Line 6 JTV-89F Variax - Black Reviews

I was skeptical of the whole modeling thing, until watching Line 6 demonstrations at the NAMM show. So I decided to get the Floyd Rose version and all I could say (repeatedly) was, 'WOW". Now that the initial shock of how awesome this technology is, I can get through the adjusting of the tones of the variety of models in this guitar. If your thinking about a modeling guitar, definitely go to the Line 6 web site and check out the versatility of these guitars.

The guitar is amazing. The neck is a little wide, which is good for me personally. The ability to switch guitar models and tunings is very convenient. It's also easy to create your own custom tunings. With that said, for the price, I would think a hard case should be included.
*Bad News: 1 spare battery will run you $50* quick research online shows that a very similar battery for a camcorder is $9, but isnt *exactly* the same, so we're forced to buy these overpriced batteries (if you need a spare - and who doesnt?). That's not cool JTV/Line 6.
A fair price for these batteries would be like $20-$30.
So, aside from feeling a little ripped off on the accessory side, I am happy with the guitar itself.

Pros: The analog side of the guitar is outstanding. The neck has a bit wider string spacing which is perfect for fast playing. Outstanding neck, thin and flat but no overly thin on the back on the neck. The Graph Tech Floyd is one of the best I've ever played. Analog Pickups are nice and hot, breakup real well. Anico Mag for hot classic sound. Fit and finish are outstanding as well. Very playabout comfortable guitar to play. Balanced very well. Even unplugged the guitar has a good resonance.

Cons: The alternate tunings on the Variax are problematic. This guitar is sold partial on the fact it's Floyd that can retune with the flick of switch. What's not menationed is the ghost notes. The retuning just does not work well on all strings. Some of tuning work pretty well. Just depends on if you get a guitar with perfect Pieozos or not. The 2.10 firmware from Line 6 sounds thin and brittle almost piercing, not a good thing. But rolled back to firmware 1.9, you dont' get all the nice Workbench HD to work with but the tone is much better, IMO. It works better on both accounts to leave it setup for standard manually tuning, but if you want to setup for actualy tune down (not the swtich) then it doesn't work as well.

Sweetwater was outstanding! Guitar out the box setup well and almost in perfect tune right out of the box.

First of all, the customer service I received from Chris Goldbach was awesome. Took care of all my needs and even got the guitar sent to me in a hurry for an upcoming gig. OK here it is folks. After some anxious self debating I broke down and bought this Axe. Long story short I had to have 2 of them sent to me for faulty Piezo's. (Only in drop tuning) The first guitar had a problem with the low E string. So when you chorded the E and A it sounded like mud. As if you weren't playing the proper chord. The second guitar had the same issue but with the A string. very frustrating. NOT SWEETWATER'S problem. They were just faulty from the factory. Also on both guitars when you did a dive bomb at a certain level in lowering the bridge the sound would completely cut out. Very disappointed. It would have been nice never to have to change guitars on stage.

I've owned a JTV-69-BK for a couple of years already and am familiar with the electronics. At the time it was the only model with a tremolo bar. Of course the guitar models and alternate tunings are top notch, and you can play for hours without realizing the sun has come up. My new JTV-89F is a much more playable guitar than the JTV-69 for me. The neck on the JTV-89F is very similar to the Wizard neck on my JEM-777, sans the scalloped fretboard. It has wider spacing between strings and the 24-fret access is easy. The guitar resonates better too. The floyd rose transfers much of the strings vibration to the body, offering better sustain than the JTV-69. I opted for the professional setup ($30.00) from Sweetwater, and they did a great job. The action was set at 5/64" at the 12th fret, All the notes sing without fret buzz, and playing legato notes and tapping is effortless. The Floyd Rose tremolo can pull strings completely tight without fretting issues. The balance of the guitar on a strap is very nice.
I didn't give it a full 5 stars for 2 reasons. The whammy bar drops over the Model knob making model changes quickly more difficult. And finally, I really like the gig bag issued with the JTV-69, and was dissapointed in the quality and saled down features of the black gig bag with the JTV-89F. I will be purchasing a replacement gig bag.

First of all, I want to thank Mike at SweetWater who helped me with the purchase of this guitar. Great communication via email! Responded quickly! Thank you Mike!

This guitar blew me away! Did my share of researching and YouTubing on this guitar and was impressed by it's versatility. First hooked it up to an amp dry and played with the acoustic settings, wow! Then, I hooked it up to my HD500x, AWESOME! Very nice guitar!

I have been playing for 38 years and have owned a number of nice guitars, but this was a big surprise. Rep Tim Holsinger was very helpful in making sure I received exactly what I needed.

Most of my playing is blues and rock, so overdrive is the norm for me - however this guitar sounds the best pushed clean. The Strat sounds are nice - and I have had a Strat. I can't nitpick one single thing about this.

As for the workmanship, I was very impressed as I had played one of the earlier version Variax guitars and was less then pleased. Fit and finish are top shelf. The neck is a little flatter than what I am used to, but will adjust. The frets were dressed reasonably well too. I'd played the Variax JTV-59 in person, but that neck was too much like an old Les Paul for me - this one is much thinner and better contoured to my hand.

It arrived in tune and set up - ready to go. The staff at Sweetwater is great, and I wouldn't have any apprehension of getting another guitar sight unseen.

Waited a long time for this sweet thing, I am amazed by the versatility and tone. The stock pickups sound really good as well. Played through the pod HD 500 and a pair of QSC K12s is the ultimate. Very happy with my purchase and well worth the wait. The Floyd trem is flawless.
Thanks Line 6 for a great product.
And thanks to Sweetwater for good business!