jerjabs
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Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
Ok...Ok...I know that there are many "purists" out there that think that using a modeling guitar in their recordings is like inviting the antichrist over for Christmas dinner. I get this. But, I just bought a new condition Variax Acoustic 700 for only $600 and I must say....there are some things that it lacks in....but from a guy who records out of a noisy Long Beach Ca. condo...it's pro's out weight it's cons.
Any other Variax acoustic cats out there that have some battle tested ways of making it sound the best it can be?
i7-920, 8 GIGS DDR5, SONAR Pro 8.5.2, Motu Ultralite, UA Twin-Finity 710 pre, RNC 1773, M-Audio Axium 49, Event TR 8 and SP-5B Monitors, KRK Sub, Jolymod Oktava 219 mic, MXL V69m, SM7B, Studio Projects C1, POD 2.0 and APHEX 661 & the Variax 700 acoustic.
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acidrock
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 08:14:26
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If I was starting over again I'd definitely buy some version of the Variax.I think it's a great tool,it's just that I already have a herd of guitars.
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Positively Charged
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 10:26:05
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Yup, me too. I like the idea of the Variax, and it comes in acoustic as well as electric.
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RockStringBender
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 11:58:06
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Man, I did the same thing a couple of years ago (grabbed a new condition 700 for 700 bucks) and I dumped my ovation and a thinline acoustic a month later. satan got me with that baby too. I also think the pros beat out the cons, especially for live stage work.
But (always a but, huh?), I was not happy with the direct recorded signal. I used it through a DI box, an Art Tupe MP and a TS9 and still did not like it. I played around with a digitech studio processor and was somewhat OK with it, but not thrilled. Then I realized that I had the PODXTL modeling unit for ripping on my shredders and that I could run the variax through the data cable and then direct in to the pc with the usb. Some may know that when you plug the usb line into your pc the pod becomes your sound card and sonar will find it. I know that this is another purchase, but I'm getting very sweet tracks with this setup with the cabinet modelers off and running a twin reverb on clean with a tiny (1.5 on the 10 knob) bit of reverb.
That Variax is an excellent tool! Excellent snag!
I wish my lawn was emo..... then it would cut itself.
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bbach
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 13:20:20
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I have a 700 electric. The build quality can vary alot do to several different Pacific rim manufacturers. I was pretty lucky in that I only had to have a little fret work done to get it up to snuff. I like the guitar quite a bit but the piezoness of the sound of the acoustics was noticable. I bought a Roland AD-8, which is designed to take a piezo pickup signal and COSM model it to one of six highly desireable acoustic models. I don't know how accurately the twice-modeled signal reflects any particular guitar, but the sound is convincing and quite satisfying to my ears. I also have a VG-99. The acoustics from the VG-99 are comparable to the variax/AD-8 combo. The 12 string guitar models of the variax are not as good as the roland VG models. I put a Roland GK-3 pickup on the Variax and have the best of both worlds. One great thing about the Variax is, that on high-gain distorted signals, there is no 60 cycle hum or RFI noise that comes with magnetic pickups. You can get that single-coil sound without the noise.
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Positively Charged
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 15:34:39
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ORIGINAL: bbach
...I don't know how accurately the twice-modeled signal reflects any particular guitar, but the sound is convincing and quite satisfying to my ears... Maybe your sound IS different than any particular guitar, but that's okay. There are a lot of people who aren't happy without a precise "sounds exactly like" match. They are beholden to the almighty Brand Name. I say that limits them to only the "known" in the universe. What matters is that you are happy with the sound coming out of your monitors! I like plain t-shirts. That's my style; they're comfortable and I'm not advertising for anybody (unless you sneak up on me from behind and check the tag!). I only use my "signature" when I need to; avoiding needless advertisements for my CPU, motherboard, and OS makers unless it's necessary in order to fix a problem or help somebody else. I've often thought of ordering a car but having all badges, labels, and even the hood ornament omitted; at least from the exterior of the vehicle. That would make me happy; to drive a nice car with no markings identifying it as such! Independence Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving are my favorite holidays, because I don't have to go to the shopping malls. Pet Peeve: It's not even Halloween yet and they're selling Christmas stuff in the stores already. That's just wrong!  
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bunnyfluffer
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 16:28:03
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well, as long as you are playing rock, metal, blues or old school R&B Satan should be cool with the Variax...
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SteveStrummerUK
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 17:37:33
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Dunno about Satan, but Santa brought me a new 700 trem as an early Christmas prezzie and I love it.
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jungfriend
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 19:58:36
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I am a purist, but I also think that some modern sounds are good, even though they aren't vintage. I have a Variax Acoustic 700 that I bought new and didn't get as good a deal as you got. That part doesn't matter to me, but you can be thankful to get such a versatile tool at such a stellar price.
Battle tested ways to make it sound good:
Change out the Elixirs for Cleartone Acoustic light gauge strings; makes a big difference.
Run it through a nice eq while tracking - I've used several different types for live and studio work. You have to change eq settings by model. For me the Korg Pandora PX4A has been very effective. The eq is versatile, tand dialing in a good tone is pretty easy. I also use a Universal Audio LA-610 and that adds a bit of tube warmth if that is what you like. I often run the Variax Acoustic into a POD X3 Live, or an Atomic Reactor 1 12 amp with a Pod X3 mounted in it. All really good signal paths for recording or live. When I mic the amp I use a Mojave MA-200, or Shure SM57, or a Sennheiser MD421, or some combination of two. It all depends on the model I'm using and the tone I'm looking for. Any of these methods has delivered good results.
Hope that helps,
Paul
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dcasey
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RE: Satan, Sonar and the Variax Acoustic. . . .
2008/10/26 20:08:06
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I have both the Variax 700 Acoustic and the 700 Bass, and they are indispensable tools. I run both through my POD X3 Live, and I record both wet and dry signals at the same time. I use the Gearbox plug-in on the dry tracks to fiddle with things after the fact. I will likely pick up the Variax 600 electric, put on some locking tuners, have someone do a fret job on it and call it good. I can’t justify $1,400 for the 700 electric, but that’s just me. I have a GK-2a equipped Peavey, and an RMC equipped Brian Moore that I use for both midi and via my Roland VG-8EX – I like the Variax more for acoustic guitar, but I’m sure the VG-99 has come a long way. I also have an Ibanez bass with a GK-3b on it (I love gadgets).
I highly recommend a POD XT or X3 Live, especially if you are thinking about picking up one of the Variax electrics. The XT is better built, but the X3 has more features.
Sure some purist poke fun at the Variax, but there is nothing like being able to turn a knob and go from a round back to a jumbo, and push a button to switch to an alternate tuning – in the studio or on the stage…
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