I know you say it requires a 1 watt amp but could I get away with just a half watt lm386? I ask because I have a few of those lying around but I'm short on higher output opamps
@ButtsexV2 You could try it, but unless your coil is built extremely well, and mounted perfectly, etc., it might not work. Just use an 8 pin socket so if your 1/2 watt chip doesn't work, you can just swap in a 1 watt 386.
@guitarslf132 The guitar out works like normal -- but I also have the bridge pickup's output running to the sustainer amp circuit, which has a buffer preamp to preserve the guitar out's signal strength.
Not sure if anyone has pointed this out yet: There's a cool thing called an Ebow that's been on the market since the 80's that already does what you're trying to do with this.
@liamzuid The sustainer feeds back amplified guitar signal onto the strings, which magnetically vibrates them. You can see how I built the driver by clicking the link at the beginning of this video.
Just an awful video. Why didn't you post a video with some musical examples or something other than the guitar equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. Very lame.
@medoogle Gee dude, I don't know... maybe because this is a just a TEST. As in, when I made the video, it was not fully operational, and I was getting 3-5 requests per day on the PG forum to upload a video of my progress.
@jamessanger Pretty much! I've taken this one apart though and I'm working on an improved version. I'll post videos of how to make the better one once I'm finished testing it!
@100roberthenry Ya man! lol, It's takin me a while because I'm so incredibly busy right now. I've barely had time to play and record guitar -- let alone build and rewire one.
hi man..do you get the full range over the strings with this..or is it much weaker on the b and e strings..and above the 12th fret...just wondering as i read a couple of people saying it has weak spots....
@100roberthenry This one is weaker over the high e string, but I'm working on a new design that should be better. Once I get that new design working I'll post a series of videos showing EXACTLY how to make it.
@100roberthenry A pickup would burn up if you ran this kind of current through it. The ruby amp is driving a sustainer coil that is built different than a pickup. There are no poles -- the metal is a solid core like a blade pickup. The magnet is stuck to the bottom of the metal core.
a coil made of 0.2m goes round the strip bar and the magnet connects under it...then the 2 wires from the coil go to the output of the pos and neg of the ruby amp...yes?.whilst the guitar input goes in to the amp yes?...
cheers man...ive been reading a few threads , but some of it gets a little confusing...sorry for being dumb again!..cheerserob.
@3xVxC I've tried it, and it doesn't work very well at all. Most people can't even get them to work at all in the middle position, because it feeds back with the bridge pickup so badly. Also, it does not drive the strings as well the closer you get to the bridge.
@themusic928 I'm working on a new one right now, and I'm video documenting EVERYTHING. I'm super busy right now, but when I've got some free time I'm gonna make a whole series of videos detailing how to build a simple DIY sustainer.
excelent!!! i´m making my projetc, but i need data about mic/speaker, how do you do the core ??? i need build one , does de old strato polepiece core works? thanks!
Hello again, ok so been working on the F/R circuit, but can't find J201's anywhere, will 2N3819 work? I'm also confused about preamps, does the F/R have a preamp built in, or is the preamp circuit build separately before this?
I can't remember if the 2N3819's will work, but some of the guys in Australia couldn't get J201s either, so they used something else. It might have been the 2N3819 -- just see if the spec sheets are close in values.
In the fetzer ruby circuit, the 'fetzer' part is the preamp, the ruby is the power amp. So you don't need another preamp.
I used a Fetzer Ruby for this one, but I'm working on a new prototype design that uses a pre-assembled mini guitar amp circuit that can be bought for $22 from a large supplier! So once I get that all done, I'll post videos on youtube on how to build it -- it should be well under $50 total!
A lot of songs contain sustainer actually. Listen to some Vai stuff, Eddie Van Halen used it in the past 10 years, and a lot of more experimental players are using it as ambient sounds or in solos.
It's a completely custom made coil that will not work as a pickup. Then you have to build a mini (1 watt or so) amplifier to drive the sustainer coil.
@Hudzan WRONG. They are used for making "Infinite Guitar" Sounds like The Edge uses in "With or Without You" The neck through doesn't feedback into itself in a loop.
Yes and no. It works on 3 or 4 strings at once on certain chords, but it struggles to push 2 strings at once on certain others. It just has to do with the frequency response, feedback, dissonance, etc.
hey MJR, i just thought i would give an update with the forum.. currently both sustainer forums have been shut down and are not expected to be reposted, PSW for some reason or other had his account suspended, im not sure for how long though
What?! That's ridiculous! PSW was the biggest help to everybody on that thread. He probably made half of the posts on that 400+ page thread.
