Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Dave Locher

Dave Locher

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Is there a pedal that does not lower the volume of your guitar but does sort of clamp down the signal in a vaguely natural sounding way? So when strumming each strum would sort of stand out.
Like one strum would be like Xx. instead of XXXxxx..., so you'd hear Xx.Xx.Xx. instead of XXXXX if you strummed three times.

Feel free to mock. Even I think it's a dumb question
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Noise Gate pedal set to open and close fast with a threshold setting will do this.
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Compressor with late attack (like soft knee) will do that Just set the make up gain lower than the source.

Another method is to put a mute under the strings, like a foam strip. (Was a common technique in the 50’s-60’s; was built in to Gretsch guitars and Rickenbacker basses)
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

I'm curious as to what problem this supposed pedal would solve that technique wouldn't.
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Sounds like a noise gate
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Some fuzz circuits running with an underbiased transistor.

Square wave tremolo circuits.

Overall, though, I would lean to a noise gate/silencer to do this.


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Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

beaubrummels said:
Compressor with late attack (like soft knee) will do that Just set the make up gain lower than the source.
Click to expand...

good point, this method make will make a more staccato, stabbing sound reverse saw tooth and maybe that's what he's looking for more than a more plain saw tooth wave (fast on, fast out) approach which separates the perceived gaps further that I described.
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

This effect was called an Expander, and not really a thing you find these days. They were featured on ES-series guitars in the late 70s (also featuring a compressor). But there might be Expander pedals out there- I've never looked, it is a weird sound.
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Mincer said:
This effect was called an Expander, and not really a thing you find these days. They were featured on ES-series guitars in the late 70s (also featuring a compressor). But there might be Expander pedals out there- I've never looked, it is a weird sound.
Click to expand...

THAT's what I was thinking of. Thanks. I will explore the wild world of the internet. Thanks!
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Used to not be able to get an expander separate. They were part of Dolby decoding. The audio signal would be compressed during record to keep all the sound above the noise floor of tape, then the audio content above the noise floor would be expanded back to its full dynamic range on playback, avoiding the tape noise.
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/homebrew-electronics-detox-eq-603398

I was looking for one for a while... The trick is to set the amp for the lead tone and then hit this pedal, HBE Detox, to get a rhythm clean tone. You see? It is not exactly an anti-comp but I guess it maybe what you are looking for.

I've ended up using Voodoo's Giggity to that end and works great with my 5e3 and 5e7 clones. The amps roar... and with the Giggity I can pull them back to the rhythm tone.

B
 
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Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

I think a graphic eq might accomplish the same thing?
I'm still curious about this expander thing. I can't find any YouTube videos of one and general web searches keep bringing up a mass pedal from EHX.

I know I saw an expander pedal on some company's site in the last 6 months but I have no idea who it was. Some independent or small builder I think?
 
Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

EQ won’t change the attack and sustain. You typically will find expanders used for other instruments and vocals rather than guitar. You might entertain bass and vocal effects. I think some enhancer circuits might have had expanders, like the BBE stuff?

EHX Steel Leather Bass Expander

Keeley Compressor Plus (Compressor/Sustainor/Expander)
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

A noise gate employed improperly will do this, though it isn't designed for it, so you will likely have to use VERY fine knob adjustments to get exactly what you want.

That said, controlling the sustain of your notes is basic guitar playing technique, and IMO it's the most important thing you need to be able to do. You shouldn't need a gadget to do what is the most important element of fundamental musicianship: note duration.

Playing a note isn't just starting the note, and then letting it do whatever it wants to do. You start it. You sustain it. You end it. Every single time you play a note. Beginning, middle, end. All are equally important to control.

I don't get it. Do you mean to say that until this point in your guitar playing, you have just allowed every note to ring out uncontrollably? You never stop your notes? Just end your notes when you want them to end; it's that simple.

Because of this, I really don't understand the question. It seems like asking, "How do I stop talking once I start?" Well...ya just stop talking.
 
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Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

From what I remember there were a few 80s era pedals that could do this. I don't know if Moog, who designed the expander circuits in those ES guitars, ever put their stuff in a pedal, but I remember ads from back then with compressor/expander pedals. It is a pretty weird sound, but I can understand why people would like it.
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

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Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Dear Itsabass,

First of all, when I wrote "a graphic eq can probably do that" I was replying to Dr Barlo with the Detox thing, which he was suggesting as an under drive with eq to reduce gain.
Second of all, I have been playing the living $#!+ out of electric guitars since 1983. I have fantastic right hand technique and can palm-mute all day long and strum like a mofo in complex rhythms that will set your head on fire.

I was not very clear in my first post: I am looking for something that would kill sustain while strumming full chords so that each strum would stand out more rather than getting lost in a wash of sound. Something OTHER THAN using the edge of my hand constantly or turning the gain way down.

It was really just a random thought, but I had heard of an expander pedal and could not remember what it was called or how they work. I just like trying out something new and different from time to time, that's all. If the new thing doesn't work for me then I have learned and I move on but the experimentation is good for me.

Finally, I said it was a dumb question right there in the title! No need to point out the dumbness of my dumb question.
 
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Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Behringer makes the CL9 compressor limiter
And the CS400 compressor sustainer

There was an expander or something a few years ago
But I cant remember what it did
 
Re: Dumb question: is there a pedal that kills sustain, sort of an anti-compressor?

Dave Locher said:
Dear Itsabass,

First of all, when I wrote "a graphic eq can probably do that" I was replying to Dr Barlo with the Detox thing, which he was suggesting as an under drive with eq to reduce gain.
Second of all, I have been playing the living $#!+ out of electric guitars since 1983. I have fantastic right hand technique and can palm-mute all day long and strum like a mofo in complex rhythms that will set your head on fire.

I was not very clear in my first post: I am looking for something that would kill sustain while strumming full chords so that each strum would stand out more rather than getting lost in a wash of sound. Something OTHER THAN using the edge of my hand constantly or turning the gain way down.

It was really just a random thought, but I had heard of an expander pedal and could not remember what it was called or how they work. I just like trying out something new and different from time to time, that's all. If the new thing doesn't work for me then I have learned and I move on but the experimentation is good for me.

Finally, I said it was a dumb question right there in the title! No need to point out the dumbness of my dumb question.
Click to expand...

Yep... the graphic eq when set right, I guess will do the most of the unboost trick I suppose. But then again Voodoo Giggity (the way I set it) does the unboost thing but also a bit more you know. It is not gain or drive... but some slight presence kinda crunch you know...

That's why I love it.

It is not what you are looking for tho. And I dunno if HBE detox does that as well.

B
 
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