Flight959 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Hi, Whats the best/standard way to test the sustain on the guitar? Is it playing a particular fret or open string? I have read in reviews recently different lengths of time sustain will last. Just wondered if there was an industry wide way of testing it? Thanks all in advance.. Regards Simon flight959=; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod B Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Hi' date=' Whats the best/standard way to test the sustain on the guitar? Is it playing a particular fret or open string?[/quote'] Simon - The guitar lab professionals may have some repeatable setup for testing sustain - I don't know. For me, though, I find that a good test of sustain can be found playing fretted notes between the 10th and 14th frets. Open string sustain depends a lot on the nut material, so playing fretted notes takes the nut out of the equation. I don't know if this helps. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson CS Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 If im buying electric, I see how it plays unplugged. My Les Paul sounds great without plugging in... Imagine how it sounds with amp? The sustain is almost endless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleSixx Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Simon, Try having you amp around maybe 2, and play a chord and see how long it rings out. Then pick a note and strike it once and do a vibrato and see how long it rings out before giving you feedback. Now pick another note and bend that and see how it rings out. With the Alnico Pro IIs you have it should sustain nicely and very long. Is the piezo bridge always on with your Slash signature model ? Dunno how that'll factor into the equation. Try combination of the above with all your pickups, then try at a higher volume. At the higher volume see if you can get a note that when you do a vibrato you can sustain the feedbacked note, etc. Hope this was useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 Hi, No the acoustic (Piezo) pickup is only on if it is selected. It can be on just itself or with the Duncans.. She really sings when she's not plugged in which say's to me its a good guitar. Im just lookinf for the right amp to go with it.. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 The best way to test sustain is to play the guitar acoustically. No amps, no electronics. Fretted sustain can vary from open note sustain for a couple of reasons, as someone has stated the nut material for one, also how much pressure and how constant the pressure you apply can affect it. If you let up a little bit you can kill the note faster. Sustain depends on how solid the bridge-guitar attachment is, how solid the neck-body joint is, the nut can affect it, twists in the neck, high frets, lots of things. The guitar should have good sustain on open notes, and the fretted notes should sustain a constant amount up and down the neck. Don't worry too much about comparing open to fretted, but a fretted note at position 1 should sustain the same as at the 12th fret, if it doesn't then you might have a problem. If fretted notes are unusually shorter than open notes, try playing a different guitar. If the same thing occurs try another guitar. If it continues, then it is your technique, if not then there might be a problem with the guitar. I would say a fretted note should sustain about a minimum of 75% as long as an open note, anything less than 50% needs investigation IMO. Also make sure the strings are new as old dead strings will not sustain as long either. You should do 95% of your testing with the guitar unplugged, looking for dead spots, buzzing, sustain and such. It is easy to get excited and crank up the gain and miss things. A guitar that sounds good unplugged will sound great plugged in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Thanks guys!, Like I said she really sings when shes not plugged in.... I am having trouble finding an amp I am 100% happy with. Regards Simon Flight959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandj00 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 have you tried a Vox AC or AD 2-12 combo? The AC 's are pricey with great vintage tube tone and the AD's are very versitle and have the best sound for the $$$.IMO a great sounding tube/modeling hybrid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deftone Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 If im buying electric' date=' I see how it plays unplugged.My Les Paul sounds great without plugging in... Imagine how it sounds with amp? The sustain is almost endless. [/quote'] That's my test for a guitar, too. If it sounds good unplugged, it's a sure bet it will sound good with an amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plank_Spanker Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Sustain is a very ethereal quality to quantify, and I see no way to objectively do it. There are many variables in play - the strings, the pickups, the amp, the amp's settings, and (most important) your fretting technique - to name a few. Chances are most players are looking for sustain on single notes in leads. You get this more from a subtle vibrato to keep the note alive than from the guitar itself - but the guitar helps. Deepblue speaks the truth - I play any prospect unplugged first. If it feels alive then, it will sing through an amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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