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Post by JebusCrebus on Feb 2, 2007 5:27:10 GMT -7
Has anybody seen the new Fender V Start (I think that's what they're callin it) I saw a 5 min demo video from the NAMM Show at my local geetar shop last night. It's like a midi guitar that uses a regular 1/4 inch jack and not the 18 pin din connector.
It has the regular Strat sounds via it standard pickups but the midi pickup creates a whole bunch of new sounds, from a Tele to a resonator, it even does 12 string acoustic and electric sounds. The darn thing will even give you alternate tunings on the fly just with the rotary switch (oh yeah it has 4 knobs on the pick guard).
If I can find the link to the video (some armature home recording looking thing I think) I will post the address. If anybody else already has it please post it for our Z brothers to check it out. It is really pretty cool.
[glow=limegreen,2,300]-J-[/glow]
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Post by billyguitar on Feb 2, 2007 10:29:26 GMT -7
Kind of a Line 6 thing?
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Post by Dr.T on Feb 3, 2007 11:59:14 GMT -7
Monster.
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Post by (8^D) on Feb 3, 2007 12:02:16 GMT -7
Roland synth pup with an integrated module under the p.guard. They've had similar concepts but required outboard processing - this model has the midi tone basics built in.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 3, 2007 13:00:18 GMT -7
My Variax can do all of that, and actually the models are quite good. The only thing is, Line 6 decided to put exactly ONE Strat in there, and ONE Tele, and the rest are all Gibbys and other stuff that I don't particularly care for. And the one Strat they put in there was a model of a '56 they had - a dull, lifeless, ugly sounding Strat that should have been re-pup'd the second it came out of the factory. Just an awful sounding Strat. Well and the guitar is lame too, but it's as good as ANY entry level Korean electric. Why they chose to put such cool electronics in such a lamebrain guitar I don't know. It will be interesting to see how Fender fares with such a design - some of their efforts in this direction have been pretty lame too, but the Cyber Twin was a rare exception, giving hope!
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Post by billyguitar on Feb 3, 2007 15:02:17 GMT -7
The cheap Line 6s are $299 now! Cheap but I don't have a use for it.
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Post by skydog958 on Feb 3, 2007 21:20:38 GMT -7
I'd only get the Variax for the sitar sounds--far out!
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Post by nitehawk55 on Feb 4, 2007 6:49:52 GMT -7
I've had these amps and the like with all the bells and whistles and found they did not sound right and/or you spent more time fiddlin then playing .
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Post by mudskipper on Feb 4, 2007 8:34:49 GMT -7
I'd only get the Variax for the sitar sounds--far out! well, i can tell you that it's nothing to write home about. i think i'd rather use one of them Rougue copy. all Variax models have a strange freq spike at around 2k which makes all guitars to have a bit of high nasal sound. unless you EQ this out somehow, they sound on the p00py side. Teles sound the worst of the bunch and you only have a couple of variations (Thinline or 'regular' i think). the default pot values on these are 1meg, so they sound pretty sicepicky out of the box. Strat sounds pretty sterile but very serviceable (to me) but i don't expect much from Strats, so you can say that i'm the wrong person to ask about anything Strats. acoustic sounds are serviceable with generous amount of EQing and alternate tuning stuff is convenient. these are the reasons that i got one. i hope Fender's version is better..... PS: a lot of Variax seems suffer from crappy piezo elements. mines are a little flaky, too.
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Post by mudskipper on Feb 4, 2007 8:37:02 GMT -7
Just found this:
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 4, 2007 9:49:25 GMT -7
I'd only get the Variax for the sitar sounds--far out! well, i can tell you that it's nothing to write home about. i think i'd rather use one of them Rougue copy. all Variax models have a strange freq spike at around 2k which makes all guitars to have a bit of high nasal sound. unless you EQ this out somehow, they sound on the p00py side. Teles sound the worst of the bunch and you only have a couple of variations (Thinline or 'regular' i think). the default pot values on these are 1meg, so they sound pretty sicepicky out of the box. Strat sounds pretty sterile but very serviceable (to me) but i don't expect much from Strats, so you can say that i'm the wrong person to ask about anything Strats. acoustic sounds are serviceable with generous amount of EQing and alternate tuning stuff is convenient. these are the reasons that i got one. i hope Fender's version is better..... PS: a lot of Variax seems suffer from crappy piezo elements. mines are a little flaky, too. Wow, that's fascinating. I thought the Tele and the '59 Les Paul were the two best sounds in my Variax. I never heard that 2K peak either - used mine live a number of times and always got comments about that weird guitar that sounds so great. In the end I couldn't stand playing the crappy guitar when I had a Grosh sitting on the next stand, but the sounds are very serviceable on mine.
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Post by billyguitar on Feb 4, 2007 9:56:21 GMT -7
That's the only Strat that's ever interested me! I've heard the Roland system demonstrated at several vintage guitar shows and it always sounds great. They usually demonstrate it with a pickupless guitar and it's very convincing. Much better than the Variax.
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Post by JebusCrebus on Feb 4, 2007 11:37:01 GMT -7
Thanks MudSkipper thats the demo I saw at the local shop I hang out at. I thought it sounded pretty cool since it was packaged in a USA Standard Strat (if they are successful I bet they would do it to a Tele as well). The guys at my shop just opened a brand new store and the grand opening is a t the end of the month they are hoping to have one of these in stock for it. If they do I may get a chance to check it out pretty soon, if so I will post any comments I may have after the test drive. I think they are quoting a $2500.00 Canadian list price for these guys, around $2000 out the door. I tried the Variax when it first arrived in my area and was not impressed with it at all. I found it a very cheap guitar that didn't play very well and the sounds were not all that inspiring to me (This is only my opinion!) they may be making them much better now I've never gone back to check. No offense to any one who owns one, it just was not something I found to be very useful to me. -J-
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 4, 2007 12:43:57 GMT -7
Thanks MudSkipper thats the demo I saw at the local shop I hang out at. I thought it sounded pretty cool since it was packaged in a USA Standard Strat (if they are successful I bet they would do it to a Tele as well). The guys at my shop just opened a brand new store and the grand opening is a t the end of the month they are hoping to have one of these in stock for it. If they do I may get a chance to check it out pretty soon, if so I will post any comments I may have after the test drive. I think they are quoting a $2500.00 Canadian list price for these guys, around $2000 out the door. I tried the Variax when it first arrived in my area and was not impressed with it at all. I found it a very cheap guitar that didn't play very well and the sounds were not all that inspiring to me (This is only my opinion!) they may be making them much better now I've never gone back to check. No offense to any one who owns one, it just was not something I found to be very useful to me. -J- So many people had the same comments that Warmoth now makes several bodies you can use to transplant your Variax electronics into so you can have a real guitar. I've actually considered it, but I'm getting such great sounds right now, I can't figure out why I would want to spend all that energy.
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Post by skydog958 on Feb 4, 2007 20:22:27 GMT -7
The Fender sounded really cool, even for a purist like me. I love DADGAD tuning by the way.
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