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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Improving sustain

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3/25/1999 4:01 AM

Improving sustain

I now have (after a lot of experimentation!) a rig which I really like: A 50 watt JCM 900 head feeding a 2x12 Laney cab, a pedal or two and Gordon Smith GS1. The guitar (for those not familiar) is a lovely hand-built Les Paul junior-a-like with a custom humbucker. My one problem with this guitar is that it seems to lack sustain. Can I improve sustain by adding some wieght to the body (ie, a piece of lead sheet to the pickup cavity)? What about the pickup-would fixing it to the cavity directly or placing some wadding underneath it help?

Thanks for any suggestions,

Chris

3/26/1999 11:08 AM
Steve Dallman	I have a '68 Telecaster that weighed next to nothing and had NO sustain. I routed a 3" wide 1/4" deep and laid a 10" long, 2-3/4lb. piece of brass in. The neck bolts through the brass and the strings anchor into the other end. Great sustain. I think you'll need more than sheer weight. (lead) I got the 1/4" thick brass from a local sheet metal shop for about $10 in 1982.

3/28/1999 6:00 PM
Steve A.	Chris: If your guitar doesn't have a wraparound bridge you might try a heavier brass tunamatic-style bridge. (I think that you lose a lot of sustain with a stock tunamatic bridge.) Steve Ahola P.S. Does your guitar have a bolt-on neck? Or a set neck like the real Juniors?

3/29/1999 4:48 AM
Chris	Thanks for the input guys, The neck is set as per Les Paul juniors. Aside from the bridge, is there anything else I can do fairly cheaply to improve the sustain? Thanks again, Chris

3/29/1999 8:31 AM
Earl	The pickup could be the problem: too close to the strings and the magnet pulls on the string influencing the sustain. Try backing it down to see if it gets any better.

3/29/1999 9:23 AM

Ashman Pittman, of Groove Tubes infamy, used to market a product called 'Fathead'. It was a thin (1/16-1/8") piece of bell brass that attached to the back of the head of the guitar. It was the shape of the head,held on by the tuners. Make a similar plate out or brass, steel, stainless steel, etc. Cut it out the shape of the head & drill holes for the tuners. Remove the tuners, place the plate on the back of the head, and reinstall the tuners. Easily reversable and it might do the trick for you. I made a plate out of 1/16" stainless to move a deadspot in the neck of a Washburn 5 string. A heftier bridge would also help.

3/30/1999 6:08 AM
Chris	Thanks for the suggestion Steve

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