Line 6 Variax 500, Variax 700 User Manual

Pilot’s Handbook

40-00-0007 Electrophonic Limited Edition Rev B

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 Footswitch only with the included PX-2 Power Supply or equivalent.

5. Connect the PX-2 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 Footswitch 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.”

Gigbag, XPS Footswitch, PX-2 Power Supply, TRS Cable, 1.5mm Allen wrench, 4mm Allen 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, Vetta 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......................................... 3-6

Connections
Battery Power
XPS Footswitch Power
XPS Footswitch Direct Out

Controls.................................................. 7-10

Controls
Build a Custom Guitar
Contents of Custom Knob Positions

The Guitars of Variax...........................12-22

General Notes About the Models
Pickup Numbering
Model Descriptions

Care and Maintenance ........................ 23-24

Neck Relief Adjustment
Intonation Adjustment
Action Adjustment

Customer Service..................................... 26

Warranty Information..............................27

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 one 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.

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

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 12 hours of
continuous 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, as
the battery will only last 1 to 2 hours

XPS Footswitch Power

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

PX-2 Power Supply

Mono Cable

XLR

1/4”

POWER

Tip

To VariaxTo Amp

Sleeve

Ring

Powering your Variax with the XPS Footswitch is
easy. Use the included TRS cable (meaning “tip­ring-sleeve” or also simply known as a “stereo” cable)
to connect the Variax to the INPUT jack of the
XPS Footswitch. Connect the PX-2 power supply
to the XPS Footswitch POWER jack, and use a
standard mono guitar cable to connect the XPS
Footswitch’s 1/4" OUTPUT to your amp or effects.

POWER

XLR

1/4”

TRS Cable

NOTE: If you have batteries installed in your Variax,

they will be bypassed when using your XPS
Footswitch. 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 Line 6 Customer Service (see page 24 of the
Pilot's Handbook for contact information). You
can also simply use any high-quality TRS cable up
to 18 feet.

4

XPS Footswitch Direct Out

But wait—there’s more: Not content to merely
provide power to the Variax, the eager to please
XPS Footswitch also functions as a combination
A/B switch and direct box.

Why, you ask? Well, the detailed acoustic models
of the Variax may lack something when played
through an electric guitar amplifier, because these
guitar amps don’t have the extended high frequency
range of, say, an acoustic guitar amp with a tweeter,
or a PA system. To insure that you get that all­important high end shimmer from your acoustic
sounds, here’s the drill:

Connect your guitar cable from the XPS 1/4"
OUTPUT jack to your amp and/or stompboxes.
Connect the (balanced, +4 dBu compatible) XLR
OUTPUT of your XPS to your PA system or
acoustic amplifier with a standard mic cable.

When the 1/4" indicator light is lit on your XPS
Footswitch, you’ve got your guitar routed to your
standard amp. Jump on the switch to light the XLR
indicator light, and your signal will now be routed
to the XLR OUTPUT, bathing you in the tonal
glory of full frequency range sound!

XLR Hum and A/B Switching

The XLR output of the XPS is designed to connect
to the balanced inputs that are typical on good
quality mixers and recording systems. Connecting
the XLR output to a device with an un-balanced
input may cause hum on that device when the XPS
1/4-inch output is selected. You may be able to use
an XLR to 1/4-inch in-line transformer (the kind
that does impedance matching as well as adapting
the connectors) to eliminate the hum. Better yet,
if you find that you want to be able to send your
Variax's output to two separate, un-balanced devices
with 1/4-inch inputs (like guitar amps, say) we
recommend the use an of ordinary A/B switch
connected to the 1/4-inch output of the XPS.

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