fernandes sustainer kit

[blue]

okay, so i got a stupid deal on a fernandes sustainer kit, i had been hankering after a guitar with one already built in but this was really cheap.  so now i don't know what to put it in!  i've been trying to find a guitar to suit, but finding it difficult so thought i'd see if any of you kids had any ideas.  the kit contains a single coil sized driver which goes in the neck position, a bridge humbucker (which i'm thinking will eventually become probably a nailbomb), a five way switch, three pots, a pcb with two switches and a battery box.  

i'm trying to find a guitar to which this will all fit with the least possible hassle.  obviously a strat type would be the simplest, one of the new highway one's would probably do nicely, but i've never been that keen on strats.  it may well be the way i end up going, but ideally i want something with 24 frets, a 25 1/2" scale, a floyd rose bridge and a H/S/S pickup configuration.  a scratchplate would make things easier too.  

wondering also, how difficult is it to put two single coils in the place of a humbucker?  this would increase the number of guitars i could consider.

sorry about the long post :oops: !

anyone any ideas?

[dave_mc]

how much money are you willing to throw down on it?

[Philly Q]

If you can live without the Floyd, what about a PRS SE EG?  They're very well made and stupidly cheap.  The pickups and electronics need upgrading - but you've got that covered.  The only other things you'd want (maybe) would be a graphite nut and a set of locking tuners.

You can put 2 singles in a humbucker ring, but a bit of pre-modification might be required.  Have you seen Neal Schon's Sustainer-equipped Les Paul?:

http://www.gibsoncustom.com/flash/products/signature/schon/NealSchon.html

[blue]

yeah, i have seen the schon guitar before, but i never noticed the neck pickup layout, at least i know it can be done, thanks Phillyq.

and Dave, i'm not quite sure how much.  i could think of a figure, but the right guitar might change that, you know how it is!  i'm thinking under £500, and that going second hand might be better.  also, i don't want it to be a guitar i instantly fall in love with as it's going to get lumps routed out of it!

actually, the prs se eg might not be a bad idea.  i might look into that some more.  i played one before, and you're right Philly, nice guitar, weak pickups.

i'd love to have it in something like a hamer centaura or kramer nightswan, but i could never bring myself to lower the router blade into one of those :shock: !!

[Philly Q]

i'd love to have it in something like a hamer centaura or kramer nightswan, but i could never bring myself to lower the router blade into one of those!!

I know what you mean, I used to be pretty router-happy, like when I put a Kahler trem in my old Hamer Special (d'oh!), but now I prefer to do non-permanent modifications.

I bought my Strat with the express intention of "Claptonising" it with the mid-boost circuit.  I wouldn't have minded routing under the scratchplate for the circuit board, but I needed a battery compartment and I couldn't bring myself to carve up the back of the guitar.  Maybe I should just go for it...

[Fubar]

If you can live without the Floyd, what about a PRS SE EG?  They're very well made and stupidly cheap.  The pickups and electronics need upgrading - but you've got that covered.  The only other things you'd want (maybe) would be a graphite nut and a set of locking tuners.

You can put 2 singles in a humbucker ring, but a bit of pre-modification might be required.  Have you seen Neal Schon's Sustainer-equipped Les Paul?:

http://www.gibsoncustom.com/flash/products/signature/schon/NealSchon.html

It's worth noting that, although his guitars are fitted with the sustainer, he doesn't actually use it anymore!  :lol:

I may be wrong but wouldn't mounting the sustainer unit right next to a pickup cause quite a lot of unpleasant MF interferance?

[Kilby]

I bought my Strat with the express intention of "Claptonising" it with the mid-boost circuit.  I wouldn't have minded routing under the scratchplate for the circuit board, but I needed a battery compartment and I couldn't bring myself to carve up the back of the guitar.  Maybe I should just go for it...

I remember some clone EH-LPB installers used to reverse the strat hack socket so as it stuck out, then they used the extra space for circuitry.

My boss has my strat ATM so I'm not sute how much extra space would become available, I remember some 80s strats had huge tunnels leading to the output jack.

Rob...

[dave_mc]

yeah, i have seen the schon guitar before, but i never noticed the neck pickup layout, at least i know it can be done, thanks Phillyq.

and Dave, i'm not quite sure how much.  i could think of a figure, but the right guitar might change that, you know how it is!  i'm thinking under £500, and that going second hand might be better.  also, i don't want it to be a guitar i instantly fall in love with as it's going to get lumps routed out of it!

actually, the prs se eg might not be a bad idea.  i might look into that some more.  i played one before, and you're right Philly, nice guitar, weak pickups.

i'd love to have it in something like a hamer centaura or kramer nightswan, but i could never bring myself to lower the router blade into one of those :shock: !!

ah, ok. I was going to say something along the lines of a jackson sl3, though it's a bit more than that. EDIT: though by selling the duncans, maybe you could get it to be under £500. I know matchetts was selling one for £629 or something like that, and that was one with a natural finish/maple top, which tend to be dearer.

you want to make sure you get a good floyd, if you go for one with a floyd, that's all. an ibanez rg1570 would be under that, but it's not HSS... :(

[gingataff]

Get an old Ibanez RG and do the Vai mod

[blue]

that is pretty much the guitar i have in my head!  i always liked the idea of the sustainer, but it was seeing Vai live that convinced me, and i've always thought those white Jems were beautiful, very classy.

i want to get this sorted quickly, because i know if i leave it for a little while, the kit'll end up sitting in it's box for years!  i think it is between the prs se eg or an ibanez RG type, if i can find one i like.

[Johnny Mac]

^ That looks like a good example, but it would be pricey. You might be better off just buying a Fenandes with one in already. They do some nice guitars with floyds in and all the stuff ready to go. There good guitars too. There's a dealer in Wales who can get them in. I can't remember his name now. Failing that buy direct from Japan. You can get them with Stormtroopers on and everything!  :lol:


EDIT;
http://www.fernandesguitars.com/rp81.html

Here's a shop in Manchester   http://www.forsyths.co.uk/fernandes.htm

[blue]

thanks Johnny, i had originally intended to buy a fernandes with the unit pre-installed, but i've gone and bought the kit!  it looks like it's going to go into a white prs se eg.  no floyd, but the idea is to get used to the thing and if i really like it get one in the custom guitar i'm cooking up for sometime next year.

i've noticed that my kit has an intensity pot, which none of the fernandes guitars have, and a three way switch for natural sustain/harmonic/blend, while the guitars just have natural/harmonic.  hmmm

[Philly Q]

it looks like it's going to go into a white prs se eg.  no floyd

Good choice!  Same as mine  :D .  I don't have the sustainer, of course.

[gingataff]

I want one in a fretless guitar 8)

[broken cord]

I looked at them as a choice for the neck in my SG. I then found this site when I read about Bare Knuckle's in Guitar. I looked them up and never looked back, I cant wait to have it all together so's I can play play play.