For those that are interested in one of these, you can make some modifications to make it even better. I have the Mexico version, so I swapped out the stock pickups for Dimarzio Area 58/67/62 set, replaced the bridge with a Super-Vee Bladerunner, and the most important mod - added a toggle switch in-line between the input jack and processor board so I could then turn the Roland pickup on only when I wanted it. It no longer uses battery power when played in normal setting. Roland also makes an AC adapter that can be used in place of the battery pack if you don't mind having another cable coming out your guitar. Final mods were a set of Fender locking tuners (drop-in replacement), a Graphtec nut, Fender USA string trees, and sanding/Tru-Oiling the back of the neck.
Todd Ridner - that’s pretty much what I’d do as mods go! In terms of pickups, I’d probably go something rail-based, e.g. DiMarzio FastTrack/ProTrack or Bill Lawrence L-45s. In order to forgo the need for string trees, I’d suggest the staggered version of the Fender Locking Tuners. GraphTech Nut is a good idea, though I’d probably opt for an LSR Roller Nut instead. SuperVee’s Blade Runner is a phenomenal call!
Thats a cool idea to have the drop tuning built in to the pickups. I think a lot of guitar companies will try all sorts of gizmo things on the guitar but I think they will all go back to the standard guitar build in the end. But I do like the built in tuner thing. That is definitely a futuristic and cool guitar Robert.
i bought mine in 2007 as well. black with rosewood board. i played it everyday since. every gig. best guitar i ever had. i can do anything with it. the middy humbucker can be tweaked just by having a dedicated pedal just for the humbucker mode
That is a very versatile guitar, but I wish they would have added the Roland 13 pin output ( to drive guitar-synths ). I think somewhere in the knob twisting you can also dial up Nashville tuning. Thanks for another great video.
The strat setting is probably so you get an active strat sound (a bit of a boost, i heard) while not having to switch off the pickup magic switch. So you go from one tuning to normal strat without having a clip from one system to another and back again, no warm up time. I think
The standard strat setting has a lot of white noise static and hissing so you have to turn the volume down or mute the strings when not playing. The vitual mode on all settings is dead quiet. You can let the guitar neck go and no interference at full volume. just hit a note and its full on
Well this type of tech wouldve helped so many gigging musicians. I would definitely buy it if i was gigging and wanted a different tunning right at the moment instead of having to switch guitars
That guitar is awesome man, I really like it and would love to have a guitar that sounds like almost every guitar you can think of, and it's a genuine Fender Strat? That's the future right there absolutely.
This guitar probably didn't catch on because the Variax (2002-present) did all of this good stuff and provided power up the VDI cable. The battery thing is a deal breaker for a lot of people, including me.
teerexness Me too Brother! Got a JT59 and love it. Rechargeable battery with bot tuning and guitar selections. The ability to create your own tuning is pretty cool as well as customizing your own guitar models.
I have two Variax transplants. A Gretsch Double Jet and a ESP Eclipse II. Swiss army knife guitars and the Gretsch has become my #1 gigging guitar for its killer native tones and the insane versatility of the Variax. And I'm such a fan of the VDI system, that I didn't even build battery bays into these guitars.
@@-Legacy I think all the 2nd generation Variax's (including my transplants) which have magnetic pickups can be played normally, without batteries or power in the cable, via the 1/4" jack. Not sure about the Fender.
I have a Les Paul with the G Force tuners, like it at first then it was a pain , ended up putting on locking Grover’s. This system seems a lot better but something to think about.
Nothings ahead of its time, things like this just start their time even if they dont last long the idea of them still comes back at some point, real nice strat tho great vid here
After watching your most recent "Are Fender & Gibson guitars outdated" ... I went hunting for videos on this guitar ... and wouldn't you know, there you are!
Question for you or your other followers - you have done several what if Slash played a strat, etc...I noted that at least in your video with those - the Single coil was brighter and stood out - how would that track in a layered recording with a Humbucker and Single coil layered...The Single (Strat) really seems to pop more and could be a really cool mix as a solo or a harmonic shift of a base rift (thinking like Iron Maiden/Avenged 7X..etc.)Just wondering if you know anyone that does this or why it isn't used more...to many people stuck on the tones for Humbucker or Single Coil.Imagining Pink Floyd with humbucker backing tracks and David Gilmore doing Comf. numb on his strat - think it would be another layer of incredible.
