LINE 6 VARIAX 300 ELECTRIC GUITAR REVIEW
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- Absolutely astonishing Line 6 Variax 300 review. These guitars are not novelty toys, they actually do the business and the available guitar models, of which there are many, sound exactly as they should. Well worth a watch.
Really enjoyed your video. I’ve just picked one up today...can you believe, a fella was giving it away on my local Facebook group. I’ve yet to try it out but found your video very encouraging.
Thank you :-) If you want to see what they'll do in the hands of a real pro, check out - line6 Variax 300 modeller guitar by Tuneable Record SDN BHD. She's truly awesome :-)
I have the 700 model. Bloody amazing guitars and super playable. No idea expenses spared with these models
I love using this for recording. The acoustic sounds are sooooooo good and they're so easy to play. I can't get along with a regular 12 string because I don't have Popeye strength. Kudos for the 700 :-)
When these came out there were a lot of knee-jerk, "not made in the US = bad" and "doesn't sound like a Les Paul" etc reviews. They were therefore snubbed as not being well made or sounding "authentic". By now most of us know what to expect from modelling, which is not for it to sound like the real thing but to get close-ish.
The point about the Variax 300 is it's a very well put together, highly playable instrument with an awful lot of tonal variation, that is 10 times more tonal variation that you'll ever get from coil taps and pickup switching. It's a really terrific guitar with a handful of known limitations.
The main negative is that it sounds fizzy: you can always hear that the underlying sound is piezo electric if you listen hard. This is not a big problem on the acoustic settings because most electro-acoustics use piezo pickups and have a similar issue.
Then there are a couple of design issues in that the lid to the battery pack unscrews and doesn't click neatly into place. If you were gigging with this and your batteries went flat it would take a couple of minutes to reload. I can't see that there could have been a much better solution where a spare cassette of batteries could be waiting and a quick change could have been arranged. Maybe the later models were better? And I have a bugbear with leads sticking out of my guitar - I like 90-degree plugs at the guitar end so they swivel if they get hit on something, rather than what is essentially a lever sticking out of the gubbings. It's quite hard to find right angle stereo leads, and the second plug for the computer connexion gets in the way of the swivel. I feel the ergonomics of the electronics were an afterthought on the 300 (I haven't played the other models) and maybe they had to rush it to market after the otherwise amazing design and development of this guitar, which was revolutionary in its day.
It's not, as one commenter asked, a guitar to replace all other guitars, but it's a terrific all-rounder for space saving and affordable tone choices when gigging, and a great fun thing for home use.
Yes, I agree with every point you make here. In the real world, we have to accept that any guitar of this nature will be a compromise at some point but it really is a jolly good all-rounder. I use mine mostly for recording the twelve string effect. The battery issue is a real bugbear. For a start, you'll only get an hour or so from a fresh set of Duracells so if you're gigging the best thing is to use the transformer and then, as you quite rightly say, there's a nest of vipers at your feet. All in all, I can't find anything else that replaces it for quality, ease of use but more importantly, the looks! What a delicious looking guitar. The lines are so clean and the body is uncluttered by pickups. Very sexy :-)
@@FoxysGuitarShow You need to buy an XPS-AB. It works flawlessly as a power source for the original guitar as long as you have a stereo cable at both the guitar and the pedal end. If you have that and the power to the pedal you have power to your variax300 and you can remove your battery pack completely.
🙂
I bought a variax-300 with some reticence about keeping it in power. Once I did some research it became apparent this solution worked. I don't know if this was meant for a later guitar but it does work perfectly for the Variax300.
Awesome easy to play guitar with crazy variance of tone and pitch.
Fantastic guitar with real novel tones.
Luv and Peace.
I love that 12 string sound
Thanks cuzz, I'm pretty sure you'll hear it on one of your own productions :-)
Mine is a very good guitar but a very boring tobacco burst.
I'd have rather had yours.
If you ever want a swap hit me up.
I does work perfectly both on battery and I bought a Line 6 power unit and that works perfectly.
It wasn't designed for the Variax 300 but it works fine with it.
I just bought an old Pod HD500 for stupid low money : 120gbp.
It has a digital connection I can't wait to try.
I really enjoyed your video and the following one about the next variax.
Thanks and if you ever need someone else to chat shit about the Variax hit me up on here, I'm subscribed and watching for content.
Luv and Peace.
