Ordering Sustainiac Steath kit
- Thread starter phreeek
- Start date
theblueark
New member
I've tried out the Fernandes Sustainer guitars and fell absolutely in love with what it can do. The sustainiac is slightly better for dropping into your guitar I feel. Unlike the Fernandes one, the two toggle switches are not direct mounted on the PCB board. You'll probably have to route a battery cavity and drill some holes for the two toggle switches.
I'm damn gian on getting one, but I have been researching, and some people have been building their own, some of which are thin enough that you can put them on top of your existing pickups. I don't want to lose the versality of my neck pickup so I'm either gonna try building one of my own or wait for some company to develop something like that.
I'd link you to the forum with people doing this, and with one guy showing how he installed a sustainiac into his jem with lots of pictures, including the routing he had to do. But I don't have the link on this computer, so you'll have to wait a couple of hours till I get back to my own.
Sustainers are way cool. Good choice on the Sustaniac.
I'm damn gian on getting one, but I have been researching, and some people have been building their own, some of which are thin enough that you can put them on top of your existing pickups. I don't want to lose the versality of my neck pickup so I'm either gonna try building one of my own or wait for some company to develop something like that.
I'd link you to the forum with people doing this, and with one guy showing how he installed a sustainiac into his jem with lots of pictures, including the routing he had to do. But I don't have the link on this computer, so you'll have to wait a couple of hours till I get back to my own.
Sustainers are way cool. Good choice on the Sustaniac.
theblueark
New member
I really like my bridge humbucker and want to keep it. So I'm experimenting with putting a sustainer either on top of it or right after it, between the pickups.
Here's the link I was talking abouthttp://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=7512&st=720
Its a huge thread with lots of experiments and onelastgoodbye made a working one which was only 5mm thick, and PSW made a working driver/pickup combo. I haven't seen any of these on the market so I'll have to experiment making one of my own.
Edit: Pictures for the lazy
Here's the link I was talking abouthttp://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=7512&st=720
Its a huge thread with lots of experiments and onelastgoodbye made a working one which was only 5mm thick, and PSW made a working driver/pickup combo. I haven't seen any of these on the market so I'll have to experiment making one of my own.
Edit: Pictures for the lazy
phreeek
New member
COoL! okay thanks.
yeah i know i'd most prob have to route for the batt
You see with the Stealth plus.. the driver itself acts as a pickup.. but i dunno to what extent lah tone wise.. but since my guitar is h-h i was considering putting it together with a minihumbucker so both would fit snugly into the pickup slot. So i'd use the stealth which dosent double up as a pickup..
like this
http://www.sustainiac.com/stl-drv.jpg
But now i see maybe i might experrment too n save myself a couple of hundreds maybe
But if u put the driver on top of the pickup would the magnetic effect. the thing tt the drive does to the strings affect the pickup or hinder the sound quality? even if they arent on at the same time?
yeah i know i'd most prob have to route for the batt
You see with the Stealth plus.. the driver itself acts as a pickup.. but i dunno to what extent lah tone wise.. but since my guitar is h-h i was considering putting it together with a minihumbucker so both would fit snugly into the pickup slot. So i'd use the stealth which dosent double up as a pickup..
like this
http://www.sustainiac.com/stl-drv.jpg
But now i see maybe i might experrment too n save myself a couple of hundreds maybe
But if u put the driver on top of the pickup would the magnetic effect. the thing tt the drive does to the strings affect the pickup or hinder the sound quality? even if they arent on at the same time?
theblueark
New member
The Sustainiac plus looks like its gonna cost $400-500. I think I'll play around with a DIY version more first. Also, like I said, I like my neck pickup.
Apparently the guy says that putting the driver on top of the pickup doesn't change the tone of the pickup much, but it does make it slightly hotter.
Tim just made his latest working prototype a few days ago
Its just on the strings so you can see the size. Can see how small it is. Read page 70 on how he builds it. I'm definetely gonna try this when I have the time.
For other readers who have no idea what the hell we are talking about, check out this clip and hear what a sustainer can do. http://users.pandora.be/onelastgoodbye/sounds/beckistan.mp3
The first phrase is the neck pickup (no sustainer)
The second phrase is the bridge pickup (no sustainer)
As the last note of the second phrase dies off, the sustainer is switched ON, on fundemental mode. You will hear the fundemental note sustaining on and on and on.
Then it's switched to harmonic mode, where you can hear those harmonics coming out.
Anybody have any idea where we can get humbucker magnets in Singapore? Else I'll have to start buying cheapo pickups just for the magnets. Or find some other source for magnets.
Apparently the guy says that putting the driver on top of the pickup doesn't change the tone of the pickup much, but it does make it slightly hotter.
Tim just made his latest working prototype a few days ago
Its just on the strings so you can see the size. Can see how small it is. Read page 70 on how he builds it. I'm definetely gonna try this when I have the time.
For other readers who have no idea what the hell we are talking about, check out this clip and hear what a sustainer can do. http://users.pandora.be/onelastgoodbye/sounds/beckistan.mp3
The first phrase is the neck pickup (no sustainer)
The second phrase is the bridge pickup (no sustainer)
As the last note of the second phrase dies off, the sustainer is switched ON, on fundemental mode. You will hear the fundemental note sustaining on and on and on.
