Line 6 Variax JTV69 - Honest Review and First Impressions [from a Line 6 fan] 

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AyyPkBC27ew.html - so I also tried changing the tunings with Snapshots from the Helix - as a creative tool - I find this super inspiring - to be able to switch from DADGAD to standard and experiment with unique tunings - pretty remarkable!!

I've been using Variax for years. Started with the 600 and now currently use the JTV69. Honestly it grows on you. When you play on it's own the modeling doesn't have the complex harmonics the standard pickups do. HOWEVER when you put it in a full, thick mix it just works. Those more complex harmonics get absorbed in a mix. The other thing is how it integrates into the Helix. You are able to change tuning, guitar type, pickup type, etc all within a snapshot. So you can have a les paul tuned to drop d, for a rhythmic opening, then a strat on the neck for a solo, to an acoustic in dadgad for a bridge. All that starts to open up a new world of possibilities. The other thing is the virtual capo. No longer are the days we guitar players need to transpose on the fly. Once you build around the models, play in a full mix, and build out patches this thing is just amazing. The other nice thing about the JTV69 is if you don't like the neck, replace it. Most any 22 fret strat neck will work. I have many guitars but this is the one I reach for most anymore. I put a TV Jones filtertron in the bridge and kept the stock singles as they are more of a modern take. Yes this is not the perfect guitar but honestly for most anything I am called up to do on stage this is my go to. I play it 85 to 90% of the time... I never thought i'd get to that point. I pair it with OnSong(or Ableton) and VoiceLive3 and have automated pretty much everything. Once a song starts I just worry about the notes and words. Nothing will get me to sell my other guitars but if I were to be all "desert island" on it I'd definitely grab my JTV69 as my only guitar.

Thoughtful, in-depth and honest appraisal as usual, thank you... I'll leave alone the unanswerable question of who the "best" guitarist was/is etc but I will say that of all the RU-vid channels I regularly listen to or subscribe to you are by far the most interesting - and, of course, you are a fantastic player...

Also... The biggest short-comings of the Line 6 Variax is the physical characteristics (for the most part). Modelled alternate tunings with the physical noise, the physical playing positions, as you mentioned, with different models. Scale length is obviously a factor - but so is string type, size, etc. But I really like the fact that I didn't spend a crazy amount of money on a bunch of guitars that I have to store, maintain, and leave at home since I can't take them all with me to a gig. Very versatile instrument with the Line 6 Helix. Thanks again for showcasing this great tool!

i had one of these guitars a while ago, unfortunately it ended up being a faulty one, so it went strat back, but at the same time my brother got one, and i have played and used his several times, and its a excellent workhorse, the more you get into the editing and creative side it opens up a new world of tone and possibilities, your not buying the guitar to feel like another guitar, your buying this brand to create sounds and tones of other guitars , but still playing your most comfortable feeling guitar that you are more than likely to play every day, i personally find them also inspiring with the great pickup configuration you can create at no extra cost, and most people at a gig wouldn't care or know if your sound was from a strat or a gibson,great video, thanks for your views and also open to other peoples views

I’m glad to see you covering this! I own the Variax Standard in Olympic White and love it. I play at church on the weekends and find that having some different models easily available is great! I connected the Variax to the Line 6 workbench and created my own version of a Gretsch which covers certain parts perfectly and then I lean mostly on Strat and Special models, but for me it makes a big difference in being able to cover those parts well. Prior to the Variax I was using an American Standard Strat and didn’t feel super great about some of the parts that I was trying to cover. Sometimes being 1 guitarists and trying to cover multiple guitarists parts alone also gives a unique challenge playing live, but Variax allows me to do that well. I’ve even covered Mandolin parts and have felt quite good about the results. I also find that the connection to the Helix is amazing. I can tie certain models to snapshots and when I click the Helix foot-switches it automatically changes the Variax models too. Makes live playing super easy. I would agree that the model sounds can seem to lack some luster that the physical counterparts have, but I find that mostly to be true when I am playing the instrument solo, when I play in the mix of a whole band I don’t notice that or “feel” that lack of luster at all. I’ve actually maybe felt the opposite in full band context, that the other models actually inspire my playing more. I’ve also used the tuning and transpose, (virtual capo), live and that’s been cool too. If I’m playing lots of leads and we need to change a key for a singer I can just adjust the tuning. This means I don’t need to try to transpose in real time while playing live, which in turn allows me to focus on more musical parts of my playing which I feel has led to better experiences. Granted, it can be weird when you go to use the tuner and forget that you are like 3 half steps up… the tuner shows you the transposed notes, not the physical tuning. I really enjoy my Variax and the versatility for me totally sells me on it, (in the same way that Helix modeling versatility sells me on it over analog gear), but I also totally understand that some people have great reasons for traditional/analog stuff. Arguably, if I was looking for one specific, polished sound, analog gear and traditional instruments would get there “better” but the versatility of modeling technology is a worthwhile tradeoff for my use case. Only things I would improve on the Variax Standard if I could wish for it… 1. Belly cut scalloping 2. Volume and Tone knobs with number labels 3. Locking Tuners

