Line 6 Variax 500 Review

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Line 6 Variax 500
4.1 stars
Average rating for this product is: 4.1 out of 5

From 2 ratings and 8 reviews

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Blompcube's Review of Line 6 Variax 500 electric guitar

4th Aug 2006

Overall Rating

4.5 stars
  • Value for money
    5 stars
  • Appearance
    4 stars
  • Sound Quality
    5 stars
  • Reviewer's Musical Standard
    Intermediate
Good Points

Comfortable.
Playable.
The variety of classic guitar sounds are very accurate.
Digital modelling works well.


Bad Points

Not the most interesting guitar to look at, but who cares?
The batteries seem to override the foot-switch in this model.


General Comments

When I got my Line 6 Variax 500 electric guitar home, at first I couldn't get it to work, but after much fiddling, it was just that the batteries had run dry while I was playing it in the shop. For some reason when the batteries are in, the guitar tries to use them rather than using the power from the foot-switch. But complaints aside, this is a great guitar, and it is now working perfectly.

I have been spending hours trying each individual guitar sound and comparing it to the sound of the real thing, like the Gretsch Silver Jet compared to the lead guitar in the Beatles "I saw her standing there". These only sounded different, in my opinion, because I was using a high powered Torque amplifier, whereas the Beatles had amps 20+ years older than the one I was using. There are other brilliant sounds on there, some that I don't understand how Line 6 managed to do them. For example, how can you get such a great 12-string sound out of a guitar with 6 strings? It's almost like magic.

Now I've got this guitar I can't put it down until I've shredded my fingers.

Here is a list of models on the guitar, which are controlled by the 3rd Knob and the Selector switch:

T-Model - 3 types of Fender telecaster
Spank - Fender Stratocaster, the 5-way switch works like the pickup switch on a real Strat
Lester - Various Gibson Les Paul models
Special - Gibson LP Junior/Special and Firebird
R-Billy - 2 Gretsch guitars (6120 and Silver Jet)
Chime - Rickenbacker 360 and 360/12
Semi - Gibson ES-335 and Epiphone Casino
Jazzbox - Gibson jazz guitars (ES-175 and Super 400)
Acoustic - Martin D-28 (6 and 12 string models), Martin O-18, Guild F212, Gibson J-200
Reso - Dobro model 32, Coral Sitar, Danelectro 3021, Gibson Mastertone Banjo, National Tricone

In addition there are 2 custom selections on the knob for you to store 5 of your favourite sounds on each. I think this is mainly to make it more practical for performing live with it.

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