Hi Ian and thanks :-) I mostly use it these days for acoustic guitar recordings - 6 and 12 string. I just had a look at the pods and they're frequently changing hands for the mid two hundreds so you got a deal there! The 300 is a beautiful model with clean lines and an uncluttered front elevation. Peace and love indeed! Cheers, Gary :-)
Never seen anything like that before Roxy very technical I'll keep too my les paul and marshall great video as usual mate keep up the amazing work 👍👍👍👍
cussy180 hahaha!! I'm keeping my guitars and amps but these are pretty nice. Maybe it's worth having just for the sitar and 12 strings
Thank you :-) More weird and wonderful things on the way including a vinyl wrap Tele :-) Kind regards
Thanks for posting this. I have often wondered about these but never bothered to look up any videos here. I have a lot of guitars however, so it's overkill sort of. But it's still super cool. I love those 12 string sounds and the sitar. And it probably interfaces with garage band too(which I have recently been exploring on my MacBook, 2 and 3 track recording). Okay I think I should get one. Great review and personal opinions too!
Thanks Jonathan, that's much appreciated. Don't forget, there's no such thing as 'too many guitars' and the 12 string sounds are killer :-) Kind regards
I accidentally bought one as I walked into a music store to buy a replacement acoustic zoom pedal. I heard one many years ago and was impressed with the variety of guitar model sounds. If you want to get the sounds direct into a computer you will need a USB interface for a cat5 data cable. I searched the internet for converter options and a new Yamaha one (They bought the company) was quite expensive for what it was and the interwobble advice was to pick up an old line 6 pedal board which had the cat5 i/p. I managed to get an XT Live for about £80 on ebay. I needed to collect it in person as the thing is sheet steel and built like a tank. So now I have a board that I can use the guitar with a cat5 cable so no need for batteries or power adapter. I have all the guitar sounds plus the amplifier models on the XT Live and the ability to change guitar models from the pedal board,,,, plus you can download the software from Line6 for a PC to enable you to create virtual guitars like a telecaster body with p90 pickups and make your own tunings.
I am very, very thankful I found your channel. Subscribed!
Thanks for the sub and the kind words, it's much appreciated. More of the weird and wonderful on the way :-) Kind regards
what a great guitar to have Roxy , keep up the good work great videos
Thanks for the kind words Stuart, more of the weird and wonderful on the way :-) Kind regards
I have that exact model you're demonstrating.. Works and plays great!! Just wish I could edit it. Been years since we we're able to edit them on a Mac.
Hi there Mattrixx :-) Ahh, edit on a Mac - I wouldn't now where to start. My favourite things about these are the acoustics and 12 strings and just the way they look! Classic design. Cheers :-)
@@FoxysGuitarShow hey, thanks so much for getting back. I'm thinking of getting a cheap windows laptop, to make some edits. Do you recommend anything? ie What's the best version of Windows and Line Monkey etc, to use with the 300's. Cheers, have a great day!!
I really enjoy your vids
Thanks Simon :-) More guitar tomfoolery on the way this this weekend...although it'll have to be squeezed in between MotoGP events :-)
I enjoyed your video. I have one of these that I picked up a few years ago. Good guitar in my opinion and fun.
These are great and certainly one of those guitars you can trash a weekend with just going through all the varieties of sounds! Kind regards :-)
Brilliant Honest review 🎸
Thanks and your kind comment is really appreciated :-) Normally after a review I move them on but I honestly can't find anything else to replace this. Fabulous for recording with, especially with the acoustic sounds :-)
nice rivew, but why dont you play switch from the guitar to make different of each sound
I would have loved to have gone through all of the different sounds but it would have taken me days. However, there's a really cool UA-cam video that goes through way more than me and it's called line6 Variax 300 modeller guitar by Tuneable Record SDN BHD. It's a young lady doing the demo and she's awesome. Well worth a look :-)
5:30. Do you have a link to that lady?
(Would you consider this as an “only guitar“?)
Ah well, I could never realistically advocate one and only one guitar for a variety of reasons :-) The UA-cam title for that lady is "line6 variax 300 modeler guitar" and the channel is called "Tunable Record Sdn Bhd". Both of those descriptions are exactly as I see them on the Tube. She is sooooooo impressive - enjoy :-) Kind regards
You're probably right with Yamaha with assisting Line 6 since theyre a subsidiary of Yamaha.
I know I'm probably a little late in asking this but, do you still own this? What kind of models do you think sound good on this?
Hi there your lordship :-) Yes I still own it; it's one of the recording instruments I'd really struggle to live without. I use it mostly for the acoustic/12 string sounds but to be fair to the guitar it plays brilliantly and it's pretty good at everything. Wish it had a whammy bar though. Cheers :-)
@@FoxysGuitarShow That's cool to hear! The acoustic sounds are pretty cool sounding and I'll be honest I've been tempted by this.
All a bit too gimmicky for me, but sounded surprisingly good,
Hi Michael, I know exactly what you mean and I'm pretty analogue myself TBH. However, if one requires a variety of guitar sounds, this ticks many boxes - especially the 12 string :-) Kind regards
computers they are coming out with those on the future! lol
Didn't want one of these but now I've got it I'm wondering how on earth I managed without one!
Talk too much.
Hahahahahaha, hi Edmond :-) I've been accused of this all my life - can't see it changing now :-)