SG poor sustain
- Thread starter toneseeker74
- Start date
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Re: SG poor sustain
YMMV but mine aren't thin and tinny at all. The words 'thin' and 'tinny' have not once crossed my mind playing it. I've used my SG in a stereo image with my Les Paul on recordings. They make a great match tone-wise and both have a thick sound.
YMMV but mine aren't thin and tinny at all. The words 'thin' and 'tinny' have not once crossed my mind playing it. I've used my SG in a stereo image with my Les Paul on recordings. They make a great match tone-wise and both have a thick sound.
Last edited:
jimijames
New member
Re: SG poor sustain
You would think this is the case, but higher tension strings *seem* to retain deposited string energy better - whereas looser strings *again, seem* to dissapate energy by virtue of their wider travel. I'm no physicist and that may be completely off base, but it is at least backed by my personal anecdotal evidence haha.
All the relevant points have been brought up:
- Is everything fastened down properly
- are the strings hitting anything
- are the pickups exerting undue magnetic influence on the strings
My experience has been that you need to play a guitar extensively before everything settles in - I've guesstimated 100 hours of play time before but that's only based on my experience with warmoth/usacg parts bolt-neck guitars. If you aren't gigging the guitar it translates to 30 min- 1hr a day for about 3-4 months. Other than that I've seen improvements in sustain from:
- Locking tuners (more mass)
- Locking Bridge assemblies
- Thicker Strings
- Thicker Pick
- More Loud
You would think this is the case, but higher tension strings *seem* to retain deposited string energy better - whereas looser strings *again, seem* to dissapate energy by virtue of their wider travel. I'm no physicist and that may be completely off base, but it is at least backed by my personal anecdotal evidence haha.
All the relevant points have been brought up:
- Is everything fastened down properly
- are the strings hitting anything
- are the pickups exerting undue magnetic influence on the strings
My experience has been that you need to play a guitar extensively before everything settles in - I've guesstimated 100 hours of play time before but that's only based on my experience with warmoth/usacg parts bolt-neck guitars. If you aren't gigging the guitar it translates to 30 min- 1hr a day for about 3-4 months. Other than that I've seen improvements in sustain from:
- Locking tuners (more mass)
- Locking Bridge assemblies
- Thicker Strings
- Thicker Pick
- More Loud
Re: SG poor sustain
Hi, if you have a "Nashville" bridge-this might help.
Look up ABR vs. Nashville bridge, many here swear by them.
My SG '61 R.I. seemed on the thin side at first. So I looked at the bridge. It came with that crappy "sleeve" style flywheel, so I disasemmbled it and the sleeve itself (the part that is inside the body) was covered in paint and I could make it wiggle with my hand. So I took it out, cleaned the paint off the metal, crushed some maple pieces and put them in the now open wood hole.
Then I needed a slight tap with a hammer to get the sleeves back in (this good for vibration transfer) thus making it tighter. Mine came w/a Nashville type bridge instead of an "ABR" which is original stock and much denser all around. I then had to file the flyweel top post a little so it would accept my ABR bridge. The ABR is not as deep so I only had 1 string that was hitting. Most folks would not do this, but I just simply got my small round rat tail file and gently made a groove so the string hit the saddle only.
My stopbar is screwed down hard! It also had paint covering where the bar screws(the big ones)screw into the big stop bar sleeves, so I cleaned those also. Now I have ultimate contact, I use a much lighter string, a D'Adarrio 9.5, 11.5, 16' 24, 36, 46. They work well for me through a 15 watt Blues Jr. and on stage a 40 watt Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Kicks rear end either way. I use a Seth Lover also, but on MJ's advice (again, most folks don't care for this) I put an A5 magnet in it so it is louder, tighter on the low end, but does add extra high end. My choice. But the original A2 Seth sustained great after I fixed the bridge set up.
Good luck,
Steve Buffington EDIT: What everyone else said also!
Hi, if you have a "Nashville" bridge-this might help.
Look up ABR vs. Nashville bridge, many here swear by them.
My SG '61 R.I. seemed on the thin side at first. So I looked at the bridge. It came with that crappy "sleeve" style flywheel, so I disasemmbled it and the sleeve itself (the part that is inside the body) was covered in paint and I could make it wiggle with my hand. So I took it out, cleaned the paint off the metal, crushed some maple pieces and put them in the now open wood hole.
Then I needed a slight tap with a hammer to get the sleeves back in (this good for vibration transfer) thus making it tighter. Mine came w/a Nashville type bridge instead of an "ABR" which is original stock and much denser all around. I then had to file the flyweel top post a little so it would accept my ABR bridge. The ABR is not as deep so I only had 1 string that was hitting. Most folks would not do this, but I just simply got my small round rat tail file and gently made a groove so the string hit the saddle only.