And, yes, you can change the models, tuning per string, and volume per string (so you can mute strings) per preset and/or snapshot with the Helix and the VDI connection. You can also use the Tone and Volume knobs as controllers for any parameters in Helix blocks.

Variax user since 2005. It will not be a substitute of anything, but it is an incredibly versatile tool. Going from a "strat" to an "acoustic" with just the press of a button (with the sounds, eq, amps, etc. switching along, if you own any Line 6 unit) I mean... it's crazy. It will not be your main guitar, but trust me, it will be your 2nd.

I've been using the Variax for around 15 years and just bought the JTV-69. I currently use it with my Helix and in the past with other Line 6 devices. For me, it's cost-effective - I can't afford to own a lot of amps and guitars so the Variax / Helix combo is a great way to get access to those sounds. The flexibility is amazing when used with the Helix. Go from a Strat sound through a Fender amp to a Les Paul through a Marshall with Drop D tuning to an acoustic with open tuning - all by pressing some buttons. Also, get Line 6 Workbench and hook it up to that and experiment with different body shapes, pickup configurations, different types of volume and tone pots, pickups in series or parallel. There's so much to do - ever wondered what a Les Paul body with single-coil pickups would sound like? Workbench will let you try it out. I understand what you say about how you interact differently with different guitar bodies - I feel the same way but another way to look at it is that I hate the weight of a Les Paul so to get the LP sound out of my Variax is a good compromise. And the tunings are amazing - much better in this series than my old 600 series. Just use headphones when you're using different tunings (or turn the room volume up ver LOUD) so you can't hear the acoustic sound at normal pitch. Dig into what these guitars can do and you might be surprised with the results.

Great playing John , after over 50 years of playing I wish I could play half as good as you. After owning a JTV-89f for 5 years now , I personally love it , I find it's a great guitar for writing , I think it's something that you discover with time using it . At first it a toy with bell and whistles, but after a while you really find it's capabilities.

I used a JTV-69S for cover band gigs for the last 5 years. I did change the pickups and neck and its now a pretty nice Strat-like guitar. For cover band gigs where you occasionally need an acoustic 12 string, or an open G tuning, or a Les Paul for one song - the Variax is impossible to beat. If you use it with a Helix and Powercab, its a fantastic signal chain that’s easy to use and reliable. I wouldn’t use the models for recording, or if I was a professional guitarist. But for cover band playing in clubs, its fantastic. When I switched to Quad Cortex, I went back to real guitars. Now I carry a Strat, Les Paul and Tele to every gig. They’re nicer guitars and I need to be playing them while I still can. The only issue I had with the JTV-69S I couldn’t address was it seemed to have less sustain than my other guitars.

Jonathan, I love your playing! I own two jtv-59's, and two jtv-69 's...although I own many other guitars, I play the jtv's way more than the others. Access to all the models and tunings has catapulted my creativity and songwriting by leaps and bounds. I can't imagine a better songwriting tool for guitar...

I've got the JTV-89F, and find it to be a really great creative tool both with the tunings and from a sound design perspective given the massive freedom in Workbench. Also quite handy for super simple line in recording or performance of acoustic sounds if you don't have the gear (or don't have it with you), and I think you can map Helix parameters to your knobs for performance. You can also do things that are impossible IRL like placing two pickups in the exact same physical position, and swap capacitor/pot values to adjust the high frequency character and knob response, etc to get a particular sound. I think the more gear you have and the more settled into particular preferred sounds you are the less useful that is. That sense of lost connection you mention is really tangible as a player live - I always feel like I'm listening to a recording while I'm playing, if that makes sense.

the modeling system on my jtv 69 no longer works. Does anyone know if there's a fix?

