Super Duper Sustain Pedal?

[k1enneth]

I've found a few Sustain pedal schematics...Coloursound Suprasustain, Roland AS-1 Sustainer, Big Muff Pi, and DIY Hornet or DIY shakabrudda.
I'm looking for clean sustain ala Santana ( I'm sure his amp helps) and I would appreciate any input you folks could give regarding some of the vintage pedals or the DIY pedals.  Thanks

[zachary vex]

super duper?  8^) that's most of the name of my super duper 2-in-1 (TM) product.  8^P  which will provide you with extra sustain through sheer boosting.

[petemoore]

I've found a few Sustain pedal schematics...Coloursound Suprasustain, Roland AS-1 Sustainer, Big Muff Pi, and DIY Hornet or DIY shakabrudda.
I'm looking for clean sustain ala Santana ( I'm sure his amp helps) and I would appreciate any input you folks could give regarding some of the vintage pedals or the DIY pedals.  Thanks

Yeah the amp...I always wanna talk about amps first. Right after speakers.
 If your'e talkin' BMW by Santana...the sustainy parts near the beginning...with the smooth Fuzz [IMO]...sounds like a nice tube reverb amp and a well tuned Fuzz Box.
 For simplicity sake I get pretty close to that using a FF, guitar Vol rolled off a touch.
 Liquid Drive {Fuzzcentral} Like Dist+, smoother .
 I don't know what he used for [sounds like he's got a clipper in there] distortion there a slough of them out there...ROG Amp Sims...BSIAB, BSIAB 2.
 As you said. alot depends on the amp, also the guitar and pickups.

[Mark Hammer]

The *appearance* of sustain is created by a number of mechanisms, such as reducing the contrast in volume between the start of a note and the rest of it.  Both limiters and compressors do this by turning the gain or volume down whenever they detect a signal greater than a certain level.

Although limiters and compressors permit the remainder of the note/chord to resume normal volume (or even accentuiate it in the case of compressors), ultimately, whatever happens next is a function of both as) the natural sustain of an instrument and b) the heard volume level coming from the speakers.

In the case of something like a big body jazz guitar with a floating wooden bridge and heavy gauge flatwound strings, a compressor would maintain some degree of "smoothness" in level, but would likely do little to sustain the sound very long because that particular setup does not naturally favour long sustain.  Attempts to achieve sustain with more volume and compression would likely lead to screeching feedback.

Someone like Carlos Santana achieves a great deal of his sustain capability from: a) using a solid-body instrument with a "lively" body, b) playing at high volumes, c) staying reasonably close to the amplifier/speakers, and employing a signal chain that keeps dynamics to a reasonable minimum.  The volume from the speakers keeps the strings in motion by vibrating the guitar body.  Obviously finger vibrato helps too.

You CAN get long sustain from a very high gain pedal at modest volumes, but it will generally not be "clean".....unless you consider what Santana plays to be clean.

[dadude]

In the late eighties Kramer had a guitar called the Baretta Infinity Sustainer that had a switch that would give you infinite sustain. I' not sure how it was done. It might have employed the same technique as a Ebow. But if my memory serves me it was some sort of vibration thing in the pickup. It could sustain a clean note for ever.

[Chris Goodson]

In the late eighties Kramer had a guitar called the Baretta Infinity Sustainer that had a switch that would give you infinite sustain. I' not sure how it was done. It might have employed the same technique as a Ebow. But if my memory serves me it was some sort of vibration thing in the pickup. It could sustain a clean note for ever.

Fernandez had one too, it looked like a pickup.

[k1enneth]

Thanks for the tips...I'm still looking for anyone that might have used either the Coloursound Suprasustain or the Roland AS*1 sustainer foot pedal...these would have been vintage pedals, hopefully different sounds than a Tubescreamer or Rat proco