Variax is the name of a line of guitars developed and marketed by Line 6. They differ from typical electric and acoustic guitars in that internal electronics process the sound from individual strings to model the sound of specific guitars and other instruments. The maker claims it is the first guitar family that can emulate the tones of other notable electric and acoustic guitars. It also provides a banjo and a sitar tone. The Variax is currently available as an electric guitar, but modeling acoustic guitars and modeling electric bass guitars have been available in the past.
In 2010, Line 6 released three new models of Variax electric guitars, with updated technology and bodies designed by luthier James Tyler.
JTV59 is inspired by the archetypal single-cutaways and features time-tested tonewoods, Tyler-designed PAF-style alnico humbuckers and stoptail bridge.
JTV69 is a classic three-pickup solid-body with alder body, vintage-style Tyler neck and custom tremolo bridge.
JTV89 has a 3-piece maple neck with reverse headstock, 24-fret rosewood fingerboard and Tyler's Fast 'n' Flat neck profile.
Each model comes in a US-made or Korean-made version. The Tyler Variax guitars all come with standard pickups as well as the electronic modeling capabilities, whereas the earlier Variaxes had no magnetic pickups. New models include the Yamaha-designed "Standard" and "Shuriken"
Electronic Models
Models in all Variaxes are based on the following guitars:
The earlier solid body Variax electric guitars made by Line 6 were available in four models:
The original 500 did not have a model number when it came out in 2002, but the manufacturer relabeled it the 500 when they introduced the 700 in 2004. They discontinued the 500 about a year later. It was manufactured in Korea.
The "budget" model 300 came out in 2005, was in limited supply by 2007 and was finally discontinued in early 2009. It was manufactured in Indonesia.
The 600 featured a vibrato bridge and all-maple neck with six-on-a-side tuners. It was manufactured initially in Korea, then China.
The upmarket 700 had a carved top, either a hardtail or vibrato bridge, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. It had three-on-a-side tuners and diamond shaped mother of pearl inlays with an abalone "V" at the 12th fret. It was manufactured in Japan.
The bridge of a Variax electric guitar has an individual piezoelectricpickup for each string. The instrument's electronics converts each of these six signals to a digital signal, and digitally processes each to emulate the selected sound. Since the system processes the strings separately, it can model the effects that one string of a target emulation might cause on another. It can also shift individual string pitches to digitally create alternate tunings instead of pitch-shifting all strings at once. Some enthusiasts have transplanted Variax electronics and hardware into different instruments. These "transplants" can look like almost any popular guitar, yet produce all the Variax emulations.
Variax acoustic guitars
Line 6 marketed four models of Variax acoustic modeling guitars: the 300 Nylon String and 300 Steel String, which allow varying virtualbody size and mic placement—and the more expensive steel stringed, cedar -topped 700, which pitch-shifts individual strings to provide alternate tunings. The 700 emulates over a dozen rare and desirable acoustic instruments, including an acoustic Indian sitar, rather than the Coral electric sitar modeled in the electric Variaxes. Line 6 produced a rare and final model dubbed the 900, of which only 50 were produced and distributed by Line 6. The 900s were made in Japan rather than Korea as the 700s were. The 900s had a solid body with a semi hollow acoustic style facade sound hole, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard was adorned with diamond shaped mother of pearl inlay instead of the cross design the 700s had, it also had an abalone inlay "V" at the 12th fret. The most publicly recognized Variax Acoustic 900 was used by recording artist James Taylor, while singing the American National Anthemat the opening ceremony of the NBA Finals of 2008, as well as an event hosted at Borders Bookstore. Line 6 discontinued the acoustic models in 2010.
Variax bass guitars
Line 6 offered the same technology for electric bass guitars with the 4-string Variax 700 bass and the model 705 5-string bass, but discontinued them in 2007.
Workbench Software
Variax guitars have a Variax Digital Interface port that connects them via an Ethernet cable to compatible hardware like the Line 6 POD amp modelers, or through the Workbench interface via USB to a computer. Note that the guitar cannot be connected directly to the computer but requires a Line 6 USB interface or POD Live / Vetta. Workbench is also the name of the software that lets users customize the electronic models—change body type, change and move pickups, and adjust volume and tone knobs function. Users can create customized models and tunings and then save them back to the guitar.