As a bassist, I'm very serious and focused on live performance. As a hobby guitarist, I can afford to be a dilettante. Like you, I don't find Variax compelling because it's missing the tactile aspects of picking up other instruments. But you do seem to have overlooked some key factors: 1. Tight Variax/Helix integration- control instrument type, patch, and signal path changes with your feet OR from the guitar. 2. The guitar controls access variations of each of the modelled instruments. 3. Tying the acoustic models to acoustic IRs in Helix is helpful. 4. You can play with weird pickup spacings & combinations, scale lengths, etc., in the app. 5. Immediate access to a bunch of other instruments that you normally have neither the space or $$$ for. I keep buying and then selling baritones and other quirky guitars because they make me feel guilty- my work area is already dominated by bass, PA and keyboard equipment. Variax offers a way off the merry-go-round.

A beautiful intro song John.

I have been using JTV Variax guitars since they they were first introduced. I initially used them with the old HD500 and now the Helix for the covers band that I'm in. Most of my other guitars stay at home now as I pretty much use the Variax live but still use my Gibson's, Fender's and PRS's for home and recording use. I currently have two JTV69's, a 59, 89F and a Standard. When using the 'alt' tuning, it's best if you can't hear the strings acoustically, so use headphones or a loud amp to mask the sound of the strings or it sounds quite weird.

Just bought a Shuriken Variax and I'm blown away by the versatility. However, I wouldn't consider it my most fun or best sounding guitar. For me, it's simply a phenomenal SONGWRITING tool. I can just go straight into Logic, add any good plugin and literally have almost every type of guitar or tuning available in an instant without losing the muse by changing rigs/guitars/ tunings. Inspiration can lead down some surprising roads on occasion and losing momentum can be costly. It's a dream to be able to A/B any tuning or sonic texture instantaneously while in the midst of writing a jam.

Jonathan is such an awesome player and I love to watch his videos. In this one though I think he’s missing a lot of the models. His five way selector switch actually can pick between five different models for each type of guitar. Some of the best ones he skipped over. I have the J TV 59 and it’s quite an impressive guitar. Some models are better than others but there’s a lot of satisfaction to experience in this instrument. There are an incredible range of sounds you can pull from it.

I have the exact same guitar, and I have played it almost every day at home for the last 7-8 years. The flexibility to change tuning at the flick of a switch is great. Works really well with the Helix - can change the tuning / guitar type when selecting Helix presets. Like the Helix itself I only use a fraction of the options available. Changed to a Strat neck almost immediately and this makes the wold of difference. The old neck does have some uses (e.g. playing rounders).

I was interested in the Variax and V-Guitar when they were introduced, pre RU-vid. Way too expensive back then. I liked the concept. Like you, the altered tunings feature interests me most. The modeling other guitar sounds are interesting as well, as one guitar that does it all is preferable to me.

I've had my Variax 700 since 2007, and for me it is a indispensable tool in any studio. But notice I used the word tool... not instrument. For recording it really gets the job done for specific parts. I have a Les Paul, US Strat, Epi Supernova and a FenderJazz Bass in the studio...which gets me a long way, but to complete many sessions I will need something very specific...here is where my Variax Comes in. 12 string, a tele a Junior...something with P90's...a Sitar....This is stuff I don't have space or time to store and maintain. Variax just delivers.

I've always found that the variax takes quite a bit of getting used to. May sound odd but really try out Chad Huskey's packs . The trick to playing it is to play it and have it set up not like a typical electric and maintaining the same moves, actually imagine it as 10 different guitars and attack it as such. There are almost sweet spots you'd find in the same spaces on the originals and that helped me a lot, visualizing the instrument you "would" be playing on.

I have this model (and also the LP/P90 model) and it’s my go-to for musical theatre gigs - only thing it can’t do is nylon string.