Paul Ostermeier I think there were a couple songs Gilmour played an LP on. I know the solo to ABINT pt. 2 was on a gold top but I’m not sure about other songs
I owned it. Sold it after a year. Big fan of guitar technology but the feel w/ the Roland modeling was just too sterile for me. I don’t miss it. I owned both generations of Variax too and sold both for the same reason. Hoping the technology improves with whatever next generation of this comes about. Cool vid!
Fender`s little foray into modeling. All it is is chorus effect for 12-string and pitchshifter for dropped d, baritone, etc.Maybe Line6 said, `ok, bwut we have the pattends on all that modeling stuff you you can use it bwut, you have to pay us x-amount in royalties, so Fender said ` no deal`
When I bought mine it already had a 2 point tremolo on it, is that an option or did someone mod it? Love mine, it's black and it shows allllllllllllll the curves
It's a great guitar to alot of different stuff with no doubt, I was going to buy one when they were out but was disappointed with the tunings lol it was lacking one that I think is very important which is Eflat turning unless I have bad info but i don't think it has that tuning. Thanks for your time
Does anyone know what's the technique played in 12:51 ? I think it's slap or something because he played with two hands on the fretboard but im not sure
Only just seen this video, it does mean strat, in the modeling mode it's to get the strat sound but removes the 60 cycle hum that the OEM pickups produce! (Owned a VG from new)
This is Roland technology. Fender built the guitar but Roland built the pickup and the engine doing all the modeling. Roland still offers the guitar for a MIM Strat modded.
Hey Robert, can I have one of your credit cards numbers and the pin for it ? I need some stuff. lol 1:55 State Farm Is There … There it is again at 3:07 Hahahaha. Are you going to become the newest statesman for State Farm Insurance ??
Dragon telecaster It's cool worth the money? Not to me But if a signature guitar is your thing sure More for a rich man wall hanger Collector's thing if your looking for a good guitar check out G&L that's where the real Fender is now days G&L was Fender at one time
LiLRPM 219 yes! Daves world of fun stuff is great! Also if its any cool, contact Philip Mcnight and see what hes willing to do, he dod a series of fixing and modding guitars
I have had mine for 9 years and the problems with it are ridiculous. It would work and then not work. Now all of sudden the blue light is not working, neither is the Roland setup. I paid 1200 new. Worst purchase I even made!! It's worth maybe 250 now without the Roland mod, and of course there is nowhere to have it repaired at this point. Lot's of similar complaints about it (VG guitar forum). It came out in 2007 and was discontinued in 2009 which tells you something. Beautiful concept but terrible in reliability. STAY AWAY!!!
For those that are interested in one of these, you can make some modifications to make it even better. I have the Mexico version, so I swapped out the stock pickups for Dimarzio Area 58/67/62 set, replaced the bridge with a Super-Vee Bladerunner, and the most important mod - added a toggle switch in-line between the input jack and processor board so I could then turn the Roland pickup on only when I wanted it. It no longer uses battery power when played in normal setting. Roland also makes an AC adapter that can be used in place of the battery pack if you don't mind having another cable coming out your guitar. Final mods were a set of Fender locking tuners (drop-in replacement), a Graphtec nut, Fender USA string trees, and sanding/Tru-Oiling the back of the neck.
Todd Ridner - that’s pretty much what I’d do as mods go! In terms of pickups, I’d probably go something rail-based, e.g. DiMarzio FastTrack/ProTrack or Bill Lawrence L-45s. In order to forgo the need for string trees, I’d suggest the staggered version of the Fender Locking Tuners. GraphTech Nut is a good idea, though I’d probably opt for an LSR Roller Nut instead. SuperVee’s Blade Runner is a phenomenal call!
If you had to do a that crap, why even buy it?
Thats a cool idea to have the drop tuning built in to the pickups. I think a lot of guitar companies will try all sorts of gizmo things on the guitar but I think they will all go back to the standard guitar build in the end. But I do like the built in tuner thing.
That is definitely a futuristic and cool guitar Robert.
i bought mine in 2007 as well. black with rosewood board. i played it everyday since. every gig. best guitar i ever had. i can do anything with it. the middy humbucker can be tweaked just by having a dedicated pedal just for the humbucker mode
Woah, this brings me way back. I totally remember when this guitar first appeared. Very convincing detuned sounds on that thing!
That is a very versatile guitar, but I wish they would have added the Roland 13 pin output ( to drive guitar-synths ). I think somewhere in the knob twisting you can also dial up Nashville tuning. Thanks for another great video.
