clear sound. Usable alternative to the Strat neck. Never played a Rbacker, but this sounds good.

Gibson Super 400 - fat, smooth, short sound. You get the feel of an old jazzbox.

Acoustics - sounds great (would be greater if you could use acoustic (XLR to PA) and electric (line to amp) at the same time and mix acc/elec sounds, like a Parker)


Not so good:
Tele Custom neck, positon 4 - no tone control, dark and muddy. I suppose the original sounded like that. Unnecessary.

The 12-strings are OK but not great. Works well in a context.

Sunburst, nice finish. Poorly setup from factory, but nothing the guitar dealer couldn't fix. Remains a slight buzz on E1 string (on both guitars I tried), especially when bent.

The guitar itself feels like it should cost half the price, the rest you pay for is the electronics. Solid feeling though.

Stayed in tune on the premier gig.

The instrument seems pretty solid, shouldn't be any problems. You never know about the electronics though.

I've played for 25 years, I use a Flextone II, my other guitars are Guild BM Red Special, Gibson LP, Strat and Guild Starfire III. These guitars are premium quality guitars, Variax does not come up to that quality. But it's still priceworthy, lots of sounds with decent build quality. It looks nice, classic electric guitar looks.

I guess they will eventually release a tremolo version, with the extra features that the first customers miss (nylon, hevy metal...). A bit annoying, you will propably want to upgrade, that's the price you pay for being a pioneer.

The electric guitar is a 50 year old invention, about time something new happens! Would given it a 10, but I miss tremolo and nylon. You can always discuss the choice of models of course.

I tried this one in the shop. It's the 4th one I tried, and although not obviously noticeable, there is some quality variation. The last one I tried was spanking new and it was the best I tried.
Colour is important, I don't really like the red one, black is classy I think. I thought the sunburst was a little 'obvious' considering the vintage models, but I think it does look best.

Models are good. But what about a nice SG or a Fender Jaguar? Perhaps a few modern guitars such as a PRS or Zemaitis would be nice. Again, a nylon would be nices and I could do without the sitar and banjo (Line6 showing off their technology).

Always plug a Variax into a tube amp when you try it, makes a big difference. Since most models are from a tube-era this works best comparison-wise. I have also tried it on a new Marshall TSL but was disappointed, it's too high-gain maybe.

Best models:
Les Paul, I think it sounds incredible. Very smooth, very deep and the tone and volume controls seem to work accurately. A week ago I tried 2 Les Pauls in the same store and sound-wise, the Variax was better than the Epiphone and just as good/more vintage than the Gibson LP Studio. Zeppelin, Bluesbreakers, Gary Moore, it was all there.
Tele: This is where the Variax truly shines. It's a very pointy sound, trebly, but not piercing. I found it good for country and the spontaneous Zeppelin solo.
Les Paul Custom: Brilliant sound, very wide and spanky at the same time.
Epiphone Casino: instant Beatles, nice round short-springed sound. Good with a little overdrive.
Gibson Super 400: very warm and honky. It seems like there's a delay of some kind when you attack the string. The tone comes out a fraction late and you really get the feeling you're playing this massive jazz-guitar. It had so much bass I had to reign in on the tone control. Very nice for jazz leads and subtle phrasing.

I like a lot of other models too such as the Firebird (Roxy Music anyone?) and the Bob Marley Special (conving for - indeed - reggae).

Not convinced with the Strat though, the lack of hum maybe. Each time I play the Variax I want to like the Strat but it doesn't play like one. The tone seems a bit solid and sterile to me, whereas my own strat is lively and frayed. If Line6 had a button to include hum I'd use it.

The acoustics aren't bad. I read some bad stuff on the 12 strings but if you spend a while with these models they are very usable. Besides, who can switch to a 12 string that quick?

You could have guessed I'm a Zeppelin fan. I was finally able to play Stairway to Heaven with one guitar. Start with a 6 string acoustic, go to a 12 string electric, perhaps a Les Paul for the heavy part and then a Tele for the solo!! Just some level differences that interferred with the fun.

I also have the idea the sounds are all slightly hotter than the real thing. This is a good thing for the sound to noise ratio but it does make your amp overdrive more. Depends on what you want.

On higher drive settings and death metal antics, the Variax is not a good choice. It sounds restrained and sterile and emphasizes treble/mid tones. Then again you wouldn't use these models for this kind of music.

It's worthwile waiting a bit until Line6 has a good grip on its quality. The first models I tried felt cheap, mainly due to the fret edges. The whole look of the neck and headstock is a bit of a letdown if you are used to quality guitars. I didn't care anymore when I felt like Clapton in '66 however.

The guitar sounds better with thicker strings (from 010 upwards). Setup is too low however, take it up with a bit of slack in the neck and it would be perfect for bends.

You can see the body laminates on the sunburst only. Will Line6 ever bring out a top-quality version?

No doubts about reliability. I would always use the pedal for power though, no batteries please..

No contact yet.

No competition for Line 6 at this point. A hands-down winner. YOu must praise Line 6 for putting this much effort into a guitar that monopolizes the market. That's encouraging to buyers. I suppose they'll come up with a Variax Bass soon and then high end Variaxes and new downloadable models (1962 SG Standard please!).
I'm saving up for it now, I'll be happy to use it soon.

Ok, in this department the Variax wins. It has tons of features, but could really use a trem and a nylon string sound. I think most guitarists out there would have much more use for a nylon string setting than a coral sitar.

Sounds a lot like a synth guitar. Yeah, I no its not a synth and doesn't have tracking issues, etc., but the sounds are like something you would find on a high end keyboard or sampler. It didn't sound bad through a PA, but it did not sound like a real acoustic, even on the highly touted J-200 setting. If you have a Parker, Brian Moore, or one of the Strats or Teles with a piezo bridge, then you already have the acoustic sounds of this instrument. To my highly trained and professional ear, the sounds were definately fake and can only be described as "guitar-like". This would probably work fine for most of you amatures out there, but it is not useable for a talented professional like myself. If you are some middle-aged doctor or lawyer who sits around in your basement rerecording songs by the Byrds, the Who, and Jimmy Buffet, then this will work fine for you.

Bad for a $1000 (average street price) guitar, but good for a $400 or lower import. You are paying for the electronics with this one. With hands like mine you can play anything (and make it sound good) so the setup seemed ok to me.

Hard to say as I'm putting it on ebay. There stuff holds up well enough, so I don't think the Variax will be an exception to the general rule. A lot of people have talked about unit failures, etc., but hey, it is the first run of these things. It felt solid enough if I kept in mind that it was really a $400 import.

I have a Pod and they answered my questions quickly and politely. I don't see why this would be any different.

I'll give this one slightly better than 5. To me a 5 means it works and might have appeal for the amature hour players out there. You have to understand that I am at a different level of playing than most of you are. For someone like myself, this instrument is nothing more than a toy. I can understand that at the playing level most of you are at that you cannot justify having over twenty guitars like I do. Hey, even with years of practice you will probably still never play or sound like me. My talent has to be from the Gods themselves. Its a good idea and a few years from now, they'll probably have a very kicking version of the Variax out there. Until then, its just something for the wanna be's.

2003 Black Variax with Pearloid scratch plate. 1 Volume control, 1 Tone. 1 Knob for selecting the model and storing models in the Custom banks. No pickups (no hum!). Not too heavy and balances well on a strap.
This is a modelling guitar. It replicates the sounds of a wide variety of classic electric guitars, acoustic guitars and a couple of other stringed instruments. This makes it very attractive to anybody who plays in a covers band or who needs more than one guitar at a gig.

I play in a covers band and this guitar is like a dream. I can get any sound need for Rock, Pop, Grunge, acoustic stuff, rock'n'roll, jazz, country....
Mostly we play rock so the models I will use will be the Les Pauls, Strat, Telecaster, Rickenbacker and the excellent acoustic models.
To my mind all the above are excellent sounds. You can switch from Tele to Les Paul in mid song!! The acoustics are brilliant through a PA or amp and there's no feedback!! There's no hum either because there is no pickups.
I don't know if it sounds exacly like a 1959 Fender Strat because I've never played one (and never will) but it does produce a great Strat tone (probably better than many new Fenders). It's the same for the other models too. What you get is a great sounding tool for playing pretty much anything.
I play through a Peavey Bandit and even the acoustics sound great on the clean channel.

I found the action to be good, maybe a little low but not a problem. It looks great in black. I've found no flaws or faults. Everything is fine.
There is also a Mystery Input next to the jack which hopefully will enable more models to be downloaded later on (Suggestions: some basses, Peavey Wolfgang, an Ibanez)

This will be my weapon of choice live from now on. My SG will be relegated to support slot. I always have a back-up and always will regardless of waht I play. Strap buttons are fine and it balances well. I see no reason why it shouldn't last.

The manual is cool. One year warranty.

I've been playing for a good few years now and this is the best guitar I've ever owned or played. The concept is brilliant and they have done an excellent job of replicating the sounds. I may never use some of the sounds but that doesn't matter, even if you only use 2 models you've got a bargain

2003 Black Variax (The rest of the feature have been listed here).
Whammy bar would have been a nice addition but I couldn't wait for that model.
Enough tones to drive most players nuts.

I play mainly blues but also anything from classical, jazz to Hard Rock (no metal !).

It's either bing used via a GuitarPort or POD and Behringer Blue Devil or VOX Pathfinder.

Noise ? Are you kidding me ?

Tonewise it really depends on the model some are superb some are just good. Even the strange 12 string acoustic is usable.
Maybe nothing beats an original instrument being modeled by the Variax but who cares. I cannot afford them and if I am being asked wouldn't I rather have one good american Strat for the same price there is only one answer for me: Hell No !!.
Varaiety is THE word here and the is nothing that comes close to it with 6 strings on it. MOTHING !

I love the feel of the guitar body, the neck is good. Some parts could have been better selected but at the price I paid I have nothing to complain.

The set-up was good. Maybe a bit more attention to the action would have made me happier but I assume this is a matter of style and what you are used to. It took a few minutes to sort it out to my liking.

The only problem I found was the stain finishing on the neck that left a large brighter patch along 3-4 frets. Not a major problem, but ...

Still didn't get a chance to gig it (two weeks to go) but I will not be without a backup. It seems solid but working with computers all my life I wouldn't count on anything with chips in it without a backup.
I wish I could afford a second Variax as a backup. Maybe in the next couple of years when the next model will come out with other models, whammy bar and other goodies this guitar will become a backup.

I never had problem with Line6 gear so far. I have been waiting for my Variax for 5 months and they should recognise my voice from hundreds of nagging phone calls (sorry mates). They have been as helpful as they could and I believe you do have someone to talk to in Line6 Europe.

I have been playing for 4-5 years now and own quite a bit of gear now (way too much for not being at least a semi-pro). 8 Guitars, 3 amps, DP200 multi, Loads of stomp like the great Boss AW10, Marshall Bluesbreaker and so on (got GAS !).

I loved the concept of the variax ever since I read about it (Guitarist Mag Dec 2002 issue) and pre-ordered one immediately.
I love this guitar. Some people complains that it tacks the "va va voom" factor and it is just too much of mix of others. I believe the problem here is just having too much. Just stick to one model for two weeks and you'll understand what I'm on about. Maybe what you need is to play with your eyes closed, put a jazz box on and flow with it for a while. Maybe it's the freaking fact that while the tone is great the feel of it is so different from the original instrument.
I don't care. This guitars suits me and my needs just fine and I'll stick to it and the next models from Line6 until someone will come with all these feature (and more) in a better quality box for the same price. When it happens phone me to pre-order the next generation.

Too many features to list go to the website.

Anyone who tells you that these guitars sound like the real Mcoy is probably foolish enough to tell you that the Line6 amps sound like real fenders and marshalls. That being said these guitars can get a usable, slightly rich tone through a nice sounding amp. I demoed this model thru new fender and marshall tube amps.

played fine, found my way around with no problems. Flailing caused it to go out of tune so minus a point for being kind of wimpy, make that 4 points.

don't know I'm not going to buy this guitar.

don't know, nice website.

I like gimmick guitars and the variax is a gimmick. I really feel for the boneheads that gloat over this thing and gladly pay the retail price. If this guitar falls to $250-300 I'll buy it because its different and fun if your not afraid to try something besides fenders or gibsons. My hats off to Line6 for an innovative product. However not all its hyped to be by a longshot and far too expensive. For this kind of dinero I'm going with a Jerry Jones 12 string or barritone guitar.

The only modeling guitar on the planet..

If you want the anorak's details check other reviews or the Line 6
website.

More features than any Gibson, PRS or Fender. Maybe a roland syth guitar could out do it on the no. features.

Sound. This is where everything boils down to opinion.
The twelve strings are the least realistics as they sound more heavily chorused rather. All the other sounds are what they are supposed to be, close approximations of the modeled instruments. If you want the actual take you 12 grand a buy a 57 Strat or 40 grand for a 58 Les Paul. How many people know what a 58 Les Paul actually sounds like in the raw, they may knowthe sound after it has been recorded and put through another 40 grands worth of outboard gear.

As for the many people who put this off as a toy have totally missed the point. This is a tool, a sonic pallet that can produce a vast array of tones from the flick of a switch. Once recorded it can be eq'd and nobody would know the difference and even that is if it is necessary, which on some of the models it isn't.

reso sounds, especially Sitar are out of this world. Perfect for adding that extra spice to recordings.

It's getting a 9 because although not all sounds are perfects there are so many goods sounds that the few bad ones don't really matter.

Pinch harmonics and good sustain are there in bundles.

Came straight out the box set up better than the one i had reviewed in the shop that had been setup by a pro. Not nito finished or Gotoh tuners. But most of the hardwear is actually good and performes spot on.

Durability probably the same as any other guitar.
Reliability to soon to say but expect it to be good for what
I will be using it for.

Never tried them/Hopefully wont need to.

I have been playing for 18 Years and have had countless guitars over the years. I am fortunate to have a PRS Custom 24 Artist Pack. A 2002 Gibson Les Paul. A '65 Customs shop Strat. (no. 10 of 12. A Customs Shop Telecaster. And a Gibson J45.

I think there are two types of guitarist.

One who can take a Plank with steels strings and produce some of the most wonderfull music in the world. The other is the gear snob. If its not got a name and made in the US then it's not good.

Wrong.. A good intrument is a good instrument and the Variax is a great instrument. Individually my other instruments may be better at the one thing that they do. And the point is they ondly do one thing and that is be themselves.

