How to improve sustain of this guitar??

[roverforever]

I have an EMG HZ equipped Cort EVL X5, with floating bridge. There'e tremendous gain from the pickups, but very poor sustain. The action is high enough to not be the cause. What else could be the reason for such poor sustain then???

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

Is your pickup too close to your strings? Which strings are affected?

 

[floydfloat]

yes, could be your pickups. Try lowering your pickups height.

 

[roverforever]

Thanks, you mean dig it further into the guitar body, correct??

 

[hifi_killer]

change bridge! the bridge is a big variable in the sustain equation. I changed my stock bridge to a a willkinson one and i immediately notice an improvement in sustain and tone.

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

Thanks, you mean dig it further into the guitar body, correct??

haha nono, that was just a stab in the dark. multiple things affect sustain, so it's important to troubleshoot step by step. maybe you could tell us more about the problem?

some points to look out for is,

is the sustain of all the strings affected, or only some?
which frets have low sustain? or every fret?
were your pickups very close to your strings initially? (higher than ur fretboard)
are there any buzzing when you pick a string at normal strength?

 

[roverforever]

I think the problem exists mostly in the higher strings, I don't have it with me now.. so can't really confirm that. Also I think the pickups are higher than normal. Also, the I suffer from severe feedback, find it very very hard to mute the strings after strumming them. So the problem is quite contradictory I feel, excess feedback, with poor sustain. I hear floyd rose licensed bridges of low quality is the usual cause, but it's beyond my budget to go for the original anytime soon. No string buzz at all, and the problem exists at all frets.

 

[faekildare]

Are your pick ups mounted to the body or attached to pick up rings? if it's pick up rings, just screw the screws at the sides to lower the pick up height.
If that doesn't work, it might be your bridge. There are a few factors like madwerewolfboy said.

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

hmm, i can't really tell what's the problem from your description. you can try adjusting the pickup heights first. there is a guide on dimarzio's webby, http://www.dimarzio.com/site/#/faq/ under orientation and height adjustment. if the problem still persist, it may be wise to spend a little cash on a good setup by a qualified guitar tech.

Quote:
How high should I adjust my pickups for the best sound?

There is no specific distance that works best for everyone. We measure string height from the top of the polepiece to the bottom of the string when the string (usually the high or low E) is held down at the highest fret. For standard, full-size humbuckers, a reasonable starting point for the bridge pickup is at least 1/16" (1.5mm) from the high E and 5/64" (2 mm) from the low E. There are no recommended distances for the other 4 strings. Their polepieces should be adjusted (if necessary) by ear in relation to the volume established for the first and sixth strings. Once the bridge pickup is adjusted to a useful distance, the neck pickup can be adjusted by ear for a good balance.

For single-coil pickups and all hum canceling single-coil replacements with Alnico 5 rod magnets, we’ve found the following formula works very well: at the highest fret (usually the 21st or 22nd), the closest recommended distances from the top of the magnet to the bottom of the string are:

Neck and middle pickups
low E 1/8” (3.2mm)
high E 3/32” (2.4mm)

Bridge pickup
low E 3/32” (2.4mm)
high E 1/16” (1.6mm)


What happens if I adjust my pickup too close to the strings?

The closer the pickup gets to the strings, the stronger the signal that's sent to the amp. However, getting a pickup close to the strings brings the magnetic field closer, too. If the magnetic field is strong enough, it alters string vibration enough to make the guitar sound out of tune, and it can also cause string buzz and reduce sustain.