Sustain

[smurph1]

They werent my guitars. I work around guitars.

Another time though, I did have two PRS Swamp Ash Specials(mine) and went about swapping necks and p/ups between the two to try and figure out why one sounded better to me. Was it the body, the neck, the p/ups? Came away thinking it was a bit of everything. I married the better body and neck combination's and came away with two really good guitars that I liked with the same specs that both sounded great but different and better than both had before in their original incarnations.

I watch people compare and buy on specs time and time again. Specs mean nothing and all the science behind it means little if the right pieces of wood are not glued together.

i couldn't agree more..Spec's mean nothing to me..It's the sound..i couldn't tell you the measurements of any of my guitars, but I LOVE EM ALL..

[Kuz]

I know Paul Reed Smith might not be the most popular guy around here, but his quote rings (pun intended) true....

 

"Everything effects everything"

 

Sustain = the best wood + the best finish + the best pickups + the best bridge + the best saddles + the best tailpiece + the best neck + the best frets + the best headstock & headstock angle + the best neck joint + the best fretboard wood + the best tuners + the best strings + the best pick + THE BEST FINGERS........

 

Just my .20

[bolero]

also a luthier friend of mine said the more mass on the headstock, the more sustain you will get

 

they used to sell brass plates you could attach to your headstock, anyone remember them?

 

that's another reason I like Grover tuners...aside from the Cadillac glide you get when using them

 

sorry koala I didn't see if you were talking about pure acoustic/unplugged sustain or thru an amp...I guess acoustically would remove any electronic factors

 

*edit* oops: koula

[koula901]

I say it's Brent's nut sauce.

[big bob]

I say it's Brent's nut sauce.

[koula901]

Sorry .. . it's the end of the day, a long one, I'm tired and just lost it. I tried to delete the tasteless nut sauce comment, but apparently unsuccessful.

[big bob]

Sorry .. . it's the end of the day, a long one, I'm tired and just lost it. I tried to delete the tasteless nut sauce comment, but apparently unsuccessful.

It's all good..

[FredZepp]

LOL....

[brentrocks]

I say it's Brent's nut sauce.

HUM...could be.

 

I find that when i'm jammin at home by myself and i turn up the volume, my sustain increaces.

[big bob]

HUM...could be.

 

I find that when i'm jammin at home by myself and i turn up the volume, my sustain increaces.

Now that you say that.. I find when I'm jamming at home and I crank the volume, the more vodka I've drank the better the sustain, especially with a red guitar

[golferwave]

I'm glad you're happy with your new Heritage Koula!! It's a great looking and now great sounding guitar!!

[DetroitBlues]

While I'm at the back end of the posting, going back to the original post... Here's my take. You have a semi-hollow body guitar with the nut and the bridge installed on pieces of wood that have been so finely crafted, they act as one. I have a homemade cigar box guitar with nails for frets and bolts for a bridge and nut. The key is the neck. Its a solid piece of oak running through the cigar box. The strings are connected from one end of the oak to the other. The nails and bolts are dug in deep in the wood. The guitar has great sustain for something I could of made when I was 12. Now back your guitar. You have probably one of the finest crafted guitars in the world with solid materials all acting as one. Bone nut, hardened bridge, and fantastic tonewoods. You're guitar should have sustain that lasts forever, because its so finely made. Its what makes a Heritage guitar something only those lucky enough to have one realize just what they have in their hands. Now that I'm getting down from my soapbox, anyone have a H-150 they'd like to sell???? LOL!

[koula901]

: D

Detroit Blues - what a story. I believe that Brian May (Queen) and his dad made his first guitar out of oak, and what a beautiful tone he gets!

[DeLorean]

Hi DeLorean,

To help clarify - My H 535 has a locking tone Pros Tune O matic Bridge as well as stoptail Tone Pros locking tail piece, Grover tuners, and was refittied with a bone nut (if I was calling it a 'saddle' then I mis-spoke). It was made in October 2008. The 150 was made in 2010, had the usual material Heritage puts on a 150 for the nut (some sort of plastic, I believe), along with the same hardware for bridge and tail piece. But one other factor has come to my attention, which may be contributing to the 535's resonance is the fact that it's semi-hollow - I'm wondering if maybe the wood vibrates more. It's just a thought. I'm not necessarily saying that what mars_hall is telling me is not the truth, just saying that weight doesn't always mean great sustain. I think he's saying its one of many contributing factors.

 

Yes, I was being pedantic about calling the nut the saddle (I am a luthier by trade, and after a few years of having people calling parts by another part's name or an incomprehensibly wrong name it starts to get under one's skin... sorry.)

 

He has a lot of good thoughts on the wave motion (and its transfer through the instrument/parts). The only thing is that heavier wood doesn't mean better for the wave, sometimes it means quite the opposite. All the parts come into play, from the nut material to the quality of the metal parts to how well they are attached (to the wood and to each other (tolerances in the bridge, for example)) to how well the wood parts are attached to each other, and a few other things not mentioned (I can't mention them until the new book comes out of our shop...). That wood is inconsistent is another thing, the grain structure varies from piece to piece even from within the same tree.

[DetroitBlues]

: D

Detroit Blues - what a story. I believe that Brian May (Queen) and his dad made his first guitar out of oak, and what a beautiful tone he gets!

 

Brian May's guitar was made from old fireplace mantel. Other than fretwire, most of the guitar was made from old bike parts. Very creative. And you're right, you can't beat the tone of that guitar! (Especially when we consider it was made by two guys who never built a guitar before)

[koula901]

Indeed!