How far have you taken guitar modification?

[Snoogles]

in search of more sustain edit: and improved tone, above and beyond pickup mods and swaps?

[jeremy]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

not sure what you mean exactly. ive built guitars from scratch but not really just for sustain reasons.

i think a big part of sustain has nothing to do with the pups. the setup and guitar itself have alot to do with it. if you have a lively sounding, good sustaining guitar unplugged its much easier to get a good sound and great sustain plugged in

[ItsaBass]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

I agree. Sustain is all about setup.

[ratherdashing]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

I have a nut that I carved myself from the bone of a Great White Shark. To ensure it was authentic, I hunted and killed the shark myself using only a steak knife.

I forged a bridge block using titanium stolen from a Soviet MiG-29. I spent three years in a gulag for that one, but managed to escape by seducing the commandant's wife.

I also put a fresh set of strings on there whenever I can.

[lex666]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

in search of more sustain, above and beyond pickup mods and swaps?

are you saying you want more sustain from your guitar? what guitar are we talking about?

Sustain is nice, but realistically, listening to someone else besides yourself "sustain for hours" can get annoying.

[lex666]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

I love me some feedback tho.


Feedback > Sustain

edit: should be CONTROLLED feedback

[Snoogles]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

I love me some feedback tho.


Feedback > Sustain

edit: should be CONTROLLED feedback

i'm finding that's about the one and only drawback of the POD HD that i've using.
i miss the feedback of a real amp.
damn this NYC apartment living.

[Snoogles]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

are you saying you want more sustain from your guitar? what guitar are we talking about?

Sustain is nice, but realistically, listening to someone else besides yourself "sustain for hours" can get annoying.

i'm thinking sustain where i could go out for a bite to eat, come back and still hear it.

btw, i ask specifically about sustain, because "tone" is subjective, but i'll go back and re-edit my original post
i just figured i would specifically ask about sustain, because that is quantifiable. while tone is subjective

[MisterE]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

I don't think I understand the original question?

At least I didn't do modifications to increase sustain, it had plenty of that before and it still does. I just don't know how much the sustain has increased.

I did the mods because I wanted to increase the guitars potential to sound better than it did and I succeeded. I can now spend all day tweaking those sounds that I gained with the pups and the triple shots rather than just playing all day.

And now I have this tele that I have stored away in the closet. Hmmmm?...

[King IzzO)))]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

I put those graph-tech saddles I got from a bro on my tele and it has LOL sustain, like ridiculous. I wasn't missing sustain, but it's actually pretty cool.

My right hand appreciates the smooth tops on them very much, only downside is the grounding thing, meh.

[lex666]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

They say that a locking bridge & tail like those from TonePros help to increase sustain. Whether or not its perceptible is a whole nuther debate. I've got locking bridges and tails on many guitars and the difference is negligible at best.

I think sustain and tone has more to do with proper set up and tone woods. The more resonant your guitar is the better the tone & sustain.

[uOpt]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

If sustain would be so important we would all play 1977 Kramer Aluminum neck-throughs today.

[ImmortalSix]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

in search of more sustain edit: and improved tone, above and beyond pickup mods and swaps?

Block, bridge, saddles, nut, tailpiece, TOM

In my experience, bridge + nut is the greatest combo - a high mass bridge and a hard and light nut. I prefer TUSQ nuts and brass bridges.

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

Well, I've done this:




Can't say all that mass on the body does much for the sustain as I'm really not using it for slow blues, but the tone did get a bit beefier.

[Hellion]

Re: How far have you taken guitar modification?

I picked up a cheap Gibson SG in 1988. It looked like it'd been run over by a tank, there were so many pieces missing. I rebuilt it. One of the things that it had was a Bigsby tailpiece, and while Neil Young might like them, I think they're the worst. So, I tore that off and put a stop tailpiece in instead, but put it further back than normal. It ended up giving it a LOT more sustain than some of the heavier, more traditional sustainable guitars.