Well, if it doesn't resurface soon, I'll have to make a page on my website detailing what I did to get mine to work, since everyone seems to want to instructions. It's too bad they shut the old forum down.
yep i talked to one of the moderators he said that the thread isnt comming back up, i might remake the thread but i think you should, i have yet to make a sustainer lol
Ya, I'll try to make a webpage detailing the techniques I used to get mine running. The one I made was simple, based off of PSW's design, and was based off of the research around page 150-300. After that, I didn't go to that forum much.
I was just holding the sustainer away from the pickups. The feedback (especially with a single coil bridge pickup) can be terrible. Since I'm holding it at a 180 degree angle to where it would be mounted in the neck pickup position, the feedback is worse because of how the magnetic fields are shaped... which is why I kept moving towards the fretboard to avoid feedback.
I want to make one of this, but i have some doubts, if i modify my humbucker, will it stop working as one?... and how to make one... is it easy?, weher cna i find the instructions thanks :)
These are not at all easy to make. To see how complicated it is, read through the forum linked to in the sidebar. Usually you will have to destroy any pickup you modify to be a sustainer.
Hmmm, I see that. I haven't been on there in a while, but it was a HUGE thread. Over 300 pages! Maybe they moved it, edited it, or have it temporarily shut down... I'll look for where it went.
Thanks It'll be great if ig et the "how to do it" :) cause wher i live is kidna impossible to get one so i'm making myself one :) BTW i'm suscribing :
It keeps the notes going on "forever". It's not on every guitar but you can get a pedal to get that effect, but I don't recommend that option. You know because there a special switch to turn it on or off. And you can still ask your dealer if you are not sure. here you go, hope I helped a bit =)
your guitar doesnt have a sustainer... sustainers send out a magnetic pulse which makes the strings vibrate.. also you need to buy and install a sustainer... pedals dont work like a sustainer they just compress the sound... fernandes do good sustainer.. i take it you havent been playing guitar long... id learn to play at a good level before you start investing in pricey upgrade... hope i helped.. =]
basically it makes an electromagnetic field that pulses in time with the strings, so they keep vibrating indefinitely. Very few have sustainers built in. (the moog guitar is the only one i know of)
If it has a sustainer, there will be an on/off or mode switch
Yes, Sustainiac is now making one too. I'm not sure if they are associated with Dimarzio, but I wouldn't be surprised. Dimarzio makes great stuff and they always seem to be on the cutting edge of things.
ok, so I've been trying to make a homemade sustainer and i read that you could take a steel bar and wrap copper wire around it then attach the copper wire ends to a battery. Now that I've almost wrapped a ton of times, i researched again and apparently the copper wire has to be insulated. Is that true? Did you make your sustainer another way? If so, can you give me a brief explanation of what you did? I really would appreciate it. Thanks
It is MUCH more complicated than that... you need a specific gauge of insulated wire, you need to build some sort of preamp and small 1 watt amp to power it... etc., etc.
I knew the gauge of wire was specific, but I thought you only needed a 9 volt or some sort of battery to run it. why do you need a preamp and 1 watt power amp for it? doesnt it just sned magnetic vibrations that keep the string vibrating so it could work unplugged too?
The preamp is so you can steal the signal of the strings vibrations from your bridge pickup, and then the 1 watt amp is to drive that signal thru the sustainer driver with enough power to vibrate the strings. Most of the little 1 watt sustainer amps are 9V powered.
You need to swap out the neck pickup for a specially made sustainer pickup for it to work. You can't just use a normal guitar neck pickup as a sustainer.
Unfortunately no. There are so many variables involved, and so many ways to do it, there has not been one standardized 'how to' instructions made that I know of! Your best bet is to read through the forum link I give in the video description.
Hey there, can you help me with two questions please?
Will this work on a bass, or is the driver too weak to move bass strings?
What is the difference between 32AWG magnet wire and pickup wire except for the gauge? I'm not a native speaker of English, so I need to find the name under which they sell it here. I know they're both made of copper and they are coated. And whats the gauge of this 32AWG magnet wire in milimeters?
32 AWG = 0.20mm diameter wire. It is the same kind of wire used on pickups -- just thicker.
Sustainers work well on bass, since there is more mass to drive on the strings. All you have to do is increase the value of the output capacitor to compensate for the lower bass frequencies.
thats not even that much thicker. I use 0,05mm for PUs.
I got this old bass which I am tuning right now, both Pickups were broken (short circuit in the coil). But they don't have pole pieces, just a bobbin around a magnet. Do you think I might use the bobbin+the magnet to make the driver or will I need a different size for the magnet? (it's roughly the same size as a humbucker magnet)
How many winds is is approximately with 0.20mm wire to reach the 8 Ohm?
You really need to use .2mm wire for it to work right. You can use your old bass pickups, just remove the windings and rewire with .2mm. You may or may not need a core or polepieces -- you'll have to try it.
