What creates sustain?

[Top Jimmy]

Is it something you can create with a compressor/sustainer? Is it your guitar? Is it the pickups (low pull ones)?

I've always felt like I can't play the way i wanted because the notes die too fast and I end up over vibrato-ing to compensate. I turn up the gain trying to make it sing more, but then I get bumble bee's. I've monkeyed with my compressor/sustainer and it didn't really seem to work.

Is it my tone zone pulling on the strings too hard? I've moved the pickup back a bit and didn't seem help. Maybe my trem unit sucks and is killing sustain.

I know the answer is going to be all of the above, but what are some ways to get more sustain?

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: What creates sustain?

Sustain is basically the length of time that the string vibrates at an audible level.

There are essentially two ways to increase it:

1. Ensure the string is able to vibrate for a longer amount of time

2. Ensure the vibration is audible for a longer amount of time

The solutions to #1 lie with the guitar, while the answers to #2 are with your amp rig. That said, if your guitar is not sustaining long enough, there's not a whole lot you can do at the amp/effects end of things, so I'd look at the guitar first.

The first thing you should do is get the guitar properly set up. A bad setup will kill sustain quicker than almost anything else. The action has to be high enough for the strings to vibrate without hitting the frets.

If that doesn't seem to help, start looking at your bridge and your pickups.

 

[jeremy]

Re: What creates sustain?

its the construction of the guitar, the qualities of the woods and hardware, the pups, the amp. lots of things contribute to or kill some of the sustain. what type of guitar?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: What creates sustain?

RD's explanation is accurate. I find that there's an optimum 'action' on the guitar that is right on the line between 'low enough for playability, and high enough for tone.' It's a delicate balance of height on each saddle, the nut slot height, and the truss rod being fairly straight with just a hint of relief.

When you get your guitar setup and intonated that precisely, the whole guitar rings better, and even if the action isn't low, it still feels good because it's sounding as good as possible.

Then, look at the quality of the materials in the guitar. The reason cheaper guitars don't resonate as nicely and sound thinner is because of wood quality, hardware, etc. You get what you pay for.

It wasn't until I got on this forum and learned a lot about pickups that I realized that lower output pickups allow the strings to vibrate more freely.
It's amazing how much more a note will sustain with Seths or 59's, compared to Distortions or Invaders. That's one reason the Custom/59 hybrids are so popular, because they have decent output, but also feel like a low output pickup.

Finally, using a good tube amp with minimal spaghetti between the guitar and amp is they key. By having an all tube amp that's biased with fresh tubes, there's more natural richness and sustain that you don't get from SS or a poorly biased tube amp. When you buy something like a Matchless or Bad Cat, 2 amps that are considered clean amps, it's actually surprising how much more they sustain than a $300 amp......and that's just clean with a bit of natural gain to it. Again, you get what you pay for. Anytime I hear people knocking boutique amps, I realize they just simply don't know the difference.
It's not hype. You're paying for those sonic details that add up to sustain and harmonically rich tone.

 

[Glass Snuff]

Re: What creates sustain?

I get the feeling it's "high gain sustain" you want, and it's the bumblebees that are really the problem. I'm surprised you compressor doesn't work, however. Set it so it doesn't give a volume boost, just sustain.

Folks are right about the guitar, though: your amp can't sustain a note that isn't there. If you suspect the trem, try blocking it with wood shims so it can't move. If that improves things, then you know where the problem lies.