Variax guitars in recording?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<rbaulbin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1113164097.195524.225290@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Anyone using Variax guitars in the studio? Any opinions? Are they
> pro-level or project?
>

I would never use them for anything more than demo and even then only if
it's all I had available and was just knocking out a quick sketch. It's a
great idea and I think one day will be pretty good but it's not there yet. I
had more problem with the playability of the guitars than anything. Here's a
post I made a few weeks about my experience with them:
http://tinyurl.com/4fsc4

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

I spent 5 minutes with one, and that was enough for me.
Tom

<rbaulbin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1113164097.195524.225290@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Anyone using Variax guitars in the studio? Any opinions? Are they
> pro-level or project?
>

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

"Tommy B" <mrtomm@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:JfP6e.4699$lP1.1021@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> The reason it only took five minutes, was that it sounded, well "FAKE".
> Yeah I guess you could use it on gigs, but never I'd never recorded with
> it.
>
> Tom
>

The playability was the biggest problem I had with it. It played like the
cheapest of guitars (and this is in a world where $150 guitars are
plentiful). And that was the 500. The 300 I tried was really bad. And I
tried multiple units at different stores so the comment about quality
control sounds accurate. But the sounds weren't "there" enough yet for me to
invest the time and money getting it to work right. I think they should
license the technology to other guitar builders. In fact Warmoth even offers
parts for pulling out the guts and putting them in a good guitar. I thought
the single coil sounds were nearest sounding "right" and that mostly the
Strat. The Tele wasn't fooling anyone. I mostly play a Les Paul so maybe
that's why the buckers didn't sound that authentic (though they were by no
means "bad" ). The banjo is fun as is the resonator though I didn't think it
had much resonance. The 12 string electrics were a little fun but again not
fooling anyone. I actually liked the acoustic sounds the best (considering
it was an electric guitar) but even this is just a convenience since it's
two different worlds playing an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. I
doubt there will ever be an all-in-one guitar for all situations (it's hard
to get one that plays good as a slide guitar and then regular guitar too).
The alternate tunings at the push of a button are definitely cool. I think
it will be there one day. Just not anytime soon.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<rbaulbin@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1113358093.737216.270110@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> Thanks for the comments. Steve Howe and others have adopted it, so the
> sounds must at least have some threshold of redeeming value. Perhaps
> the 700 is much better?
>

The sound producing unit on all models (300, 500, 700) is exactly the same
so the sound should be the same. It's the playability that (hopefully)
should be better.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1113358093.737216.270110@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com> rbaulbin@hotmail.com writes:

> Thanks for the comments. Steve Howe and others have adopted it, so the
> sounds must at least have some threshold of redeeming value.

I don't know how many times we've said this, but "sound" is all in the
hands and mind of the player. A good player may not be able to get
the sound that made him famous to the rest of the world with anything
but his own personal setup, but he can get a good sound out of just
about anything you hand him. Having something like a Variax could
inspire some new sounds that work in the context as long as he's
willing to explore them (and that's part of being a good player).

I agree that anyone who thinks he can go from a commercial session to
a bar gig in a bluegrass band to an after-hours blues jam carrying
just a Variax is probably going to be disappointed. But someone who's
working out an arrangement in a commercial studio will probably
appreciate turning a knob and getting a very different guitar sound
when that's what the producer wants to hear.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Variax is to the guitar what POD is to an amp.
They both miss the mark, IMHO.
Which is not to say they are not useful in some situations.
When I was a busy session singer in NYC,
I told folks the best part about the job was cartage.

Tom



"david morley" <david.morley@gmx.net> wrote in message
news:3c4snuF6me59aU1@individual.net...
> Whilst I agree with the sentiment, if you are in that situation, you
> will probably have a few good guitars to choose from anyway. Carrying 3
> or 4 guitars to a gig is no big deal if it's a pro gig..
> I'd put the variax as interesting and possibly fun, but falling short of
> PRO level instruments.
>
>
> Mike Rivers wrote:
> > In article <1113358093.737216.270110@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>
rbaulbin@hotmail.com writes:
> >
>
> > I agree that anyone who thinks he can go from a commercial session to
> > a bar gig in a bluegrass band to an after-hours blues jam carrying
> > just a Variax is probably going to be disappointed. But someone who's
> > working out an arrangement in a commercial studio will probably
> > appreciate turning a knob and getting a very different guitar sound
> > when that's what the producer wants to hear.
> >
> >
> > --
> > I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
> > However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
> > lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
> > you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
> > and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo