MIDI pickups + Variax

[lostylost]

Anyone have any experience with MIDI pickups and Variax guitars?

I downloaded a trial of a really cool ear training program called EAROPE, that is teaching me intervals. It also does scales / rhythms etc.

You can control it with a midi keyboard (or any midi instrument), which got me to a thinking..... Can anyone recommend a good midi pickup?

I want to use it in place of a midi keyboard for all these ear training tools.

Cheers.

Want to share opinions? A lot of you guys seem very knowledgeable about guitars. Anyone have much experience with line 6 variax guitars?

For a bedroom rocker (oxymoron?) a variax + midi pickup sounds awesome.

[yahsteck1]

Try the GK-2A from Roland........i have one for my guitar syinth........yea that would be excelent for your variax......i had thought about it but dont want to take it off my primary ax.. They also have a newer better modle of the pickup. You can also buy Roland ready strats with the pickup built in.
http://www.roland.com/products/en/GK-2A/index.html
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratRRAWT/

[Charvelguy]

Gk-2A is a 'few' years old as Rick mentions. Roland did make the Gk-2h which is the hex model (allowing independant string programing) and now the Gk-3 is the latest.
Both Variax and Roland use a 13 pin config. The older GK-1 are 24 pin.

[lostylost]

I actually don't have a variax, I own a Maton MasterSound, Aussie built electric. Been looking at them though.... was wondering what the sound is actually like...

I have done a little bit of reading but am not sure if I need a guitar synth.... which is extra $. I only ever want to use it for tinkering around on the computer, ear training and using it as a tablature input device....

If I just get a pickup (2-3) can I plug straight into a usb-midi converter? Or plug it into one of my midi inputs on my line 6 pod xt?

[lostylost]

Seems you need a guitar-midi converter doohicky box as well as the pickups.....

Cool things I found when looking for MIDI guitar stuff..

http://www.starrlabs.com/ztars.php

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Godin-LGXT-Electric-Guitar?sku=511916


Now I just need like 5-6 thousand bucks..... A nice Ztar, Godin + Fractal Audio Axe Fx....

[Wedgebill]

This was my first test cast with my new Variax 600, through gearbox, no effects. It's got a bit of the detune, std tune, acoustic, 12 String blah blah, and lots of cowbell...

http://www.riffworld.com/Members/Wedgebill/Cowbell%20Variaxation%20for%20Les%20and%20Jeff_1/?searchterm=variaxation

[lostylost]

Not bad at all huh.... So overall.... thumbs up for the variax?

[lostylost]

The thing that kind of irks me about the variax is that they really should record the guitar signal + hexaphonic signal and allow you to do post processing, ie .... play some tune and then go back and say.... I want that to be a 12 string acoustic....... maybe a bit of sitar here....

I can't see any reason that's not possible... am I missing something?

That's what my ideal modelling guitar would do. Though you would need software support I suppose but eh... sounds like a problem worth solving

[Wedgebill]

Big thumbs up from me. Apart from a space where the pickups should be, feels like my Tele

[lostylost]

cheers bill, see how long I can resist the urge to blow cash... haha

[klascojoe]

im on my third variax and its messed up too,it fades out after a few minutes and whaen i unplug and plug it back up its works a few minutes and fades.the first one had two dead strings,and the second blacked out alltogether!power supply or batteries made no difference.i guess ill send it back to the factory and see if they can fix it.everyone else seems to be fine with em but i have had nothing but trouble.they sound great when it works,the 59 strat and the 59 les paul are amazing!and a lot of other good ones too.but it wont work most of the time.

[lostylost]

klascojoe: What model variax do you have? Is it one of the entry level ones? I noticed they range from 3-700, with the higher models being more expensive and assumedly of a greater build.

Going by your experience I might dish out the extra coin if I decide to get one.

[trikloretylen]

im on my first one its a 300 .
the only thing was some troubles with the 3 freet on the first string.
but that was a easy fix! thats the only problem for me.exept i burnt the electronics in the footswitch. it dosent like phantompower from the mixer!

[camaro24gold]

Have a 500 and 700. Works fine. All guitars recorded on my MySpace pages was done with a Vax except The Other Side (Tele) and ElipV Fusion (Rick Andrews on ? guitar). Hurtin' has a resonator but the rest was Vax.

[klascojoe]

i have a 600

klascojoe: What model variax do you have? Is it one of the entry level ones? I noticed they range from 3-700, with the higher models being more expensive and assumedly of a greater build.

Going by your experience I might dish out the extra coin if I decide to get one.