I’ve had my JTV-69US since 2012, and I’ve probably gigged with it more than any other guitar I have. I personally really like the neck on mine (mine has a maple fretboard). Hard for me to find anything bad to say about it, really. I really don’t use the alt tuning that much, but having access to the different models has been really helpful for gigs.

Variax Virtual Guitar Modeling audio samples at Line 6 website. The line 6 website Variax Guitar Modeling audio samples are without the youtube compression.

nice playing 👏

Merci john ! J’ai la vieille Variax 700 ! (Très belle lutherie japonaise) j’espère pouvoir toucher maintenant la Variax shuriken ! J’adore ton jeu et les patchs que tu partage pour l’univers helix ! Thanks !

I've had one of these for a number of years and imho into a normal tube amp rig I find some of the models can sound in the ball-park of their modelled instruments in the way a cheap copy of such are in the ball park but would never replace a GOOD guitar of that type. IMPORTANTLY in my experience if you play ths jtv into a modeller then the artificiality becomes too much: Modelled Guitar into real Amps and pedals can be convincing, real guitar into modelling can be very convincing, modelled guitar into amp model nope this becomes artificial and I can also feel slight latency this way. I would be curious how you think the jtv performs into a real amp setup and whether anyone else would agree with my experience.

I imagine any one of these "real" guitars would do its individual thing better than this one. But I think that's like comparing apples to the entire produce section of your local grocery store. If you want the perfect apple, go find that perfect apple for you. If you want to be able to flick from a banana to a pineapple and then 3 varieties of onion, this is the "one". The Variax will do it all, in whatever tuning you prefer each one to be in, at the push of a button or flick of a switch.

Like others has mentioned the Variax concept itself is really cool. Changing the tunings is what interest me the most -- not totally convinced about the guitar modelling stuff. All though, Scott Henderson was happy enough with the "jazz box model", and he ended up using it on the HBC album. Which is kinda odd, considering the fact that he is quite a traditionalist when it comes to guitar gear 🤷‍♀

Holy sh*t dude you are amazingly talented

I have one exactly like that. Unfortunately the variax system doesn't work anymore. But i think the best part os that guitar are the real pickups

Love the phone bit!!!!

I tried one once and much prefer having multiple instruments that are specialized.

Variax tip, have a good poke in workbench HD with the models done of the 89's magnetics. Those are absolutely killer pickups and feature steadily on both my 59p and 69hss

I play a lot of musicals where I’m switching between electric and acoustic, do you think this guitar could work for these gigs?

I think if you change your tone to something that has more treble and presence, crunch and bite, you'll start to hear more how the attack of the models react to the tone. A darker sounding clean tone might not be the best way to kinda check out the tones of the Variax. It's definitely more subtle than amp modeling, but the biggest thing between using different guitars and pick ups, is the attack of your picking sounds through it. Anything before the amp and distortion will affect the attack of your tone, anything after the amp, like EQ, will shape the voice/ overall tone.

Would love one for the studio. For those times you need something for a little part if a song or something like that.

Very interesting 👌🏾

I have a Variax (69s), and its invaluable in a covers band, but I do agree witgh you that its missing the physical attributes of each model, and therefore doesnt effect your playing the way the real things do. From a creative standpoint the tunings are quite inspiring to play with, and I think you'll enjoy that a lot... all in all though, as with most things, horses for courses...

The potential of this guitar is immense, but it feels Line 6 barely care for it which is sad. I remember having the 300 when it came, and I was truly wondered about it. Having a modern take, with modern appointments, would be amazing.

My best tip is; make one preset 100% magnetics, 5 positions, that way when you're on the Variax setting using snapshots, you can have 1 snapshot acoustic and 1 purely magnetic and whatever else you choose ;-) To have a 50/50 blend of magnetic and acoustic is also very cool, but it can't do alternate tunings though....

Somehow I get a stronger signal in my Helix when I use a CAD5 cable instead of jack cable, nothing wrong with that, just something I notice. I changed the singles to DiMarzio HS-2s, just personal preference, I really like the humbucker. I love the neck, it's perfect for my hands. Refretted with EVO Gold 57/110 frets, beautiful. The original frets were too soft and needed a polish every second month or so. I blocked the trem, since it's my main guitar at the moment. The trem is really nice, but nothings perfect. I use a digital whammy in the Helix for 1 octave dives ;-)

Damn good playing.

