![]() ![]() ![]() One should consider everything from the string itself vibrating and transmitting through the nut and bridge to the neck and body. In summary, the assorted materials that compose the guitar build are the most significant factors in creating longer decay times. ![]() Consider the better wave transmission of graphite saddles vs. Again the density of the materials is significant. The nut and bridge material is also a factor. Heavier gauge strings will decay slower than light gauge strings as mass plays important role on wave transmission as well. Consider a Les Paul with a mahogany body, and a maple top, and an ebony fingerboard. NOTE: most electric guitars may use many types of wood in their construction. This is because sound waves will travel faster as the density of wood increases which allows for better wave transmission. Hard woods will allow for a longer decay time than softer woods, e.g. The type of wood used in the guitar body construction is another factor. The more mass at the headstock is another known contributing factor to create a longer decay. Given two Fender Stratocasters, one with a the standard Fender tremolo bridge and the other with a hard tail bridge, the hard tail bridge will have a longer period of decay for the same reason as above. This is because of the ability of a set neck to transmit sound waves better than a bolt on neck. Given two guitar bodies of the same design but one with a bolt on neck and the other with a set neck, the set neck will have a longer period of decay. Therefore, sustain on a guitar string is literally impossible without some sort of electronic enhancement.īefore I suggest any of a number of ways to create sustain, let's examine the contributing factors that allow some guitars (electric or non-electric) to appear to take longer to decay (appear to sustain longer).īolt on neck vs. Neal Schon, Steve Vai, and The Edge are also Fernandes Sustainer endorsers.įirst off we should understand that the nature of a plucked string is to decay exponentially. However, you will need to route out the body to make room for the extra components and batteries that the Sustainer system requires. You can buy a relatively inexpensive Fernandes guitar with a Sustainer already installed, or you can purchase a Sustainer kit and have it retrofitted to an existing guitar. Check the link for demo videos and recordings from Moog. It is much more sophisticated in its ability to create clean sustaining sounds than either the EBow or the Fernandes Sustainer. Again, it has a tremolo bridge and not a hard-tail bridge.įour years ago an entirely new system came on the market: the Moog Guitar. Similarly, Adrian Belew's signature Parker guitar uses a Sustainiac, a variant on the Fernandes Sustainer. The guitars he performs with today all have a Fernandes Sustainer. Here is a link to Steve Hackett's own description of his guitar collection. Here is a link to Robert Fripp's signature model of guitar, from his luthier, Crimson Guitars. Furthermore their guitars have Floyd Rose-type tremolo bridges and not a hard-tail bridge. Today, both Hackett and Fripp will only perform with electric guitars with a Fernandes Sustainer installed. As long as you hold a note or chord, it never dies out or decays (as long as the batteries are working). It can be used to create completely clean "infinite sustain" sounds, including chords, that are very different in character than what you get with a compressor pedal or with distortion or amp feedback. It sits in a pickup cavity on the guitar, but it is a device that creates an alternating magnetic field that causes the strings to vibrate continuously as if it were being bowed by a violin bow. The Fernandes Sustainer is not really a pickup at all. Later on they used the Fernandes Sustainer installed in their guitars. To get the sounds you described, early in their careers, Steve Hacket used the hand-held electro-magnetic bowing device called the EBow. You are asking about an unusual effect that requires special equipment. I have interviewed them for articles I published in guitar magazines. I know both Steve Hackett and Robert Fripp. ![]()
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