Members KwadGuy Posted August 8, 2007 Members Share Posted August 8, 2007 I bought a used copy of the Variax Workbench off eBay. Price was right, but when I got it, it is missing the RJ-45 cable. It contains the USB hub, a generic USB cable, and the software CD. But no RJ-45 cable (the RJ-45 cable is supposed to be there, it even says so on the packaging). OK, I have an urgent email into the guy who sold it to me. But in the meantime I am trying to figure out whether there's anything special about the missing RJ-45 cable. As far as I can figure out, it's a standard RJ-45 cable, with with a specialized round metal shell at the end that fits into the guitar, which ensures a better, non-jiggling, fit. Is this correct? Does this mean that a standard RJ-45 cable (i.e. a standard ethernet cable) WILL jiggle around in the slot? This can't be good for a connection that's supposed to allow you to update the firmware of your guitar... ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blackmonday Posted August 8, 2007 Members Share Posted August 8, 2007 You can use a standard ethernet RJ-45 cable, that's how I did it. Just be careful to not drop the guitar or anything like that. It will work fine, but beware, I heard that Line 6's biggest return issue on those guitars was the ethernet jack. Order a cable and use an ethernet wire in meantime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shrouded Posted August 8, 2007 Members Share Posted August 8, 2007 You can use a standard ethernet RJ-45 cable, that's how I did it. Just be careful to not drop the guitar or anything like that. It will work fine, but beware, I heard that Line 6's biggest return issue on those guitars was the ethernet jack. Order a cable and use an ethernet wire in meantime. Agreed. A standard RJ-45 (not crossover) will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members afan06 Posted August 8, 2007 Members Share Posted August 8, 2007 Line6 doesn't recommend using a reg rj-45 but they said you can use it as a last resort, but not for extended periods of time. You can search their forums to find out more. http://line6.com/support/forumindex.jspa?categoryID=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shrouded Posted August 8, 2007 Members Share Posted August 8, 2007 To make a long story short, it appears that Line6's cables are standard ethernet in cabling and wiring standards. The big difference are the connectors. Ethernet is designed to be plugged in, with little stress on the cable and only slight angles where the cable exits the head. If you play guitar with such a cable, you will put lots of stresses on it that it wouldn't have normally. That could lead to losing connection, or having the head break. If the head were to break inside the Variax, you could get into a mess trying to get it out. If you are careful, pay attention to not tug on it or bend the cable at 90-degree angles, and use it for tweaking, you should be fine. If you plan to walk around with it plugged in or put stress on it, you run a risk of messing up the cable or the socked on the Variax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackbelt1 Posted August 9, 2007 Members Share Posted August 9, 2007 You can use a standard ethernet RJ-45 cable, that's how I did it. Just be careful to not drop the guitar or anything like that. It will work fine, but beware, I heard that Line 6's biggest return issue on those guitars was the ethernet jack. Order a cable and use an ethernet wire in meantime. Yeah I just went to Radio Shack and bought a cheap RJ45 cable to use until my Variax cable showed up. As long as you're super careful it'll be fine. FYI, you can also order Variax cables from this place: http://best-tronics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BMI&Product_Code=ETHERCON1-XXX&Attributes=Yes&Quantity=1 These are made to Line 6 standards and I think even better than the stock cables. I have one of each. ~Blackbelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluzkat Posted August 9, 2007 Members Share Posted August 9, 2007 How do you guys like your Variaxs'? I'm thinking for what I'm doing (recording with a computer), this is just what the doctor ordered. Pros/Cons? Ever use 'em live?Sorry for sneaking into the thread, but I'm curious as to what actual 'owners' have to say. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackbelt1 Posted August 9, 2007 Members Share Posted August 9, 2007 How do you guys like your Variaxs'? I'm thinking for what I'm doing (recording with a computer), this is just what the doctor ordered. Pros/Cons? Ever use 'em live? Sorry for sneaking into the thread, but I'm curious as to what actual 'owners' have to say. Thanks. I have 2 and play the 600 live onstage every week. ~Blackbelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluzkat Posted August 9, 2007 Members Share Posted August 9, 2007 Blackbelt, Do you use a 'pod'? Straight into an amp? I'm not sure that I will perform again, but you never know. I've got a Toneport UX2 I use for recording and I feel a Variax will give me a wide range of possibilities. I just wasn't sure how well they worked out live. Thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackbelt1 Posted August 9, 2007 Members Share Posted August 9, 2007 Blackbelt,Do you use a 'pod'? Straight into an amp? I'm not sure that I will perform again, but you never know. I've got a Toneport UX2 I use for recording and I feel a Variax will give me a wide range of possibilities. I just wasn't sure how well they worked out live. Thanks for your input. I use a Pod XT Live with the Variax, straight to the P.A. I get all of the Variax tones that way; the acoustic models sound very good. I also run my other guitars through the Pod when I set the Variax down. It's a very lightweight, versatile setup that lets me change tunings on the fly, and use multiple guitar models throughout each song. ~Blackbelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newmaxnew Posted August 9, 2007 Members Share Posted August 9, 2007 I agre with blackbelt about the acoustic models sounding great. I have a Variax 300 that I use live just for acustic 6 and 12 string sounds. There isn't an acoustic simulator that comes close to sounding as good as the Variax. I do roll a little of the low end off with an EQ pedal to get it to set better in the mix. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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