"New" Guitar Sustainer Idea

[Paul Marossy]

I had a thought today  :idea: . I don't know if it's worth the effort to type this, but here goes....

Basically, it's Ansil's basic idea using the LM386 chip and a speaker, but my approach would be a little different. I was thinking of putting that assembly into a stompbox topology instead of mounting it in your guitar. Would still be trial and error, but you could strategically locate the box near the amp to get feedback happening easier. That way, your guitar in relation to the amp would have less of an impact on the feedback qualities than if the circuit was mounted in your guitar. And your guitar volume/volume pedal could help to keep it under control. A footswitch could switch it on and off and it would basically add this circuit to the guitar's signal. I was even thinking that you could use an expression pedal to control the gain and stuff. Just an idea - it probably wouldn't work well in real life, but I could be wrong...

Any opinions?

[Eric H]

Maybe I misunderstood, but the speaker needs to be on the guitar, Paul (mine's on the back of the headstock).  It works by sympathetic vibration and needs a mechanical connection to the instrument.

-Eric

[Paul Marossy]

I hear what you're saying, but I'm thinking that it's really acting more like a microphone feeding back than something that works on the principle of sympathetic vibration.  :?

Or, maybe it's a combination of the two?

[Eric H]

you could strategically locate the box near the amp to get feedback happening easier. That way, your guitar in relation to the amp would have less of an impact on the feedback qualities

The "box" (small amp and speaker) doesn't drive the amp --it drives the strings on the guitar.  The output of this box would be so small it would need to be VERY close to the strings to get acoustic feedback.

it's really acting more like a microphone feeding back than something that works on the principle of sympathetic vibration.

I removed the speaker-cone on mine --there's no acoustic-coupling at all.
Maybe Ansil's box works differently

-Eric

[Paul Marossy]

Hmm... that is interesting. Maybe I'm thinking of what an actual microphone transducer would do?

[EdJ]

Hey,i am working on a similar idea.I didn`t know Ansil`s.Can you please give a link to that?
Thanks in advance,Ed

[Paul Marossy]

Here is the link to Ansil's circuit:
http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/madsci/sustainormod.JPG

In my mind, this works in a similar fashion to a microphone feeding back into a PA system, expect the microphone in this case is a little piezo element attached to the back of a humbucker pickup and the output is feed back into the guitar signal going out.

Regarding my earlier idea, on second thought, a microphone element is probably not the thing to use at all.  :shock:

Hmm... I just had an idea that I think I am going to try...  :idea:

[EdJ]

Thanks Paul!
I have a few EMG preamps about the size of a poststamp.I was thinking of glueing one on the back of a switchable pot and put this little speaker in the cave under the bridge pickup from my Tele.Just to see what happenes but to tell you the truth i am too lazy to take the bridge from the guitar today.Maybe next week.
Greetings,Ed

[Paul Marossy]

but to tell you the truth i am too lazy to take the bridge from the guitar today

Yeah, I hear ya. It's kind of a PITA...

[Paul Marossy]

Anyone have something more to add? I am not fully convinced that Ansil's circuit needs sympathetic vibration to work. Unless someone has already tried my idea and can tell me that it doesn't work, I think this idea will be my next experiment.

[Eric H]

I am not fully convinced that Ansil's circuit needs sympathetic vibration to work.

Paul --you should just try it.
I have no idea what it does (or how) , and my comments are about what has worked for me --though in a different way. I should have taken a better look at that circuit.

-Eric

[Paul Marossy]

That's OK Eric. I'm not trying to be adversarial here, I'm just trying to understand how these things work.  

[Eric H]

That's OK Eric. I'm not trying to be adversarial here, I'm just trying to understand how these things work.  

Nor was I --I don't see what this particular circuit is doing. There are basically two types of sustainers that are marketed (I think sustainiac makes both). The E-bow type (including the sustainer-pickup version you used to see on Fernandes guitars) which drives the strings with a magnetic field. Or the type I use which drives the strings by vibrating the headstock/body ( I have an e-bow as well). The end results are quite a bit different. I hope I'm not being redundant.

[Paul Marossy]

Yeah, I think your system would be similar to the Fernandes "Model C" gizmo that attaches to the neck with a cable that goes to a box on the floor. Ansil's circuit works because "all pickups are slightly microphonic", so the piezo in close proximity to the pickup is what causes the feedback/sustain to occur. I'm wondering if you can have it somewhere besides just right at the pickup. I guess that's really my question.

I am tempted to just buy a Fernandes sustainer pickup and mod one of my guitars with it. I really dig that sustain that Vai get can get. I'm just not sure that any of my guitars have the room inside. Well, maybe my MIJ Strat would...