I think it took about 200+ turns for mine -- so I'd say do about 250 and measure, then cut it down from there. Also make sure you use PVA wood glue (like elmers) to soak the coil as you wind it -- this will keep the windings from vibrating later on.
sorry if I'm annoying you with my questions. I know I will need a preamp to power the sustainer coil, but can't I just use an active PU in the neck position, and connect preamp of it to the sustainer coil, or is it a different kind of preamp than I will need?
You need a more powerful preamp than an active pickup uses. Actually, you need basically a little 1 watt amp that will run the sustainer much like a speaker. The LM386 chip based amps are a good choice.
The electromagnet works because the permanent magnet is there to pull in the electro-magnetic field -- just like with a guitar pickup.
This unit works well for harmonics too -- all you have to do to get them is either flip over the permanent magnet to the opposite pole, or reverse the driver leads (which you can do and make a harmonic switch).
so i have a few questions...ive got a fairly cheap guitar, so i was wondering if i could use the neck pickup as the sustainer, i understand a bit about electronics, i think i understand enough, can i simply replace connecting to the speaker to connecting it to the jack out cable? im a bit confused with the wiring of the whole circuit of the guitar in relation to the sustainer.
You can't use a pickup as a sustainer. The driver itself is of a completely different design. And it is not as simple as rewiring an existing guitar. Read through the forum I have posted in the video description if you want a better idea how to build one.
i understand that the guitar would need new external components, but what is the actual difference between a normal...say stratocaster neck coil pickup and the one you made?
Everything. Pickups are wound using super thin wire, to anywhere from 5k-20+k ohms. The sustainer driver must be wound with much thicker wire (32AWG) to 8 ohms. All of the dimensions with the core and coil are different too.
how difficult is this to do if you dont have much electronics experience? i have some, alot with wiring guitars, but not much for really anything else.
Ok, well if you have done that, you'll have no problem building the circuit. Really the hardest part is winding/building the driver coil. Take a look at the link to the thread I have in my video description.
I now Michael Brook did this to his guitars a long time ago, and even sold one to The Edge who in turn used it on the Joshua Tree recordings. It's a very cool Idea. Been wanting to do something like this for a long time.
Thanks for all the information. I just don't understand why you didn't have the pickup/speaker installed into the guitar as opposed to holding it above the strings.
Showed it to tom scholz and paul reed smith and most every guitar maker trying to get one of them to produce it but there are a ton of obstacles to get around.
I got around the pickup feedbacking by using a delay pedal and sending only the delayed signal to the sustainer transducer which was enough of a delay to combat the feedback.
Maniac Music and Fernandes have taken this idea and fully developed beyond amazing.
I have a fernandez sustainer.. its way cool but took a lot of work to install.. would really like to learn how to build this so I can build this in another guitar and maybe save some $.. Can you give more detail?
Go to the link to the forum in the description and read up on the posts around page 170 to 220-ish. It is a lot of info, but it's all there. If you are still confused after that, send me a message.
To be totally honest, only $15 for the special sized wire (I only needed about $2 worth, but you have to buy it in bulk...) and Imaybe another $5 for the scrap welding steel that I used for the core. Everything else came from a cheap single pickup that I gutted for parts.
The sustainer is a magnetic device (like a guitar pickup, or an electric motor) that manipulates the strings by vibrating them. The signal which is run through the sustainer and vibrates the strings magnetically is taken from a pickup, causing the system to "loop" itself -- hence the 'infinite' sustain.
this is the same principle as the Ebow, only the preamp is clean(er)- voiced. the Ebow drives the snot out of the little opamp in there, which is why it always sounds distorted (and subsequently, huge).
You can't buy one like this yet. There are a few companies that offer commercial sustainer kits, but this is a DIY model. A new device kinda like this one, but a much improved model, is currently being developed though, so keep and eye out.
nice one....but can u post the circuit diagram or scheme??/
vimal1629 2 weeks ago
buy an amp
pakiw2 1 month ago
I know you say it requires a 1 watt amp but could I get away with just a half watt lm386? I ask because I have a few of those lying around but I'm short on higher output opamps
ButtsexV2 5 months ago
@ButtsexV2 You could try it, but unless your coil is built extremely well, and mounted perfectly, etc., it might not work. Just use an 8 pin socket so if your 1/2 watt chip doesn't work, you can just swap in a 1 watt 386.
MRJSTUDIOS 5 months ago
why is this in my recommendations. delete this video please
seth3556r 5 months ago
@seth3556r Hahahaha, no.
MRJSTUDIOS 5 months ago 3
I'm guessing it's wired with the guitar out going to an amp into the sustainer?
guitarslf132 6 months ago
@guitarslf132 The guitar out works like normal -- but I also have the bridge pickup's output running to the sustainer amp circuit, which has a buffer preamp to preserve the guitar out's signal strength.