I got a Variax years ago and I wasn't much impressed. I might get it out of the cupboard and give it another try, hopefully there will be firmware updates which will improve it. It's was actually a not bad strat

The Variax is a cool concept, seemingly well-made instrument and then you add a guitarist that could almost make kite string and a shovel sound good. 👍🏼 I’ve been looking at the Variax guts to install in my old Parker Artist to breathe new life into it.

I had one hated the neck, but the features it has they are excellent, and when you get into a bit of editing, it becomes another feature, for recording its excellent, but I sold it as the neck was not a good one, should have sent it back, but great features and paired up with the helix, it opens up another world, I am considering purchasing a new one in the near future, for recording purposes

Ok. So I have an old man question. The guitar is tuned standard. The effect is changing the tuning. It seems that you would hear and feel the chord actually coming from the guitar naturally and hear the modified tone coming from your speaker. Seems as that would be distracting in real life. Do you just try to ignore the actual sound and vibration coming from the instrument?

Variax user for 19 years. The JTV69 is absolutely perfect for recording and gigging both originals and covers. In fact, I never gig without it. I have absolutely no intention of owning and maintaining all the instruments that are contained within, and THAT is the point of Variax. I’ll never not own decent quality Strats but I’ve no intention of owning acoustic and electric 12 strings etc etc. I actually love the regular pickups too, James Tyler has designed quality pickups. The guitar NEVER goes out of tune. One other thing, the necks are HUGE on JTV 69, that’s actually usually the complaint. Not sure whether Ross Bailey has had that particular one shaved down or if you normally play MASSIVE necks but an Ibanez they are not!

I really wish they would revisit this technology with a magnetic hex pickup. Perhaps still have to piezo for acoustic sounds. I just don't think the piezo works great for electric tones or palm muting. It's still a great song writing tool for trying different tunings.

Hell yeah brother, Freebird!

FWIW, The Acoustic models on an actual acoustic amp sound very good. In fact the sound more like a Mic'ed acoustic, than an acoustic electric plugged in. On a clean guitar amp, they sound just as meh as an actual acoustic guitar on that same amp. I use it for covers with me and my partner/singer at our small dinner and bar gigs and a modeller. Often switch between acoustic, some 12 string and drop d, and yes some different guitar models, one guitar, one modeller, a lot of songs. There is also the virtual capo that is very cool Takes about 30 secs to set the capo electronically, if not doing via the Helix..I prefer my JTV-59, LP analog over my JTV-69S (all single coil real)

Pretty much how I also felt about the Variax! Guitar modeling - Who's it for? On surface, it seems like a great idea for cover gig musicians. But in practice, who really needs to change from a Strat to a LP during a cover gig? You need to set up matching presets to go along with those guitar model changes too... no thanks. Just grab a guitar and cover those songs. Well, I guess modeled acoustics are nice to have... It's not for guitarists who love guitars, cus it doesn't feel right. The physicality isn't there, scale length isn't right, how it sits in your lap, how you rest your right hand doesn't change, etc. And the piezo hex pickup's "plink" is always somewhat in the modeled sound. I guess it's for session players and producers? Sean Halley's Variax demonstrations in the studio are really great. Alternate tunings - this is great. Works great, sounds good, quick and easy. I thought I would use it more, and I wanted to use it more (which is why I kept owning Variax's over the years)... but I just didn't.

i love my tobaccoburst variax standard. Its has everything i ever wanted and more.

I just with the pick gard was a little more traditional. But I would love to have one of these.

Why didn’t you edit the call out?

I had a Shuriken SR250 in Trans black. (Twelve Foot Ninja sig model), it was fun for awhile...then it got passed over to the point of selling it. Like you...I felt it was almost there on so many sounds but something was just missing. Of course it was probably user error. Hahaha

I love the capabilities of the variax, I just can't stand what it looks like. I wish I could add the tech to any guitar of my choosing. Maybe in the future! 🎸😊

Ciao, complimenti per il video, secondo me questo tipo di chitarra ha bisogno di molto tempo per essere usata al meglio,ma mi sembra che i suoni, specialmente quello della Les Paul,siano somiglianti all'originale,e la possibilità di usare accordature alternative sia la cosa più utile.

