Author Topic: Suatainers (Sustainiac or Fernandes) - what do you think? (Read 16411 times)

FELINEGUITARS · « **on:** February 28, 2007, 08:32:02 PM »

Ok guys - open for debate
Suatainers - are they of any interest?
You know the things that work a bit like an Ebow and let you sustain a note or it's harmonic. Great for inducing feedback without having to find the exact spot to stand in onstage too.

I became fascinated in the late 80s by them when George Lynch was using them on Dokken's Back for the Attack album, and I had previously been intrigued by E-bows before that.

I have tried them out both on the Jackson Phil Collen, Kramer sustainer guitar and lots of Fernandes guitars too.

Steve Vai uses one live as do many bands (although some players only manage to make them sound like copulating elephants) and of course Muse's Matt Bellamy has used one to good effect too

Have you used one?
Is it something that interests you?
Would you consider having one on a guitar?

just wondering whether to start offering them as an option on thge guitars I make - or as a upgrade to existing guitars.

CaffeineJunkie · « **Reply #1 on:** February 28, 2007, 08:51:04 PM »

they look pretty fun, but i wouldn't want to have to lose a pickup to get one

would they be able to fitted between the bridge and the bridge pickup??

Twinfan · « **Reply #2 on:** February 28, 2007, 09:06:57 PM »

Not my cup of tea, but having it as an option is always good unless it costs you too much somehow?

the_bleeding · « **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2007, 09:23:43 PM »

they're fun, but i havent found any practical uses that actually sound good. Also, as a pickup, they SUCK BALLS. Muddy as shite tone. And another downside (with the fernandes) is that the entire guitar dies without batteries, even though only the sustainer needs them.

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2007, 09:40:48 PM »

I'd love one just to muck about with :D

Sifu Ben · « **Reply #5 on:** February 28, 2007, 09:53:03 PM »

Yeah, the problem with the sustainer is that you're stuck with that neck pickup, so if you use the neck a fair bit it may not be best (and if you like held notes and prog metal you're likely to use the neck).
Doesn't the PC1 have an old style sustainiac circuit rather than a sustainer?
Could Tim re-wind a sustainer?
I think it's probably worthwhile as an option for you, I'm just not sure if it would be for me (again, I like the idea but the practicalities put me off).

Davey · « **Reply #6 on:** February 28, 2007, 10:16:23 PM »

imo

it's a nice gimmick.. something i'd use once in a while, but again, for me.. the amount of use wouldnt justify the price and sacrifice of neck pickup, so the e-bow would be better suited for me.

shaman · « **Reply #7 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:00:43 PM »

I have a PC-1..only downside for me is battery life...if you dig a floyd rose, you can really do some other world-ly stuff-really gives a dive bomb an ethereal depth(oooh...)like anything..its subject to abuse....but, dial the delay in...smidgen of reverb..stereo setup....its a huge sound...it allows me to get vai like ..I need all the help i can get...
the neck pup itself isnt awesome, but i have found that ,if you are patient, you can dial it in...would be awesome if tim could make it work with a BK,though...that would make it a 10 for me

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #8 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:32:22 PM »

Thanks for the input so far guys.
Any more input will be welcome........

I am looking to bring in some good quality products soon to add to the cool stuff we already deal with like BKPs
Stuff that doesn't seem to be too easily available over here
So far I will be bringing in from the USA:

1)Earvana compensated Tuning Nuts http://www.earvana.com

2)Original Floyd Rose tremolos - http://www.floydrose.com/bridges.html

3)Sustainiac Stealth sustainer systems - http://www.sustainiac.com/

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #9 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:36:30 PM »

Awesome man :D

Nice to see there's a friendly place where we can get true quality parts :>

blue · « **Reply #10 on:** March 01, 2007, 12:11:08 AM »

i bought a fernandes sustainer kit a few months ago and plan to have it installed in a prs se eg. haven't got around to it due to various family issues. i have tried it out on a cheapish fernandes guitar and found it very interesting, but like anything i would like to spend a little time with it before giving a proper judgement. i'm getting it put on the prs to try as i hope to get a custom guitar built in the next 18 months or so and want to know if i really want a sustainer on it. i think that's quite relevant to what you asked Feline?

Davey, i have an e-bow but find it very awkward to use. it was actually after seeing Vai live using a sustainer that i decided to try one out. as to losing a good neck pickup, Vai has the sustainer unit mounted beside a single coil in the neck position, the single coil being used as the actual neck pickup.

headtheball · « **Reply #11 on:** March 01, 2007, 01:18:35 AM »

Not directly related, I suppose, but does anyone have an e-bow, or more specifically, hs anyone taken one apart?

I have notions of putting most of the gubbins on a wrist-strap, and then just having the sustaining doodad in a wee thimble yoke on the end of my middle finger, cos I think it would make it a bit handier to use in a sorta "Hybrid picking" style.

With apologies for all the technical terms there, anyone reckon it's possible?

Antag · « **Reply #12 on:** March 01, 2007, 11:52:58 AM »

I guess if you stock sustainers, some people will buy them (really glad to hear you're stocking OFRs BTW...)

FWIW I wouldn't be interested:
a: I use my neck pickup too much to sacrifice it for the sustainer
b: Finding "the spot" to get natural feedback is half the fun :)
c: If you have a Holy Diver bridge, you hardly ever struggle with b :twisted:
d: In the 80s I had a device for inducing feedback attached to one of my Charvels. It wasn't a sustainer, but a rather cumbersome device with a little speaker that you glued/screwed to the back of the headstock. Anyway, I played with it for a few weeks, but just didn't find it particularly useful & it went the way of those gimmicky FX pedals that you buy, use once, then stick in the bottom of your gigbag & forget you have :)

JMO, YMMV etc...

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #13 on:** March 01, 2007, 12:47:03 PM »

Quote from: Antag

I guess if you stock sustainers, some people will buy them (really glad to hear you're stocking OFRs BTW...)

FWIW I wouldn't be interested:
a: I use my neck pickup too much to sacrifice it for the sustainer
b: Finding "the spot" to get natural feedback is half the fun :)
c: If you have a Holy Diver bridge, you hardly ever struggle with b :twisted:
d: In the 80s I had a device for inducing feedback attached to one of my Charvels. It wasn't a sustainer, but a rather cumbersome device with a little speaker that you glued/screwed to the back of the headstock. Anyway, I played with it for a few weeks, but just didn't find it particularly useful & it went the way of those gimmicky FX pedals that you buy, use once, then stick in the bottom of your gigbag & forget you have :)

JMO, YMMV etc...

That device does sound like the earliest sustainer systems
Did it look like this?

Yeah - I know it's a niche market
Just think that it would be fun to have on one guitar
And that there is a lot of interest in certain quarters for it
I agree with you that I just love my guitars the way they are and giving up a certain neck pickup sound is tricky

Neal Schon seems to get away with it though!

Antag · « **Reply #14 on:** March 01, 2007, 01:01:46 PM »

Yes! The Maniac Sustainiac - that's exactly what I had. I'd forgotten the name, it was so long ago :)

You plugged the guitar into a floor box that had two outputs: 1 to your amp, the other with that speaker on it. It was cumbersome because you basically had two cables running between your guitar & the sustainiac floor box - one from the jack to the floor box, the other from the floor box to the headstock.