MRJSTUDIOS 6 months ago
Hey this is sweet, can u let me know when u finish the diagram cheers.
guitarslf132 6 months ago
Hello Michael, please finish the Fernandes sutainer, I will be very grateful!!!!
whereisthiscity 8 months ago
is it wired as a normal pickup or does it need a circuit to work? and if it needs, wich one, please?
afiadordelima 9 months ago
@afiadordelima It is NOT a normal pickup -- it is wound to just 8 ohms, and it need approximately a 1 watt circuit to drive it.
MRJSTUDIOS 8 months ago
nice how manny watts is the amp for the driver?
MrHaakon386 10 months ago
@MrHaakon386 It's about 1Watt @ 8ohms, from a 386 chip.
MRJSTUDIOS 10 months ago
can u give the diagram of the circuit??
2015coolguy 10 months ago
@2015coolguy I'm working on an improved version of it.....
MRJSTUDIOS 10 months ago
Not sure if anyone has pointed this out yet: There's a cool thing called an Ebow that's been on the market since the 80's that already does what you're trying to do with this.
fooser1 10 months ago
How does the sustainer work?
What is it made of?
liamzuid 1 year ago
@liamzuid The sustainer feeds back amplified guitar signal onto the strings, which magnetically vibrates them. You can see how I built the driver by clicking the link at the beginning of this video.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
Is it the 101 model, being featured in this video, and also...will it work at the bridge position?
I have a single pickup route at the bridge of my steinberger copy.
Thanks
novanine9 1 year ago
@novanine9 This is not a Fernandez sustainer. I built this from scratch. And no, it does not work in the bridge position.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
Where do you put the stinkin battery w/o having to pull the pickguard? Only problem i can see besides price.
journeyquest1 1 year ago
@journeyquest1 I routed a battery compartment on the back of the guitar, so you just open the hatch and replace it from there.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
@MRJSTUDIOS No thanks. I dont want to hack up the nice finish on my guitar.
journeyquest1 1 year ago
please tell me how to do this
S4EProductions 1 year ago
@S4EProductions I'm working on some new videos showing how to make these from scratch.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
@MRJSTUDIOS ok thanks!
S4EProductions 1 year ago
@S4EProductions Hopefully I'll have them up by the end of the year.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
hahaaa hey!!!! nice! even tho the sounds are bad, who cares. this is cool!! :) keep up the good work michael! :)
sar718 1 year ago 5
Just an awful video. Why didn't you post a video with some musical examples or something other than the guitar equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. Very lame.
medoogle 1 year ago
@medoogle Gee dude, I don't know... maybe because this is a just a TEST. As in, when I made the video, it was not fully operational, and I was getting 3-5 requests per day on the PG forum to upload a video of my progress.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago 20
wow ... geat idea that 1!!. have you finished it ?
jamessanger 1 year ago
@jamessanger Pretty much! I've taken this one apart though and I'm working on an improved version. I'll post videos of how to make the better one once I'm finished testing it!
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
@MRJSTUDIOS
cant wait for the update man...arghhhh......lol.
100roberthenry 1 year ago
@100roberthenry Ya man! lol, It's takin me a while because I'm so incredibly busy right now. I've barely had time to play and record guitar -- let alone build and rewire one.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
cheers that sounds cool man...
100roberthenry 1 year ago
hi man..do you get the full range over the strings with this..or is it much weaker on the b and e strings..and above the 12th fret...just wondering as i read a couple of people saying it has weak spots....
100roberthenry 1 year ago
@100roberthenry This one is weaker over the high e string, but I'm working on a new design that should be better. Once I get that new design working I'll post a series of videos showing EXACTLY how to make it.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
why do you need to make a coil...couldnt u use the pickup as it is and amplify it...?.thats what the ruby/amp is doing isnt it..?
does the metal strip touch the poles...in the pickup..
and where is the magnet?...sorry for being dumb!...
100roberthenry 1 year ago
@100roberthenry A pickup would burn up if you ran this kind of current through it. The ruby amp is driving a sustainer coil that is built different than a pickup. There are no poles -- the metal is a solid core like a blade pickup. The magnet is stuck to the bottom of the metal core.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
@MRJSTUDIOS
so let me see if ive got this right man...
a coil made of 0.2m goes round the strip bar and the magnet connects under it...then the 2 wires from the coil go to the output of the pos and neg of the ruby amp...yes?.whilst the guitar input goes in to the amp yes?...
cheers man...ive been reading a few threads , but some of it gets a little confusing...sorry for being dumb again!..cheerserob.
100roberthenry 1 year ago
@100roberthenry Yep. The guitar bridge pickup output goes to BOTH the circuit input, and the guitar output jack. No problem man.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
do u think sustainer works if i put sustainer driver in middle position? cuz i don't wanna remove neck pickup, thnx.
