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.”
Your Variax should include these accessories:
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: No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel.
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.
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 |
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Welcome to Variax ................................. |
1–2 |
Basic Operations ......................................... |
3-4 |
Connections |
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Battery Power |
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XPS Mini Power |
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Controls .................................................... |
5-8 |
Controls |
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Build a Custom Guitar |
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Contents of Custom Knob Positions |
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The Guitars of Variax ........................... |
10-20 |
General Notes About the Models |
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Pickup Numbering |
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Model Descriptions |
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Care and Maintenance ........................ |
21-22 |
Neck Relief Adjustment |
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Intonation Adjustment |
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Action Adjustment |
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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.
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This process dynamically alters Variax’s own natural |
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string vibrations to match the modeled instrument's |
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unique tonal characteristics. That means there’s no |
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delay caused by having to detect a pitch and turn |
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it into a MIDI note, and there’s also no issue with |
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tracking bends, hammer-on's, pull-off's, slides or |
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any other techniques that are a part of your style. |
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Plus, since Variax delivers its uncannily accurate |
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sounds without the use of traditional magnetic |
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pickups, it isn't susceptible to hum from fluorescent |
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lights or computer monitors. |
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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-in- the-making.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
3
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 |
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To Amp |
To Variax |
Tip |
Sleeve |
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Ring |
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.
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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
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.
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