A semi-hollow variax would get my money quick!

Screw the review. Playing is absolutely stunning.

A super powerful system is the Roland V guitar technology. Just combine a Roland Ready Stratocaster with a Boss GP 10 and you are ready to go. Miles ahead of the Variax

I love my Variax guitar. I think the toned between the real pickups and the modeled are not synced when you change between them. The real pickups seam brighter. If you tweak the tone on the modeled pickups then they are I think just as good, if not better”better “ . I suggest you use your full blown Helix. You can use snapshots and really appreciate the Variax for what it’s worth. I think a lot of players get stuck on their favorite guitars. Maybe Line 6 will sell the electronics so that players can modify their existing guitars. I think the Variax is very under appreciated guitar.

I believe this guitar is an honest attempt to put a swiss army knife in the hands of guitar players...however these kinds of tools always wind up seeming gimmicky to me...well intentioned, high concept gimmicks, but gimmicks nonetheless... the limitation, I'm sure, is mine... Great vid, well done

Sounds like it was glitching out at times. I've always been curious about these for their ability to change tunings on the fly. I think it would be a great writing tool, but then I played one and found it to be uninspiring in the hand.

I have three different Strat models on my Variax and I use them all... I know, it sounds kind of anal and really picky. But there is a definate different for me from the modelled Variax and the James Tyler Spec'd Physical pickups. I also use a version of the Strat model from the old Variax 500 which has a smoother, more bass-ey tone (sort what I think a mahogany strat might sound like). Very useful!

Run the acoustics to FOH and they can fool you. Thru a guitar amp isn’t the same.

It should have been on its own separate platform, very few helix users actually use variax but all pay for it

Tuning stuff is pretty cool. Guitar models, not so much. I got a 500 when they came out. Have a second one now. Find myself not using it. The guitars just don’t sound good enough.

I have much to say but in short; it's my main guitar in my gigging band, the soft frets got annoying, so I got Jescar gold in, problem solved. DiMarzio HS-2's in neck and midde; personal preference (and humcancelling), no hate on the originals. Love the neck. I have a video on all my Workbench/Helix tricks, check it out. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mkVQLd8LVzc.html

When a review about Line6 DT 25 Tube amp?

😂The guitar is amazing, switchable tunings, guitar models, acoustic, sitar, banjo, the acoustics need a PA or active speaker, you can control your helix with the knobs on guitar, for the price people are insane, the guitar world people just want a fender badge etc you can even adjust string volume, you can create new custom tunings its endless yet everyone is knocking the guitar with a medium review, it should be £5000 then people would love it 😅 i love the guitar the basic guitar sounds great, i upgraded the tuners, you can even swap out the neck to a fender strat one for me the software and hardwear are lost on people who dont embrace technology, yes its not a real sounding strat but for what it is, it can sound close enough - its a mulittool not a specialist tool although it sounds great the price is unbeatable, im amazed they achieved this as it works standalone and with helix

DADGAD? Feel like you should pay to have that as a catch phrase. Like Dad gadget. HAHAHA. Before anyone comments to say what DADGAD is eluding to, I know what it stands for. Dance All Day, Guitar All Day. LOL 😆

Wish I could forget that terrible shape of the headstock.

You missed most of the sound of other guitars the 5 way switch also gives you the best 12 string couple of sounds you didnt discover. .your opinions are rubbish . . these James Tyler Guitars made are just the best thing to have in anyone who loves guitar playing

They're junk. I'm so sorry I wasted money buying mine. First, you can't palm mute with high gain or it sounds like wind chimes. Second, when modeling is turned on each string has drastically different volumes so playing a cord you only hear the 2 or 3 loudest strings of the cord and the rest of the strings can barely be heard because they're so quietly soft. Even when played individually some of the strings volume is soft and they sound thin and tinny. At least a cord sounds halfway not bad, double stops sound awful. Especially if you do double stops on a wound string and an unwound string together. You can't hear the unwound string over the other one. It just sounds like a single string being played. The models do sound good on the strings that work and the custom tunings are an awesome concept but with all it's problems the Variax is a useless piece of junk. I would recommend anybody that plays high gain metal to avoid them like the plague. I'm ready to rip all the crap electronics out and install some good pickups in it.

Pass your ig can i listen play all day