DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Aug 13, 2019 13:07:20 GMT
Mind you, what happens in a lab with some software can be very different to what happens live, as anyone who's been baffled by all their carefully set at home patches being hopeless at a gig will attest. I've never had the opportunity to play at the Fillmore, in fact 'fill' and 'more' are hardly terms that I have had to deal with, but there are sure to be interactions between a packed auditorium of that size and a guitar whacking out those sorts of volumes through that sort of rig. Maybe Frank discovered the Les Paul giving him loads more sustain somewhere like that and put it down to how much his shoulder or back ached? But Frank was a revolutionary and an experimenter and maybe he did indeed play a bunch of songs on a Les Paul and then announce, "I am now going to play those songs again but first I will be chainsawing off some of the bulk from this instrument to see if it sustains as much." And off he wielded his power tools. It may have been at this point that a shout from the audience suggested his next album title, "Shut up 'n' play yer guitar...". It would be sad if he then discovered that yup it was the bulk that made all the difference. And all he could find to replace his wrecked non-starter was a laughable clownburst. 'Oh well, no one will notice' thought Frank. 'They'll be too dazzled by my playing.' On the album Frank yes. On the album. Just don't photogra...oh too late.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Aug 13, 2019 13:55:34 GMT
I believe sustain is limited by the transfer of energy to other vibrating parts of the guitar. While it makes sense to assume that a paper thin body would vibrate a lot and an anvil not at all, the point at which the total mass stops making a difference is unknown. It seems that the 2.5 Kg of an Ibanez S contribute enough inertia already without requiring the 5 Kg of a 70s Les Paul.
Remaining causes for loss of energy are a vibrating bridge (especially a floating one), a softer, more elastic wood, softer metal parts, a nut made of rubber (that's a mute ;-), softer frets, maybe even a longer scale…
It's a funny thing though, that I have not noticed really major differences in sustain in all my guitars. Two of them, the hard tail Ibanez S521 and the HB R-458 outlast the others in a noticeable way and those with a floating bridge all come a little shorter but this is not something that jumps at me when I play them.
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3,968 posts
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Post by salteedog on Aug 13, 2019 13:56:17 GMT
My black HB ST-20 has gone silvery-grey around the edges.... I assumed it was the effect of sunlight but perhaps not. The phenomenon hasn't occurred on my similar black TE-20. Wow. How long have you had that salteedog ? Where's it been? My black Squier strat seems as black as ever. Not that long in the overall scheme of things. Maybe 5 years.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Aug 13, 2019 14:04:57 GMT
Wow. How long have you had that salteedog ? Where's it been? My black Squier strat seems as black as ever. Not that long in the overall scheme of things. Maybe 5 years. Wow! Some of these Harley Benton age like real vintage things. You just have to be lucky… Do pretty young women like aged vintage things? I always wondered if I was missing out on something…
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Post by blindwilly3fingers on Aug 13, 2019 16:40:15 GMT
My black HB ST-20 has gone silvery-grey around the edges.... I assumed it was the effect of sunlight but perhaps not. The phenomenon hasn't occurred on my similar black TE-20. I have noticed recently a grey line along the edge of TE70BP where my forearm rests. It doesn't come off with a manual buff, I have yet to try buffing mechanically. My black Squier strat and black Epi LP have no signs of this. So I've counted out having sweat like Rory Gallagher? Maybe the poly/finish HB use?
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605 posts
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Post by oghkhood on Aug 13, 2019 20:46:29 GMT
That's a very good point Defjef A friend and I have good bunch of very diferent guitars in style, weight and price. And for sure weight is not a parameter to choose the ones that have the best sustain.
Moreover, before to talk about the sustain quality of a guitare, you have to check all the following points :
- Action ok - pups height ok - new strings - fret work ok - contact - ignition .....
You can't imagine how many guitars show a good to awesome sustain when played open or fretted low, but become real **** when your left hand is closing to to the bridge.
This is ALWAYS because the reasons above
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