3xVxC 1 year ago
@3xVxC I've tried it, and it doesn't work very well at all. Most people can't even get them to work at all in the middle position, because it feeds back with the bridge pickup so badly. Also, it does not drive the strings as well the closer you get to the bridge.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
@themusic928 I'm working on a new one right now, and I'm video documenting EVERYTHING. I'm super busy right now, but when I've got some free time I'm gonna make a whole series of videos detailing how to build a simple DIY sustainer.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
could you put something up on how to make one
themusic928 1 year ago
excelent!!! i´m making my projetc, but i need data about mic/speaker, how do you do the core ??? i need build one , does de old strato polepiece core works? thanks!
enanotech 1 year ago
The core can be made of any magnetic material -- Iron or steel works, anything that you can stick a magnet to. Strat polepieces work great.
MRJSTUDIOS 1 year ago
cool stuff
cody0721 2 years ago 10
Hello again, ok so been working on the F/R circuit, but can't find J201's anywhere, will 2N3819 work? I'm also confused about preamps, does the F/R have a preamp built in, or is the preamp circuit build separately before this?
legendari8031 2 years ago
I can't remember if the 2N3819's will work, but some of the guys in Australia couldn't get J201s either, so they used something else. It might have been the 2N3819 -- just see if the spec sheets are close in values.
In the fetzer ruby circuit, the 'fetzer' part is the preamp, the ruby is the power amp. So you don't need another preamp.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Which circuit schematic did you use? I'm trying to make a sustainer using the output from my guitar, will this work? How did you make the pickup?
legendari8031 2 years ago
I used a Fetzer Ruby for this one, but I'm working on a new prototype design that uses a pre-assembled mini guitar amp circuit that can be bought for $22 from a large supplier! So once I get that all done, I'll post videos on youtube on how to build it -- it should be well under $50 total!
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
sounds like slap bass version of guitar ...
seandansen 2 years ago
whats a guitar sustainer??
xbob23 2 years ago
Something you make when you don't have enough money for a neck-thru.
Hudzan 2 years ago
Very clever... show me a neck through that will sustain a note for 20 minutes...
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Lol, my neck through can only sustain a note for almost 2 minutes.
Can this thing really sustain 20 minutes?
Hudzan 2 years ago
Ya man, it can go longer than 20 minutes. It will go nonstop until the 9v battery wears out!
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
And...Do you make that thing or do you have to buy it?
Hudzan 2 years ago
I made this one, but I also own a Fernandes sustainer that does the same thing that you can buy.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Cool but not really useful, unless you're going to play "I don't wanna stop" by Ozzy Osbourne
Hudzan 2 years ago
A lot of songs contain sustainer actually. Listen to some Vai stuff, Eddie Van Halen used it in the past 10 years, and a lot of more experimental players are using it as ambient sounds or in solos.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
So, How do you "make" it?
Just overload the pick-ups or something?
Hudzan 2 years ago
It's a completely custom made coil that will not work as a pickup. Then you have to build a mini (1 watt or so) amplifier to drive the sustainer coil.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Oh..Sounds good but its useless for me since I don't need notes longer then 1 minute LOL
Hudzan 2 years ago
Ya, it's a cool little device. Look up Catherine by Eddie Van Halen, you can see some cool use of a sustainer through that whole song.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
steve vai and joe satriani the gods of sustain use bolt ons
wesclev83 2 years ago
@Hudzan WRONG. They are used for making "Infinite Guitar" Sounds like The Edge uses in "With or Without You" The neck through doesn't feedback into itself in a loop.
jfcash84 2 years ago
@biggayal1992 Thanks.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Wow dude, that's why he's got like 60000 views...
TheBestRockGuitar 2 years ago
Congratulations sir, get a life! Have a nice day.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
did you use the lm 386 for amp?
vicoloureiro 2 years ago
@vicoloureiro Yes I did. It's about just the right amount of power for a sustainer like this.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
thanks dude, im working in that sistem for my guitars :P how the conection is inside the guitar??
vicoloureiro 2 years ago
@vicoloureiro The speaker outputs on the LM386 drives the sustainer coil.
I'm working on an easier to make version of this right now, and I'll post a video with full instructions once I know it works.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
its just a little feedback you can get guitars that come with those in it
leavittobeaver 2 years ago
does the sustainer work if you play more than 1 string...IE can u sustain a chord?
legendari8031 2 years ago
Yes and no. It works on 3 or 4 strings at once on certain chords, but it struggles to push 2 strings at once on certain others. It just has to do with the frequency response, feedback, dissonance, etc.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
hey MJR, i just thought i would give an update with the forum.. currently both sustainer forums have been shut down and are not expected to be reposted, PSW for some reason or other had his account suspended, im not sure for how long though
Zipmeow 2 years ago
What?! That's ridiculous! PSW was the biggest help to everybody on that thread. He probably made half of the posts on that 400+ page thread.