I like to collect these guitars because the made history and are so famous. They are great Guitars and i am privaledged to be in the position of owning them. The Line 6 has made history it is unique and I would advise anybody to who cannot decide which instrument to buy if they can only have one to try this guitar. It may not say Les Paul, Tele or Strat but close your eye's and you could be playing all them, and more!! without changing you strap.

Basic features are already covered here so I'll get to my opinions. i must first say that I've tried out this guitar on 4 separate occasions in different music stores. In most cases, the guitar was located next to Line6 amplifier products so naturally, these are what you'll plug it into. One one occasion, I dragged it across the store and plugged it into a Crate tube amp.

This guitar has no pickups . Instead it models the sound of several other electric and acoustic guitars by processing the signal from a piezo equipped hardtail bridge. Some esoteric instruments such as banjo and electric sitar are also modelled. Output is compatible with standard guitar amps and effects.

All in all, the guitar porion was rather average. What obviously makes this axe stand out is that it's supposed to give you the sounds of many other axes. This sounds awesome in theory, but the actual execution wasn't as thrilling as I'd hoped as I'll soon go into. Still, the sheer concept is groundbreaking and deserves credit.

I play different kinds of music from blues to rock to metal as well as a lot of jazz and some classical. I've owned over a dozen good guitars (and countless other bad ones) in the 25 years I've been playing. I'm no great guitar master, but I do know what a good guitar sounds should sound like for all of these musical styles. I should also say that I own and use a P.O.D. and though I also use tube amps, I love the Line6 amp modelling and the POD is my #1 thing to plug into.

When I first plugged a Variax into a Flextone amp, I immediately noticed how dull and lifeless it sounded. I have, on occasion, noticed a digital quality to all of Line6's amp modelling products that I've tried, but usually, this wasn't so objectionable with a great guitar plugged in as the instrument's soul still would shine through. This time, however, I was put off by the fake-plus-fake combination. It totally lacked soul, vibe, chime, spank, twang, ... you name it. On the one time that I did plug the Variax into a tube amp, it sounded much better. Still, I noticed some things were missing. Plucking or strumming the strings pretty much yielded the expected tones as the modelling algorithms were clearly designed to process these inputs. But the guitar fell short when processing other types of input such as hammer-ons, pull-offs and especially harmonics. A real guitar responds in a many complex ways to these techniques and the Variax interpretations of them seemed dull and lifeless. It lacked the complexity and interactiveness that even a cheap guitar could deliver.

As for the sounds themselves, many are good approximations of the originals. Despite some of the crticisms below, I found the acoustic sounds quite usable and in many cases more authentic than the sound of a piezo-equipped acoustic plugged direct. With an acoustic processor like a Zoom 504, I think these sounds might fool some die hards.

A lot of people are going to fall into the Strat/Les Paul/Tele mold. The Variax has only one variation of each of these instruments. It would have been nice to have more of these; e.g., a classic strat, a blues strat, etc.

The jazzbox and hollow-body models are very similar and to those who don't use these instruments (or don't want to), they're a waste of presets. Ditto for some of the other models. Hopefully a future version will allow user-loadable models.

Clearly, there's a lot of growing up to do here.

The guitar portion of the Variax is a Korean made wood body and neck and it is typical of instruments made there: think Squier. Not a whole lot of complexity in the unplugged sound and not much sustain. the finish looks good, but I find this to be the case with other asian-made instruments these days. The Variax played in tune and stayed that way. The neck was comfortable and straight and there were no intonation problems I could find.

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Let me conclude by saying that the last time I auditioned a Variax, I had to wait for the guy at the store to dig up the power adapter. While I waited, I plugged a Mexican strat I pulled from the wall into a line6 Spider amp and was wailing away for a few minutes in a quiet audition room. When the dude arrived, I plugged the Variax into the same amp and listened carefully to all the sounds over a thirty minute period. When I had finished, I handed the guitar back to the sales guy and said, "I actually had more fun with the Mexican strat."

The Variax represents a radical new way of thinking and an important first step. Where it will eventually take us is anyone's guess. For right now, I'm going to wait and see ... and listen carefully.

Guitar is built okay. Good balance both standing and seated. Great feeling neck with a satin finish. The frets could have been seated better on the one that I have, but definitely no worse than any other guitar in it's price range.

This is the category that makes all of the difference. I want to be sure that I'm very clear on this point. I wanted to hate this guitar! It sounds bad, I know, but the guitar is a sacred thing. Each one is special in its own way, and the idea of being able to get a lot of the subtleties of particular guitars out of electronics alone seemed a little taboo.

With that said, I've been playing it daily for over 2 weeks now and am no closer to hating it. In fact, it's becoming the guitar I reach for first.

The Les Paul sounds are smooth and creamy, the Strat sounds sparkle (they even quack in the notch positions), the Tele sounds are better than both of the Tele's I currently own (sad).

Where I find myself spending most of my time is on the acoustic settings. I love the J200 and the banjo sounds (my drummer almost stopped playing to see where the banjo was).

The only reason I'm giving this instrument a 10 is because there was nothing higher on the menu.

The factory set up was quite standard. The action was uneven and the nut was cut too high. Once again, not uncommon on Korean guitars. A little fussing brought everything together.

The only complaint I have is the color. Don't get me wrong, the finish is immaculate, and I can't complain out loud because it was a gift.....But, I'm sure that this particular red should only be available on mid 70's Chevy's and should come with a free set of Foster Grant's complete with State Trooper mustache. Ewww!

So far so good. I've got years of playing to do on it before I can tell you if there are any time related hic-ups, but as it stands, nothing in my normal use seems to phase it.

What's to call customer support on. Plug in, turn switch. Simple as it gets.

I've been playing for well over 20 years and have a sizable collection of instruments to choose from, including many that are modeled here. The only reason I go back to other guitars at this time is to use a whammy bar.

As soon as they come out with one with a whammy, I'll have to buy it too.

Guitar is built very well. I have a hard time with the upper frets in the 21 and 22nd range. It seems like the body could have been cut out a little more, but that's just me. Overall I love it!!

This was the selling point for me. I am a music director for a church, and I can't keep switching from piano to guitar, to acoustic. So the acoustic models were going to be very important to me. And I now can say that they are incredible, even just run direct to the sound board. The 1st position and the 5th position on the pick up selector are my favorites, they have a very deep and full sound. The 12 string models aren't great, but I don't need them all that much. Actually the one sounds very much like something from Boston, "More Than a Feelin". The Les Paul's and the Fender stuff is great. I am not the best at hearing minor differences even when dealing with the real thing, so I am a very happy man.

The action is a little high, but I am willing to make this my main guitar, so I can live with it, and get used to it.

Don't know yet, but I did buy an extended warranty, just incase. Any time I deal with software and something so new, I try to cover my self.

Haven't had the need

I have been playig for about 17 years, and I am a new gear maniac. But this purchase was not made on a whim, I put alot of thught and time into it, and I could not be more satisfied. I am so afriad of scratching it or banging it. This is the first guitar I have bought that I have felt like that. Maybe because I put so much time in researching it.

Features....well this thing has enough features to get the job done (and then some) but without too many things to clutter up the guitar or your mind. It has your basic master volume control, master tone control, a 12 position rotary bank (mode) switch, a 5-way Strat-style selector switch, a standard 1/4" TRS output jack, a battery compartment, an electronics compartment, and a "mystery" jack for future software upgrades. This guitar has no pickups in the traditional electric guitar sense but a piezo sensor, for each string, located in the bridge saddles.The bridge itself is a typical non-trem, through-the-body string arrangement. The double cut away body is solid basswood....mine is black with a black pearl pickguard and is somewhat roughly shaped like a Strat. The fairly chunky, bolt-on Fender scale neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard and the frets I would call medium-jumbos. The tuners are the non-locking type and seem pretty stable but there's no indication as to who actually manufactured them. The coolest thing about this guitar are the very convincing, modeled, traditional stringed instrument sounds that are available with just the flick of a couple of switches, such as: Telecaster, Stratocaster, Les Paul, Gretch, Rickenbacker, semi-hollow, acoustic, jazzbox, 12 string, banjo, dobro, sitar, and a few others. Also available are two, five slot Custom banks that allow you to store your favorite sounds, in any order, for quicker access. Accessories, include a good quality gig bag, trussrod & bridge wrenches, a foot pedal/AC power supply with footswitchable XLR & standard 1/4" outputs w/LED's, a good quality 1/4" TRS interconnect cable, and a fairly easy to understand owners manual. In the event of failure of the included power/switching pedal, the guitar can also run on 6 AA batteries or, in a real pinch, a 9 volt battery (for 2 hours). I gave the guitar a 9 for features because it isn't currently available with a trem.

Sound....this is where this guitar gets very interesting because, to my ears, it can very convincingly mimic many other stringed instrument sounds, such as: electric guitars, acoustic guitars, and a few other specialized instruments. Bank #1 is a Custom bank for storing your presonal favorites, Bank #2 has 5 Telecaster sounds, bank #3 has 5 Strat sounds, Bank #4 has 5 Les Paul sounds, Bank #5 has 5 Les Paul Jr., Special, & Firebird sounds, Bank #6 has 5 Gretsch sounds, Bank #7 has 5 Rickenbacker sounds, Bank #8 has 5 semi-hollow sounds, Bank #9 has 5 jazzbox sounds, Bank #10 has 5 acoustic sounds, Bank #11 has 5 "Reso" sounds (dobro, sitar, Dano, banjo, tricone), and Bank #12 is a second Custom storage bank. And, not only are the sounds convincing, they are also set up level wise so they drive your amp just like the original guitar. Also, without magnetic pickups, single coil sounds are no more noisy that humbucker sounds. However, while some sounds are more accurate than others, I honestly couldn't find a bad sound in this thing....all are VERY useable.

Action, Fit & finish....all things considered not too bad. My only complaint is that the nut wasen't cut quite deep enough making a barred F chord rather difficult. However, 10 minutes with my nut files solved that problem. Fretwork is very good but they aren't polished to a mirror finish like on a high end guitar, and there are no apparent sharp edges or sprout. Finish is smooth, the neck is tight & straight, and after my nut fix & setup, the guitar plays about as good as any of my other higher priced guitars. The stock strings were pretty crappy so those came off immediately.

The guitar seems built pretty solid, but one never knows when electronics are going to crap out....which would make this guitar dead in the water.

No warranty issues yet so I'm not sure how helpful they would be with a warranty related problem. The warranty on the instrument itself is said to be lifetime, except for the electronics, which are warranteed for one year.

Overall....for the purists out there yes, some of the modeled sounds are probably more accurate than others....but I wouldn't call any of them poor as they are very convincing, especially in a gigging context where some of the subtle nuances are typically lost. Do the models nail the sound of the holy grail vintage instruments we often talk about? Probably not, but I think the sounds are within the range of variation of what one would expect from the original guitar. Will the Variax make you want to go out and sell some of your favorite guitars? Maybe, maybe not....but, as a tool, this thing has great value. Personally, my #1 gigging guitar is a good Strat with my guitar of choice being a Melancon Pro Artist. And, while I love the sound of my current rig with my Komet amp, sometimes a Strat-style guitar just won't cover all the bases very well.... and, occasionally, it would be nice to add an acoustic, a 12 string, or a Les Paul passage to a song....and this is the strength of the Variax. Without spending $10,000 and tripping over a half dozen guitars on stage, I can have my favorite #1 guitar and cover the rest of the bases easily & inexpensively with the Variax. And, keep in mind, this is coming from a guy with 35 years experience and who has hated every modeling amp that he's ever tried. In my humble opinion, if you can get by the looks & feel of the Variax, the sounds are there.

Basically the most versatile guitar I ever played. If it had a tremolo it would be complete.

Some sounds come close to the original, some don't, but consider: no guitar sounds like another, even it is the same model and year of construction. In total the Variax represents the first approch to capture the sounds of the most important and sought after guitar models in one axe.

I play rock guitar since 1968 I and testing this guitar was one of the most disappointing experiences I had in the last years. Despite the high gloss commercial presentation, in reality the Variax looks cheap, it feels cheap, action is very unconfortable and from the optical point of view I would never use such a guitar on stage.

Enough to make anyone happy. For the pro, plenty of usable stuff and for the novice enough to keep them happy until they have $50,000 to blow on vintage gear.

I have been playing and collecting vintage gear for 15 years. I have had as many as 300 vintage amps and 60 guitars. I know what they're supposed to sound like and what it takes to make them sing. I like Line 6. I think they are innovative and I don't get into head to head comparisons with vintage gear (or new as a matter of fact) because I think anyone who does misses the point. This little guitar is amazing in its own right. It's built ok but not great and we all know we're paying for the guts. I think it's worth it. The tone is in there, no doubt about it. A great way to find out is to play through the Guitar Port with some of the artist tones. It's damn close my friends. For a lot less money and a lot less effort. I dare anyone to spot a variax Strat or Les Paul tone within a song and say this sounds fake or digital. I don't know what one of the reviewers is talking about as far as not being able to get pinch harmonics or palm muting. Baby, it's all there. If you know how to play, it's there. Bottom line....it is a lot of fun and it is very usable. When you don't fell like bustin out the entire arsenal (if you could even afford to buy all the guitars modeled in the variax), this is just fine. Stop disecting and have fun!

The guitar is built ok. Not great but good enough.

We'll see.

Don't know yet.

It's a blast! The acoustics are great and the electrics are too. Not bad at all (and I am a vintage freak).

I will not bore you with the details since they're available on the line 6 site--let's just say this thing models guitars like the POD models amps--sort of :-) Oh yeah, it was in tobacco burst (not that it matters :-)

Overall, I like the sound of the variax and I think that many of the sounds are highly useable and toneful. The acoustic settings, even through a PA are dreadfully bright and brittle sounding, you do not want to give up you Martin, Taylor, or Takamine just yet :-) The Dobro's sound decent for slide and pretty good for back porch grooves. The sitar is WAY WAY cool--a lot of guitarists are gonna have fun with it. I think the standard les paul sounds are very very forgetable--without overdrive thst is (which is the nature of those guitars anyway), on the flip side the les paul specials sound fat, warm and spicy--I dig. The strat and tele settings--although their not "exact" replica's, they are an excellent approximation without the 60 cycle hum!!! The rickenbacker's are pretty good...the 12 string rick sounds like a decent chorus effect more than an actual 12 string electric. The semi-hollow and hollow-body do their thing well, and the banjo is cool...that stand out sounds for me are the Gretsch models...very cool vibe, and again NO NOISE!!! I like that feature a lot, can you tell??? :-) I do not care about how "close" these sounds come to the real thing. I played this guitar and rated it on it own merit--and it stands well by itself. Close you eyes and imagine that you are playing one guitar that has a plethora of pickup selections rather than a computer that emulates the characteristics of certian guitars you may or may have owned/played. If you play the Variax like that, allowing it to be an expirience in and of itself, you will walk away feeling much better about it.

