Line 6 JTV-89 (Black) Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Aaron Wilkin
from United States
November 11, 2012Music Background:
Semi-pro musician, teacher, and many other musical roles

Couldn't be happier, and more surprised

I have followed Line6 for years. Their first Variax model was something I wanted, but never got around to it, and I had heard some limitations, etc.

I purchased this guitar about a month ago, and I still can't stop playing the guitar! I honestly can't say enough great things about it. Everything on this guitar is amazing to the highest degree. It feels great to play, and is a great quality guitar, even when the modeling is turned off, and I own some very expensive guitars.

Turn on the modeling, and an entire new world opens up. The acoustic models alone are worth paying for the guitar three times over; in a PA, this guitar plugged straight into the system, no effects, sounds better than any Taylor I have played through the same PA. If I were to discuss every point about what I LOVE about just the modeling, this would turn into much more than a small review. Every model is incredible, and incredibly accurate.

Then there's the tuning. Between the ability to change a model and alternate tuning with just a couple buttons (or one button with the POD series, which I will purchase soon), I have had more creative ideas for composing new songs than the last three years combined. I never realized how much time I spent before doing what this guitar does in seconds. Even harmonics sound great when in alternate tuning. These guys REALLY knew what they were doing.

In summary, not only would I recommend this guitar to other people (or one of the other JTV's if this is not your style of guitar), if I had the money, I would buy every guitar player I know one of these. Honestly, any guitar player I know, when they hear this thing, I don't have to recommend anything, they simply have to have one. I have yet to be on a stage just messing around before playing without people just gathering up close just to see what is going on. This guitar literally stuns people just by itself. Did I mention I can't say enough good about this guitar?

Scott
from Florida Keys
December 26, 2011Music Background:
Full-time Pro last 15 years

Jack of All Trades

Another reviewer mentions this neck being close to his Gibson...can't imagine that. The one on mine is nice and Ibanez thin, but not too skinny. I've tried the JTV-69, and that neck is very close to a roundback Gibson. The fret work was good. The actual pickups sound really good, very usable if the battery were to die (both single-coil and humbucker sounds are available.) This is a very nice update from my older 300 Variax, which I paid $250 NEW for (they were on close-out when I bought.) And even with that price difference, I am very happy to buy this JTV-89! Tuning select knob is kool, and the battery is great. Compared to the 300's, the modeled sounds sound better (especially the acoustic sounds) and the tiny delay is gone. This thing rocks!!! Sold both of my 300's after I tried this. The 300's never saw live use, but this 89 has been rockin' the bar the 3 weeks I've had it! I have a lot of high-end and vintage guitars, and this thing is great and lots of fun! I bought this with the intention of transplanting the electronics, but I'm happy with it just as it is. Highly recommended!

Chuck Hamstreet
from Bellingham, WA
October 14, 2011Music Background:
40 years of playing classic rock to current in with garage band.

My first review ever.

This is the first time I have ever taken the time to write a review. This guitar just blows me away. The setup was perfect except for intonation. The finish and craftsmanship is flawless. I bought this especially for the neck and that is just right. It reminds me a lot of my 62 Gibson ES335TDC except I love the sounds of these pickups. I do not play any metal and the tone from the conventional pickups is fantastic. I am waiting on a replacement interface box so I can't tell you much about the modeling except most of the presets sound really good. I would pay the money for this guitar without the modeling!

Larry
from Talladega
May 15, 2011Music Background:
Player

Great guitar

I got this guitar in pretty poor setup condition, but once I got it set up, it is absolutely fantastic. This is a great guitar, even without the modeling. I recommend it highly. If it had a double locking tremolo, it would be perfect for me.

dave
from nj
December 8, 2012Music Background:
hobbyist

versatile

nice guitar fit ad finish just palm mutting is ok but i can tell the difernce when switching back and forth from mag pup to sim
im sure line 6 will get right with a couple more updates love the alt tunnings

Ryan
from Chattanooga, TN
November 24, 2012Music Background:
guitarist

This guitar will change your life!

A Variax was something I'd wanted for years, and the release of these new Tyler models sent me over the edge. I had high expectations, and this thing really delivers!

First off, the guitar is great without the modeling. The 89 model is an Ibanez-inspired, shredder-type guitar. The magnetic pickups are top-notch, with plenty of output for rock and metal. My guitar (purchased online) came with a great setup out of the box, but I swapped out the strings for my favorites (Elixirs) and set it up for tuning down a half-step (I'll explain why in a minute).

My first gripe is about changing strings. The bridge holds the strings in place when they're all on and tightened, but getting them on is kind of a pain. You have to rest the ball ends in the string slots and then find some way of keeping them in place while you tighten them; I used a capo, but you still have to watch for them to slip out. But that's not a major gripe, as putting on new strings has always been a pain no matter what the guitar.

With everything all set up, the guitar is amazing to play. Feels just as nice as my EBMM John Petrucci model. I kind of miss the tremolo, but not enough to take points off. The frets are nice and big, so you can speed all over the fretboard with minimal effort; and tapping, legato, and pinch harmonics all ring out nice and thick without killing your fingers. I got this model specifically for the extra two frets and familiar knob positioning, but the high-output pups ended up being a godsend.

The thing about the modeling in this guitar is, it's great for everything but the heavy stuff. It's just a limitation of the piezo pickups that palm-muted riffs aren't going to sound as crisp and thunky. So I tend to use the magnetic pickups (which sound great) for anything heavy, and then I have fun with the models when I want to play some blues or funk or what have you. The acoustic models, as others have said, are amazing and worth the price of the guitar all by themselves. The ability to store custom versions with alternate tunings is even more amazing, and you can do that with every model in the guitar.

It has some other nice features, like the "virtual capo" function, which lets you set up an alternate tuning on the fly by fretting a chord, hitting a button, and hey presto, now your open strings sound like the chord you just strummed! Took all of ten seconds to set up an acoustic model tuned for Zeppelin's The Rain Song, something I had never bothered to learn because I didn't want to retune my guitar.

You can also control everything the guitar does via a POD HD, if you have one. You can switch guitar models as a per-patch setting, as well as set knob positions and tunings. Probably my favorite feature of this guitar is the ability it gives me to go from a heavy detuned riff to a spanky clean sound, all with the press of a footswitch. You really should get a POD HD if you have one of these guitars!

I could go on and on about this guitar, but suffice it to say, it's great, and any guitarist would be thrilled to own it. If the few minor caveats aren't too off-putting, don't be afraid to give this thing a try.

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