A couple of years before Variax® was born, we decided to turn our attention from all that guitar gear to the guitar itself. We wondered—could it be possible to capture a complete range of this tone in one single instrument? It was a daunting task, but then so was the idea of squeezing a whole collection of amps and effects into one little kidney bean shaped metal box. So we figured, why not give it a go?
We knew our sounds would have to be amazingly accurate to meet the needs of discriminating guitarists, so we began an intensive research project into guitar physics. We assembled test guitars that would make Victor Frankenstein blush. We systematically examined every factor that contributes to a guitar's tone, and developed ways to measure the complex interactions of vibrating strings, resonant bodies, and magnetic pickups. More importantly, we developed ways to capture these interactions mathematically so we could get the same sounds from our guitar.
As we refined our measuring and modeling techniques, we began working on a new, powerful hardware platform that could deliver our shockingly accurate sounds. Variax needed to have less noise than a standard humbucker, the ability to switch sounds in the fraction of a second that it takes to slap a pickup selector switch to the next position, and be powered in a variety of ways. And, most importantly, perform so flawlessly that you could forget it's even there.
As the body and brain neared completion, it was time for us to create the soul. We auditioned an amazing array of vintage instruments to find the ones with the most distinctive voices and personalities. We applied our painstaking measuring techniques to these specimens, and refined our models while constantly referring back to the originals for accuracy. When the model reached the point not only sounding like the original, but also being as much fun to play, it was done.
The result of our labors? Variax. An entire guitar collection in a single instrument.
Specs
- Comfort-contoured basswood body
- Single piece maple neck and fingerboard with classic-feel and traditional "skunk stripe"
- Six-on-a-side headstock
- 22 medium profile frets
- 25 1/2" scale length
- 9 1/2" fingerboard radius
- Custom L.R. Baggs tremolo bridge
- Standard 1/4" guitar output jack
- Digital I/O jack for PODXT Live, Vetta II, and Workbench connectivity
- Included XPS A/B footswitch selects between two outputs:
- 1/4" standard guitar output for connection to any guitar amp
- XLR balanced output for sending acoustic sounds to a separate amp or PA