OK...here's where things go south--while line 6 made the variax sound cool, playing it is another story. I have played mexican strats that have a better feel to them--which is not saying much. Anyone who's like me and believes in feel first, tone second...steer clear of this guitar. The set up from the factory wasn't bad, considering what they had to work with. It feels like you're holding a tonka truck that's been slammed into too many walls, not to mention those horrific frets...yikes...you better break out the file and take care of them :-) Still and yet, I think Line 6 is going to sell a lot of these things.

Who know's? I wouldn't gig with this guitar--studio use ONLY--

never dealt with them--no rating here

I have been playing for awhile now, without going into specifics let's just say--long enough to know tone. The Variax is a nice toy (to quote one of the other reviwers on this page)--It never takes itself seriously, and neither can I. When a guitar feels this cheap I just want to put it down--this guitar did not inspire me. I have played lots of cheap guitar that have felt better--rounder, looser, fresher, more ALIVE--the Variax just doesn't do it for me. Hey, I gave it a fair shake...I played it through a Matchless Cheiftain Reverb 2X12 combo, a Mesa Boogie Nomad 55 1X12 combo, a Dr. Z Maz 38 Invasion, and a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 Head w/a Bogner 4X12 Cabinet (what an amazing amp!!!). Then I connected it to the PA (for the acoustic stuff)..I also recorded directly into my lap top using an M-Audio USB interface and a little tube pre-amp. Like the POD this will be tough to beat for a studio musician looking to maximize possiblties and productivity, while minimizing set-up time and noise. For the gigging musician I still think your best bet is to find a guitar you love and make it your own. Hey Line 6...you're close...I suggest that you team up with a private builder like Gerard Melancon or Don Grosh and put out a PREMIUM version of the Variax...something for us players. It'll cost ALOT more, but with the feel of a premium guitar I think you'll find the variax will make it's way onto many, many stages. Think about it.

What can you say about this, its full of features that can keep you happy and twiddling around for hours on end. One can only rate this as a 10, to have the facility of going from an elctric amp or acoustic amp at the flick of a switch is very useful. Without being too expressful got to the Line6 web site for the list of features

To compare this to the original 28 guitars that are modelled is almost an impossible task, since the original guitar army here would set you back somewhere in the region of #500,000 and more to the point are you likely to get hold of these originals in the first place. However on a more positive note the sounds from this are killers, the Les Paul, the strat, the tele are excellent and to my ears very authentic. The sound of the National and dobro are simply exquisit. Again one has to say that this instrument is a fantastic recording machine. The acoutic modellers sound better through a mixer / recorder rather than a guitar amp.

I am no expert in this field, but straight out of the box it felt and played superb, i prefer a slightly higher action, not quite the SRV type but on the higher side if you get my drift.
There is a facility to adjust the action

To early to say

To early to say

Having been playing for 15 years with the infulences of Jimmy Page, Joe Satriani, SRV, BB King, Albert King behind me, I only play and record at home through a zoom MTR1044 digital recorder powered through an old hifi amp and speakers, works well and does the job for me. If it were stolen then I would buy another without a doubt. The love of this guitar is the diversity without a doubt, my parting shot is get one thats all

2003 Model. The Variaxes are built in Korea. Line6 installs the elctronics here in the USA. 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 model select knob. No visible pickups. LR Baggs Piezo pickup under the bridge. Red Metal Flake. Body style is strat-ish, but still unique. Comes with a VERY nice gig bag, and A/B switch (to switch from 1/4 inch out to XLR out)

The reason I purchased this guitar was mainly for the acoustic models. The thought of being able to instantly switch from a strat or les paul sound to an authentic acoustic sound in the middle of a song, without changing guitars, was too much for me. I HAD to have one. I own or have owned several of the guitars which are modeled in the variax. I must say that most of the models are very good. Some are exceptional, some are just OK. In my opinion, the acoustic sounds are the best. The 12 string sounds are the least authentic, but would suffice just fine in a live performance, band setting if used in moderation. But the other acoustic sounds are incredible. How this guitar can sound so much like a "real" acoustic guitar is beyond me. It truly is mind blowing. (it's worth mentioning that I run through an acoustic amp, out to the PA for the acoustic sounds. You NEED to run to a full range amp or pa to get a true sense of the authenticity of these models) The banjo is amazing. The sitar is cool. The strat model sounds like a strat. Does it sound like your strat? I don't know. But I have had two, and it sounds DAMN close. The les paul model sounds like a les paul. I have Gibson Les Paul Custom and the variax's LP model is also DAMN close. Try the rickenbacker model, through a good tube amp and tell me it doesn't sound EXACTLY like Tom Petty. True collectors or purists should not buy this guitar. This is not for them. It will never replace all of the classics. It doesn't sound exactly like the originals. This guitar is for the working guitarist who needs a range of sounds. It's for those who, at the flick of a switch, can go from playing full bore power chords on a Les Paul, to an acoustic bridge, and back again. A few other notes: the sound is incredibly clear. Solo notes just sing. Put on some old Journey and play some of Neal Schon's crisp lead parts. It's all there. For what it is, this guitar is incredible.

I was very concerned about the setup before it arrived, but I gotta say, it was setup great. No fret buzz. Intonation was perfect. There are no pickups, so that wasn't an issue. The frets could be polished a little better and the back of the neck is not very smooth.

Time will tell. I have heard a few stories about problems with the A/B box failing. Mine works fine so far. I am only using the box to power the variax. I am not using the XLR out on the box. (this seems to be the source of the problems from what I've read.....phantom power on consoles zapping the XLR out on the box)
I am going 1/4 out from the line6 box into a morley a/b box, then 1/4 out to both of my amps. (AR Acoustic and JCM 2000) The guitar is certainly more prone to problems than a traditional electric guitar. It is MUCH more complex. I purchased a two year extended warranty with mine. Again, time will tell........

Heard many a horror story. When the times comes, I'll find out.

I have been playing for 20 years. I currently own a Gibson LP Custom, a Jackson USA Soloist, an Ibanez Prestige, an Ovation Elite, a Fender USA Fat Strat and a Line6 Variax. I have owned some VERY nice guitars, some VERY expensive guitars, and some very cheap guitars and everything in between. This guitar "feels" like a $500-600 guitar. It plays very nice, but nothing like a nice US-Made strat. But, it sounds like a million bucks and that's what counts....in my book anyway

HOw could you NOT give this a 10 for features? The Variax effectively models a plethora of guitars and stringed instruments like the PODxt does for amps and effects. I won't re-hash the details, they've all been described very well in previous reviews.

I'm giving the Variax an 8, although its overall sound is more like a 7.5. It sounds very good (as does the PODxt) but you can tell it's digital (as does the POD xt). There's virtually no noise besides the usual finger squeaks on the amplfied acoustic models. The tones range from bright and hot to dark and muddy, so you have plenty of options from which to choose. I've played this through a PA, a dual amp set up (Tech 21 Bronzewood 60 & Trademark 60), and a Peavey Ecoustic 112 with basically the same results from each set up. Some of the models are very similar to others (some of the Teles sound pretty close to some of the Strats, etc.) and there is a pretty big volume difference from the electrics to the acoustics, so you need to be prepared to plan for that. There are many usable models (I easily have ten saved into the 2 custom presets), I only wish the custom presets were next to each other instead of at either end of the dial. I like the way the Variax sounds, but my Takamine LTD 98 and Parker Nitefly are better.

You can tell it's not a custom made instrument, but it played well right out of the box and didn't need any adjustment. There were no flaws but the fretboard did have some little hash marks where the frets were aligned that probably should have been sanded out before finishing. The Variax plays nicely, but nowhere near as slick and silky as my Parker Nitefly or my Takamine LTD 98. Otherwise, no complaints. I didn't expect it to be of the same physical quality as my other guitars. I know we're paying for the computer technology.

Everything seems to be solid. I take excellent care of my gear so I don't expect problems. Still, this is the first guitar I've had that's a computer so ... I've had a variety of Line 6 stuff since they've been around and have never had a problem save for an easily repaired footswitch problem on the floorboard I used to have. (I have sold or traded most of my Line 6 stuff for more toys, including this, and now only own the PODxt & Variax).

Never needed to contact them, yet. Website is good.

For what it is, the Variax is a pretty cool toy. I've only had it for a week so I'm still getting to know it, but I can see getting a lot of use out of it. I'm not ready to say I'd gig with it yet (my Parker has a piezo pick-up so I can get acoustic & electric sounds wtih it) but I'm sure I will once I get more comfortable with it. I'm sure it doesn't nail the instruments it models, but who the hell cares? It still sounds good or better yet, it doesn't suck. I like that I can take the Variax and PODxt to my friend's place or a club with a PA and only make one trip from the car. I love the sitar! The Ric 12 string is cool (kind of like a syrupy chorus not a real 12 string but that's okay). I hate that I traded or sold a bunch of gear to get this, but I couldn't afford nor justify a grand. Oh well, I have more space on the floor to move around and a bunch of virtual guitars to play. I'm happy so far and will be unless it malfunctions.

Read about it on-line at line6.com. First let me say that I waited for several months to try the Variax. I read all of the previous reviews and I have to say either most of you work for Line 6; have never played a real American-made, properly-set up Tele, Strat, or LP; or you are some tone-deaf mo-fo's.

Several of the switch positions were extremly noisy. The sounds were not even close to touching the perfection of my American made Strat with Seymour Duncan JB Jr's. Also note, my Fishman Strat tremolo bridge (TSV Powerbridge? Pickup)/Zoom 504II combination sounds much better than the acoustic "model" sounds from this digital nightmare.

This is where I can't believe any of the previous reviewers. Have you played a real guitar? Go to the closest music store and play an American made Strat or Tele. What about a Peavey Wolfgang? Those guitars are made good and are usually set up perfect. This thing is a piece of pooh and I don't mean Winnie. $999 at our folks from MF? $999 gets you a new classic strat with Floyd Rose, a used Les Paul with an awesome finish and feel, or a Peavey Wolfgang Standard off of EBay.

Where will you be when the battery runs out, the power supply fails, or the prom takes a dump? This creation in cheap. Now I love Line 6--I think they are a fantastic company for thinking out of the box and coming up with unbelieveable creations. But here's the truth from someone who has owned almost every guitar and amp known to man. You can't beat a Les Paul Custom, an American-made Tele, a Ibanez artist from the 70's, a Mesa Boogie amp with EQ, or the pure rock-ability of a Wolfgang. Don't waste you money or time on this thing. I can aways tell how good new products are by looking for slightly used ones on EBay. Check for yourself, while you're there look at the guitars I mentioned.

Poor--where's their POD XT editor they promised 6-months ago? You have to care about the customer even after the sale, not just while marketing your new products.

If a theft stole it, I would hope that Musician's Friend calls the cops, because this one is going back to them.

it's a variax. it's all features.

i expected more. it is a fun thing to play softer music with, but if you play hardrock/metal like i do, you will not appreciate it as much. for example, i love humbuckers. the variax les paul models sounded like humbuckers, but did not play like them (no pinch harmonics, palm mutes sound...strange i guess)
but hey! i loved the banjo, sitar, semi/hollows, and acoustic models!

the one i played was fine all around. like a strat. i'd most likely change the tuners though

this would stand up to a gig. maybe not a metal gig though. everything seemed fine (operative word "seemed") but for the cost, i would want grover tuners or something

overall, it was a nice guitar, if i played in a wedding or cover band.
if it were stolen by an lp player, he'd probably give it back.

brand new this 2003... black line 6 variax..

truly amazing..one mught think that you can get any tone from a modeling pedal... but not like this and you need no pedal.. it is just a grreat playing and sounding guitar..

excellent action and setup.. no problems whatsoever..

too soon to tell

need none yet

i have been ploaying 35 years and have had all kinds.. maybe over 100 or more guitars in my life.. this is one of my favorites along with my rainsong and burns steer..waiting for line 6 to create a nylon sound and download it right into th guitar from my computer.. it has a ethernet port...

Upon hearing of the Variax, I envisoned some guitar-synth monstrosity. For a guitar housing so many "models" and overall tonal capability, it's a wonder Line6 was able to retain the design of a traditional strat, down to the spartan 3 tone knobs. Although aesthetics isn't everything, you gotta hand it to Line6 for retaining the look and feel of a classic guitar.

The 30 plus guitar "models", an AC A/B footswitch, stereo cable, and a padded gig bag, all combine to make this the most feature ladden of any guitar of any price range.

A reviewer, below, has said that the Variax is the POD of guitars --which is both the good news and the bad news. I would concur with this assessment. Like the POD there exisits a certain "je ne sais qua"...umm, I dunno. Call it a "brittleness" that one doesn't find with a tele, LP, ES-335 --or any of the guitars represented here.

Additionally, I've happened upon some artifical sounds when palm-muting on any of the electric models. This isn't too distracting, but rings a little false when digging into those Black Sabbath riffs.

Lest I'm misunderstood, please know there's a lot to love with the Variax. The overall tones of the Strat (my favorite), LP (espcially the p-90 model) and ES-335 are smokin'. I also dig the suitibly snotty vibe of the "Special" settings --the Firebird model being my favorite of the quintet.

The acoustic and dobro tones are better than anyone should hope to expect. The Martin D28 model through the POD sounds considerably more "real" than my Guild D25 through my acoustic amp.

The Coral Sitar and Banjo are brilliant approximations of the real thing. I had always wanted to add both these tones to my pallete for recording, but couldn't justify the purchase of either, frankly. Having these available, along with the other Resonator models is a whimisical gift from Line6.

The guitar was set-up surprisingly well for a Guitar Center show model. The overall quality of the guitar smacks of a US Made strat; however, as has been pointed out elsewhere, this is a Korean assembly job. The frets, although a little rough, do not interfere with the
impressive action of the Variax.

The tuners/machines hold quite well --no worse than the Grover Imperials on my Les Paul.

You'll want to save those Pete Townsend hijinx for the non-digital guitar in your arsenal. I'm trepident about the durability of the Variax, given that the guitar is in essence a protective shell for a
computer processor.

I've had a few frustrations already with the stereo cable --either the cable is flaky, or the input jack on the Guitar isn't up to standard. On occassion, the guitar shorts-out; a turning of the cable in the input jack seems to resolve the fizzing-out, but this could be a littel embarrasing in a live situation. "Take it, Johnny! Err....umm, drum solo!"

Line6 have a top-gear website. The supporting manuals, in download form, are well written. The two times I e-mailed the support staff I received adequate responses to my questions.

Regarding Warranty, I opted for the Guitar Center 2 year maintanance plan, as I would be heartbroken should this fragile animal fall of it's stand and cease to dazzle.

In order to procure this toy, I had to sell a few guitars; however, I'm not leaping into the digital age without a net. I still cherish my Tele, LP and Sheraton --guitars that, on their own, sound better than the Variax to my ears.

The joys of analog gear notwithstanding, I'm most pleased with the sonic palette afforded by the Variax. Again, I anticipate I'll use it more for recording than live use, but maybe my fears of the Variax's reliability will become unfounded over time. We'll see.

Suggestions for "future" upgrades: mandolin, and a nylon stringed, classical guitar. In the words of James Brown, "Im a greedy man!"

Models many classic guitars, etc. Made in Asia. 22 frets. Solid-body. Selectable guitar models via a 12-point switch & 5 position switch, which changes among different configurations & guitar models. Strat-style body, but more slab-shaped and rounded at the base. Smaller than a Strat, but with a Strat-length neck. Medium frets.
Comes with a nice gig bag and the proper cable, a really fat Planet Waves Tip-Ring Sleeve (TRS) cable, necessary for carrying electricity to the guitar to power the electronics.

Basically, the idea is to cover nearly every guitar playing style, from acoustic folk to and flat-picking to classic rock to full-on metal madness. And it does it pretty damn well.

Nice fit and finish. The neck, however, is kinda cheap looking. The fretboard wood is pretty light-colored for rosewood, and the neck body is a two-piece deal that's been grafted together near the headstock. Overall, it's a good-playing neck, and probably not so awful that it requires replacement.

Set-up out of the box was very good.

Time will tell...one worries about the electronics. I've had a few weird things happen while fooling around with this one, and yet it has always played okay after my experiments (i.e. hooking it up to my DVD player mic input to see if the accoustics would sound better). Played as intended, however, it seems to work superbly.

Line 6 has gotten back to me in response to questions, but I don't think they bothered to really read my inquiries, as the answers didn't fit the questions. So, I'm not real secure in their customer service.

A lot of people will knock this for not sounding true to the models it emulates, but I find that you have to work to get other factors, such as amp setup and tone settings, to get the "perfect" modeled sounds. For instance, the acoustic sounds are really off through my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, but if you output them to the power amp alone, they are fine. Better still would be an acoustic amp. And the Gibson models work best through a POD or other amp modeler. The Fender amp kinda kills some of the distinctions between the various models (although the Strat and Tele sound great through the Fender, as one might expect!) Anyway, it's very versatile and a good solution if you've always wanted a bunch of guitar tones and models, but couldn't afford to buy six, seven, eight, etc. guitars!

It took me awhile because I live out in the desert but I finally got one. I found a Guitar Center an hour away and they had only one left. Fortunately, it was a black one which is what I wanted. It's made in Korea by a *shhhh* secret manufacturer which it doesn't take long to realize is the same one Fender uses. It came with a really nice gig bag but I got the guy to throw in a Fender-style vintage-looking hardshell (fitting, I think) because I hate gig bags. I saw the demo at NAMM online so I knew what to expect and it is everything I expected and more.

I've been playing guitar for 40 years now and play everything from ballads to hard rock. I am retired from the road after having spent 30 years playing live both as a solo artist and in several bands. Now, I spend my time in my home recording studio and that's why this guitar is so perfect for me. I have six guitars and I think the Variax easily replaces four of them.

I've been using Line 6 stuff ever since their first amp came out. I love their stuff and use a POD now for all my electric guitar sounds. Of course, the Variax sounds great through the POD and through my Line 6 amp too. No pickups! No noise! Nothing to get in the way of my picking and a very clean look. I love it!

I should give this guitar a 10 for sound because although it's not perfect, nothing is and anyone who expects perfection is fooling themselves. Line 6 has done an amazing job with this guitar and nit-picking serves no purpose. Besides, what compares? Nothing!

I have never seen a guitar at this price that was set up this well right out of the box. There is some luck involved for me too since the action, the string gauge and the neck are absolutely perfect for my playing style. This guitar had seen a little use (I'm sure a lot of people tried it out in that store) so the finish had a few little scratches but that sort of thing means nothing to me. It looks great, feels great and I love the pearl pickguard although I will change the color if I get a chance. I love the weight (I was used to shoulder pain from my Les Paul) and I'm a big fan of Strat necks which is what this feels like. I would buy this guitar for this price just for it's playability. The modeling is just gravy!

I do wonder about how well the electronics will hold up on the road. I know from a lot of experience how things get beat up. Fortunately, I'm done with that so I don't have to find out but I sure wish I'd have had one of these when I was playing live. It sure would have simplified things and made for a lot less guitars and guitar changes.
This guitar seems very solid and I wouldn't hesitate to take it on the road. I think another Variax would be the perfect backup for live gigs because from my experience with Line 6, if there ever was a problem with one, the other one would be working!

I haven't any experience dealing with the company. I've never had a problem with any of my Line 6 gear. I really like what I've seen of their professionalism and attitudes. I think they are a great company and from what I've heard, they stand behind their stuff really well. The Variax has a one year warranty but I don't expect any problems with this either.

This guitar is a dream come true for me. I have wanted something like this ever since I bought my first Line 6 modeling amp in 1995. It was just a pipedream then but they did it and I think they've done an amazing job of bringing this idea to life. This will simplify my life and augment my guitar collection to the point where I have everything I need to make the recordings I want to make.

We all know the features of this one by now, if not read below.

Most of the sounds are very good. The only ones that aren't are the 12 strings, which sound a little digital, though still not terrible. When I got the guitar I went through all of them with a Digitech genx2 and they were all sounded like what you would expect from the various models. Then I took it to a friends house, who owns a few of the guitars modeled, a week later and truly saw how great it is. We tested the Variax against his guitars by using an A/B box through an old tube Fender head with a cab with 4 tens.
Telecaster: Sounded pretty much dead on compared to an early 90's American Standard w/ stock pickups. The difference between the two was no less than you would see between two Amer. teles.
Strat: Compared to an early 90's Amer. Standard Strat with Fralins, the sounds were also very close. The original was a little deeper sounding on the 1,3,5 positions, but the variax had a little more quack in the 2,4 positions. A toss up pretty much.
Les Paul: Original Les is a 70's model Standard with a standard pickup in the neck and a Burstbucker 2 in the bridge. The original was just a little deeper, but not in a good or bad way. They both sounded like Pauls.
ES335: Don't know the specs on this one other than the pickups are stock and the rest of the hardware looks stock. The variax did a more than adequate job on this one. I'm not saying the original didn't sound a little more hollow and growly, but what is the price on one of those today?
In closing I give it a 9, because I would really like to see a nylon string, a modern solidbody, and a little better 12 string. NOT a comparision to other guitars on the market, but what I think this one is capable of.

The guitar was set up prior to my purchase by Guitar Center in Nashville. It played great for a thousand dollar guitar. Action was low, but not so low you can't easily bend. Very similar to the action on a good Amer. Standard Strat. The finish is flawless as far as I have found. The only flaw is a small imperfection near the pocket on the neck that does not affect playability. I have the red one. It actually looks quite nice. Not as dull as the pictures you would see in magazines. Not rated higher because I've played better, but I've played much worse for a lot more money.

Can't judge yet. Seems solid. Electronics are a little scary as is any new technology.

never dealt with them

I've been playing for about 20 years. I currently own a Amer. Stand. Strat, Steinberger GM with Trans, old Jap. Charvel, Dano, Yari, and a few others. If stolen I would defenitly buy another in a heartbeat. I'll probably buy another one if they come out with a trem version. Love almost everything about it. Nitpicking the twelves, they could use a little more work. I give it a ten because I think it has more features than any other ax on the market and it doesn't sound digital like the roland modeling technology.

More tonal features than any guitar that I have seen (other than a guitar with a MIDI pickup). This seems to be the first step in the next tier of guitar evolution. It has a basswood body (very light and thin), a maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard, 22 medium profile frets with a 25 1/2" scale length. The guitar feels like a cross between a telecaster and a strat in terms of playability. It is an easy playing guitar and handsome as well. The main draw for the instrument is its ability to model other guitars.

While cutting edge as the first modeling guitar, it misses the mark on some of its tones. While there is some controversy here, I can say objectively that some of the sounds come close (having owned the originals that the Variax tries to model) and others do not. The guitar is extrordinary, easy to use and incredibly versatile.

Relatively clean and tight fit. The sunburst finish is very classic looking. On the back electronics plate, there is a scuff on my Variax but I bought it "as new" from eBay. All in all, not bad.

Despite its complexity, the guitar has a simplicity in its look and playability. It seems reasonably durable and robust. Time will tell.

I have yet to deal with Line 6.

I am very pleased with the instrument, and excited about the possibilities of use. I have owned and played everything from Gibson Les Pauls, Flying Vs and 335s to Fender Telecasters to the Ibanez JS2000, Jem 777 and Jerry Jones electric sitar. I have a fairly good ear for tone, and this guitar has a lot of them. Most of the pre-programmed tones will definately be useable.

bought new in january 2003. Far east manufacture. 22 frets. solid two piece sunburst body. No pickups , it's all in the bridge.

Sounds amazing. Direct comparison with my les paul and strat, I couldnt tell the difference on replay. It models about 20 guitars. Acoustic sounds are great even through my Marshall stack and there is NO FEEDBACK! Dont expect les paul type sustain though. Banjo, sitar and 12 strings are all fab.

Finish is good but quality of materials could be a lot better. It needed a decent set up to get the action down.

It's still new so I can't comment on reliability, however build quality is ok. I have bought this to use as a gigging and recording tool. It won't replace my strat or les paul.

I have met the UK line 6 reps on a few occasions. Nice blokes. Not had time to break it yet so I don't know about repairs.

I have been playing for 40 years and own all the obvious guitars. I have been waiting for this guitar for years.This guitar will go out gigging with my les paul and it will take the place of my Martin DM, Fender Strat, Fender Telecaster, plus it gives me some 12 strings. Shame that it won't do a classical guitar. I may be tempted to strip the electronics out and put them in my strat.

I think enough people have described the Variax so I won't go over the same ground again, though I love the way they've done the neck joint- easy access all the way to the top. The gig bag it comes with is excellent- probably the best I've seen. Also a good quality lead, footswitch & power supply, Allen keys and a user's manual, which was well written and informative.
A friend of mine is a confirmed Les Paul & Marshall user and came over the day I got my Variax, tried it and asked if he could borrow it for his gig that night. He loved the guitar itself, but hated the thought of what it can do. Some people will never like the Variax, which is cool- if we all liked the same things the world would be a poorer place!

As far as I'm concerned, those who have tried A/B tests against, say, 50s Strats, Les Pauls, etc are missing the point slightly. They say it doesn't sound exactly the same as the original. OK, it might not, but then neither will a different 50s Strat as the pickups were hand wound back then and all have slight variations. What Line 6 have achieved (and I think they deserve much credit for this) is to give us guitar tones that sound near enough to the classic tones not to make any difference. The Variax might not sound the same as your Strat, but it does sound like a Strat! I'm not in a position to make informed comment about how close all the other sounds are (there's a guy on the Line 6 User's Group forum who is scanning Ebay to tot up the cost of buying all the guitars modelled by the Variax- he's found 14 out of 26 so far, with a total of $51,000), but if I could afford all these guitars (or indeed find them for sale) I'd be a very happy man! As this is out of the question, the Variax is ideal for me.

Mine was perfectly set up and in tune straight out of the box, with a medium to low action. I have no complaints there. It was put together as well as any new guitar I've bought before. Frets all OK, and generally everything was as one would expect. My guitar is the red version- it looks much better than the photos I'd seen before. I'm not too fussed about the neck shape as I've got 15 or so other guitars (not bad for a bass player!) with necks ranging from amazingly thin to chunky V and I've got used to playing on different necks, but the Variax seems a good compromise. The matt finish on the neck is great for me, as I sanded off the finish on my most used guitars years ago as I liked the feel of it. It's good enough for Eddie and that's good enough for me. The only criticism I have is that the rosewood fingerboard was very dry and was crying out for a little lemon oil.

It's too early to say, but it looks as if it will stand up to life on the road without too much trouble. The only concern is the electronics packing up, but that's a risk of any modern piece of gear. On the whole, I don't expect any problems.

No experience so far, but other people are generally positive about Line 6 customer support.

I've been playing guitar for nearly 25 years now, and recording for over 20, and I reckon the Variax is the most significant development in guitars since Leo and Les. It's perfect both for recording and playing live- 50 different tones at your fingertips. OK, it doesn't have the "Wow" factor of say a PRS Private Stock (look in the March issue of Guitarist magazine!), but as a working guitar I think it's great. No trem, which would have been nice, but only a few of the modelled guitars have them anyway. Pehaps the Variax 2 will have a software controlled trem- it would be fun to do dive-bombs on the acoustic models! I'm not sure about the scratchplate- I almost wish there wasn't one, just to make it stand out a bit more. I'm considering getting one made to match the Candy Apple finish so it disappears. The headstock shape isn't distinctive enough for me and is very close to a mirrored Fender acoustic, but it works well enough and of course the neck is replaceable. I'm really just nitpicking here- there's nothing about the guitar that I don't like. The only problem I had was the availability. I first heard about the Variax in August, and first they were expected by November, then by Christmas, then there was a problem with CE certification, so it was the beginning of February before I finally got my hands on one. Not all of the wait is down to Line 6, but the web site should really have kept us up to date with delivery dates.

Brand New Variax by Line6. Made in Korea.
Looks great. Perfect fit for my hands.
Great features. Very easy to use.
Greatly need a tremolo tailpiece version.

The sounds that work sound great. No two Tele's or Strat's sound the same and with that in mind the sounds on this guitar are excellent. At least half the sounds were so noisy that it was too distracting to play. The noisy sounds were also half the volume of the clean sounds. In all fairness, I think something is wrong with the one I received and the guitar would be great if all the sounds were working properly. Based on the sounds that work I would probably give the sound a 10 rating but most were noisy and so a 4 rating is all I can muster.