Well, if it doesn't resurface soon, I'll have to make a page on my website detailing what I did to get mine to work, since everyone seems to want to instructions. It's too bad they shut the old forum down.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
yep i talked to one of the moderators he said that the thread isnt comming back up, i might remake the thread but i think you should, i have yet to make a sustainer lol
Zipmeow 2 years ago
Ya, I'll try to make a webpage detailing the techniques I used to get mine running. The one I made was simple, based off of PSW's design, and was based off of the research around page 150-300. After that, I didn't go to that forum much.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
did you figure out a better harmonic mode?.. i noticed in the vid you held the sustainer over a harmonic point
Zipmeow 2 years ago
I was just holding the sustainer away from the pickups. The feedback (especially with a single coil bridge pickup) can be terrible. Since I'm holding it at a 180 degree angle to where it would be mounted in the neck pickup position, the feedback is worse because of how the magnetic fields are shaped... which is why I kept moving towards the fretboard to avoid feedback.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
ahh i see
Zipmeow 2 years ago
ur b and e strings are out of tune.
bhfam 2 years ago
Dude, who cares?
TheBestRockGuitar 2 years ago 5
Dude who cares?
TheBestRockGuitar 2 years ago 7
No really, they are way out. It's killin me.
PlaydoughRoses 2 years ago
I want to make one of this, but i have some doubts, if i modify my humbucker, will it stop working as one?... and how to make one... is it easy?, weher cna i find the instructions thanks :)
benjaskap 2 years ago 2
These are not at all easy to make. To see how complicated it is, read through the forum linked to in the sidebar. Usually you will have to destroy any pickup you modify to be a sustainer.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
is the link working? i get amessage about broken link or out of time.. i'll register and tell you how how i did :) thanks :)
benjaskap 2 years ago
i get this message from the link u.u
"Sorry, the link that brought you to this page seems to be out of date or broken."
benjaskap 2 years ago
Hmmm, I see that. I haven't been on there in a while, but it was a HUGE thread. Over 300 pages! Maybe they moved it, edited it, or have it temporarily shut down... I'll look for where it went.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Thanks It'll be great if ig et the "how to do it" :) cause wher i live is kidna impossible to get one so i'm making myself one :) BTW i'm suscribing :
benjaskap 2 years ago
I still haven't been able to find my link again... I think they moved the thread.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
either way the sustainiac is bad ass
stickit2damanleosis 2 years ago 2
what does the sustainer does?
and do all guitars have sustainers?
how do you know if you're guitar has a sustainer?
can u help me?
TheMau17396 2 years ago
It keeps the notes going on "forever". It's not on every guitar but you can get a pedal to get that effect, but I don't recommend that option. You know because there a special switch to turn it on or off. And you can still ask your dealer if you are not sure. here you go, hope I helped a bit =)
Sakyamuni77 2 years ago
your guitar doesnt have a sustainer... sustainers send out a magnetic pulse which makes the strings vibrate.. also you need to buy and install a sustainer... pedals dont work like a sustainer they just compress the sound... fernandes do good sustainer.. i take it you havent been playing guitar long... id learn to play at a good level before you start investing in pricey upgrade... hope i helped.. =]
kingconnor69 2 years ago
The sustainer will let the guitar ring for as long as a string can vibrate, meaning open, or fretted.
Most guitars do not have sustainers.
A sustainer just magnetically vibrates the string, which is nearly the same as feedback from an amp.
MattiasOfTheMetal 2 years ago
basically it makes an electromagnetic field that pulses in time with the strings, so they keep vibrating indefinitely. Very few have sustainers built in. (the moog guitar is the only one i know of)
If it has a sustainer, there will be an on/off or mode switch
23rakshasa23 2 years ago
the pickups you're lookin for is the sustainiac brand, you can get it in single coil and humbucker models XD
Wrathofa7x 2 years ago
Thats awesome 5 stars. Do u know if you can buy single coil sustainer ? if so do you know the brands or name of the pick up?
