How can i get more sustain

[aarsvold]

Hi. As some of you might know I put on a Bigsny on my H150 a few days ago. As expected i got some reduction in sustain. Although the sustain still is acceptable this has led me to explore what can be done do to get more sustain.

I guess some of you will advice me to take off theBigsby but thats not an option.

 

So teach me and all the others who are wondering about the same. What are the things you are doing to set up the guitar for max sustain?

All advices appreciated, big or small.

 

[squawken]

I don't know what to tell you about adding sustain, but that is an AWESOME looking guitar! Could be my white whale-Arrrgh

[brentrocks]

turn your amp up louder

[SouthpawGuy]

You could try going up a string gauge to 11's, increase the action and lower the pickups if they are very close to the strings.

[JeffB]

turn your amp up louder

Nailed it.

 

 

 

 

 

That and use a heavier left hand vibrato.................or more gain....

 

Its not your guitar. You can ring endless sustain out of just about any electric guitar. Even a cheap crap beginners strat copy. I think heavier strings may thwart sustain but I have no way of proving it. No science to back that statement up. If I use them I just get more physical with left and vibrato and it seems to work.

[Bombassa]

Hi. As some of you might know I put on a Bigsny on my H150 a few days ago. As expected i got some reduction in sustain. Although the sustain still is acceptable this has led me to explore what can be done do to get more sustain.

I guess some of you will advice me to take off theBigsby but thats not an option.

 

So teach me and all the others who are wondering about the same. What are the things you are doing to set up the guitar for max sustain?

All advices appreciated, big or small.

 

 

There might be a little to gain with other (thicker) strings and

adjusting the height of the pickups (or change them).

But first of all, go the electronic way: Compressor/limiter (sustainer (TC?)) and may be a boost-pedal.

I am using a ElectroHarmonics Black Finger, you really ought to try it. Electronics can do real wonders...

[GuitArtMan]

If you don't want to lose the Bigsby... and you don't want to or cant turn the amp up... you need compression. Either a compressor pedal or an overdrive pedal that compresses. My favorite compressor is the Barber Tone Press. Mostly because I don't like compressors and the Barber has a blend knob so you can blend back in some unaffected tone and get your attack back (compressors tend to soften the attack). There are lots of overdrives that compress, but just about anything in the Tubescreamer family should get your there. My favorite is the MJM Blues Devil (now called the Phantom) - a Tubescreamer on Steroids.

[tulk1]

Another vote here for a compressor. My Wampler Ego, like GAM's Barber, has a Blend knob so you can put more of the unaffected signal back in the chain. Does wonders! And you don't have to do that "country" squash with the compressor, either. Just give it enough to help hold the decay. And, you can have nearly as much fun choosing a compressor as you can a guitar. There are SO many to choose from these days. Lots based on the older MXR and Orange sounds. And some truly transparent newer designs.

[mars_hall]

Explore getting a stiffer spring for the Bigsby or inserting a smaller diameter stiff spring inside the one there. Anything you can think of that will decrease the relaxation of the tension on the string or restrict movement of the string in any direction beyond their endpoints will increase the sustain. If you have a roller bridge, go fixed. Ensure there is no lateral movement in the saddles and saddle slots. Ensure any loose hardware such as the pickguard and rings are sufficiently tight. Use stiffer springs for the pickups. Look closely at any fretting out during bends. You can do this with a scope or use the scope function within G-Tune (computer tuner shareware) and look for any higher frequency ringing in the signal when you pluck smoothly and chime at the 12th fret. Instead of seeing a smooth sine wave you will see little ripples on top of the original note. All this robs sustain.

[MartyGrass]

To be fair and balanced, let me add that too much sustain can make things muddy. I never seriously considered that until about a year ago, although I've heard it forever. David Paul, Chet Atkins, and that ilk had rapid tone decay as part of their style, and the Bigsby was part of it. Surfin' style also has a sharp attack and rapid fade.

 

I'm guessing you still want more sustain, and I won't try to talk you out of it.

 

The only other ways you will get more sustain are to have higher string mass (fat strings), less vibration dumping into the Bigsby springs (stiffer), and feedback resonance to pump energy back into the strings.

 

The Bigsby website states that sustain is enhanced with a Bigsby. Along the same lines, you can track Santa live on www.noradsanta.org.

[FredZepp]

I use lighter strings than many here ( .09 or .10 ) , and don't feel that you need a heavy string to get good tone or sustain... and while I like a low action, it can't be so low as to not allow the string to vibrate properly.

The pickup height can be an issue as the magnetic pull can reduce sustain if it is really close to the string.

 

I count on my amps to provide a lot of the sustain/ tone, but certainly a compressor can help if you are in need of more sustain after checking the details on the guitar.

It's hard to imagine that you'd need more sustain with that guitar if set up properly, but then again it depends on what you want to play and how your amp sounds.

 

BTW... that axe looks really sweet.

[602a]

Invest in a Boss C3 Compressor Sustainer. Around $99 new 50 used. Will get sustain out of any guitar or amp at any vol without distorting original sound.

[aarsvold]

Hi, and thank you for all the answers so far. I am writing this on my mobilephone so I will be short until I get a computer. Many of these advices seems to be very helpful. I will try as many sollutions as possible before i head for the compressor. The strnge thing is that it seems that the g string has been affected more than the others. By that mean it suddenly decays faster than the other strings in contrary to before. Ill try to post a soundclip later so you know what i mean.

