Variax guts?

[Newc]

Ok, without taking a screwdriver to my Variax 600 (because we all know I can't stop once I start, and there's no telling what I'll end up with [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]) what are the dimensions (length & width) of the Variax guts?

[giles]

Re: Variax guts?

You can probably find some good info in [this thread] over at ION.

[Newc]

Re: Variax guts?

Thanks. The entire guts housing appears to be about 10" long x 5+ inches wide at the widest part, but can be disassembled, and the boards are small enough to work with custom routes.

I'm planning to mount them in a Warrior, so the large board would have to go in the long wing, and the smaller stuff can go either in the regular cavity or around the trem. This would give me passive pickups, a Floyd, a much better body shape, as well as the ultimate collection of tones [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[RacerX]

Re: Variax guts?

Interesting! Keep us apprised.

[Newc]

Re: Variax guts?

Can't decide if it should go in the metallic blue WRXT body, or the Halford [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[hippietim]

Re: Variax guts?

newc, what are you going to do for saddles? i'm not aware of any drop-ins for a floyd that would work.

[Newc]

Re: Variax guts?

Yeah, Ugly Reality hit me about 9:30 last night at work [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I have a few ideas of properly piezoing a Floyd, or I could go with an Ibenhad Edge Piezo thing, as long as it's Floyd-spaced.

Otherwise I'll just hafta skip it till I can order a Custom NASL [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[giles]

Re: Variax guts?

I'd be really interested to hear how this turns out. If it works, you may be the first to create a Variax w/ a Floyd! You can call it the VariFloydAxe. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[gemini8026]

Re: Variax guts?

I question your motivation kind sir.

The variax is good at what it does, but I think putting the guts in a "metal" warrior is a clash as the Variax isnt GREAT at doing metal tones. That may be opinion, but an opnion I based around my owning a Variax, and one I heard from MANY other people. Lack of chug,harmonics, etc.

OR do you just wanna see peoples faces when u load up the sitar on a metal looking axe?

[Newc]

Re: Variax guts?

Assuming of course that your definition of "Metal" is limited to what's come out in the last 10 years. My definition still includes Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, early Ozzy, etc.

So, if you want a Sitar, or various Rics and White Falcons, then yeah it won't really work, but using Workbench, I've changed all my factory presets to suit my needs in conjunction with the XTLive.
I've got one bank set up as an LP Jr in various tunings (E, D, C#) for playing Sabbath, with an acoustic patch in there for the ending to Symptom Of The Universe, a Randy Rhoads bank of LPCs set up in E and Eb with a couple of acoustics, and things like that.
I've got one patch of a Strat body with a humbucker tuned to C that sounds good enough for me, though B has some warbling in it.

But I'm enjoying the convenience of playing the entire Ozzy-era Sabbath catalog using only one guitar and not having to retune.

I've also got a Zeppelin bank with 2 open tunings (In My Time Of Dying and Travelling Riverside Blues), but I'll play them on a Warrior [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[RacerX]

Re: Variax guts?

Sabbath tribute band? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Newc]

Re: Variax guts?

I wish - every transcription of Sabbath songs I've ever seen was inaccurate IMO according to what I could hear in the songs. I had learned most of them by ear years before I found out about GFTPM [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[~K~]

Re: Variax guts?

Best way to do this imo is to build a guitar based both off of Variax guts and passives and cover all bases .. this gives you a pretty versatile guitar all around ..

Hell parker fly just built one with variax,roland,piezo and passives... the price is outrageous @ $10k but this certainly could be the future of some guitars ..

[hippietim]

Re: Variax guts?

harmonics on the variax are no problem. chugga chugga is though. it can be done but it's not great. no barracuda for you!

[Newc]

Re: Variax guts?

Chugga Chugga is simply a matter of knowing how to set everything properly [img]/images/graemlins/poke.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

The Variax and XTL do sound great together, I'm just not diggin that "Kinda-Stratty" body style.

Plus, you know me - I gotta Newcenstein everything [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Anyone know where I can get disc-type piezos and Floyd baseplates for $5 each? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]