As I said above, the action and finish is excellent.
The 12th fret had several cuts as if the strings had been pushed into the frets very hard. A little sandpaper helped but did not remove the cuts. This makes it very annoying to bend strings on the 12th fret. The sound-changing knob is cheesy. Even though the pot underneath the knob has stops at the end of travel, the knob will continue to turn with very little applied pressure which will misalign the indicator with the actual sound. This is due to the fact that the knob has little indentions inside that actually determine which model is selected. The pot itself is a smooth turn and has no indentions. More than half of the selections have a white noise, which is very audible. It sounds like an AM radio off station. I'm sure the noise is a defect and not the norm but I'm the lucky one that got this particular guitar.

Too new. NA

I'll soon find out.

If all things had worked the way I think it will with a properly working guitar, this guitar would end my shopping for different guitar sounds. It would be the perfect studio, as well as live, guitar. I can't give a full rating until I get another guitar to try out. I would not be fair to give an overall rating at this time.

The features have been covered.

I purchased a Variax because I have been thinking about getting a Telecaster, ES-335 and yes even a Banjo.

I own a Gibson Les Paul Standard, Fender Stratocaster Plus, and a Hohner Acoustic. The Variax "really" sounds good. You just have to try one for yourself.

I was hesitant about the neck but after playing it I would compare it to a MusicMan, between a Strat and Gibson neck. The nut has a sharp edge that I kept hitting because of my playing style. The finish on the neck was smooth but had some obvious runs. I have the black one and it shows small scratches in the finish where my shirt sleeve buttons rub against the finish with my right hand. The setup was really good.

See above

I also have a Line6 GuitarPort and owned a FlextoneII at one point and they always answered the phone and provided great support.

This is the new modeling guitar that everyone says is going to change the world... well, they're probably right. This particular guitar is a basswood body, with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard (22). The neck has a profile somewhere between a standard Strat and a Les Paul, with a width that is almost like a skinny acoustic. The back is finished in that flat satin style that helps you avoid getting your thumb caught by friction. This makes it just about right for a lot of players, but probably not many people's perfect neck. The good part is it's bolt-on so you can replace it with one to your specs. The Line 6 guys report that changing the neck will have no practical effect on the modeling.

It comes with a deluxe gig bag that is, and I kid you not, REALLY nice. It's thickly padded and has a heavy duty zipper, made of durable tough material. There are two pockets on the front, which is good because you will need to carry not only the special TRS cable but also the footswitch and its AC adapter with the guitar, unless you plan on running on batteries all the time. Of course, it also comes with tools for adjusting action, intonation and tweaking the truss. Make no mistake, this is in many respects a normal guitar.

It's string-through body and changing strings is done normally as you would any other guitar. The tuners are solid feeling, not the best I've ever seen, but definitely par for a guitar in this price range. The frets are vintage style and the fretwork is very well done -- no catches or poor dressing.

Of course, the main feature is the unbelievable way this guitar changes like a chameleon. Complete purists will never love this guitar, but then again, those of us who actually *play* for audiences don't love purists -- those guys are all about fetish, not feeling. It's all about the music, and this guitar is that ethic, taken to the limit of 2002/03 technology. For that, the "10" is the only rating that will suffice.

A lot of people have said this is the perfect guitar for a player in a cover band. I agree wholeheartedly, but let me add that not only do I play in two *original* bands, but also write my own stuff as well, and this guitar will be a perfect addition to each of those settings. Anyone who says this guitar is a geek toy is delusional, stupid, closed-minded, or has an axe to grind (and not the good kind). This is a player's tool all the way. The sounds are fantastic on the whole with a few exceptions.

Let's start with the bad news and get it out of the way. The acoustic 12-strings (a Martin D12-28 and a Guild F212) will not fool anyone naked or solo. The problem is that it is just too hard to convincingly get those octave strings out of a normal 6-stringer. But Line 6 has made a valiant effort, and make no mistake, if you put these in a band setting or in a mix they will work great. And that's it for the bad news.

After I got this guitar, I went around to several of the local music stores and showed it off. (You'd think I work for Line 6, but no such luck.) I plugged this guitar into normal amps (not even one of the many wonderful Line 6 amps), like a Fender Deluxe, a Vox AC30, or a Marshall stack. For EVERY other model, the Les Pauls, the Gibson hollowbodies, the Gretsches, the Strat and Tele... the guitar players dropped what they were doing and feasted their ears on what they were hearing. Now, I'm not saying none of them could tell the difference (although some of them professed they couldn't) -- but nearly ALL of them wanted to know if they were in stock.

Now I use a variety of amps, but one of my favorite workhorses is my Line 6 AX2-212. It has served me well for several years now through literally hundreds of gigs and never lets me down in sound or reliability. So of course I plug in there regularly at home too... and it sounds just as great. My wife says this is her favorite of my guitars because (a) it's cool, (b) I spend more time playing and less time fiddling, and (c) it makes me happy. (Great gal, huh?)

The sitar is cool but will probably end up being overused in the next year or so on every other local band recording where a guy owns this axe. :-) The banjo is jaw-dropping, just astounding; the dobro is very good as well and worked great for a slide part in a Delta-blues type number in one of my bands. The other acoustics are excellent, but to fully appreciate them, you MUST plug into a PA using the XLR out on the footswitch. I tried it into the clean channel on my AX2 using an A/B box, and then into my Mackie board, and it knocked me on my... well let's just say I'm standing while I'm typing.

And could anything be better than being able to record straight to computer hard disk, SITTING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FRICKIN' MONITOR with a 1959 Strat in that beautiful lonesome-sounding middle position? I don't think so. :-) And when you start howling out some B.B. licks on the ES-335 you'll think you were in heaven. So there's no way this does not get a "10" here.

Setup on my guitar was really great, equivalent to any $1000-2000 guitar that I've received. I've heard some people say there's wasn't up to snuff but that was certainly not the case with my Variax. The action was low but not buzzing, and the neck set was fit as a fiddle (err... well you get the point). The only thing I would suggest might benefit this guitar would be a new Buzz Feiten-style nut... My understanding is that Earvana offers these for sale where you can replace it yourself.

The painted finish on mine was gorgeous and uniform (I got the black); the only place I found a flaw was at the very top of the headstock where there was a very slight discoloration along the top edge of the non-painted portion, where it corners against the painted front. It didn't bother me, and for this price range this was a minor quibble to me. All parts were in great working order, no loose tuners or bridge saddles.

You do not need to worry about the knobs feeling flimsy or second-rate; they are properly weighted and knurled, and feel like they will last through most players' abuses. The selection knob even feels pretty heavy-duty and I doubt anyone but the most brutal or ham-handed player is going to have any problems there. The black-pearloid pickguard on the black guitar is a nice touch; I personally wish they'd kept the white-pearloid one for the red.

Although I don't own a red one, I've played one in store, and it is a beautiful metallic-flake finish, not too over-the-top (no more than a red guitar SHOULD be!), but also not a flat color either. I haven't seen a sunburst yet, but given my experience with this guitar I am thinking about buying a second one for backup.

I'm giving a "10" here not because I've never seen any better setup guitars, but because for the price this is the best setup guitar I've owned.

The reliability seems to be high. See previous comments about the knobs, which are high-quality and not some cheesy parts like the Mexican Fender line. The finish looks good, although the basswood body (which is a softer wood) may not withstand a moderate smacking as well as some other guitars. Basswood was chosen because it is a more uniform wood -- in other words, as a matter of fabrication, two Variax bodies are not going to differ significantly like they might with alder or some other woods. And when you're dealing with modeling, that's a big issue.

The strap buttons are very solid. Because of the issue with how much room the electronics inside take up, and their location, I would not be inclined to switch them out for straplock buttons. Rather, I went for a universal locking strap.

I would probably take a second guitar with me because of the issue with electronics, but I am seriously considering making that second guitar another Variax.

I've dealt with Line 6 customer support on several occasions, mostly to just get new EPROM's sent updating my various POD's and my AX2. I've used phone and e-mail (through their Web site), and in every case have gotten immediate results. I would imagine that if I called on a holiday where half the other people in the country are off work and calling in too, I might have to wait as well. I used the Web site mainly because that is what Line 6 recommends -- since the entries there get tracked by their CS manager so that no one gets forgotten. But on the occasions I've phoned I always reached an actual human in a reasonable amount of time, who was courteous and responsive to my needs. (Maybe being polite helps, I don't know.)

From what I've seen on their Web forum, they are very responsive to actual issues there. Unfortunately, there are a small bunch of people who seem to post incessantly there because they have nothing better to do -- such as, say, actually playing music. If you hang out there it will seem to you like every piece of Line 6 gear is an accident waiting to happen. Well, I own a lot of their stuff, and I've never had a problem with any of it yet. NONE.

Now, after several amps, Floor Boards, footswitches, PODs, Bass PODs, and rackmount units, isn't that strange? Not to me, it's what I expect -- and it's what I've always had from them.

I've been playing for 15 years, and I own a lot of other gear which I am not going to list here, because now I want to go play this great guitar some more -- but I own other guitars, amps, basses, a Chapman Stick, saxophone, clarinet, keyboards & synths, autoharp, kazoo, hard disk recording software, PA stuff, you name it.

If something happened to this guitar I would immediately buy another one without a second thought. I love the neck on my Variax, and probably couldn't have designed one that was more comfortable for my hands. This may be dumb luck, but so be it.

There's really not much else on the planet to compare this axe to -- yet. I suspect other manufacturers are scrambling to either create a knockoff of their own or to spread FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) among the guitarist masses that the Variax is the work of the Devil. But don't be fooled, you will get a real kick in the pants out of this guitar.

I don't think the Variax is perfect, but even if you paid the street price ($100 over what I paid) this guitar is one of the best deals going. If you're a part-time player, you almost can't afford NOT to get one. If you're a full-time player, it's a great tool, especially for pick-up gigs, quickie recording sessions, or jamming on your own at home. But most of all, it's fun to play, and that's the most important part -- that you will PLAY!

The guitar has medium frets and the feel of a Strat neck. The body is surprisingly small and is Strat-like in design, but fits well and comfortably. I bought a sunburst sight unseen in spite of not really being a sunburst kind of guy. I guess I thought it was time to move away from reds, blues, and sparkles. The sunburst finish is nice, smooth, and flawless. It also goes well with the tortoise shell pick guard. Personally, I probably should have ordered red, but this is a decent sunburst. It may not show up well in the audience due to the small size. At first hoist the guitar felt unbalanced; the headstock was heavy compared to the small body. But it balances well on your knee or around you neck. It's nicely beveled and shouldn?t cause back strain during a long gig.
There are 3 knobs - volume, tone/mic position, guitar model selector. I think the person who posted the previous review may not have understood the function of this knob in acoustic mode. In acoustic mode it is NOT a tone setting knob. Moving the knob gives the effect of changing the mic placement (the acoustics are supposed to sound mic'ed). If you've ever mic'ed an acoustic, you'll probably agree that mic placement makes a huge difference. This knob does a pretty god job at allowing you to change the sound in the fashion of changing the mic placement. In the sitar setting, this knob dials in increasing amounts of sympathetic string sound. It allows you to start off with just the sound of the sitar six strings and then add increasing amounts of the sound of the sympathetic strings. Do you want clean or chaotic? You have your choice.
The third knob is used to choose banks of guitars.
There is a five way switch that is used to choose different pick up positions of a guitar model or to switch models.
It came with a very nice, heavily padded gig bag. The best I've ever seen.
The guitar is powered by six AA batteries. In case you're AA's die at a gig, you can substitute a 9 volt for 1 to 2 (only) hours of playing.
It also comes with a Planet Waves cord which plugs into a supplied switchbox. The switchbox is powered by a wall wart and will provide power to the guitar. The switchbox has a ?? input and a ?? and an XLR output. The XLR output is meant to go into a PA (it probably could be used to connect to an acoustic guitar amp). When you are playing an acoustic model you are supposed to route the signal to the PA instead of your electric guitar amp.
It also includes a mysterious port which serves no function now but will be used for software upgrades at least.

There are so many models; I'll just send you to wwww.line6.com to check them out. Otherwise, I'd be typing all day.
Let me get the negatives out of the way first:
1) The 12 strings don't make it. They sound like a 6 string through a good chorus. If I had a live song that required some quiet 12 in the background, I might use it. If the 12 were the main guitar, forget it. No punch and clarity.
2) There is no whammy bar. I knew this before I bought it, so it's no surprise. Still what's a Strat or Gretsch without a whammy or Bigsby?
That said, just about everything is usable to darn good. I own a Start and two Teles and this guitar does the trick. Does it sound exactly like my three guitars? No, but my Start is a Deluxe and my two Teles have had pick up changes. No two guitars of the same model are going to sound exactly alike anyway. The first out of phase Strat position is, for example, great.
We then get into Gibson territory. I do not own a Les Paul and own only one humbucker equipped ax, a Yamaha AES 800. But I hear a definite switch from single coil into humbucker territory. The Les Paul Jr.'s are brattier than the Pauls?
Next up are Gretsch's. These are nice but the lack of Bigsby hurts the Gretsch-ness.
Rickenbackers are next in line. The 6 string is good and the 12 string isn't. I had a Rickenbacker 330 and I sold it. Now I don't miss it one bit. I'll use this instead.
Then it's the Gibson 335 and Epiphone Casino. I used to own a 335, but sold it because I guess I didn't get it (d'oh!). As I remember, it sounded kind of like this guitar.
There are Gibson jazz boxes next. These can be dark and jazzy or brighter like Scotty Moore and Chuck Berry.
When I first played the acoustics, I had them playing through my studio monitors and I was disappointed. I couldn't feel the air moving and the box vibrating under my arm. But then I realized I was hearing the sound of a live acoustic guitar mic'ed through a PA. Thought of that way, the sounds are good (except for the 12 string). I will use this live to add some acoustic when needed.

This guitar is a solid body. I think that you aren't going to get the interaction between the semi- and hollow body guitars and the amp that you would get from the real thing. There are no pickups so I think creating feedback may be a problem.

If this had a Bigsby or whammy AND the Ric 12's were better, this would be the only guitar I would bring to a band gig. As it is, I'll still bring it for our one sitar song, to add acoustic flavors, and to occasionally venture into humbucker territory. And I will be using it for recording.

Action, fit, and finish were good out of the box. Haven't had to have it set up yet.

