What is the best way to improve sustain?

andrizzle

andrizzle

New member
A new nut, bridge, neck, all of the above?!

I've got a MIM Tele that I really like. It plays well, stays in tune pretty well, and sounds great with the SD pups that are in it. HOWEVER... it dies out within a couple of seconds of every note. I can't get any sustain in it. Nothing other than the pickups have been upgraded and I don't mind doing a bit of work to get some results. So what are your ideas/secrets/vault-worthy ideas of improving sustain?!

Thanks! :beerchug:
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

It's funny you mentioned that yesterday because when I was playing last night I though it was weak in the sustain department too.

I'll be interested in the comments.
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

What gauge strings are you using? Moving to a heavier string might help with sustain, it has on some of my guitars.
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

I tell you every time I hear or say the word sustain, I can't help but thing of Nigel Tufnel's rant about his Les Paul..
"Do you hear that sustain? Well you would if it were playing."
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

A good set up goes miles to curing sustain problems. Aside from that, id replace the plastic nut and make sure your pups arent too high.

There was a trick mentioned here thats been around for a while and a bunch of people did it. I cant remember exactly what it was. It involved loosening 2 of the neck plate screws while the guitar was tuned to tension. I want to say the 2 nearest the headstock. The strings should go flat, then tighten all 4 starting with the 2 furthest away from the headstock. Its meant to help seat the neck heal properly.

Im not sure if that was the exact method but hopefully someone will correct me if im wrong.
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

Try the 3 piece brass saddle sets, increase the neck angle with a shim, use slightly longer screws to fasten the baseplate, bigger frets, more mass on the headstock...etc.
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

my 1999 MIM Tele is a winner... i'm not sure whats up with the wood in that one but it vibrates well.... you can feel the strings vibrations in the neck and body rather well.. I've changed set ups, i've changed bridges and nothing seems to stop it from being a great piece of wood for a guitar...

there may be nothing you can do... one of the easiest things is to change strings more often... i used to play 1 guitar and 1 guitar only and i'd change the strings weekly most of the time... sometimes by-weekly... it helps with overall feel, sound, and sustain...

another thing is to make sure your PU's are adjusted right
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

It depends on why the guitar lacks sustain.

Any amount of buzz will impact sustain. Different problems lead to buzz and require different fixes.

Heavier strings tend to increase sustain.

Aluminum bridges also seem to improve sustain (at the least it worked for me).

A thick finish will also impact sustain.

After that... it's a matter of playing with feedback from your amp.
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

Well you can get a fernades sustainer put in your guitar but only if your tele has a humbucker route for the neck. Cool toy but then again you would be left without a neck pickup.

Or have you tried a compression/sustainer pedal?

What kind of distortion are you using? A higher gain would add some length to your notes.
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

pro cut bone nut, fret dress and a good set up...if it's still dead after that t might be time to look into upgrading various parts...in your case, if memory serves me that guitar has the 6 saddle box bridge, if so a bridge with 3 brass saddles will add sustaiin as well and thats pretty low buck compared to the next step...

If I were you I'd get a new nut fret dress and set up first simply becasue it likely needs it then if you want more sustain or better tone in general go for the 3 brass saddle bridge if it's still an issue a new or new body will go a long way but at that point only you can decide if it's worth all that...

Also, make sure your pickups are not set too high....Fender style single coils are BAD on string pull and it often kills out sustain...simply lowering the pickups can help with that...
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

andrizzle said:
A new nut, bridge, neck, all of the above?!

I've got a MIM Tele that I really like. It plays well, stays in tune pretty well, and sounds great with the SD pups that are in it. HOWEVER... it dies out within a couple of seconds of every note. I can't get any sustain in it. Nothing other than the pickups have been upgraded and I don't mind doing a bit of work to get some results. So what are your ideas/secrets/vault-worthy ideas of improving sustain?!

Thanks! :beerchug:
Click to expand...
Turn up your amp! Even the worst guitar will begin to sing with great sustain when you start cooking the tubes!!
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

work a little vibrato into your notes. i got more sustain from my strat when i adjusted the truss rod for a little more relief. or heck, ive never had great success with sustain with single coils in bolt-ons - a humbucker helps. but honestly, you can get some results by altering the way you play, figuring out how to attack the notes in such a way to get more sustain, and how to use your fretting hand to stretch the sustain out.
 
Re: What is the best way to improve sustain?

a lot of things play into getting good sustain. A good bridge, no string buzz, a set up neck, good action, a well cut nut. That is why a nice set up is the way to go. It's all about finding the balance between everything.
 
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