JAMMAN1701 2 years ago 2
I know currently, Fernandez makes one.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
sustainiac. i think its dimarzio
stickit2damanleosis 2 years ago
Yes, Sustainiac is now making one too. I'm not sure if they are associated with Dimarzio, but I wouldn't be surprised. Dimarzio makes great stuff and they always seem to be on the cutting edge of things.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
ok, so I've been trying to make a homemade sustainer and i read that you could take a steel bar and wrap copper wire around it then attach the copper wire ends to a battery. Now that I've almost wrapped a ton of times, i researched again and apparently the copper wire has to be insulated. Is that true? Did you make your sustainer another way? If so, can you give me a brief explanation of what you did? I really would appreciate it. Thanks
MountainDew231767 2 years ago
It is MUCH more complicated than that... you need a specific gauge of insulated wire, you need to build some sort of preamp and small 1 watt amp to power it... etc., etc.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
I knew the gauge of wire was specific, but I thought you only needed a 9 volt or some sort of battery to run it. why do you need a preamp and 1 watt power amp for it? doesnt it just sned magnetic vibrations that keep the string vibrating so it could work unplugged too?
MountainDew231767 2 years ago
The preamp is so you can steal the signal of the strings vibrations from your bridge pickup, and then the 1 watt amp is to drive that signal thru the sustainer driver with enough power to vibrate the strings. Most of the little 1 watt sustainer amps are 9V powered.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Hello, I wanted to see if we need to change at least one pickup by force or you can keep the originals .. you can help me?
yysii 2 years ago
You need to swap out the neck pickup for a specially made sustainer pickup for it to work. You can't just use a normal guitar neck pickup as a sustainer.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
great project man! is there a way i can get a detailed 'how-to' on this, bceause I wanna build one for a 7 string, thanks
redcatice 2 years ago
Unfortunately no. There are so many variables involved, and so many ways to do it, there has not been one standardized 'how to' instructions made that I know of! Your best bet is to read through the forum link I give in the video description.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Hey there, can you help me with two questions please?
Will this work on a bass, or is the driver too weak to move bass strings?
What is the difference between 32AWG magnet wire and pickup wire except for the gauge? I'm not a native speaker of English, so I need to find the name under which they sell it here. I know they're both made of copper and they are coated. And whats the gauge of this 32AWG magnet wire in milimeters?
Thanks
carthagepropaganda 2 years ago
32 AWG = 0.20mm diameter wire. It is the same kind of wire used on pickups -- just thicker.
Sustainers work well on bass, since there is more mass to drive on the strings. All you have to do is increase the value of the output capacitor to compensate for the lower bass frequencies.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
thats not even that much thicker. I use 0,05mm for PUs.
I got this old bass which I am tuning right now, both Pickups were broken (short circuit in the coil). But they don't have pole pieces, just a bobbin around a magnet. Do you think I might use the bobbin+the magnet to make the driver or will I need a different size for the magnet? (it's roughly the same size as a humbucker magnet)
How many winds is is approximately with 0.20mm wire to reach the 8 Ohm?
Thanks very much for your quck answer
carthagepropaganda 2 years ago
You really need to use .2mm wire for it to work right. You can use your old bass pickups, just remove the windings and rewire with .2mm. You may or may not need a core or polepieces -- you'll have to try it.
I think it took about 200+ turns for mine -- so I'd say do about 250 and measure, then cut it down from there. Also make sure you use PVA wood glue (like elmers) to soak the coil as you wind it -- this will keep the windings from vibrating later on.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
Wouldn't wax be better? I always do that for making pickups.
carthagepropaganda 2 years ago
Either would work -- a lot of people have had really good luck with the glue though.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
sorry if I'm annoying you with my questions. I know I will need a preamp to power the sustainer coil, but can't I just use an active PU in the neck position, and connect preamp of it to the sustainer coil, or is it a different kind of preamp than I will need?
Thanks again, you already helped me a lot!
carthagepropaganda 2 years ago
You need a more powerful preamp than an active pickup uses. Actually, you need basically a little 1 watt amp that will run the sustainer much like a speaker. The LM386 chip based amps are a good choice.
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
The electromagnet works because the permanent magnet is there to pull in the electro-magnetic field -- just like with a guitar pickup.
This unit works well for harmonics too -- all you have to do to get them is either flip over the permanent magnet to the opposite pole, or reverse the driver leads (which you can do and make a harmonic switch).
MRJSTUDIOS 2 years ago
great
TheTrooper80 2 years ago
so i have a few questions...ive got a fairly cheap guitar, so i was wondering if i could use the neck pickup as the sustainer, i understand a bit about electronics, i think i understand enough, can i simply replace connecting to the speaker to connecting it to the jack out cable? im a bit confused with the wiring of the whole circuit of the guitar in relation to the sustainer.
help plox! ;___;
pieface1726 3 years ago
You can't use a pickup as a sustainer. The driver itself is of a completely different design. And it is not as simple as rewiring an existing guitar. Read through the forum I have posted in the video description if you want a better idea how to build one.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
i understand that the guitar would need new external components, but what is the actual difference between a normal...say stratocaster neck coil pickup and the one you made?
