Variax / Hx Stomp

[pbasspecial]

I used to have a Line 6 Variax bass a few years back. I really liked the settings/sounds but wasn’t a fan of the bass itself. Very heavy and personally found it rather challenging to play.  I wondered rather than gutting a variax and fitting it to a decent P Bass which seems so wrong, are the settings available as a downloadable pack for the Hx Stomp. Wouldn’t imagine it would be super hard as they are both Line 6 products. Does any one if this is a thing or even a possibility?

[fretmeister]

It's a different type of processing. Even for guitar use the variax is still for sale (and the Shuriken one seems to be popular) because the unit itself cannot do what you want without the special bridge and the on-guitar processing. The bridge is needed because each string is processed individually within the instrument. Cannot do that with normal pickups.

 

Helix will control most variax guitars but I don't think it can control the bass one as the tech is now too old. So even if you do the guts transplant it won't do anything more than it did before.

It appears there is not enough interest for a new bass variax. They didn't sell a lot the first time round.

[pbasspecial]

4 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

It's a different type of processing. Even for guitar use the variax is still for sale (and the Shuriken one seems to be popular) because the unit itself cannot do what you want without the special bridge and the on-guitar processing. The bridge is needed because each string is processed individually within the instrument. Cannot do that with normal pickups.

 

Helix will control most variax guitars but I don't think it can control the bass one as the tech is now too old. So even if you do the guts transplant it won't do anything more than it did before.

It appears there is not enough interest for a new bass variax. They didn't sell a lot the first time round.

Thanks for that response Fretmeister. Very informative. 
I think the bass players that tried the variax liked the sounds on offer but it was a hefty old beast. Shame it’s not doable as using your favourite bass and switching from a P to a J to an upright setting would have been incredible. 😢

[fretmeister]

I agree. I've had a go on the Shuriken guitar with a helix and it was amazing. Jazz box to Tele to Les Paul all with the click of a footswitch.

Then - footswitch control of tunings - even individual strings, and it can also turn off strings as well if they get in the way for some parts.

 

If only this was available to us bass players!

 

 

 

 

[tauzero]

On 10/11/2020 at 10:28, fretmeister said:

It's a different type of processing. Even for guitar use the variax is still for sale (and the Shuriken one seems to be popular) because the unit itself cannot do what you want without the special bridge and the on-guitar processing. The bridge is needed because each string is processed individually within the instrument. Cannot do that with normal pickups.

 

Helix will control most variax guitars but I don't think it can control the bass one as the tech is now too old. So even if you do the guts transplant it won't do anything more than it did before.

It appears there is not enough interest for a new bass variax. They didn't sell a lot the first time round.

HX Stomp can't control a Variax - it hasn't got the requisite socket. I think the Helix models which will control the Variax will control the bass, the interface is the same for everything back to the very first Variaxes (Variaces?). I've got an HD500 as well as a Variax 300, JTV-59, and 705 bass, so I shall experiment at some point. I play sitting down so weight isn't an issue, but I find the 705 quite playable - it's not a Sei but it's not a fatneck era Warwick either.

There have been a few people who have used piezo pickups (either Variax or possibly Graphtech) plus Variax guts to make external Variax units, and others who have routed out instruments to put Variax guts in.

[pbasspecial]

Just now, tauzero said:

HX Stomp can't control a Variax - it hasn't got the requisite socket. I think the Helix models which will control the Variax will control the bass, the interface is the same for everything back to the very first Variaxes (Variaces?). I've got an HD500 as well as a Variax 300, JTV-59, and 705 bass, so I shall experiment at some point. I play sitting down so weight isn't an issue, but I find the 705 quite playable - it's not a Sei but it's not a fatneck era Warwick either.

There have been a few people who have used piezo pickups (either Variax or possibly Graphtech) plus Variax guts to make external Variax units, and others who have routed out instruments to put Variax guts in.

Thanks but I think you missed my point. It wasn’t about using a variax into a stomp. It was about using a regular passive bass into the stomp but the stomp having variax type bass settings built into the unit. 

[tauzero]

Just now, pbasspecial said:

Thanks but I think you missed my point. It wasn’t about using a variax into a stomp. It was about using a regular passive bass into the stomp but the stomp having variax type bass settings built into the unit. 

As others have said, no, it can't be done, as the Variax relies on picking up four, five, or six individual strings and processing each of them separately.