Still love mine, still pouring batteries into it cus this baby is real real thirsty , thank God for rechargeables these days, great in the studio
The strat setting is probably so you get an active strat sound (a bit of a boost, i heard) while not having to switch off the pickup magic switch. So you go from one tuning to normal strat without having a clip from one system to another and back again, no warm up time. I think
The standard strat setting has a lot of white noise static and hissing so you have to turn the volume down or mute the strings when not playing. The vitual mode on all settings is dead quiet. You can let the guitar neck go and no interference at full volume. just hit a note and its full on
Well this type of tech wouldve helped so many gigging musicians. I would definitely buy it if i was gigging and wanted a different tunning right at the moment instead of having to switch guitars
That guitar is awesome man, I really like it and would love to have a guitar that sounds like almost every guitar you can think of, and it's a genuine Fender Strat? That's the future right there absolutely.
This guitar probably didn't catch on because the Variax (2002-present) did all of this good stuff and provided power up the VDI cable. The battery thing is a deal breaker for a lot of people, including me.
teerexness Me too Brother! Got a JT59 and love it. Rechargeable battery with bot tuning and guitar selections. The ability to create your own tuning is pretty cool as well as customizing your own guitar models.
The Line 6 JTV-69s is what I have and love it. Their version of a Strat.
I have two Variax transplants. A Gretsch Double Jet and a ESP Eclipse II. Swiss army knife guitars and the Gretsch has become my #1 gigging guitar for its killer native tones and the insane versatility of the Variax. And I'm such a fan of the VDI system, that I didn't even build battery bays into these guitars.
You can still play it like a normal Strat without the battery correct?
@@-Legacy I think all the 2nd generation Variax's (including my transplants) which have magnetic pickups can be played normally, without batteries or power in the cable, via the 1/4" jack. Not sure about the Fender.
I'm quite perturbed that I had no clue this axe existed. Well done Fender! Please bring this out again with updated hardware.
I literally just seen one today at a shop for the first time 😂 that’s why I’m here 😂🎉
Goes into Open G and doesn't play Keith Richards riffs...whhhaaaaaaa?? Awesome vid, brother! Very cool guitar. \m/
Haha I know right
Robert, try a line 6 variax. They took that older technology and ran with it. Richie Castellano of BOC endorses Line 6.
Wow. Kind of neat features! Thanks for the awesome demo bro. I really like the baritone and drop D settings!
Only wished it had a D# tuning mode to put everything a half step down when the singer gets lazy.
I have a Les Paul with the G Force tuners, like it at first then it was a pain , ended up putting on locking Grover’s. This system seems a lot better but something to think about.
I personally like the idea of having many guitars insted 😛
Nothings ahead of its time, things like this just start their time even if they dont last long the idea of them still comes back at some point, real nice strat tho great vid here
I bought one as soon as I saw this, and I (almost) NEVER buy guitars without playing them first!!! Awesome video mang!!!
After watching your most recent "Are Fender & Gibson guitars outdated" ... I went hunting for videos on this guitar ... and wouldn't you know, there you are!
Question for you or your other followers - you have done several what if Slash played a strat, etc...I noted that at least in your video with those - the Single coil was brighter and stood out - how would that track in a layered recording with a Humbucker and Single coil layered...The Single (Strat) really seems to pop more and could be a really cool mix as a solo or a harmonic shift of a base rift (thinking like Iron Maiden/Avenged 7X..etc.)Just wondering if you know anyone that does this or why it isn't used more...to many people stuck on the tones for Humbucker or Single Coil.Imagining Pink Floyd with humbucker backing tracks and David Gilmore doing Comf. numb on his strat - think it would be another layer of incredible.
Paul Ostermeier I think there were a couple songs Gilmour played an LP on. I know the solo to ABINT pt. 2 was on a gold top but I’m not sure about other songs
I owned it. Sold it after a year. Big fan of guitar technology but the feel w/ the Roland modeling was just too sterile for me. I don’t miss it. I owned both generations of Variax too and sold both for the same reason. Hoping the technology improves with whatever next generation of this comes about. Cool vid!
Fender`s little foray into modeling. All it is is chorus effect for 12-string and pitchshifter for dropped d, baritone, etc.Maybe Line6 said, `ok, bwut we have the pattends on all that modeling stuff you you can use it bwut, you have to pay us x-amount in royalties, so Fender said ` no deal`
What's the piece you played on the 12 string mode? That was beautiful 😃
SUBHADEEP CHAKRABARTI More Than a Feeling
@@olavposti thanks a lot
Colegas, me regalarían la referencia exacta de esa guitarra?
Bought one on the strength of this video. Looking forward to getting it in my hands.
No need for double neck guitar anymore this strat is the best!
