Line 6 Variax 500 Review

Overall Rating

Not much. It does not take time before you wanna bin it. SOUND WORKS!

The pickups are rubbish: they are weak and are badly placed. The top strings fuzz when played. The knobs fall off and the switch hardly works. The frets are randomly spread and the head is not inline with strings, causing breakage easily.

Line6 Variax 500 - Personally, I think that if you like this guitar then you don't know guitaring. I mean, I play a PRS so I would know.

Members' Comments onmaxmax's Review

• AxeMan2000 on 14th Nov 2004

  I'm not sure that this reviewer has ever been near a Variax, it doesnt have conventional pickups as the they are modelled in the software algorithms for each of the instruments it recreates and therefore can't have been badly placed, the strings don't fuzz?? And the knobs are of very high quality.

• clansfolk on 2nd Jan 2005

  I agree comments are not in line with someone who has seen let alone played a Variax - not worth the time reading the comments.

• martinman on 8th Apr 2005

  If you cannot make this guitar sound good you should not be looking at a PRS let alone playing one. A bad workman......

• abarker on 23rd Apr 2005

  Wow, you're right, having a PRS automatically makes you a guitar expert. You're so wise, PRS man.

• clansfolk on 25th Apr 2005

  Why has this review not been put in "The Bin" where it belongs, it was obviously written by someone who has not seen heard or played a Variax. (If any guitar at all!).

• crinkelcut chip on 12th May 2005

  It doesn't have pickups, the frets are perfect, the body is really well made, it feels extreemly real like to any of it models.
  everything about this guitar has been carefuly worked out, great guitar.

• varyaxeboy on 28th Jun 2005

  Sounds to me like this is an ex employee,probably sacked for sitting on his behind or punted because the technology was just to much for him........I have a 500 and it sounds amazing.Why has he made no comment on the robust footpedal,the quality leads or excellent giig bag......very sinister.

• siziemm on 7th Jun 2006

  I have had a variax 500 for a couple of months now and I find it a real joy to play - can't really understand Maxman's comments, as they seem unfounded and, quite frankly, untrue. Brilliant fun, and if paired up with an amp with its own effects (I bought a Roland Micro Cube), then I think you will have years of tinkering and aural gratification to look forward to. Also, there still seem to be a few new ones around at about a third of their original cost. If you find one of these snap it up! Maxman, I'm afraid it is hard to comment on your ill-informed review without resorting to offensive language. I hope that, by now, you have learnt the basics of a guitar ie. what a pick-up is, what head alignement is and what makes a variax 500 different, before again attempting to comment on one (or anything else guitar-related for that matter).

• Blompcube on 27th Jul 2006

  i don't know what guitar maxmax is reviewing here but it's certainly not a variax. having played one (not actually plugged in, unplugged...) i know that the playing feel is great, the frets are not randomly spaced (who ever heard of a guitar built like that? not even hondo (sorry if you happen to have a hondo) make guitars that badly), the knobs don't break easily, and the pickups are badly placed??? what pickups? there are no pickups to place badly, so there's no problems there.