how can i get the most sustain out of my guitar?

Question

does changing strings with the strings close to the headstock work? what about the action? low or high matters? i like the action high...my gauges are 11-54

ok...is aunt jemima syrup ok?..lol

Answer 1

Yup. the second guy is correct, you're pretty much stuck with what you've got, I think the strings (unless they're really, really old and crusty), have little impact. .11-.54 is fairly heavy if it's electric, good choice. They'll sustain a bit longer than the smaller gauges. Toughens the fingers too.

So lets assume you've got an electric guitar and you've got some skills as far as attack, fingering and knowing how to use vibrato. There are two things I can think of that may help-

1) effects are an easy way to get a lot of sustain. Distortion, fuzz, saturated pre-amps etc. Compression effects can also help with sustain, but you will lose some dynamics (and sometimes hear strange 'pumping' sounds) due to the way it operates.

2) if you're not big on effects and/or want a cleaner sound, they used to sell a brass plate, cut to the shape of the standard Fender/Gibson headstock shapes. It was called the "Fathead", and it screwed on to the underside of the headstock. It was heavy brass, and the extra heft did seem to increase the sustain on a cheap guitar I had years ago. The guitar is long gone, but I kept the Fathead. No idea if they're still selling them, but it probably wouldn't be too hard to have one made, cheap if you know a machinist. I'm pretty sure I once saw a similar setup that bolted to the back of the guitar body as well. That may make your guitar a little too heavy though, I never tried it.

Ok, maybe a third option
3) hang in there until you can buy the guitar you really want. If you can squeeze the most out of what you're stuck with, you'll only sound better when you take a step up in quality. Good luck.

Answer 2

Sustain is mostly a function of the density of the wood the guitar is made from. So a made-in-China guitar made out of glued-together mystery wood won't have much sustain at all, while a lap steel made from granite has almost infinite sustain. You're pretty much stuck with what you have; new strings or different action won't make that big of a difference.

Answer 3

It's crazy, but when Eric Clapton was with Cream, a few times he attached his guitar to chains hanging from the ceiling. For some reason or another it gave him more sustain. I doubt you're willing to install chains to your ceiling however.

Answer 4

Try polishing your strings with Maple Syrup. It coats the strings with a thin veneer that seems to make notes last forever.

Answer 5

dont get a bolt on neck, get the kind of guitar with a solid 1 pc body.

Answer 6

get an effects pedal..