NGD: Line 6 Variax 300

[NickS]

Being sold by someone locally, watched it for a couple of weeks and it dropped so I pounced. It's supposed to have some intermittent issues but I haven't noticed anything in the limited time I've had it so far. I've managed to load the Workbench (the installer grumbled about failing to find JRE 1.6 but the latest 32-bit Java appears to be OK). I need to build a power supply injector to power the on-board DSP, currently running on 6x rechargeable 1.5v batteries but I don't know what the life is like. Pics tomorrow, maybe.

Line 6 have just announced end of life for all their Variax kit.

[NickS]

Picture:

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[Bacchus]

Did you have one of these before?

I half thought about it a few years ago.

[NickS]

No, I have an old Squier Strat fitted with a GK-3 pickup and a Roland GR-55. That can also simulate other stringed instruments as well as triggering/controlling two PCM synth sounds.

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[Nick]

Nice, I almost grabbed one from my local store, they've had two for under $300 each in the past year or so - they're stupid fun for the money but all kind of uggo so I passed.

[NickS]

Nice, I almost grabbed one from my local store, they've had two for under $300 each in the past year or so - they're stupid fun for the money but all kind of uggo so I passed.

The Variax 300 is Indonesian made. The neck feels a bit different to my Fenders - different profile, flatter fretboard, semi-matt finish? I think the old strings on it are somewhat heavier than I'm used to and could do with replacing (for the moment I just polished the light tarnish off the plain strings) and also the action's a little bit higher than I'm used to. After playing on it for an hour I'm fairly happy. There may be a bit of switch cleaning to do; I don't think the seller had used it for a bit. The battery pack contacts had suffered from a leaky battery and needed cleaning up. The output crackled a bit at points which I suspect is due to tarnish on the 1/4" socket. These minor issues contributed to a purchase price of £125 including the Variax USB interface, at which point I couldn't resist.

I think I'll build an external power unit (putting 7v power in through the ring on a TRS cable or using a portable 5v power pack and a 5v - 9v converter are both valid approaches) but for the moment I'm using 6x 1.5v Li-ion rechargeables. Not cheap but I had them in house.

There's plenty of scope for investigating if you're technically minded. The RJ45 socket supports a version of MIDI and some kind of SPDIF audio as well as power input; Line 6 used to sell a box to split this all out but it's been unavailable for a couple of years. It would be handy to be able to change models with a MIDI footswitch - someone has put together a Wireless MIDI setup using CMi WIDI.

[Bacchus]

I'd don't think I'd ever get into it, but I'd love to see this idea follow the evolution that modeling and computer processing did.

It feels as though there should be a product that looks like a guitar, but contains loads of guitar models and tunings built in, your pedals and your amps. Straight to desk or USB. And make it footswitchable.

I suppose this sort of does exist, minus the guitar, in things like the Helix etc, where computers sit more comfortably. Guitarists like their guitars.

Still though, a part of me wishes there was a Helix guitar (that I'd never use).

[sunshiner]

Something like this one

[sunshiner]

Just kidding. A bunch of YouTubers all remembered about the Firebird X for some reason recently. Haven't watched the videos but saw them in my feed.

[NickD]

They ended up destroying a load of them. I know they’ve got a face only a mother could love, but it still seems pretty wasteful.

[sunshiner]

Yeah, that was an odd thing to do

[Nick]

Obligatory

[NickS]

Obligatory

Spoilered in my second post

[Nick]

Ah meant the Variax, I only see the GK3 strat

[NickS]

After playing it for a while the guitar model selector started playing up as described by the vendor. The parts list and schematics you can find on the net are for the original (Mk. 1) Variax. That used, I gather, a pot with 12 detent positions so that a particular resistance indicated a particular selector position.

This Variax 300 is a Mk 2 and uses a digital encoder incorporating a momentary push switch, Line 6 part number 24-12-0016, and some resistors.

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The digital encoder is physically limited to 12 positions but is actually a 16-position binary encoder.
It is no longer available from Line 6 or from Fullcompass.com.

It's made by a Korean company, Belton.co.kr, from their BTDS20HPT series. From their data sheet It looks like it's part number BTDS20HPT-116-F25-1. Although Google returns some hits, no current page has it in stock. There are allegedly some global distributors so I'll see if they have any.

In the meantime, I squirted Servisol into any joints in the encoder that I could access, and it hasn't acted up in half an hour's playing.

(Where's Ultra when you need some advice about the Korean electronics market?}

Anyway, the other thing I'm planning is to build a clone of a Line 6 XPS Mini power injector box using one of these stupidly cheap Chinese-made switching power converters that will take any input voltage and output any other voltage.

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[Bacchus]

Good work. Although is it bad that I sort of want the switch/encoder to start acting up again so that we get to see you solve the problem of not being able to get a replacement right off the shelf?

[NickS]

A company in Spain has the Line 6 part on their website so I've placed an order that I confidently expect to be declined

[Bacchus]

Hopefully! I want you to have to lash something together out of bits from a '90s Skybox remote and a disused microwave.

[plopswagon]

¿Que?

[NickS]

Did an quick lash-up for proof-of-concept.

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That's using a 12v centre +ve supply, but I'm thinking of putting in a rectifier bridge so it could be powered by a standard (Boss-style) 9v centre -ve PSU. I might also look for a USB connector so it can be run off a USB charger