So the trade is complete, my balance is paid off, I have the Pod XT Live in my possession (along with a case for it, and the special Variax digital guitar cable), and my Variax 300 (black) guitar is on its way to my local music shop. It’s a done deal, I just have to wait for shipping. The guitar should arrive sometime this week, hopefully in time for our mammoth recording session beginning on Thursday.
This guitar is the budget model, and it is available only in the somewhat plain and spartan black or red finish. Kinda ugly, not really my style. The selling point for the guitar, clearly, is the electronics which are state-of-the-art and allow for a huge variety of sound. I had hoped to get the natural finish model 700, but it’s cost-prohibitive for me at this point, especially given that the electronics inside are identical to the cheaper model.
Well, I just found out that Warmoth, a company that makes replacement electric guitar parts, is now making replacement parts for the Variax series. I’ve played warmoth necks before, and they are fantastic. Plus, I could get an unfinished guitar body and give it a clear finish myself.
Bottom line, if I find the cheaper Variax guitar to be unacceptable, I can upgrade it significantly for much less than the cost of the top of the line Variax model.