thanks for your help
pieface1726 3 years ago
Everything. Pickups are wound using super thin wire, to anywhere from 5k-20+k ohms. The sustainer driver must be wound with much thicker wire (32AWG) to 8 ohms. All of the dimensions with the core and coil are different too.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
man you must have alot of patience and dedication to work that all out and build it, i just bought an ebow. good job, sounds good
stratuser54 3 years ago
how difficult is this to do if you dont have much electronics experience? i have some, alot with wiring guitars, but not much for really anything else.
conor1148 3 years ago
I don't want to discourage you, but it would be pretty hard to pull off. If you research it though, you can do it.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
whats the hard part? ive build effects pedals, which is about the hardest electronic feat ive done
conor1148 3 years ago
Ok, well if you have done that, you'll have no problem building the circuit. Really the hardest part is winding/building the driver coil. Take a look at the link to the thread I have in my video description.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
will do, winding the pickups is no problem. i have a pickup winder.
that will work right?
conor1148 3 years ago
Wow, you'll have no problem then. Just be sure you use 32AWG magnet wire -- NOT pickup wire. Wind it to 8Ohms.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
I now Michael Brook did this to his guitars a long time ago, and even sold one to The Edge who in turn used it on the Joshua Tree recordings. It's a very cool Idea. Been wanting to do something like this for a long time.
Thanks for all the information. I just don't understand why you didn't have the pickup/speaker installed into the guitar as opposed to holding it above the strings.
jeffreycollins 3 years ago
I did install it on the guitar -- this video is just of the initial testing which is best done without mounting anything.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
I made my first sustainer in 1982.
Showed it to tom scholz and paul reed smith and most every guitar maker trying to get one of them to produce it but there are a ton of obstacles to get around.
I got around the pickup feedbacking by using a delay pedal and sending only the delayed signal to the sustainer transducer which was enough of a delay to combat the feedback.
Maniac Music and Fernandes have taken this idea and fully developed beyond amazing.
Icepacalapse 3 years ago
the fernandez sustainer comes with single coil pickups or humbucker?... because i want to install one of these on my stratocaster
094808064 3 years ago
If I remember correctly, they come in either. This is NOT a Fernandez sustainer though -- just want to make that clear.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
I have a fernandez sustainer.. its way cool but took a lot of work to install.. would really like to learn how to build this so I can build this in another guitar and maybe save some $.. Can you give more detail?
vitovitale 3 years ago
Go to the link to the forum in the description and read up on the posts around page 170 to 220-ish. It is a lot of info, but it's all there. If you are still confused after that, send me a message.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
how much did u spend to make the pickup?
Nsemest182 3 years ago
To be totally honest, only $15 for the special sized wire (I only needed about $2 worth, but you have to buy it in bulk...) and Imaybe another $5 for the scrap welding steel that I used for the core. Everything else came from a cheap single pickup that I gutted for parts.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
how much power do you need to feed in the pickup? is it something like an LM390 chip amplifier?
neutron7 3 years ago
It is a LM386 based circuit, with a added preamp. I think it tops out at around 1 watt... hope that helps.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
is it possible to get a Pedal that does the same thing, rather then a pickup?
stevo11223344556677 3 years ago
No -- the sustainer actually interacts with the strings magnetically, not just the guitar audio signal like a pedal.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
ahh, i thought as much after reading the other comments.
nevermind then eh
stevo11223344556677 3 years ago
looks like a pretty simple amp, got any circut diagrams or anything?
LeviMan2001 3 years ago
Check out the forum linked to in the video description.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
the link doesn't work for me
LeviMan2001 3 years ago
It works fine for me... try searching sustainer project guitar forum on google maybe...
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
im sooo confused
what is sustain?
what does a sustainer do?
ic300x 4 years ago
a sustainer allows the note to last for ever. (well until the battery runs out)
sgtsnakepit 3 years ago
The sustainer is a magnetic device (like a guitar pickup, or an electric motor) that manipulates the strings by vibrating them. The signal which is run through the sustainer and vibrates the strings magnetically is taken from a pickup, causing the system to "loop" itself -- hence the 'infinite' sustain.
MRJSTUDIOS 3 years ago
this is the same principle as the Ebow, only the preamp is clean(er)- voiced. the Ebow drives the snot out of the little opamp in there, which is why it always sounds distorted (and subsequently, huge).
ogorir 4 years ago
afina tu wea de guitarra primero y despues sube un video
palotoguitar 4 years ago
palotoguitar : AWEONAO
HohnnyDemon 4 years ago
Where can you buy this sustainer? Is it like a mod cip that you can install inside the guitar?
aftertheburn 4 years ago
You can't buy one like this yet. There are a few companies that offer commercial sustainer kits, but this is a DIY model. A new device kinda like this one, but a much improved model, is currently being developed though, so keep and eye out.
MRJSTUDIOS 4 years ago