I always bring a back up guitar to a gig. Anything can go wrong with any guitar, and, if I break a string during a set, I'll reach for the back up and then change strings between sets. This is now my back up guitar.
The elctronics are new and untested, so I'll give it a 9.

Haven't had to contact them yet. Sorry, warranty is handy so I don't know.

Been playing for almost 40 years. I own one Strat, two Teles, one Ric 12, a Yamaha AES 800, Danelectro Baritone and 12 string, Jazz bass, Gretch Tennessee Rose, and Martin HD-28.
If lost, I would buy it again unless I knew a tremelo model and/or improved 12 strong model was coming out soon (remember, this thing can upgraded).
This is a first, and it can only get better. Look at how far amp modeling has come.
No, it ain't the real thing, but it can come pretty darn close, costs way less than the real things, and, unless you are a one axe only kind of player, or a vintage purist (I do admire you cats), you will really enjoy this guitar.
If you got a red you want to trade for a sunburst, let me know!

The Variax is a Modeling Guitar. The basis of it is a reasonably well made Korean Strat variant. I say variant, because there are no magnetic pickups and the body shape is not exactly the same. The top sports a 5 way switch, model select knob, volume and tone knob. The Guts of the guitar are mounted in the back and are what make the thing work. What the Pod is to amps, this is to guitar. I would have liked to see a tremolo and a few more types of guitars.

As I said above, what the POD is to amps, the Variax is to guitars.

It models a lot of different types of guitars (LP, Strat, tele, gretch, 6 and 12 Rics, acoustics) etc. and couple related instruments like (Banjo and Electric Sitar). The models of most instruments were very good. They all had some of the character of the real thing. The Banjo and Dobros were very good. The LPs, Strats and Teles were reasonable. The models that I didn't like as much were the 12 strings, because I could hear the artifacting and chipmunking in the pitch shifts and the other acoustic sounds which sounded too bright and artificial. I was hoping to use this as a replacement for bringing a twelve string electric and the acoustics, but it just didn't excite me on those sounds. They were very artificial sounding to my ears without enough interaction. Also the tone control on the acoustics didn't seem to change the high end or mids, but just take some of the body out of the sound. The Sitar would probably be fine for some situations, but didn't have the high end harmonics of a good Coral Sitar with the sympathetic strings. The dobros were sort of nice to play and responded well to a slide, but were also one dimensional. It does sound pretty good on most patches, but it doesn't sound just like the real thing.

The frets were dressed pretty well, the neck joint was solid and the finish on the body was excellent. Not the most inspiring neck, but a good compromise between a strat and gibson style neck. Obviously, you're paying for the electronics, because the guitar itself is the equivilent of a $250 Korean or Indonesian made guitar.

I think it will probably last. I've found Line 6 gear to hold up well.

Haven't used it, but the web site is very good.

I didn't buy it. I really wanted to like this thing, because I liked the idea of everything in one package. Take a Variax and a PRS and I'd have the gig covered. I tried it on three separate occasions and was left with wanting it to be better. It does sound good on most of the sounds, but it never sounded great on any of them. There was too even of a sound and an artificiality. No life or air. The twelve strings and acoustics, which would have sold me, ended up leaving me frustrated. The dobros were nice but not totally convincing either. The high end was artificial and harsh sounding. I think for many club players this thing will be an answer to a prayer. It reminds me of keyboards in the 80's trying to reproduce a piano or organ. It's close, but not quite there. I do think that it is a good start and many people will love them. Look how long it took Roland to get a guitar synth that tracked well. So this is a real good first effort, but for me it left me uninspired. By the way, although I do use a POD for some of my recording, I still use a tube amp live, because of the better tone. I feel the same about the Variax - it is a well designed tool, but not quite up to the instruments it is trying to replicate. But don't let my opinion sway you - go out and try one for yourself. Also try a Roland VG-88 (their version of guitar modelling).

Enough said already, THE feature of this guitar is it's ability to model other guitars. The neck is more strat sized, plenty of room for my fat fingers. It takes 6 AA batteries! There is a power supply included. It will also work with a 9V in emergency. Mine included a gig bag too. Features gets a 10 from me, this thing has some sounds.

There's no noise, none! Of course not, it has not pickups! However this guitar is packed with sounds. At first, I thought it was a little thin sounding, then I started tweaking... there is something here for everyone.

I've got some string buzz on the 6th string. It's set up with 10s and want nickle wound strings. That's fine by me. Its not the prettiest design, but the neck will be familiar to anyone who's owned a Fender. And, there are no pickups to get in the way while you're playing all your favorite tunes.

The finish seems solid, the rest is all electronics, I have no idea how well it will last. I don't gig.

Haven't had to call them.

I've been playing since college, I've got a 335, a strat, and a midi enabled Brian Moore. This is the future of guitars. I've just come to know it in the past couple of days, and it's a keeper.

See Line 6 website. Mine is a black one.

Now if they only put out a trem model or perhaps some different finish choices, or maybe some purely aesthetic things like abalone inlays, sparkly finishes, silvery logos, etc.

Totally not important stuff, but fun!

And after getting home and playing with it I am ecstatic. To me everything sound friggin fantastic. I've been playing for 20 years and this guitar is a dream. Fabulous. I can't say enough.

As other have said the tone knob really helps the acoustics. I was perfectly happy even just running it through a JC120 model on my AX2. Also sounded great through the Aux channel.

12 strings sounded great to me. I believe there is a bit of tiny "delay" (as there would be on a real 12) which obviously is going to be the least natural thing on the guitar since it's the only real time that the Variax has to syntesize something that isn't there, but to me they still sounded awesome.

Another issue with the 12 strings that I wonder if some people are encountering is that I had to be real conscious to NOT play the guitar like a 6 string. On a 12 string obviously your vibrato is going to be different (if you can manage at all on a 12) and bends and stuff are also going to be totally different. Personally when I play a 12 string I play pretty straight because bends or vibrato and such is very difficult. When I played the variax like I would a 12 string it sounded great. It was only when the auto pilot kicked in and I started playing it like a normal 6 string (which is natural because IT IS) that I thought things sounded a little unnatural.

All in all, I am totally satisfied, and in fact completely ecstatic about this guitar. I will be spioled for choice as to what model to use when playing!

The guitar feels absolutely wonderful. It played so well from the factory that I hesitated to change string gauges for fear of messing it up! The action was perfect. High enough that I could get a grip on the strings but not too high as to make it hard to play. Very clean assembly. No gripes.

We'll see!

Hopefully won't ever need to know!

Absolutely everything it claims to be. It sounds way too good to be true, but for once something isn't. It's all I'll be playing now.

Same as above. I played a final version of the guitar by way of a Line6 rep.

The sounds was good for my ears. Surely the could'nt have gotten the exact sound that you would get from the real thing. I was impressed by the sitar and banjo sounds. I was also impressed with the response time of the software. There was no delay in the tracking that has to go on inside. I would have like more variations on the models. Another switch or two and various pickup selections would be possible.
All in all pretty convincing.

I didn't get to check it out completely. I was obviously set up for Demo use.

Not enough info

Not enough info

I think this is a great step in guitar development. The idea is bordering on revolutionary. To expect an exact duplicate of 59 LP on a guitar like this is pushing the limits,but this is a step in the right direction. Anyone who thinks these things are crap must have paid the price for a real one of the guitars modeled. It will only get better. I saw a 70 Les Paul deluxe the other day for $3500. That is an example of the outlandish prices these types of guitars are fetching. I got one in 83 for $100. Times have changed. Line6 is making all this exclusive stuff accessable,and so finally we might have some good music being made again.

In my opinion, the Variax is the most significant advance in guitar technology since the invention of the electrical pickup. The modeling guitar is likely to become the most commonly used guitar in clubs. People who presently need to take four or five guitars with them are going to be taking only this one, along with a PODxt to model a variety of amps.

I am happy to report that I am completely satisfied. Have you heard, on the L.R. Baggs web site, the comparison recordings of Phil Keaggy playing the same song recorded with a Baggs I-Beam and with a couple Neumann tube mics? The tube mics sound better, but the I-Beam still sounds seriously acoustic and great.

Well, the Variax is at the I-Beam level. Not utterly perfect, but in the top one percent of acoustic pickups. Best you?re likely to ever get short of using $7,000 worth of microphones and a very expensive guitar (and playing like Phil Keaggy). Best of all, I turned up the amp louder than I?ve ever played my Gibson, and the Variax still sounded utterly acoustic. I can?t wait to hear it over a big P.A. system.

The Gibson J-200 setting really does sound like at J-200. It doesn?t sound like an average one, but a great one. Keep the tone knob full treble. The Martin D-28 sounds better than any D-28 I?ve ever played. I?ve played a few D-45s that sound better, but this is terrific. Turn down the tone a little to balance it out. The J-200 has that compact J-200 ring. The D-28 is much looser sounding, as it should be. And no feedback. If you need loud acoustics in a club, the Variax will be perfect. Do you know the sound of Stephen Stills? guitar in ?Suite: Judy Blue Eyes?? That?s what this D-28 sounds like.

The Guild 12 string is warm and lovely and clear. I haven?t played many 12 strings, and they?ve been mainly inexpensive ones. The tone is often sort of muffled, stuffy, without much separation. With this one you can hear every string when you play a chord. Great. There have been a lot of complaints about the Martin 12 string. It has a sort of click as one plays each string. After listening more carefully, I?ve decided that what?s happening is that the high string in each pair is unusually piercing in tone. So it sounds very sharp and bright. In some songs this might be good. The Rickenbacker 12 on the neck position is delicious and can easily be used in an acoustic repertoire without complaints. The Martin 0-18 sounds great on the MP3, but mine doesn?t sound quite that way yet. I?m working on it.

Reso: I was really disappointed with the Tricone and the Dobro at first. I used to have a Tricone, and I have a Dobro squareneck, and the Variax didn?t sound like them. However, I discovered that to get the sound I had to turn up the amp. Then the sound is much more like the Resos. However, what about slide? Maybe you can play slide with a radiused neck and extra light strings 1/6? off the fret board, but I can?t. The guy on the Variax NAMM demo does a good job, but I?d need to raise the strings. I wouldn?t have put a Coral Sitar on my ?must have? list, but the Variax models it perfectly. ?Paint it Black?! The Banjo is pretty good, but it needs to be played near the bridge, ideally with fingerpicks, and if you want to sound like Earl Scruggs you?ll need to learn his sort of picking patterns. Of course, you?re also missing that 5th string drone. Still, it?ll do for a few bars in a song in a pinch. I was much more pleased with the Danelectro than I expected to be. The sound is distinctive, and it?s also pretty cool. Reminds me somehow of The Band playing ?Up on Cripple Creek.? Worth keeping!

Jazzbox: Nice thick jazz tones.

Semi: The Gibson ES-335 and the Epiphone Casino are both great. I don?t have the right amp to sound like B. B. King,, alas, but the Casino gets a good Beatles sound just as it is.

Chime: Easy to see why these Rickenbackers are called ?Chime.? They really do chime like bells. Both the 6 and the 12s are especially well modeled. Sound like Byrds or Beatles without effort and without any need for special effects.

R-Billy: Gretch: The neck pickup brings Chet Atkins to mind. The others seem good, but I don?t have much experience with these.

Lester & Special: You have your choice of a Les Paul Standard, Goldtop, Custom, Junior, and Special. As an acoustic guy, I?ve never played a Les Paul. I?d assumed the dif

The neck, set up by Line 6 techs., is one of the very nicest I've ever played. It's extremely fast and slippery, but not glossy. The frets are medium thick. No buzzes. Extremely low action.

Everything about this was flawless.

Except for the normal annoyance of having eight pounds strapped to one shoulder, this is an extremely comfortable guitar to hold and play, very well balanced. Everything seems solid and heavy duty. (The cover to the battery compartment, for example, is heavy steel.) The only problem is in the floor switch for switching between a P.A. system with a balanced XLR jack and an amp with a !/4" jack. Mine has a loud hum caused by some sort of short, but it's not necessary for playing.

Everything in the Variax looks like it will last. What I don't know is how long the electronics will hold up. This is essentially a computer inside a guitar, and I don't know how it might respond to, say, static shock from dancing around on a wool carpet, or priximity to a speaker magnet, or that sort of thing. Still, apart from that, this guitar seems to be made to last for decades.

Line 6 has a nice discussion board on its web site, and some of its people also monitor www.instituteofnoise.com/forum, which has a very good Variax forum, and answer questions.

Unfortunately, I e-mailed Line 6 three days ago about the switch box that isn't working right and haven't heard from them, so I don't know how good their support is. Others would have a better idea of this.

I've been playing since 1967. Other than the Variax, I generally play a Gibson Blues King Electro. This is the ideal guitar for playing in, say, a church or club, where a variety of guitar sounds would be welcome.

By the way, if you like CCM, check out my book "Joyful Noise: A Sensible Look at Christian Music," which should be available on Amazon.com in June.:

This is a review of the 2003 Line 6 Variax Modeling Guitar. I won't go into the specifics, as these are readily available on the Line 6 website http://www.line6.com .
But just in case you've been living in a cave, let me quickly sum up the features by saying that this electric guitar has digital models of about 50 classic and or highly desirable, electric and accoustic guitars, 6 string and 12 string.
Also included are a few that maybe more fun than useful such as Gibson Mastertone Banjo and Coral Sitar.

The kinds of guitars modeled are everything from Strats, teles, Rics, Les Pauls, ES335s, Gretsch, Epi's Martins, etc. etc.

There is something for everyone here! A great variety of sounds, there is going to more than a few that you will like!

They have modeled every nuance of the Strats (except the single coil noise). It is a real joy to sit and record with this guitar in front of my computer monitor. No buzz, hums or radio stations filtering in. Very cool. I was going to buy noiseless pickups for my Strat, but no need to now. Well that might not be entirely true.... if it just had a vibrato bar (Wammy? trem? you know what I mean).

Does it sound exactly like the guitars it models? Yes and no. Yes, (to my ears) if you put the electrics through a suitable amp, and you put the accoustics through the PA system or through full range speakers.

No, if you play the twelve string or accoustic models and expect to hear all the sounds coming from the strings. It's a little weird but it is pretty cool once you get used to it.

There are some obvious differences that show up. If you use 6 strings to play 12 string sounds, you are going to lose the individual string hits as the pick digs through each note slightly before the next ones.
That's to be expected, but for most tunes, this is not noticeable.

The guitar comes with high quality gig bag. Some hardshell cases are not padded as well.