My stopbar is screwed down hard! It also had paint covering where the bar screws(the big ones)screw into the big stop bar sleeves, so I cleaned those also. Now I have ultimate contact, I use a much lighter string, a D'Adarrio 9.5, 11.5, 16' 24, 36, 46. They work well for me through a 15 watt Blues Jr. and on stage a 40 watt Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Kicks rear end either way. I use a Seth Lover also, but on MJ's advice (again, most folks don't care for this) I put an A5 magnet in it so it is louder, tighter on the low end, but does add extra high end. My choice. But the original A2 Seth sustained great after I fixed the bridge set up.
Good luck,
Steve Buffington EDIT: What everyone else said also!
Edgecrusher
Well-known member
Re: SG poor sustain
Hit the freaking strings harder if its not sustaining!!!
Hit the freaking strings harder if its not sustaining!!!
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: SG poor sustain
SG's don't have the low end of LP's, but they're more middy than tinny, being mahogany and rosewood. The guitars that are inherently tinny are SSS Strats (bright woods, skinny single coils).
SG's don't have the low end of LP's, but they're more middy than tinny, being mahogany and rosewood. The guitars that are inherently tinny are SSS Strats (bright woods, skinny single coils).
Jeffrec
New member
Re: SG poor sustain
Not sure I agree. I have a LP Custom and an SG, and although there's a clear difference in tone, they both sound fat and sustain nice depending on how I set up the amp
Not sure I agree. I have a LP Custom and an SG, and although there's a clear difference in tone, they both sound fat and sustain nice depending on how I set up the amp
Jeffrec
New member
Re: SG poor sustain
SG's have a tone that is rich in the true mids. LP's due to the weight have an extra thump in the low mids. Both are quite similar tonally, but the SG can sound more barky. I too would never ever associate thin and tinny with an SG. That would tend to be an issue with the electronics or pickup selection perhaps.
SG's have a tone that is rich in the true mids. LP's due to the weight have an extra thump in the low mids. Both are quite similar tonally, but the SG can sound more barky. I too would never ever associate thin and tinny with an SG. That would tend to be an issue with the electronics or pickup selection perhaps.
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: SG poor sustain
And there are always compressors...
Bill
And there are always compressors...
Bill
Jeffrec
New member
SirJackdeFuzz
New member
SirJackdeFuzz
New member
Re: SG poor sustain
. . . or for controlled sustain :
. . . or for controlled sustain :
uOpt
Something Cool
Re: SG poor sustain
SG what? That's a wide spectrum. Is that metric TOM or what kind of Gotoh?
SG what? That's a wide spectrum. Is that metric TOM or what kind of Gotoh?
Vasshu the humanoid typhoon
Unseen
Re: SG poor sustain
Maybe it is just a dog.....nothing will change that!
Maybe it is just a dog.....nothing will change that!
toneseeker74
New member
Re: SG poor sustain
2005 SG Special. I'm not completely sure whether it is a Gotoh Nashville style bridge or the Gotoh Tune-O-Matic with standard posts. I'll have to check the part number.
2005 SG Special. I'm not completely sure whether it is a Gotoh Nashville style bridge or the Gotoh Tune-O-Matic with standard posts. I'll have to check the part number.
uOpt
Something Cool
Re: SG poor sustain
"Standard posts"?
It should be either a (non-metric) nashville or an ABR-1. Since it isn't metric you could always mount a ABR-1 with conversion posts, but I think that isn't your problem here as changing the bridge randomly didn't change anything?
Did the bridge change change anything?
"Standard posts"?
It should be either a (non-metric) nashville or an ABR-1. Since it isn't metric you could always mount a ABR-1 with conversion posts, but I think that isn't your problem here as changing the bridge randomly didn't change anything?
Did the bridge change change anything?
Inkstained
New member
Re: SG poor sustain
Hear, hear. While for years I typically *lowered* the action on my Fenders (until I found the play I liked - my Fenders are still fairly jacked up), with my 2014 Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker, I find myself gradually raising my action.
Different geometry, scale length, neck angle, etc.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hear, hear. While for years I typically *lowered* the action on my Fenders (until I found the play I liked - my Fenders are still fairly jacked up), with my 2014 Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker, I find myself gradually raising my action.
Different geometry, scale length, neck angle, etc.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
toneseeker74
New member
Re: SG poor sustain
Measured the pickup height: Bridge is 4/64 on both bass and treble side. Neck is 4/64 on bass side 3/64 on treble side. I'll lower the neck pickup to see if that helps.
Not totally sure about the "standard posts" lingo, I simply typed what Stew Mac has listed on their web site (that's where I bought the bridge). Not much change in sustain, still pretty short. Time to tinker more.
Measured the pickup height: Bridge is 4/64 on both bass and treble side. Neck is 4/64 on bass side 3/64 on treble side. I'll lower the neck pickup to see if that helps.
Not totally sure about the "standard posts" lingo, I simply typed what Stew Mac has listed on their web site (that's where I bought the bridge). Not much change in sustain, still pretty short. Time to tinker more.
Edgecrusher
Well-known member
Re: SG poor sustain
Or sell it.... Like Vashuu said some are just dogs ....it happens.
Or sell it.... Like Vashuu said some are just dogs ....it happens.
