Line 6 Variax 300 User Manual

Pilot’s Handbook

40-00-0064 Electrophonic Limited Edition available @ www.line6.com Rev A

Before using your Variax you should read these Important
Safety Instructions. Keep these instructions in a safe place.

1. Obey all warnings in this Pilot’s Handbook.

2. Do not place near heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, or appliances which produce heat.

3. Guard against objects or liquids.

4. Power the XPS Mini only with the included Power Supply or equivalent.

5.  Connect the Power Supply only to AC power outlets rated 100-120V or 230V 47-63Hz (depending on the voltage range of the included
power supply).

6. Do not step on power cords. Do not place items on top of power cords so that they are pinched or leaned on. 

7. Unplug your Variax and XPS Mini when not in use for extended periods of time.

8. Do not perform service operations beyond those described in the Variax Pilot’s Handbook. Repairs and service operations beyond the
scope of those in the Pilot’s Handbook should be performed only by qualified service personnel.

9. Prolonged listening at high volume levels may cause irreparable hearing loss and/or damage. Always be sure to practice “safe listening.”

XPS Mini, Power Supply, TRS Cable, Bridge Saddle Wrench, Truss Rod Wrench

WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock,

do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

CAUTION: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to

Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Your Variax should include these accessories:

CAUTION: No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer

servicing to qualified service personnel.

Please Note:

Line 6, Variax, POD, and the Line 6 and Variax logo are trademarks of Line 6,
Inc. All other product names, trademarks, and artists’ names are the property
of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with
Line 6. Product names, images, and artists’ names are used solely to identify
the products whose tones and sounds were studied during Line 6’s sound model
development for this product. The use of these products, trademarks, images,
and artists’ names does not imply any cooperation or endorsement.

Table of Contents

Welcome to Variax ................................. 1–2

Basic Operations ......................................... 3-4

Connections
Battery Power
XPS Mini Power

Controls .................................................... 5-8

Controls
Build a Custom Guitar
Contents of Custom Knob Positions

The Guitars of Variax ........................... 10-20

General Notes About the Models
Pickup Numbering
Model Descriptions

Care and Maintenance ........................ 21-22

Neck Relief Adjustment
Intonation Adjustment
Action Adjustment

Customer Service ..................................... 24

Warranty Information .............................. 25

Welcome to Variax

Thanks for buying a Variax and joining us in our
quest to apply the miracle of modern technology to
the pursuit of great guitar tone. You now own detailed
models of some of the most distinctive electric and
acoustic guitars of all time—all wrapped up in a
single comfortable and highly-playable instrument
with a style all its own.

How does it work?

How do we get all of these sounds in a guitar that
doesn't even have any visible pickups? We use piezo
bridge pickups to capture each individual string’s
vibrations, and process the signals through software
algorithms that capture the physical and electronic
properties of the guitars that we've modeled.

This process dynamically alters Variax’s own natural
string vibrations to match the modeled instrument's
unique tonal characteristics. That means there’s no
delay caused by having to detect a pitch and turn
it into a MIDI note, and there’s also no issue with
tracking bends, hammer-on's, pull-off's, slides or
any other techniques that are a part of your style.
Plus, since Variax delivers its uncannily accurate
sounds without the use of traditional magnetic
pickups, it isn't susceptible to hum from fluorescent
lights or computer monitors.

1

How did we manage to capture the tonal souls of
all these classic guitars and spirit them into your
Variax? We’re glad you asked.…

The Dream...

A couple of years before Variax was born, we turned
our attention from the PODs, amps, and effects that
we had been developing to take a fresh look at the
guitar itself. Like all guitarists, we were intimately
familiar with the unique pleasures that come from
various instruments, and the great tonal variety that
the world of electric and acoustic guitars has to offer.
We wondered—could it be possible to capture a
complete range of this tone in a single instrument?
It was a daunting task, but then so was the idea of
squeezing a whole collection of amps and effects
into one little kidney bean shaped metal box. So
we figured, why not give it a go?

What, we asked ourselves, might this marvel do?
Well, for one thing, how about giving you access to
an unprecedented number of certified classic sounds?
How about letting you change from the sound of a
50’s solidbody to the sound of a 60’s electric 12­string as easily as using a pickup selector switch?
How about the round, smoky tone of a hollowbody

archtop or the full-bodied resonance of a
dreadnought acoustic? How about the raspy growl
of a resonator, or the buzzing drone of a sitar?

The Journey

We knew our sounds would have to be amazingly
accurate to meet the needs of discriminating
guitarists, so we began an intensive research project
into guitar physics. Like Frankenstein’s lab, our own
R&D facility became the site of round-the-clock
investigations of the mysterious secrets of guitars’
life force. We systematically examined every factor
that contributes to each guitar’s tone, and developed
ways to measure the complex interactions of
vibrating strings, resonant bodies, and magnetic
pickups. Equally important, we developed ways to
capture these interactions mathematically so we
could get the same sounds from our own guitar-in­the-making.

