Variaxocaster
- Thread starter Stonker
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line6man
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Stonker said:
I've seen people fool around with that sort of thing, but it isn't a very good idea, unless you do it right. Those guitars rely on piezo elements in each bridge saddle, and each string has its own input. If you were to put the system in some housing external to the guitar, you would be faced with the problem of getting the six signals to that external housing. Why is it a problem?...
Firstly, you would need to deal with choosing a non-standard cable system. I would recommend using the ethercon connectors that those guitars use for the VDI interface. You could also choose a Roland GK interface cable/connector, if you want. (Just make sure you're happy with the reliability of the interface you choose. I am assuming that you want it to be gigworthy.)
Secondly, you would need to deal with the fact that the piezo elements have a very high output impedance. If you connect the piezos directly to the cable, the parasitic capacitance of the cable will create a filter that will cause you to lose a lot of low frequencies. If you are familiar with traditional piezo-based guitars, buffering is an absolute must for decent tone. The same physics apply here, even though you're driving a digital modelling system. If you want the guitar to sound good, you need to buffer each piezo element before its signal hits the instrument cable.
Thirdly, you would need a piezo buffer with individual outputs. Most commercially available buffers will take many piezo inputs and sum them to a single output, because most guitars have a single output. I am not sure if anyone makes a piezo buffer with independent outputs, so you may need to build one yourself.
Fourthly, (and this may or may not be a consideration to you), if you build your own buffer, you may need a fair bit of cavity space to house it on your guitar. If you do it on protoboard, the pcb will be a bit large. I would do three buffers on one pcb and three on a second pcb, and stack them up, to save space. Alternatively, if you really want to go all out with the project, design a pcb with software, and pack the components closely together. There are companies that will manufacture pcb boards from your design, if you send them the file. Expect to spend $50-$100 on the pcb board, if you do this.
Mmm, OK. I've worked in telecoms all my life so I did wonder about the first couple of issues (and did wonder if I would be able to use a GK cable). Maybe I'm better off looking for a used one.
I don't know why Warmoth stopped doing the variax routing, just lack of demand I guess?
As I said, I do have a Chris George Variax that I'm more than happy with. I just fancy doing a Warmoth guitar and have a spare Variax 500 lying around. Maybe, I'll consider something different.....at least for a first project
I don't know why Warmoth stopped doing the variax routing, just lack of demand I guess?
As I said, I do have a Chris George Variax that I'm more than happy with. I just fancy doing a Warmoth guitar and have a spare Variax 500 lying around. Maybe, I'll consider something different.....at least for a first project
TonyFlyingSquirrel
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Not one order for one the entire year that I worked there. They likely never made back the money spent in labor investing into the option in the first place.
bagman67
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They probably had a licensing agreement with Line 6 that permitted them to cut bodies to accommodate the Variax guts. When that agreement expired (possibly around the time Line6 started relying on James Tyler to make its axes), W. would likely have been obligated to return or destroy any of Line 6's intellectual property, including CNC programs for cutting the bodies -- or at the very least, to refrain from offering for sale any products that embodied Line 6 designs.
TonyFlyingSquirrel said:
Must not have worked there in 2012, that's when I bought my Tele body. Probably the easiest W build I ever did, everything transferred over from my Variax 500 perfectly. Hmmm, if they're not making them anymore, wonder if I could sell mine for a premium.
Two issues of putting it into a regular body are...cramming everything into the control cavity and enlarging the output jack to fit the Variax output panel. If you're not going to use the POD output, you could forget that and use the regular jack with no body modifications.
Perhaps a top-rout Strat with universal pick-up rout would do the trick. That would provide plenty of room for the circuit board and you'd only need to extend some wires. If splicing or replacing a dozen or more wires doesn't scare you, that could be an option. And don't forget to add the battery box option
Basically, decide if you're better at woodworking or electronics
Perhaps a top-rout Strat with universal pick-up rout would do the trick. That would provide plenty of room for the circuit board and you'd only need to extend some wires. If splicing or replacing a dozen or more wires doesn't scare you, that could be an option. And don't forget to add the battery box option
Basically, decide if you're better at woodworking or electronics