Then it's switched to harmonic mode, where you can hear those harmonics coming out.
Anybody have any idea where we can get humbucker magnets in Singapore? Else I'll have to start buying cheapo pickups just for the magnets. Or find some other source for magnets.
phreeek
New member
hmm cheem.. i wouldnt mind giving it a go if i can get the materials as easily as they can.. radioshack la. access to tools.. belt grinder blabla dont think i have the time too tho it would be a nice proj to do.. going in ns early jan nxt yr
(and so sad i wont be able to watch DT cos i'll be in bmt )
Maybe i'll just order a stealth It cost SGD402 with shipping... butt yesterday or the day before i checked n it was 3 something. blasted excahnge rates..
anyway maybe from there can reverse engineer something if im patient enought to postpone installing it i doubt tho. but i have more than one guitar ho hum can experiment on my mex strat or sumthin
(and so sad i wont be able to watch DT cos i'll be in bmt )
Maybe i'll just order a stealth It cost SGD402 with shipping... butt yesterday or the day before i checked n it was 3 something. blasted excahnge rates..
anyway maybe from there can reverse engineer something if im patient enought to postpone installing it i doubt tho. but i have more than one guitar ho hum can experiment on my mex strat or sumthin
theblueark
New member
Actually Shred, if you read deeper into the thread, there have been a lot of success with drivers in the middle position and even in the bridge position. A guitarist at diystompbox.com has a working one which is in his strat middle position.
The main issue is that it has to be as far away as possible from the driving pickup, so that the magnectic fields don't interfere with each other. Fernandes and Sustainiac probably puts them in the neck as people prefer to use the bridge pickup for the effect. You probably will have just as much success placing the sustainer in the bridge and using the neck pickup as the driving pickup.
Think about it, what happens if you fret at the 22nd fret? The sustainer is now nearer to the end of the 'length', which in a way is like placing it at the bridge.
The experimenters have noted though that you do need more power driving near the bridge than near the neck.
The main issue is that it has to be as far away as possible from the driving pickup, so that the magnectic fields don't interfere with each other. Fernandes and Sustainiac probably puts them in the neck as people prefer to use the bridge pickup for the effect. You probably will have just as much success placing the sustainer in the bridge and using the neck pickup as the driving pickup.
Think about it, what happens if you fret at the 22nd fret? The sustainer is now nearer to the end of the 'length', which in a way is like placing it at the bridge.
The experimenters have noted though that you do need more power driving near the bridge than near the neck.
Ah.... interesting! hmmm....
This brings to mind a Jackson guitar... they have this... Phil Collen custom guitar... and I think.. they put a sustainer inbetween the 22nd and 23rd fret in the neck.
But I can't confirm it now... (at work heh.) Will do some re-research then confirm this...
Putting the driver in the bridge (to drive the neck) would definately be fine... distance is maximised... but then... losing the bridge is a bigger lost than losing the neck IMO... the additional power needed makes sense too, your driver would have to be stronger (?), would that affect the center coil?
For me, I love the tone of a single coil in the neck, hence I got a DImarzio Humbucker from Hell... so if I could put a sustainer in, it would be the Sustainiac Stealth and prob a Cruiser neck (or Tonezone S)... heh...
This brings to mind a Jackson guitar... they have this... Phil Collen custom guitar... and I think.. they put a sustainer inbetween the 22nd and 23rd fret in the neck.
But I can't confirm it now... (at work heh.) Will do some re-research then confirm this...
Putting the driver in the bridge (to drive the neck) would definately be fine... distance is maximised... but then... losing the bridge is a bigger lost than losing the neck IMO... the additional power needed makes sense too, your driver would have to be stronger (?), would that affect the center coil?
For me, I love the tone of a single coil in the neck, hence I got a DImarzio Humbucker from Hell... so if I could put a sustainer in, it would be the Sustainiac Stealth and prob a Cruiser neck (or Tonezone S)... heh...
phreeek
New member
I thought most of the jackson phil sig guitars have some unknown brand sustainer driver at the neck pos?
yup its quite logical tt since its easier to drive the strings form the mid pt it would take more power if it were closer to any of the ends..
keep us updated if u start a sustainer proj theblueark!
yup its quite logical tt since its easier to drive the strings form the mid pt it would take more power if it were closer to any of the ends..
keep us updated if u start a sustainer proj theblueark!
theblueark
New member
The guitar I'm planning to put it on doesn't have a pickguard. But it should be thin enough to place between the body and the strings.
I'm busy at the moment, will start experimenting around December. Probably will be a lot of work with a lot of failures, the people there have been experimenting for over a year. But I guess I can post some pics of my experiments, failed or otherwise 8)
I'm busy at the moment, will start experimenting around December. Probably will be a lot of work with a lot of failures, the people there have been experimenting for over a year. But I guess I can post some pics of my experiments, failed or otherwise 8)
oic... but it should work fine in between the neck pu and the neck itself correct? in any case, them parts won't be used for much, at most sell of cheap and get like 10, 20 dollars to other project-ers or DIYers, so might as well do something more constructive with them :twisted:
but, to maximise chance of success, i think after Os must spend a few hours on the comp reading that sustainer forum from word no. 1 to last word. x.x
but, to maximise chance of success, i think after Os must spend a few hours on the comp reading that sustainer forum from word no. 1 to last word. x.x
