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Topic: The most sustain out of what guitar??? |
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2006 10:34 am |
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| Which lap guitars are noted for having extraordinary sustain and what is special about these instruments that gives them this quality. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 21 Apr 2006 10:56 am
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Sierra would be near the top of the list. I've never played one, but a lot of players rave about their tone and sustain.
I'm no expert in sustain, but I'd say the quality of the wood, the pickup, and the type of construction would be the main factors. For example a "string through body" generally offers more sustain than strings attached to a bridge. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 21 Apr 2006 11:00 am
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| Honestly, I've never heard a guitar sustain like Rick Aiello's Boobpan. Jeff Strouse was playing it, and I couldn't believe my ears; and all this at a very quiet level. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Apr 2006 11:37 am
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| It seems that dense mass helps sustain. Rick's cast aluminum guitars seem to back up that idea. Of course I think good contact with the nut and bridge affect sustain also. |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2006 12:01 pm
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Alls I know ...
Is that I was puttin' away my Bronzepan (42 lbs, integrated nut/bridge, solid bronze body/neck) after the "Summit" ...
Accidently* hit an open string at 4:14 am EST, April 9, 2006 ...
And its still ringin' as I type ... 
*I sure wouldn't play an open string on purpose
------------------
Hawaiian Steel Stuff
The Casteels
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Michael Devito
From:
Montclair, NJ, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2006 4:46 am
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| The most sustain-rich one I've heard personally is my EH-185. With the right amp, it's easy to get each note just hanging there, almost at feedback but not quite. Makes sense, as this guitar is essentially one long piece of metal with everthing else bolted to it. |
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Bob Kagy
From:
Lafayette, CO USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2006 1:35 pm
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I have a Sierra SL8; like Doug says, it has to be somewhere near the top.
It's built with an aluminum plate from end to end, sandwiched between wooden body parts, with through the guitar string mounting at the nut end.
You can strum the strings, pick it up and feel the whole thing vibrating for a long time; very cool and sensual.
I haven't played a SuperSlide or one of Rick's guitars, so this is a non-comparison opinion, although my stringmaster is nowhere close.
But I saw where Ricky Davis had a post on the lap steels he built and said that when he took it back out of the case, it was still sustaining from the last time he played it. Now that'd be hard to match.  |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 22 Apr 2006 1:49 pm
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| Bill, Another factor in sustain would be scale length (the distance from the top of the nut to the top of the bridge). A longer scale length offers more sustain. About 25" or 26" would be considered a long scale. A short scale would be about 22" or 23". |
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Rick Garrett
From:
Tyler, Texas
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Posted 22 Apr 2006 1:50 pm
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I have a super slide and a 49 10 string Rick as well as my dad's Fender Stringmaster (26 inch scale). The Super Slide has the best sustain of those guitars to me. Hands down "Thumbs Up"!
Rick
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 22 Apr 2006 5:43 pm
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I believe Doug is right about the scale length. The long scale Stringmasters I have heard in person had pretty good sustain.
In one my electronics manuals it is written that larger MFD filter caps will make the amp sustain (??) I haven't tried that yet. |
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