It was set up very nicely from the factory with Ernie Ball 10's. I may change them 009's for the way I play.

The low E string buzzes a bit, so I am going to have my guitar tech look it over. It's probably just a fret that needs a little smoothing, but I can't see which one it is. This is not a surprise, I have never bought any guitar that couldn't use a little pro set up after shipping. Anyway this isn't a big deal and it's close enough that I wouldn't hesitate to record or gig with guitar.

Finish is very nice, a deep candy apple red on this one. Really looks better than the pictures in their ads. The ads look like fire engine red and it's not. A couple of screws in the pick quard have tiny metal burrs that are sharp, A little steel wool carefully applied, fixed this.

The neck is very lightly finished satin. Feels nice.

Guitar seems well made, solid, and durable. Tuners are smooth and the guitar stays in tune well. I would gig with it, but I always have a backup, no matter what. That goes for any guitar!
The Variax seems on par with modern guitars, and should last a long time with a little care.

Haven't needed support. Works great out of the box.

I have been playing for over 40 years (damn that's a long time). I have owned quite a few guitars in my time. The guitars that are made today are the best ever. There have been good guitars made 40 years ago, but there also were some awful pieces of junk.

The Variax is truly a delight to play. Is it perfect? Nope. Is it fun? Oh YEAH! This little axe makes a ton of really great sounds. It helps if you have an amp that has presets, as you will probably want to tweak the amp settings as you go from one guitar to the next, just like you would if set up for a Strat and then switched to a Les Paul.

I would definitely buy this guitar again. If it were stolen I'd cry, and get another one as soon as I could. I am waiting for the next model with a Trem on it, as soon as that's out I'm there! Still, that wasn't enough reason to wait a year.

There has been lots of discussion on whether the Variax sounds like the guitars it models. By the time you run any guitar through amps and effects, it is very hard to pinpoint exactly what you are listening to. So probably a better question is "Can the Variax make some killer guitar tones that rival the classics?" I have to go with a YES on this one!

For features, there should be a new rating category (11 or higher) for Variax -- there is simply no guitar anywhere that offers the versatility you'll find in here. Yet.

Mine is sunburst, but I won't detail all the other pedestrian details of the hardware -- you've read that already in the previous reviews.

Given that Variax emulates the sounds of approximately 2 dozen different instruments, a numeric rating of 1 - 10 could depend upon the chosen setting. Because the range covers everything from solid-body electrics to acoutics to metal-bodied resonators, this guitar is suited to just about any type that's normally played on guitar, save nylon string classical. Simply put, the variety of available sounds are not available in any other guitar. Amp simulators and other modeling systems, such as are available from Roland, can offer a huge variety of tone options, but Variax stands alone in the ability to offer different sounds at its output jack.

Overall, I rated it highly because there are only a couple of models that I absolutely wouldn't use in a live setting. The rest of them range from ordinary/ok to fabulous. This isn't necessarily a criticism, as the unadorned sounds of some of the instruments it models are also ordinary/ok to fabulous. The electric models, played without effects and at low volume, tend to be somewhat anonymous and similar-sounding. But the same can be said for the "real things". Much of the signature sound of legendary guitars is brought out by specific combinations of guitar/pickups, effects and amplifiers. Using the Variax with this type of ancillary equipment yields results which are, in most cases, very much like what they're supposed to sound like.

I bought this guitar to cut down on the number of instruments I carry when playing live, specifically to eliminate having to haul my Takamine EN10-C. In my opinion, all 3 of the acoustic 6 string models on Variax sound better than the Tak, when played through a PA or acoustic amp. This is the preferred mode for the acoustic models, as guitar amps generally don't have the high frequency response that breathes life into amplified acoustics. My plan is to play directly through a POD 2 into the PA for both the acoustic and electric models. The better choice would be to separate the acoustic output from the electric and send them into different mixer channels, but this requires additional cabling complications. I've found a combination of Pod settings that produce an acoustic sound quality nearly as good as going directlt to the mixer, and will probably stick with this strategy for simplicity. The quality of the acoustic models alone justifies the cost of this guitar for me.

It's been reported that some users are hearing hiss when connecting to very high-gain amps, or amp simulators. I haven't really tried this yet, but have found the output to be absolutely noise-free under normal circumstances, even placing the instrument as close as possible to a running computer monitor. This is due to the lack of magnet pickup coils, as Variax's hexaphonic transducers pick up vibrations of the strings through body & the bridge instead of a wire moving in a magnetic field.

Fit and finish is very good. Tuners are smooth, and the tone/volume pots have some resistance, as if they were slightly damped. This imparts a feeling of quality to them, but it may be false security. It has an impact on playing, thought, as this makes for a somewhat different feeling when rolling the volume with your pinky for volume swell effects. I'll probably get used to this in no time.

I could find no flaws, and would only downgrade on one of the pieces of wood used in the body. But that's strictly appearance, it's not in any way a defect.

The unit was shipped in a heavily-padded gigbag, set-up with action approximately the same as my Stratocaster -- fairly low, but suitable for slide work with a light-to-medium weight slide; a very playable and comfortable height.

I plan to use this as my main guitar for playing in just about any situation, and anticipate that it will hold up, physically. With Variax, the term "hardware" encompasses not only things like tuners & bridges, but the electronics. Time will tell about the reliability in that area.

I'm an 'electronics' guy and have faith that failure will be infrequent, and will very likely gig without a backup. However, I'm far from a pro, playing mostly coffee houses and open mics. If something went wrong, someone might be a little disappointed that we couldn't play, but it's unlikely that anyone would riot. For a paying gig, I'd probably take along my Strat for backup.

Truthfully, I haven't read the warranty details, but should. Generally, I don't give it a thought with regard to guitars, but the electronics in here would probably be rather costly to repair or replace.

My only contact with Line 6 support was positive -- they sent me, at no charge, an upgrade ROM for my Pod 2.0.

I'm less than enthused about their Sales & Marketing however, as they have been very tight-lipped about ship dates & delays in bringing Variax to market. As an eager customer waiting for a new product, I would have found more candor welcome from them, so that we didn't have to speculate on delivery times. A little bit of "Here's the story, guys" goes a lot farther than "Anybody have any idea when we're gonna see these things?" So I'll downgrade the one positive support incident by averaging in the lack of responsiveness to our Variax availability questions.

I've been playing since my teens -- and I'm 52 now. I have an early 70s Les Paul Deluxe and early 70s Fender Telecaster, a '65 Fender Jazzmaster, Epiphone, Alvarez & Takamine acoustics, Danelectro U2 reissue, Danelectro Baritone reissue, Silvertone reissue ES-335 clone, cheapo Yamaha bass, a Vox Jaguar organ and several recent vintage electronic keyboards. (just cheap stuff)

Variax will let me play songs on one guitar that would normally have me reaching for another one and will cut down on dead stage time, improving show pacing.

I've only had it for two days, and have only scratched the surface of its capabilities, but I've been following its progress since the NAMM introduction last July. So there was very little I didn't know about it when I ordered one, aside from how it sounded with me playing it.

One controversial feature will become a possible impediment. Line 6 chose to faithfully reproduce the output levels of the instruments modeled, which is appropriate, as they should more accurately drive amplifier input stages in order to produce sounds similar to those from the original instruments. This seems like the logical and accurate thing to do, but it results in a wide variation of output levels between some of the models, which makes setting levels difficult for rhythm/solo work & switching between models mid-song. I don't know what the answer is to this problem, but an alert soundman or a volume pedal are two possible partial-solutions.

It will long be argued that such-and-such model should have been included or excluded, and the debates will rage over the sound of the acoustics & 12-strings. Personally, I like the acoustics, and think the 12-strings will work ok in a mix, but are shaky for solo performance. Surely, emulating a 12-string is a technical challenge, and Line 6's effort is laudable. But I think they can still use a little work. Most of the electrics are eminently usable, and one of the toughest decisions for most guitarists will be which guitar model to use on a given song. Quite the happy conundrum!

A lot of interest has been expressed for a tremolo-equipped version, a nylon-string model, and some type of strategy for dealing with the signal amplitude variations between models. I'd buy one with a tremolo to use as a main axe, and keep the current hardtail for slide/alternate tuning and backup use.

Okay we all know by now that this is a new type of device - a modeling guitar. There are a ton of different actual guitars modeled in this instrument's software which you can switch at the turn of a dial and supposedly can be updated through a software port some time down the line. I have been waiting patiently for this guitar to hit the market since hearing about it last year. I got mine a few weeks ago with the first wave of the production models to ship. Repeat: MINE IS A REAL PRODUCTION MODEL NOT A BETA. Sadly there is no hard shell case and I think we all would have been happier paying another $80 for that out of the gate than the gig bag that they send it with.
There are many vintage and classic guitars modeled in it and many of them sound or at least ACT very much like what they are supposed to be. Oddly, my current favorites are the sitar and the banjo! Since they do offer many acoustic sounds, they have included (wow) a well-made stompbox that allows you to choose between hi-imp line to a guitar amp or balanced XLR lo-imp out to the PA. This is a GREAT idea and is well executed. Best of all, the litle pedal powers the guitar's software making the need for battery changing obsolete. For some-this guitar will simply be a blast. For me it is a source of new sounds. For a cover musician it has to be the answer to prayers.

At first blush, this guitar seems to have been made for the gigging cover band guitarist. That's great and it would certainly make that person's life a heck of a lot easier. But I'm always looking for new and interesting sounds to get out of effects for guitars. I'm actually pretty much a purist with a vintage les Paul, Gretsch and a Guild Brian May guitar as my usual main axes. I am using the Variax in my all-originals band: "tendercrush" and have just gotten back tonight from my first use of it with the band. I love the thing. It feels like a cheap Ibanez guitar circa 1987 but it looks much cooler. Kudos to Line 6 finding a pretty good look for the thing. The crushed pearl pickguard makes all the difference. The sounds are incredible. I put them right through my pedal board (Clyde Wah, Fulldrive, GuvNor, Line 6 delay modeler, Line 6 Modulation modeler, into a Matchless DC-30. I have yet to put the acoustic sounds through the PA but they are nice even through an amp. The cool thing is that it is whisper quiet. No single coil or any pickup hum. The band has cajoled me about this guitar and nicknamed it the 'magic guitar'. It kind of is. It has no pickups, but if you choose the Les Paul humbucker tone it will actually feedback close to the amp.I don't even understand how this is possible. The sounds are its best point. Line 6 really did a lot of fantastic unbelievable stuff here. How any moron would expect to do a side by side comparison and have it actually sound "just like" a Martin D-28 is beyond me but trust me - it sounds very, very good. My understanding was that they didn't make this item to REPLACE all your guitars but merely give the user a myriad to choose from in one spot.

Okay here's where it suffers a bit, but I think justifiably. It feels a bit stiff, like an 80's Ibanez or Charvel. Not my style. But like any new instrument it may loosen up a bit after wear. Action is okay but frets are bitey. Mine needed to be retuned after every song tonight. I don't know if that's a factor that will lessen or if it just has poor intonation memory in general. Body style and color and finish are all very cool. Very classic design where they could have gone stupidly 'pod-like'.

Live playing? I hope so! That's what I plan to do with it and again, I can't imagine that it was designed to replace a '58 Les Paul in a studio setting! Hardware is fine except maybe for tuners. There is a knob that has a list of all the guitars that you are choosing from. This will get damaged or lost for sure. Strap buttons are solid, seems moderately dependable. I ALWAYS gig with backups so...

Never really dealt with Line 6 service. I got them on the phone some months ago quizzing them on when we might see arrival of this item and they were personable and helpful.

I've been playing for 30 years and I've owned a lot of classics and love all my vintage gear. This item gets very close to many sounds you already know and love and offers up tons of new sounds to launch from. I hesitate to say this but it is worth $1000 just for the sheer fun of it. There are always ways to improve something and you can't please everybody. Line 6 has pleased me. Here are a few upgrades I would make were it up to me:
1) Guitar is understandably a bit cheap. It's a fantastic product. This item would easily sell at the $2000 range if it were a bit better of an instrument.
2) Light the guitar selection wheel. I can't read it at all under stage lighting.
3) I may not be understanding the modeling technology but what would actually stop you from doing software options that included other instruments? Piano?
4) Make a modeling bass! Having a few upright bass sounds on an electric bass would be great.
5) Include a case! Or make it an option.

This thing is the EPITOME of features. It's a modeling guitar that has extremely realistic simulations of Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, Rickenbackers, several acoustics, banjo, sitar, and more.

They're all accessible with a flick of the control knob. How great is that?

The models are good for the most part. Some of the best acoustic simulations EVER. The Strats, Les Pauls, and Teles sound great. The only outright dud is the 12-string Rickenbacker, which just doesn't do it for me. The 6-string Rickenbacker sounds pretty great though. And you'll be amazed at the Banjo and Electric Sitar sounds...

Sounds are WELL worth the money.

It's a pretty sturdy and good looking guitar. I got the black model, and it's small and light, yet pretty well-made. It doesn't feel cheap, though when people see that there's no pickup, they may (mistakenly) think it looks cheap. It has a special hexagonic pickup that does everything you need with regular pickups.

It's made quite well, but mine has a flaw I'm still trying to get fixed. It's powered by either 6 AA batteries or a footswitch and special cable. My footswitch plugged and powered up just fine. But it doesn't power the guitar. The special cable appears to be in fine condition, and I re-read the manual twice making sure to hook it up EXACTLY as described. NOTHING. So I'm running this great instrument on batteries. Yuck.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE.

I cannot believe that such a well-regarded company as Line 6 has phone support this bad. I tried calling in to their tech support on MLK day 2003...My wait was WELL over 90 minutes on the phone, and it's not even a toll-free number. I left a voicemail for them to call me back earlier in the day and heard nothing.

Bar none...the worst customer support in the business.

This is a fantastic instrument, but a non-responsive customer support and fundamental flaw as described above are pretty big negatives for me. If you want to roll the dice, buy away, but be prepared to agonize thorugh excruciating phone calls if something goes wrong.

Made in the last few months. Solid body, 22 frets VERY active elctronics
Bridge is Lr Baggs tranducers
Came with a very nice gig bag
No strap locks and the original strap button have oversize screws so standar shcaller strap locks don't work unlees you change the screws

This guitar just arrived this week. I have spent most of my time on the acoutical models - and this sound better than naything I own with the exception of a D-18 I have had since the early 70's.
Mondo variety - I started gettign into the elctrics and it is all there Strat, Paul, Rick 360-12, and the dobros.
Not much to dislike except I wish it had shipped with strap locks - this is a nit given the other qualities of this guitar.

