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What Did You Get for Christmas?


Potts

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pro tools 10.3 , an artist controller, an mbox pro, and a macbook pro laptop to run it. Of course I had to buy it meself..............And a new wetsuit. STOKED! Can't wait to start recording again.

I've been using a tuner in my iphone-it works great.

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Quote Originally Posted by MartinC View Post
pro tools 10.3 , an artist controller, an mbox pro, and a macbook pro laptop to run it. Of course I had to buy it meself..............And a new wetsuit. STOKED! Can't wait to start recording again.

I've been using a tuner in my iphone-it works great.
Nice!
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One of my relatives gave me a gift card loaded up for a local music store. I'm going in there tomorrow to see what trouble I can get into!
I'm sure ya'll will see it sooner or later...but I also got a really nice HD camera - so expect some better videos in the future!

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Quote Originally Posted by MartinC

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pro tools 10.3 , an artist controller, an mbox pro, and a macbook pro laptop to run it. Of course I had to buy it meself..............And a new wetsuit. STOKED! Can't wait to start recording again.

 

Surf music?
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Quote Originally Posted by Potts View Post
I got a Snark and quite frankly I love it! I know I've heard some grumblings about them not being accurate but I haven't found any issues.

What gear did you get?
The Snark os a good starter tuner. You use it first to get it tuned close, then switch to something else to get it tuned the rest of the way.

Just joshin' ya, though it is true that I have had two and didn't find them to be accurate.

I didn't receive any music gifts, though I did give my brother a Planet Waves mini headstock tuner and string winder tool.
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Quote Originally Posted by Howie22 View Post
The Snark is a good starter tuner. You use it first to get it tuned close, then switch to something else to get it tuned the rest of the way.
.
LMAO...I was reading this thinking what the heck is he talking about? heheh
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Quote Originally Posted by chemikool View Post
I've been looking at the JV stuff from line6 --- any chance I can talk you into a full review in the near future?
As a guy who has been a Variax user since the very beginning (I got my first one in 2003 when there were no other models - it was just called "Variax" and came in black, sunburst, and red), I've been sold on the technology for a very long time. It's enabled me to add realistic-sounding acoustic parts to demos without waking my children, allowed me to play songs that have varying guitar parts and tunings with just the flip of a switch, etc. I've owned four (now five) different Variaxes over the years, starting with my original one that I got for $909 dollars (which then was a pretty good deal), then I added a Variax 300 (a mild disappointment) in 2005, a Variax Bass 705 (the 5-string) in 2007, a Variax Bass 700 (4-string) which I sold because I don't play 4-string much. I've also been using Line 6 stuff to great effect since I bought my first POD (with the Floor Board) back in 1999. I know this was a really belabored way to say it, but I'm kind of a homer, both for Line 6 and the Variax, so consider that when you read my review to follow.

I got a JTV-69 in red pretty cheap. I didn't shell out the $1200+ - my friend who works for Line 6 got me a great deal on a scratch and dent that doesn't appear to have any scratches or dents. I wanted one with a vibrato bar because all my other ones had been hardtails. It came with a gray gig bag, the Workbench interface with cables, a proprietary lithium-ion battery with charger, and manuals and allen wrenches for all the various bolts in the guitar.

First impression? This is a MAJOR step up. From the neck finish to the nut to the bridge and the great locking tuners, this is in every way a better guitar than any Variax I'd ever owned or played. And I LIKED my old ones...so you can imagine how happy I was when this was even better. If you're unfamiliar with the Variax controls, they tend to have a five-way switch like a Strat, with a volume and tone (mic placement for acoustic models) knob as well as a knob to select the guitar model you are using (along with two custom banks - although all banks are customizable through the Variax Workbench software). I always wished on the old Variaxes that there was some control of the tunings on the guitar itself, and the new Variax has a knob for it! On the JTV-69 (the strat-style one) it's up in the pickguard to the left of the low-E string. With it, you can choose a bunch of different tunings, and save any sort of custom ones you want on there (which will overwrite the labeled tuning, of course). There is a method for selecting a custom tuning as well - it's outlined in the manual and on videos at Line 6's youtube channel. I love being able to so seamlessly switch between standard, drop-d, 1/2-step-down, open-G, etc. - it's great, and I don't have to pre-plan tunings anymore.

So it's a Variax, like all the ones that came before it, but with models that sound more authentic to my ear than in the past. But the best part? It's also a GREAT guitar just on its own...it comes with magnetic pickups in a HSS format (humbucker in the bridge) so the guitar is functional (and to my ear, awesome) even without the added Variax features.

So I'm super happy about it, and super pissed that I haven't gotten the chance to use it at a show yet because I haven't had any shows. It's great!

Only downers?

- It still has that palm muting thing the past Variaxes had if you don't adjust your technique. It still doesn't get all the way to that great metal "chunk chunk", but you can use the magnetic pickups if you really need that.
- The lithium-ion battery is expensive to have a backup handy...and although battery life is pretty great (12 hours or so, and if you turn the volume down it goes into power-save mode so the 12 hours is actual playing time), $50 just to have a backup battery seems kind of steep to me.

I haven't explored all the integrated features of the instrument with the POD HD500 (which I also own), but apparently you can use the knobs on the Variax to control parameters of effects and stuff, which is pretty awesome. You can also set tunings and customize stuff in the Variax right there inside the HD500 when you hook it up with the Variax Interface Cable (essentially a fancy CAT-5 cable with XLR-like ends).

It's a total win for me, and I'm so thankful that my friend thought of me when he got the info about the sale.

I've played the JTV-59 as well, which is more of a Les Paul-style instrument (complete with shorter scale and set neck) - and the only drawback to that one is that it only has a three-way switch, so to access all the models you have to push an extra button. The JTV-89 has a SUPER FAST neck and two humbuckers and is more of a "metal" guitar. They also have a P-90 version of the JTV-59 available, too, which is COOL! (I love P-90s - if I had more money this year I would have gotten one of those, too).

It's sad that it seems like these aren't really catching on because they are really nice guitars. Truly a "Swiss Army" instrument for guitarists looking for guitar sounds.

The only thing that's kind of hard to get past on my guitar is the weird James Tyler styling...not sure why they felt the need to make it look strange. I'm used to it now, though initially I HATED it (when I saw the first pictures upon their release).

As for solo stuff, I haven't had a chance to really dial in the Acoustic sounds the way I had with my other Variax, but I bet if I load that preset I'll be pretty damn close, both for my 6-string and 12-string acoustics (and layered bass-acoustic sounds).

If you have any questions about it you can PM me directly...I'm always happy to talk about it! smile.gif
Brian V.
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