Line 6 Variax 700 Electric Guitar With Tremolo

July 27, 2007 by Jo Minor 


The Line 6 Variax 700 electric guitar with tremolo is simply amazing. It is advertised as “an entire guitar collection in a single instrument.” This modeling guitar can make the sounds of a wide variety of stringed instruments at the simple turn of a knob. Variax will make you feel like you are playing the best fifty year old guitar, or the latest high dollar electric.

Variax 700 comes in black, with a list price of $1899 or in transparent colors of red, blue, and amber, for a list price of $2099. The transparent colors have an ash top over a mahogany body, while the black is solid mahogany. This is a top of the line Line 6 guitar.

The Line 6 guitars are a little odd looking because they lack a traditional pickup. They have a pickup in the Baggs bridge instead, and this Variax 700 is also equipped with a tremolo.

Line 6, Inc. (a very difficult firm to Google!) was started by Marcus Ryle and Michel Doidic in 1996 in Calabasas, California. It was a spin-off from a previous venture of theirs known as Fast Forward Designs. They are well known among the techie types of guitar and bass players because of their modeling amps and other products. These amps and other products, including the Variax guitars, use digital technology to reproduce the sound and tone made by a wide variety of traditional tube amps and electric guitars.

One of the most notable products they make, which caused the company to expand rapidly in the early 2000s, is the POD. This is a kidney bean shaped gadget about the size of a hand-held video game, but it can do so much more. By hooking the POD up to your guitar and amp, and then flipping appropriate switches, you can get the sound of a wide range of guitars and amps.

Their main amp currently is called the Vetta II. It can even model two classic amps at the same time. Line 6 also provides downloadable software you can use to help customize your sound to your own liking. Workbench is one such software program.

Advantages: The Line 6 Variax 700 electric guitar with tremolo is very definitely a professional quality instrument you can use for the most important of gigs. In fact, it might be the only guitar you need. A guitarist can go from fingerpicking a Martin acoustic D-28 to playing a Les Paul in open E slide just by flipping a switch. You can basically do away with lugging a group of instruments with you to your gigs. The Variax 700 will do them all. Sound quality and versatility beats all the competition.

Disadvantages: It really should come with a hard shell case instead of just a gig bag. It has also been said that the customer support is really nonexistent. This is very unfortunate, considering the cost of this guitar. You might find yourself wishing it had locking tuners, especially if you use the tremolo arm very much. Some have found it to not be as playable as their regular electric guitars because of sharper frets and a slower neck.

Also, be aware that to really maximize the Line 6 Variax electric guitar with tremolo, you really need to buy the Workbench software. It will help you do all kinds of things with your guitar that you would not figure out on your own.

Specs:

  • Carved mahogany body (black version)
  • Carved ash top on mahogany body (transparent color versions)
  • Plays dozens of classic guitar sounds
  • Simple controls that are instantly familiar
  • Rounded bar mother of pearl fretboard inlays
  • Bone nut
  • Gotoh tuners
  • Custom Baggs tremolo bridge
  • 22 medium profile frets
  • 25.5 inch scale length
  • 10 inch fingerboard radius
  • Digital I/O Jack for Vetta II connectivity
  • Standard one-fourth inch analog out
  • XLR balanced analog out
  • Included A/B foot switch selects between outputs
  • TRS cable needed to use the foot switch included
  • Volume and tone controls faithfully for each model
  • Powered by foot switch, on-board batteries, or Vetta II
  • Can be switched from the FVB foot controller
  • Custom fitted heavy duty Line 6 gig bag

Related sites:

  • For a product overview provided by the good folks at Line 6, check this article out. It goes into detail about how they developed the Variax.
  • The Line 6 website includes a wealth of information about these unique technological wonders. One thing you will possibly benefit from are the how-to articles that explain how to do various things on the Variax 700 and other products from Line 6. You can check it out here.
  • If you would like to read a list and brief descriptions of all the Line 6 products, along with a listing of current artists who use some of these amps and guitars, check this out.

Buy Cheap Online: Line 6 Variax 700 Electric Guitar

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