Variax

Manufacturer	Line 6
Period	2010 - Present
Body type	Solid
Neck joint	Set
Scale	24-9/16"
Body	Mahogany with carved maple top and flame maple veneer
Neck	Mahogany
Fretboard	Rosewood
Bridge	Stoptail (fixed)
Pickup(s)	James Tyler Alnico Humbuckers
Black, Cherry Sunburst, Tobacco Sunburst

Manufacturer	Line 6
Period	appr. 2003 — 2010
Body type	Solid
Neck joint	Bolt-on neck
Body	Agathis (300), Basswood (600), Mahogany and Ash (700)
Neck	Maple
Fretboard	Rosewood (300, 500 & 700), Maple (600), all with 22 frets
Bridge	Fixed (300, 500, 700), Tremolo (600, 700)
Pickup(s)	Bridge saddle-mounted piezo

Variax is the name of a line of guitars developed and marketed by Line 6. They differ from typical electric and acoustic guitars in that internal electronics process the sound from individual strings to model (replicate) the sound of specific guitars and other instruments. The maker claims it is the first guitar family that can emulate the tones of other notable electric and acoustic guitars. It also provides a banjo and a sitar tone. The Variax is currently available as an electric guitar, but modeling acoustic guitars and modeling electric bass guitars have been available in the past.

In 2010, Line 6 released three new models of Variax electric guitars (replacing the old models), with updated technology and bodies designed by luthier James Tyler.

Each model comes in a US-made or Korean-made version. The Tyler Variax guitars all come with standard pickups as well as the electronic modeling capabilities, whereas the earlier Variaxes had no magnetic pickups. New models include "Standard" and "Suriken"

Models in all Variaxes are based on the following guitars:

The earlier solid body Variax electric guitars made by Line 6 were available in four models:

The bridge of a Variax electric guitar has an individual piezoelectric pickup for each string. The instrument's electronics converts each of these six signals to a digital signal, and digitally processes each to emulate the selected sound. Since the system process the strings separately, it can model the effects that one string of a target emulation might cause on another. It can also shift individual string pitches to digitally create alternate tunings instead of pitch-shifting all strings at once.

Some enthusiasts have transplanted Variax electronics and hardware into different instruments. These "transplants" can look like almost any popular guitar, yet produce all the Variax emulations.

Line 6 marketed four models of Variax acoustic modeling guitars: the 300 Nylon String and 300 Steel String, which allow varying virtualbody size and mic placement—and the more expensive steel stringed, cedar (later spruce)-topped 700, which pitch-shifts individual strings to provide alternate tunings. The 700 emulates over a dozen rare and desirable acoustic instruments, including an acoustic Indian sitar, rather than the Coral electric sitar modeled in the electric Variaxes. Line 6 produced a rare and final model dubbed the 900, of which only 50 were produced and distributed by Line 6. The 900's were made in Japan rather than Korea as the 700's were. The 900's had a solid body with a semi hollow acoustic style facade sound hole, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard was adorned with diamond shaped mother of pearl inlay instead of the cross design the 700's had, it also had an abalone inlay "V" at the 12th fret. The most publicly recognized Variax Acoustic 900 was used by recording artist James Taylor, while singing the American National Anthem at the opening ceremony of the NBA Finals of 2008, as well as an event hosted at Borders Bookstore. Line 6 discontinued the acoustic models in 2010.

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Wikipedia