"Damn Sustain"

[tauromastr33]

I´ve got a lil problem here...
I was jamming today and i realized that when i play single notes, specially when i do it slowly, the sustain sounds too "flat" for me... it´s hard to explain.

I think i want a more dynamic sound... i don´t know, an "attack sensitive thing".

I´m using a Jc50 and a Metal zone basically... Any suggestions?

(or maybe i need a tube amp...) :blackeye:

 

[flank]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

tube amp and good setup of guitar = problem solved

 

[tauromastr33]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

My Stuff:

Crafter Convoy dx (prs-like) Construction : Set-Neck ¡¤ Body : Mahogany w/Quilted Maple Top ¡¤ Neck : Mahogany ¡¤ Fingerboard : Rosewood ¡¤ Frets : 22 Jumbo ¡¤ Machine heads : Diecast Halfmoon Gold ¡¤ Pickups : H+H ¡¤ Controls : 1V+1T+3-Way S/W ¡¤ Bridge : Locking Saddle Combination ¡¤ Scale : 25 Inches

60-70´s Roland Jazz chorus 50
Boss BCB-6: Mxr dist+/Mxr Phase90/Boss graph eq.ge-6/Boss slow gear sg-1/Boss delay dm2/Boss Metal zone mt2/Boss Pwr supply psm-5.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

I agree with Flank. I don't know how your guitar is setup, but when adjusting the trussrod, there's a point at which the neck is giving maximum sustain.......straight with just a tiny amount of relief. Also, maybe the nut should be reslotted, so it's giving a nice sharp break point.

A huge part of your problem is the Roland Jazz Chorus. Those amps are very sterile and don't do much for sustain, even with a distortion pedal. They have a very flat EQ structure, and even with the gain up a bit, they still don't have much touch sensitivity under your fingers. Sell it, and get an amp that was designed for the style of music you play. Rolands were designed for Jazz/lite pop

 

[tone4days]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

new strings? maybe a gauge higher?

raise the action a tiny bit?

enhance the mids on the amp and tame the highs and lows some?

maybe a compressor/sustainer?

or an e-bow

good luck

t4d

 

[tauromastr33]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

A huge part of your problem is the Roland Jazz Chorus. Those amps are very sterile and don't do much for sustain, even with a distortion pedal. They have a very flat EQ structure, and even with the gain up a bit, they still don't have much touch sensitivity under your fingers. Sell it, and get an amp that was designed for the style of music you play. Rolands were designed for Jazz/lite pop

Oh my... i was avoiding this for so long....
the thing is, it´s my dad´s amp, you know...

I live in Brasil, and the amps here are totally overpriced... so a nice tube would cost A LOT, and i think used ones are kinda dangerous to buy, ya know... specially here. :blackeye:

 

[tauromastr33]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

new strings? maybe a gauge higher?

raise the action a tiny bit?

enhance the mids on the amp and tame the highs and lows some?

maybe a compressor/sustainer?

or an e-bow

good luck

t4d

I´ll try that, but i think the action is already very high for me.

 

[Watroba]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

Gearjoneser's right. Sounds like the Roland.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

My money would be on the metal zone as the cause. I owned one for 2 years and loved the tone, especially for rhythms, but one thing I hated about it, and it took me a little while to figure this out, is that on lead playing, the sustain was never there.

The notes tended to fade out rather quickly. At first, I suspected it was the guitar, as I only had one electric at the time so I had nothing else to try with it. Now I have 4 electrics and a 5th on the way, and I have at one time or another tried all 4 with it and experienced the same thing with all of them.

I now use a Behringer Vamp2 and the sustain seems to last forever when compared to when I was using the metal zone for my distortion.

For reference I have clips posted in my signature. I did cover songs for 2 dokken songs (alone again, breaking the chains) both using a metal zone. I had to fight to keep the notes going and really had to pick sever times on notes that just should have kept sustaining.

My cover of crazy train however I used the Vamp2 and imo, the sustain came much easier.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

I think Ball and Chain has a point. I think you should try a few different distortion pedals, and try them at the store with an amp set on clean. When you use a pedal with your amp, raise the amp's gain control till it's as punchy sounding as possible without getting buzzy. Then dial in the pedal.

 

[Slash2987]

Re: "Damn Sustain"

I was going to say an Analogman Comprossor but it doesn't work too well with metal so yeah a tube amp I'd say.