Sustain?

BRISTOL86

Hi Chaps

How does one go about increasing sustain of individual notes when playing clean? I use mostly clean tones but I want to boost sustain whilst keeping the tone relatively dirt free. 

I'm thinking like the intro to Bed of Roses or Still Got the Blues, where the notes will ring and ring without being overly distorted. 

Sorry if this is a daft question! I'm using a Strat and a THR10C. 

Cheers!

not_the_dj

A compressor

SNAKEBITE

Witchcraft.

Jack_

Big steel tremolo block.

guitars4you

maybe not one specific answer

A compressor is an obvious answer - is it home use or live ? - Live you have an element of amp volume to help you - Home and far harder to acquire endless sustain with a clean amp setting

As I said a compressor will help - after that, without knowing the grade of your guitar, various tone enhancing upgrades to your guitar can help like better saddles, maybe bridge, maybe pick-ups - but I'd go down the compressor route first and take it from there - yet you mention 'Still Got the blues' so try a light touch of overdrive, assuming you don't want to much gain - as you mentioned you play clean

BRISTOL86

not_the_dj said:

A compressor

The amp does have a software editor where you can tweak things like compression. I'll have to have a play around. Thanks. 

mudslide73

AndyR

Several things in my experience:

A nice clean action - any fret-buzz that doesn't come out of the speakers still takes a lot of energy from the vibrating string.

A good left-hand vibrato technique - keeps the note going without changing the pitch. I have NO IDEA how to do it or how I learnt it, but one day it was just there.

Strings that are newer than "dead". I'm not very fond of brand new strings, but newer strings definitely seem to have more sustain in them.

And, yes, a compressor - although, personally, I've never managed to make one work as a sustainer in a way that I like. I got a lot more success out of the left-hand vibrato.

Btw - do you use the Editor software with the THR10C? If you don't, be aware that you have two compressors inside it. A stomp boxy one, and a FABULOUS "studio type" one. (I rarely use either as a compressor, but I do use the second one as a clean boost into the British Amp model, to push it into "heavenly" territory... but if you mainly play clean, you probably have no need of this particular application!!)

EDIT: Ah! You're already aware of it

BRISTOL86

mudslide73 said:

That was my first thought but sadly is a smidge over my current budget of precisely f**k all  

BRISTOL86

AndyR said:

Several things in my experience:

A nice clean action - any fret-buzz that doesn't come out of the speakers still takes a lot of energy from the vibrating string.

A good left-hand vibrato technique - keeps the note going without changing the pitch. I have NO IDEA how to do it or how I learnt it, but one day it was just there.

Strings that are newer than "dead". I'm not very fond of brand new strings, but newer strings definitely seem to have more sustain in them.

And, yes, a compressor - although, personally, I've never managed to make one work as a sustainer in a way that I like. I got a lot more success out of the left-hand vibrato.

Btw - do you use the Editor software with the THR10C? If you don't, be aware that you have two compressors inside it. A stomp boxy one, and a FABULOUS "studio type" one. (I rarely use either as a compressor, but I do use the second one as a clean boost into the British Amp model, to push it into "heavenly" territory... but if you mainly play clean, you probably have no need of this particular application!!)

EDIT: Ah! You're already aware of it

Thanks that's all good info!

Yea aware of the editor but not spend any time really tweaking things, just tried a few presets. Will spend some time familiarising with it over the weekend

olafgarten

An E Bow

BRISTOL86

olafgarten said:

An E Bow

Is that the thing I don't know my arse from?

AndyR

Yep, go for it - I won't be able to tell you how to set the compressor, though... !

I had another thought, reading @guitars4you reply: volume. Definitely.

That might be how I figured out the vibrato thing, many many years ago - I probably did it live, kind of instinctively. Once you know what it feels and sounds like, then you tend to make the same movements at home volume and compromise over the tone - your imagination fills in the rest.

Have you got anywhere you can turn the THR up for a while? It easily gets to the volume that "helps" with sustain, attack, juicyness, etc - but I have to wait until the missus is not in the same room!

Modulus_Amps

Turn the amp up so that is is overdriving, then turn the guitar down to clean the signal up, you will get more sustain that way.

playing loud and close to the speaker helps allot

I got a cheap dyna comp pedal that does that pink floyd thing well, makes playing lead on clean sounds more fun for sure.
The boss compressor doesn't do the same thing, but it is useful too

you do of course realise that both those intro's you mentioned have a good bit of gain on them?

AndyR

BRISTOL86 said:

olafgarten said:

An E Bow

Is that the thing I don't know my arse from?

Haha!

But yes, get an E Bow! Every guitarist should have one. Not quite the sustain you're after at the moment, but HOURS and HOURS of fun. With a bit of practice you're imitating cellos and flutes. (I've had one for about a year, used it non-stop for weeks - not seen it for months, though... can't remember exactly where it is a the moment!! somehwere in the "studio", I guess)

Voxman

When I was young & inexperienced, I was after the same thing and I thought a compressor would give me the 'sound in my head' because I got stuck on that word 'sustain'.  I got one but it didn't do what I wanted, because it 'squished' the tone and at higher settings/volumes added a bit of distortion (well, that's what your typical compressor does, in'it? ! lol)  - later, I discovered it was actually a delay FX I needed - of course the two together can be good too.  

Gassage

4 things;
- Volume
- Compression
- finger technique/vibrato
- boost

BRISTOL86

Thanks all, much useful info. Having read the above I suspect a key limiting factor so far has been volume - I play at quiet volumes simply because of where and when I am able to play!

Ravenous

BRISTOL86 said:

Thanks all, much useful info. Having read the above I suspect a key limiting factor so far has been volume - I play at quiet volumes simply because of where and when I am able to play!

Volume is everything. Feedback is the air from the speakers pushing the strings (slightly). Impossible without volume - or sitting with your guitar VERY close to the speaker!

sweepy

Volume and a subtle picking action, brushing the string to get it going and relying on the volume to help out . Bed of Roses is overdriven to hell though, almost Boogie-esque as is Still Got the Blues

guitars4you

Voxman said:

When I was young & inexperienced, I was after the same thing and I thought a compressor would give me the 'sound in my head' because I got stuck on that word 'sustain'.  I got one but it didn't do what I wanted, because it 'squished' the tone and at higher settings/volumes added a bit of distortion (well, that's what your typical compressor does, in'it? ! lol)  - later, I discovered it was actually a delay FX I needed - of course the two together can be good too.  

I agree about a compressor 'sucking' and clipping the initial attack and to a degree somewhat of a misunderstanding about a compressor and sustain - It is almost as though we want that initial attack, then add the compressor a milli second or two after to enrich the actual sustain, so little impact on the actual compression -- Something I've always felt we are unlucky as a guitar player compared to a saxophone - Apart from changing the pitch as a bend or vibrato, there is very little we can do to change the actual 'feel' of the note, and maybe handy were a wah comes into play - A sax player can alter the tone as they determine how hard/soft to continue to blow for that note