Battery holder is impossible to find. Any sources?
Does anyone know what the name of the song is at 8:00?
@Poo Ninja Just to 'start the day' am I right?
@Poo Ninja I asked her but she just kept 'walking away'
@Poo Ninja 😜
Through the Fire and Flames
jasper geels ---More than a feeling -Boston
They were the best Guitar fender ever made !
When I bought mine it already had a 2 point tremolo on it, is that an option or did someone mod it? Love mine, it's black and it shows allllllllllllll the curves
I gotta get me one of these things 😍
1:54 “State Farm is there”
HiMyNameIsCT like a good neighbor
Lonely Variety BUM BUM BUMBUM BUMBUMBUM
Saw one of those last Christmas at my local gc. It was a mim same electronics for 450$
Perhaps Roland/Boss will come out with a pedal with the technology?
It's a great guitar to alot of different stuff with no doubt, I was going to buy one when they were out but was disappointed with the tunings lol it was lacking one that I think is very important which is Eflat turning unless I have bad info but i don't think it has that tuning. Thanks for your time
Love the 12 string sound
Great Scot! What kind of Blasphemous Sorcery is this!!!
To be frankly honest, if this was built in Uli Jon Roth's guitars then i would certainly like it, but on a good old Fender strat it is too whacky
The alternate tuning feature needs to be in a pedal. Imagine a drop D pedal from digitech.
Cool start bro
That is interesting. I never knew these Strats existed.
what if the Roland pick up blows?
Best job in the world show up for work in ya socks. Thanks for sharing interesting instrument to say the least.
Thing is this thing came out during emo heyday.
If it came out now it made much more sense.
Lashing up the action returning the reaction gotta buy some batteries
Does anyone know what's the technique played in 12:51 ? I think it's slap or something because he played with two hands on the fretboard but im not sure
Is it possible that the S doesn’t stand for strat, but stands for standard?
Only just seen this video, it does mean strat, in the modeling mode it's to get the strat sound but removes the 60 cycle hum that the OEM pickups produce! (Owned a VG from new)
If I was giving amd needed different sounds I'd like it. But since most of the playing I do is at home I rather have a lot of guitars
This is Roland technology. Fender built the guitar but Roland built the pickup and the engine doing all the modeling. Roland still offers the guitar for a MIM Strat modded.
Never noticed that there was 4 knobs on that strat
That’s so weird... I love it
Hey Robert, can I have one of your credit cards numbers and the pin for it ? I need some stuff. lol 1:55 State Farm Is There … There it is again at 3:07 Hahahaha. Are you going to become the newest statesman for State Farm Insurance ??
Ofits time
Thoughts on the new Jimmy Page fender signature? Guys let me know!
Dragon telecaster
It's cool worth the money?
Not to me
But if a signature guitar is your thing sure
More for a rich man wall hanger
Collector's thing if your looking for a good guitar check out G&L that's where the real Fender is now days
G&L was Fender at one time
Neato
i big reason not to have this, is the batteries. maybe with a usb charger, ok.
MOO IM A SHEEP! 😋
You having wrist problems? Me too.
1 Strat to rule them all. I do like this guitar, just don't have the room or the cash for it.
Its on neutral, so nothing is working. Thats a quote i’m gonna use on a good friend who unfortunately is a pacifist
You cant get the circuit board any more . This is a working man Guitar yes the battery thing back then was not great . They need to make them again !!
Latency ...
It was much more expensive too.
Lemme guess... Its got a built in miku!
That moustache.. oh my 😂❤
What is this?? That’s really cool!!
If I sent you my guitar would you fix it?
Lol I don't think he fix guitars, find your nearest Guitar Shop
LiLRPM 219 Whats wrong with it?
I would search TH-cam and fix it myself.
Try Dave's world of Fun Stuff
LiLRPM 219 yes! Daves world of fun stuff is great! Also if its any cool, contact Philip Mcnight and see what hes willing to do, he dod a series of fixing and modding guitars
I have had mine for 9 years and the problems with it are ridiculous. It would work and then not work. Now all of sudden the blue light is not working, neither is the Roland setup. I paid 1200 new. Worst purchase I even made!! It's worth maybe 250 now without the Roland mod, and of course there is nowhere to have it repaired at this point. Lot's of similar complaints about it (VG guitar forum). It came out in 2007 and was discontinued in 2009 which tells you something. Beautiful concept but terrible in reliability. STAY AWAY!!!
1st?
Pretty hair..does your boyfriend brush it?..hardy har har
Starbucks? Robert you corporate shill!