Variax Bass available at a more realistic price ...

Still not worth it.

 

$799's not too bad. I've seen them as low as $699. I always thought that $1299 was an ambitious price.

 

If I had money to burn I'd buy one of those. I don't have money to burn. If I seriously wanted one I'd play the crap out of it first, read everything ever written about them, and then make an educated decision. Me thinks though that I'd play for a couple of months and then it would would sit next to my bed like so many other basses have. What I remember being said, which i don't remember, about it's hardcore battery eating habit makes me think that even at $699, that bass'll wind up costing a crapload of money.

 

At $699, I'd pull the trigger. I like the tone shaping possibilities of the instrument, but at $1299 it's too much. It's a $300 bass with $x worth of electronics in it. Not sure what the $x is, but it's not $900.

 

yeah, i'd be more interested if instead of trying to replicate certain models, i'd be more interested if it came with the workbench software and you could just assign presets on the bass...that'd be more worth it for me

 

At that price, oh yeah, I'd go for it .

-ryan-

 

Well, I took the plunge this past week. After reading the raving review in Bass Player in March '05, it almost sounds to good to be true, but I found a used one like new for $699. I already have a BassPODXT Live with BassSmith and Line6 editing software on my PC, so I am looking forward to the many possibilites with the marriage of the two. Also, when you run the Variax via the BassPODXT Live, it powers the bass, so no need to worry about batteries, and when using it on 6-AA batteries, it will run 12-14 hours and on a single 9-volt, 3-4 hours.

I will let you all know after a few weeks of working with it what I then think about it.

Keep it low

 

I don't think I could bring myself to buy one. I just can't see how it would be useful to me. I'm not much of a bass changer. Once I get a sound down, I like to keep it and not change very often, and if I do change the sound, it's usually with the pickups or a pedal. And I know if I bought it, I'd find two, maybe 3 sounds I like and stick with them, just like every other bass I buy.

Besides, I like to feel the physical changes in the bass when you switch off. I don't want my solid-body with rounds to sound like a Hofner and still feel like a solid-body with rounds. That's just weird.

 

I'm sure that workbench software for the Variax Bass is on the way! I'm with you - I want to use this thing the way I use my Zoom B2 multieffects processor. I've scrapped the patches they have and I've got my own.

I'd like to include a P/J bass in there, a MM/MM bass (Bongo), a J/MM, etc. It would be nice to mix and match body styles and pickups.

 

I'd buy one at $799.

 

If Warmoth ever does that thing like they did with the Variax guitars, making drop in bodies, I'm in. Variax needs to admit that they don't make high quality instruments, and that their forte is mos def electronics. If they sold the electronics package, I'd 'moth it in a second. Heh, I might even salvage a used variax for a custom.

 

I disagree. Granted, I've only spent about an hour with a Variax, but it seemed pretty well-made. It played really nicely, had a good neck on it.

 

i can certainly see the utility and logic of the variax. i'm sure $799 is a good price for a well-made, extremely versatile bass. i played with a guy who had a variax guitar and pod live. it was very cool how it could change guitars and amps with a single footswitch. i can see how this would be great.

but i like what i have as far as versatility is concerned. so that's good for me. but i'm sure if i had a variax, i'd really enjoy it. and i think i'd make a pod live appear in my future, too.

robb.

 

I'm not sure where the opinions of the Variax basses being "cheap" instruments has come from ( not really a factor on this thread, but several others have eluded to this opinion ). I don't own one, but Bassplayer has reviewed it twice (once for the 4 str and recently the 5 str.)and both mentioned that it was a well made instrument. I personally had the opportunity to play them at a music shop. Not plugging the instrument in, but just holding it and playing a few notes did not give any indications of it being cheap. It felt like a very nicely made bass, with good action and fretwork. I don't think it's at all worth the 1200.00 price tag it carried ( I suppose this store didn't get wind of the price at GC yet. ) But, at the $700 price point, I will end up buying one this year.

It think it makes a great bass for someone playing in a cover band that jumps around genres alot like myself. It would be great to have that versatility and only need to bring along the Variax. It would never replace my favorite Carvin LB70 I've played for years, but there is certain material I would definitely enjoy using it on.

 

I played one at a GC ....I was interested in the concept. I found that to my ears that there was a much difference between switches as changing hand position or setting on my Modulus bass. I guess some people like it Hutch uses one and that's cool but I don't have the need in my life right now.

I can agree that this could be a great Idea but I don't think theyre there yet.

 

I'd go for it if I had the moolah. Honestly for $799 it's a great instrument, highly playable and versatile. It does some instruments sorta well and others really well. The synth sounds were great IIRC and for $800 if it could do ONE instrument well, it's worth it and everything else is extra.

If Warmoth ever came out with the bass bodies, I wouldn't mind a Jazz bass shaped Variax.

 

What would be sweet is a sub-$500 drop in kit which people can throw in a bass of their own....

This would be great for the P or Jazz bassists who can maybe do a little carving behind the huge pickguards (or better yet, be able to fit in their cavities already) and be able to switch between the Variax and their own bass's pickups if need be...

Little drilling for a Variax connector and you'd be set...

Maybe include a pickguard with this already setup for you.

Who cares if it may be 2 - 3 times the knobs. it would be sweet for EVERYTHING!

I am guessing that someone could buy a Variax and do this mod themselves...