Action was set up just about perfectly.
The finish is very good. A tiny imperfection where the bolts go through the back into the neck, but no one will ever see that anyhow.

I wouldn;t gig without a back up until I have a bit more experience with this guitar.
As noted previously the strap buttons were very soldi, but do not work with Schaller strap locks so I had to change them.

Customer support at Line 6 has always been good.

Been playing longer than I would care to admit.
If it were stolen I would replace it. In fact I am already thinking about a second one to have for alternate tunings during live gigs.

The guitar comes in a very nice gig bag. I had always stayed away from gig bags, but find this one to be superior to some of the cases I have owned. I own the black with pearloid pick guard. What is it made of, doesn't really matter. The sounds are models. Line 6 used specific guitars for the modeling. If you own a 1958 Les Paul and play it next to another 1958 Les Paul you will notice differences. I have compared the models to the real life counterparts (where I could anyway) and they are very good. No hum, no noise, no pickups. 12 string acoustic with no feedback and no out of tune strings or tuning problems of any kind. Good neck, came setup from the factory very playable and in tune! Even after 4 days with UPS.

Playing through a 27 year old Peavy, sounded great. Using Line 6's guitar port got very good SRV, ZZ Top, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton tones, using very good sounding models of the preferred guitars of the players. Playing Tush on a 1958 Les Paul (I think it was recorded on a 1957) sounds pretty good. If you can't afford a room full of vintage guitars this one does a decent job of filling in.

Good overall setup. Good action, nice neck, nice frets. No dings, no finish flaws. Very good out of the box experience. Intonation is good up and down the neck. Harmonics all where they should be and crisp and clear.

Seems very good. Time will tell. Very solid out of the gate. I would probably always have a backup, but that is true with my other guitars as well. Should be a giggers dream, 1 amp, 1 guitar, many many different models. The acoustic models are fantastic, and no feed back of hum.

Never dealt with Line 6.

Been playing for 29 years, would definitely buy it again, my favorite feature is the two custom slots where you can put 5 models in each, play dueling banjos with yourself, using a Gibson Mastertone Banjo and a Martin flattop!

O.K. I have had mine for about a week now, and I can honestly say that if you are reading this instead of playing a variax.. well, you shouldn't be. this guitar is freakin incredible... so many instruments, it is upgradeable, and no more pickup noise...

um.. like above, you just have to hear to believe... like most technological advances, some will find it awkward to handle. My bass player made the observation that if you are not looking at the guitar, your brain is convinced that someone is playing, for instance, a 12-string acoustic... but if you are looking at it, logic tends to override what you are hearing and it seems a little wierd.... The same thing happend with cd's when they first came out.. people said that the music just didn't sound as good.. well to those that say this about the variax... it is time to wake up... this guitar is unfreaking believable. no pickup noise. full sound, bright, warm, etc.. If you want it to sound like a jazz guitar, you can... Strat.. perfect.. .Tele...perfect.... a freakin banjo.. perfect.. les paul... perfect...

the action is perfect.. It comes equipped with 10's from the factory, but I had to put some heaver strings on.. no problem. The guitar comes with tools and a book that tells you how to adjust the intonation and set the truss rod to your liking... I have never seen that before.. (but then again, this is the first guitar that I bought new).
no flaws... none.

I sure as hell hope that this guitar would hold up... even if not, I would sell my left nut to buy another one...

well, let's just say that I got my guitar... so they have supported me enough.....

this is a guitar players dream... I posted a review earlier.. and that was on the demo model that I played... I just have one more thing to say... To all of you that are purists (ie.. Tube heads, vintage buffs...etc..), I think that it is important for you to realize that at one time you were taking risks on equipment.. Remember the buzz when distortion pedals came about? Chorus pedals, wahs??? This is not a gimock guitar.. it was designed, built, and marketed to and for serious musicians... Jazz, Blues, Country, Bluegrass...Metal.. this guitar can do it all.. The only problem that I see with the Variax, isn't with the guitar, but with my ability to play it...Until now, I never realized how bad-ass that banjo players are.

2002 Variax
Manufactured in Korea
Set up in U.S.A. by Line 6, Inc.
Solid body Electric Guitar
basswood body with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard
1 Volume, 1 tone, 1 guitar selector knob, 5-way selector switch
Red Finish
1 5/11th nut
10" neck radius
fixed bridge a la tune-o-matic
Deluxe Gig bag with two large extra pockets for cable storage
Features accurate modelling of some 28 guitars including:
1960 Custom Telecaster (Bridge and Neck positions)
1968 Fender Telecaster (Bridge and Neck position - in series)
1968 Fender Telecaster Thinline (Bridge and Neck positions)
1959 Fender Stratocaster (all 5 pickup positions Bridge, Middle, Neck and both out of phase)
1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Bridge, Bridge & Neck, and Neck positions)
1952 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (Bridge position)
1961 Gibson Les Paul Custom (3 pickups - Middle and Bridge positions)
1956 Les Paul Junior (Bridge position)
1976 Gibson Firebird (Bridge & neck and neck positions)
1955 Gibson Les Paul Special (Bridge & neck and neck positions)
1959 Gretsch 6120 (Bridge, Bridge & Neck, Neck positions)
1956 Gretsch Silver-Jet (Bridge and Neck positions)
1968 Rickenbacker 260 (Bridge, Bridge & Neck, Neck positions)
1966 Rickenbacker 312 (12-string electric Bridge and Neck positions)
1961 Gibson ES-335 (Bridge, Bridge & Neck, Neck positions)
1967 Epiphone Casino (Bridge and Neck positions)
1957 Gibson ES-175 (Bridge, Bridge & Neck, Neck positions)
1957 Gibson Super 400 (Bridge and Neck positions)
1959 Martin D-28 (Mic'd model - tone control varies Microphone position relative to guitar being modelled)
1970 Martin D-1228 (Mic'd model - tone control varies Microphone position relative to guitar being modelled)
1967 Martin O-18 (Mic'd model - tone control varies Microphone position relative to guitar being modelled)
1966 Guild F-212 (Mic'd model - tone control varies Microphone position relative to guitar being modelled)
1995 Gibson J-200 (Mic'd model - tone control varies Microphone position relative to guitar being modelled)
1935 Dobro Alumilite
Coral/Dano Elctric Sitar
DanElectro 3021
Gibson Mastertone Banjo
1928 National Style "2" Tricone

Not all guitars are fully modelled. No Full Telecaster for instance.

Using it with a Behringer V-Amp 2 and P.A. System.

All guitar models are faithfully reproduced but may not be "close enough" for some. The real thing often has intrinsic qualities of it's own. However, the Variax has intrinsic qualities all it's own as well. All electrics are solid. The Tele models have the "Tele Twang", the Startocaster has that "Strat Bite", and the Les Pauls can be alternately sweet smooth Jazz or exhibit that Grunge Growl (The Gold top in the pickup position with a Marshall Stack - Brit Hi-Gain gives that classic smooth Sonic Distortion).

The closer you get to the acoustic models, the more the piezo pickups tend to exhibit their inherent nature. Some "pinginess" can be heard on the strings. This can be expected with piezo pick-ups. However, the twelve string models can be "tinny" or sometimes sound like a 6-string acoustic with lots of chorus on an amplifier with a presence control. However, recordings made with the Variax acoustics sound great (See the Line 6 web site for samples).

The acoustics seem to lack warmth. This can be attributed to the fact that the player hears nothing coming from the soundboard or the soundhole of the acoustic (as there are'nt any on a solidbody electric). All tones are crisp and bright.

Actions was very low and the string height at the bridge matched the radius of the neck very well. However, I found no relief at the 17th fret and had to adjust the guitar myself. There was considerable string buzz (most noticable on the acoustic models) so I had to raise the string height. But after setting up the guitar to my satisfaction, the string buzz was minimized (virtually none) and the action was very respectable (I have seen worse on a Les Paul and mose Mexican made Strats).

Great point> No pick-ups to adjust. They are always just right!

The guitar construction was flawless. The finish was solid and sturdy. The neck has that unfinished glazed look, somethiing akin to a mexican tele neck. Some players may object to this. However, Line 6 had the forethaought to provide a bolt-on neck so you can replace the neck if you so desire. (They originally designed the Variax as an inset neck). The models knob comes off too easily but this was a minor issue. You can program a bank of settings to specific guitars which requires pulling out and then pushing the knob back in.

Crystal Ball,

A perfect gigging guitar as you have a variety of guitars at your disposal and the guitar seems sturdy enough for the road. It seems unlikely that Line 6 will begin building these in the U.S. anytime soon. However, a Variax XT???

The construction is simple and solid enough for any mass produced guitar made overseas.

Line 6 was very responsive when the Variax did not hit the street when they initially said it would. Line 6 representatives were very knowledgeable about the guitar and did many demos both here in the U.S. and in the U.K.

It is unknown yet how Line 6 will support the guitar in the future. They have plans (so I'm told) to make it firmware upgradable - good news for the unsatifactory acoustics and 12 string models and incomplete Telecasters. It would be nice to see a nice 1955 Gibson ES-333 (I have a friend who has one in mint condition).

For now, Line 6 is still having trouble keeping up with demand. August 2002 orders are still unfulfilled.

I have played bass guitar for over twenty years, acoustic guitar for over twenty years, and electric guitar for over two years. I previously owned an Ovation 12 string, an ESP H-302, and a classical guitar. I also own a Fender American Deluxe Bass guitar with Humbucker pickup and a Taylor 312ce. I use SWR and Fender bass amps for my bass and play through P.A. on acoustic. I use either the P.A. with a Behringer V-Amp 2 or go through a Fender Twin amplifier when I play Electric.

What other guitar in the world sports over 50 different tones including acoustic models, 12 strings, sitar,resonator,banjo and a list of all the finest electric guitars from yesteryear, and to top it all off, is upgradeable via the RJ45 ethernet port.

Well i have to give it a 10 and let me tell you why. When it comes down to it you have some really great tones on your hands regardless if they sound exactly like a 57 strat or not. To the moron from the vintage guitar shop who probaly looks like comic book guy from the simpsons - do you really think the audience cares if it sounds exactly like its vintage counterparts? I doubt it...

The electric models are the best part of this guitar as it stands today. I pretty much am blown away by all of the electric models. Now the acoustic models are great for what they are, but keep in mind these will not sound like your $3000 taylor or martin, but compared with a piezo equipped electric this is way better. The 12 strings are alright and get you in the general vicinity but arent quite there yet. Banjo i guess sounds right, ive never really played banjo. Sitar is awesome and to my ears sounds dead on to a coral sitar.

So why the 10 , if you didnt like some of the sounds you ask?
Because even with me not liking certain models i have expanded my tonal possibilities a lot and this single guitar has more usuable tones in it then all my other guitars combined.

shes not the prettiest girl in school but shes got a lot of personality.

out of the factory with 10's - setup pretty decent. the neck feels great and intonation was spot on.

Overall i love it, it basically covers a ton of ground tonally and does it well IMHO. I think that this technology is only going to get better over time and is truly a revolution. I would have to recommend this to everyone from beginners to pros.

as above really :@)

Well... as above i also work for a music shop (in the uk) and the rep came in with a (nearly finished) (remember these are beta state) variax... amd i dont know what guitar that dude above played, but.... jeez, give it a break! Ok ok ill admit the models arnt EXACTLY like there counterparts, but by christ do they get close, this is the second variax ive seen and the first one did not get nearly as close as this one. overall i think this would be a great workhoese for the gigging musician, bear in mind this is the FIRST guitar of its type, rome wasnt built in a day y'know

i cant say i like the shape too but the set up was good and no fiddling will be needed if thay come set up like this one, no flaws in the finish looked good (not the shape) :)

ok so its alder...who cares, what are strats made of? if yer talking about dinging it, id rather ding this than my 58 les paul... and then id have to take my martin too...christ so what if u ding it..all the best instruments looke goosed anyways... the neck was good, frets nice, inotation was good also...remember all the instruments it models are over the $2000 dollar mark so, look at it like this its. gonna be ace for yer cover band.. ace for rehearsin, and i dont care what this dude up there says, the sounds it gives off are GOOD!! its an 8 coz ive not tested it on the road yet !!

line 6 uk are great.cant say for the us tho

best thing to do if go out there and judge for yerself, second week in january thell be all over, the evolution starts here........ :)

Let me see, um.. a guitar that can emulate other guitars. Not to mention the fact that it is upgradeable.... hmmmm.....

Well the demo that I played rocked. I have no clue what the fellow that posted before me was talking about, but the guys at line 6 have pretty much nailed the sounds of all of the instruments that they were going for. I am giving this a 9 because they didn't model a nylon string guitar, and well.... I'll give them a 10 when they do that.

the guitar felt good to the touch... this particular model was set up like my tele, so I felt right at home wit it. the finish was impeccable.. As far as wood, well I know that it may be hard for all of those people stuck in the "vintage" world, but wood is no longer an issue for good tone. This instrument relies on 0's and 1's (binary language), or in simpler terms for those "tube heads" out there - wood don't matter no more. The variax is just the first step into a brave new world..

we'll have to wait and see on this one, but NASA

Well I own a Vetta (the digital modeling amp) and have not had to call their customer support line (thank God), but when I do I will rate it.

The bitter old guy that posted before me stated that he had been playing for 40 years.. So by my calculations, he is nearing retirement age.
Fellow players, technology is advancing at such a rapid pace. Sometimes I find it hard to comprehend what is mankind is actually capable of. A while back, a group of scientists actually sped light up...made light travel faster than the speed of light.. they are genetically engineering people in europe (a couple of doctors).. chances are that you are reading this from the comfort of your own home on a machine that would make the computer scientists from the 1990's shit on themselves.. why is it so hard to fathom that a company might actually be able to faithfully recreate the sounds of vintage instruments (at 1 billionth of the cost)? Vintage buffs need to wake up, because the technology is not going anywhere... Reading over the prior post, I am strangly reminded of what conservative people were saying about rock - n - roll in the 50's, or what record buffs (people that would actually spin these big black plastic disks under a needle) said about tapes in the 80's, or what tube heads said about the Vetta in 2000...

The only models that have been demoed are the beta models which do not have the final software installed. The guitar is not made of alder either. It's made of basswood. Not that that is a good thing but if your going to try to sabotage a new product you should get your lies in order first!