I guess turning up the volume will be very helpful and I will also try as youve mentioned here to experiment with thicker strings. I removed my rollerbridge earlier today and that helped.

 

Anyway, this is a very interesting topic, so keep on sharing your knowledge.

[Spectrum13]

I would try checking the nut and make sure it's clean and the take off points are cut correctly. The tuner should be tight in the headstock and change the G string. A deep stainless steel bridge post and a good locking bridge will also help. Fred Zepp is right on with the pickup height and magnet pull. And what everyone else said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sure about the gold knobs? Very nice 150.

 

 

 

[chico]

that creme binding looks good w/the white. saw one at the factory in that color one time and it caught my eye..

made me think hmmm.. the beginnings of GAS..

[Genericmusic]

A Pro-Co Rat will add sustain. You don't even have to turn up the distortion.

[aarsvold]

Hi.

I have done now some further experimenting. I am in general satisfied with the sustain except on one string as i mentioned earlier. The g-string has very little sustain. It sustain for a couple of seconds before it suddenly dies. Its strange since it was ok before I installed the bigsby. Its definately at its worst around 12th fret. Not only does it decay faster, I also sense a slightly more damped sound already in the attack.

 

I have tried the following with no result:

Changing string (from .17 to a newer .17 )

Lowered the pickup

Risened the bridge

Ive got the same result with both a normal bridge and rollerbridge.

 

So what could I be missing here? Why is it so much difference on this one single string?

[Bombassa]

Hi.

I have done now some further experimenting. I am in general satisfied with the sustain except on one string as i mentioned earlier. The g-string has very little sustain. It sustain for a couple of seconds before it suddenly dies. Its strange since it was ok before I installed the bigsby. Its definately at its worst around 12th fret. Not only does it decay faster, I also sense a slightly more damped sound already in the attack.

 

I have tried the following with no result:

Changing string (from .17 to a newer .17 )

Lowered the pickup

Risened the bridge

Ive got the same result with both a normal bridge and rollerbridge.

 

So what could I be missing here? Why is it so much difference on this one single string?

[Bombassa]

Hi.

I have done now some further experimenting. I am in general satisfied with the sustain except on one string as i mentioned earlier. The g-string has very little sustain. It sustain for a couple of seconds before it suddenly dies. Its strange since it was ok before I installed the bigsby. Its definately at its worst around 12th fret. Not only does it decay faster, I also sense a slightly more damped sound already in the attack.

 

 

So what could I be missing here? Why is it so much difference on this one single string?

 

 

G-String causing trouble

 

Is it a kind of resonance? Does this happen if you tune it higher or lower, or just in G.

[tulk1]

It's the nut. Or where it goes thru the bigsby. Most likey the bigsby, since it was ok before.

[aarsvold]

Now I have done an interesting find.

I put on a g-string where the light e-string is supposed to be and got exactly the same problem there. When the e-string was there before i did this, there were no problems.

Further I have no problems with other strings even to i hit the same note which is a problem with the g-string.

 

These findings are arguments both for and against resonace in the neck being the problem. I also think maybe that a can can a disharmonic tone in the attack when i hit the g-string.

I will continue investigate and update

[aarsvold]

And here is the last finding:

When pressing down the 12th fret on the g-string with a capo the string sustains normally. I guess because the pressure towards the neck is much harder. The sustain gets better when i press really hard with my finger too.

So why is this happening? I can clearly see the string vibrating much better when pressing down the string really really hard. I am beginning to think i might have a high fret somewhere, i can hear a very slight buzz when hitting the string but it really is pretty weak.

 

Any suggestions out there on where I should go from here?

I know I have given a lot of info in this thread that might be of no interest for the problem, but I just want to give you all the clues i can think of that can help somebody help me.

[mars_hall]

 

Any suggestions out there on where I should go from here?

I know I have given a lot of info in this thread that might be of no interest for the problem, but I just want to give you all the clues i can think of that can help somebody help me.

 

Have you considered a wound G?

[bolero]

one way of making a guitar sustain more is adding mass at the headstock...do you have heavy Grover tuners yet? if not, install some & that should help

 

otherwise you could get a brass nut installed, those were all the rage in the '70's

 

another thing to check is the string distance behind the saddles, I prefer them to not actually touch the back of the bridge...I've heard that deadens the sound although I have no empirical evidence

 

or you could install some modern metal type pickups, or active EMG's

 

there used to be this thing called a sustainiac..? don't know much about them though

 

obviously, get your guitar setup/checked by someone who knows how to do it...or learn yourself....Dan Erlewine puts out a great book

[FredZepp]

It seems that you are saying that this string is not acting normally, so there is some issue to fix on the guitar.

I would approach it first to check basic setup specs.... like:

Check the curve of the neck (the truss rod adjustment)

Check height of slot at nut

The tuning keys are attached tightly

Test notes going up the neck to set bridge height

 

Does raising the bridge slightly help this issue?

Check the angle behind the bridge... not sharp enough or too sharp

You may want to find the worst notes and listen to the wood at the back of the guitar to

see if there are any anomalies you can pinpoint. ( actually put your ear to the wood to listen )

Play all the notes going up that string and the strings on both sides of it and see if there is a trend.

 

 

 

.... ( just some quick thoughts )