Of course, a guitar that delivers such a vast array of
tones really needs a look all it’s own, so we started
developing the look and feel of a guitar that could
be used in any musical endeavor. We combined our
innovative guitar modeling technology with a
deceptively simple control layout and a comfortable,
balanced body inspired by the best aspects of many
of the guitars we had chosen to model.

With the body and brain of the Variax completed,
it was time for us to create the soul. We auditioned
a drool-inducing array of vintage instruments to
find the ones with the most distinctive voices and
personalities. We applied our painstaking measuring
techniques to these specimens, and refined our
models while constantly referring back to the
originals for accuracy. When each model reached
the point of not only sounding like the original, but
also being as much fun to play, it was done.

As we refined our measuring and modeling
techniques, we perfected a new, powerful hardware
platform that could deliver our astoundingly accurate
sounds. With the ability to switch sounds in the
fraction of a second that it takes to slap a pickup
selector switch to the next position. With less noise
than a standard humbucker. That could be powered
in a variety of ways. And, most importantly, that
performs so flawlessly that you can forget it’s even
there.

The result of our labors? Variax. An entire guitar
collection in a single instrument.

2

Basic Operations

Connections

You may have already noticed that the Variax has
two output connectors: a familiar 1/4-inch jack and
a second “mystery” jack protected by a rubber cap.
This “mystery” connector will be the way you will
add future upgrades and additional capabilities to
your Variax, but all of the operations described in
this manual will use the 1/4-inch output.

Battery Power

Of course, the electronics of the Variax will need
power, so you’ll have to install six AA cells in the
on-board battery compartment. If you use fresh
alkalines, you should get approximately 10-12 hours
of operation.

The battery will only be used when a mono cable
is connected – the standard cable you’d use for a
guitar. For longest battery life, always unplug your
Variax when not in use.

Guitar Cable to Amp

The simplest way to use the Variax is to connect it
directly to your amplifier (or stompboxes) with a
standard mono guitar cable.

3

NOTE: If you find yourself at a gig with no AA

cells, you can unclip the plastic battery holder from
the connector and substitute an ordinary 9V battery.
This is only an “emergency” alternative, though,
and the battery will only last 1 to 2 hours

XPS Power

We realize that constantly changing batteries can
be a real drag, so we included a more convenient
option—the unobtrusive yet capable XPS Mini.

To Power Supply

To Amp

Tip

Ring

To Variax

Sleeve

Powering your Variax with the XPS is easy. Use the
included TRS cable (meaning “tip-ring-sleeve” or
also simply known as a “stereo” cable) to connect
the Variax to the INPUT jack of the XPS. Connect
the power supply to the XPS POWER jack, and
use a standard mono guitar cable to connect the
XPS’s 1/4" OUTPUT to your amp or effects.

Mono Cable

TRS Cable

NOTE: If you have batteries installed in your Variax,

they will be bypassed when using your XPS. If the
guitar is connected to the XPS and the XPS power
is disconnected, any batteries installed in the Variax
will be drained.

Cable Specifications

If you happen to lose the Custom Cable supplied
with your Variax, you can obtain a replacement
from the Line 6 online store. You can also simply
use any high-quality TRS cable up to 20 feet.

4

Controls

Let’s start simple, and work up to the fancy stuff:

The Volume Knob, appropriately enough, controls
the volume. You may notice that the taper (how
fast you go from minimum to medium to maximum),
as well as the volume control’s effect on tone, will
be slightly different for various models. For electric­based models, volume response and tone interaction
duplicate the experience of the modeled
instrument—maximizing model authenticity. For
acoustic models, the Volume is simply a level control.

The Tone Knob controls—you guessed it!—the
tone. As with the Volume, the response of this
control varies to match the modeled electric
instruments. If you’ve spent much time recording
acoustic instruments, you’ve probably discovered
the kind of tonal variations possible by simply
altering microphone position. For the ACOUSTIC
and RESO models, the tone control gives you the
same kind of variations.

When you get to the Model Select Knob, things
start to get really interesting. Ten of its positions
each offer 5 distinct sounds (representing one, two
or even five different guitars), accessed by the Pickup

5

Selector. For specifics on the models and variations
available, see “The Guitars of Variax”.

The other two positions of the Model Select Knob
— Custom 1 and Custom 2 save and recall your
own custom setups. For the secrets of the Custom
positions, see “Build a Custom Guitar”.

The Pickup Selector will work exactly as you
expect it to on the electric models. In a three pickup
model, like SPANK, all five positions will duplicate
those on the modeled instrument. In more common
two pickup models, positions 1, 3, and 5 will give
you the characteristic sounds for those instruments
— bridge pickup only, both pickups, and neck pickup
only. The “in-between” positions (2 and 4) usually
offer sounds from related guitars. After all, who can
have enough variety?

When it comes to the acoustic models, the Pickup
Selector offers 5 distinct instrument sounds, all a
switch-flick away! The individual model descriptions
in “The Guitars of Variax” section get down and
dirty with the details.