how should I increase the sustain...

minho422

I've tried everything from reconfiguring to adding more mass to the body to increase the vibe for the sustain to last, but none of them did not work. I gave up and just started using sustainer + compressor instead, because I really can't figure out how to increase the sustain naturally.

the most simplistic way to do it is changing the wood to mahogany or any dense wood, or getting the high sensitive Tom Anderson single coil, but I don't want to alter my mustang's originality.

so anyone know how to do it?

Earth

If your playing a stock mustang you're never gonna get endless sustain at low volumes or with out a lot of gain. You can if you use a big muff (or similar high gain device) with sustain on full at loud volumes. But for bedroom playing the best solution is a hot pickup.

it has nothign to do with the wood as my mustang sustains endlessly with a DiMarzio DP218 in it but with a Jaguar single coil or the vintage pups it doesnt.

Poplar is a great wood and has good qualities to it and an alder (for example) mustang ain't gonna sustain any more then the poplar one.

minho422

you're suggesting that I should use my mustang like an Ibanez superstrat, where the guitar itself doesn't have a tone but it solely depends on its pickups. Hell no.

I already said that Tom Anderson-like high sensitive pickups and sustainer-type pedals would do it, but I asked if anyone knows how to increase it without changing the pickup and the body. adjusting or swapping other parts is fine ie/nut, trem etc

and it does have to do with the wood a lot. the more dense and heavy or hollow the wood, the more vibration feedback given by the body and the neck. have you ever wondered why mahogany lasts longer than poplar or basswood?...

only way to get a descent sustain with poplar or basswood is to make the guitar neck-thru. but mustang is bolt-on, so poplar's sustain is 3/4 of the usual sustain, and bolt-on cuts down half of that. sad.

foxyloxy

trem lock it, this should increase sustain (or so i am lead to believe).

pinguim

You can also move the springs to the notch furthest from the vibrato plate and screw the bar as close to the plate while leaving enough room for the strings. You can't really use the vibrato (you might bend the bar if you try) but this increases the sustain quite a bit. Makes a huge difference. After I tried this it was like I had a different guitar. This is similar to using all five springs on a Strat trem and tightening the bracket as much as possible while not going as far as blocking off the trem. Easy to undo if you don't like it.

Cheers,

Chip

minho422

I guess tightening or locking the trem is the only way. I'll try it and see what happens. thanks

Earth

My Mustang still sounds like a mustang with a 13.5K pickup.

You know why it will always sound like a mustang? because it is a Mustang! Pickups change sound very slightly, the sound is in the wood type, shape, trem type, scale etc.

minho422

Earth said: the sound is in the wood type, shape, trem type, scale etc.

that's what I said in the first place but you said "it has nothing to do with the wood" before so I just wanted to correct it.

Earth

No what I mean is the sound of a mustang comes from all the factors I mentioned,including sustain. HOWEVER, increasing the DC resistance of the pickups will dramatically increase sustain. You aren't gonna get hot pickup sustain with vintage mustang pups.

A pickup doesn't have to be a humbucker to be hot either, take the SJAG3's, they are hotter than the PAF humbuckers. So you get the true single coil sound yet your sustain increases a #### load.

Personally, i would put SJAG2's in it, they still sound vintage but are hotter and notes sustain longer. I had a set once, i gave one away to a friend and broke the other one. i'll replace them someday as they are brilliant in both Jaguars and Mustangs alike.

So the overall sound of mustangs come from all factors I mentioned but sustain is gonna be limited (in any guitar) with such low output pups (5.5k). IMO fender shoulda just put strat pups in em when they made them, they are higher output and sustain longer.

minho422

that's not the point here... as I kept saying over and over again, I asked how to increase it without changing the pickup but you're suggesting me to do change it. I briefly explained the reason why I don't want a highly sensitive pickups already...

I'll just try to mess with the trem and have some light weight glass or something attached to the body to increase the natural feedback vibration.

Earth

Without actually changing pickups the only thing that may increase it slightly, and I do mean slightly, is if you lower the vibrato tube so the low E touches the vibrato plate.This will create a sharper break angle over the bridge and could theoretically increase sustain but i highly doubt it will be noticeable because this is how I set my mustangs up and I've never noticed any difference. Other than that you could do the Cobain trick with locking it, this would increase resonance from strings to body via the vibrato cum stoptail.

Another trick is to increase string gauge up to about 12-56,this should help too.

yoreel

Sorry to be a party pooper, but seriously maybe you need another guitar ....... a mustang is a mustang , the only way it will sustain is with upgraded pickups, a decent amp with loads of gain or a good stomp box.

In my opinion all guitars are different, I have several mustangs & none are exactly the same, a good electric guitar will sustain naturally & acoustically, you will feel it. I have a 65 mustang that sustains naturally & a 69/65 thats not so good. There are going to be obvious differences between through necks & woods etc, but with a good amp & effects you should get those single coils to sing.

I have no problems concerning sustain with a stock mustang through a Marshall TSL for instance.

jacksonjackass

There is a thing called 'threaded neck inserts'

They mean you can screw the neck on far more tight

Mad-Mike

Another way to get sustain out of a Mustang is to to drive the hell out of it with your amp and/or a compressor pedal. The only problem with this is that your sound will be distorted, but I don't need super-long sustain clean, so that's why I use that approach. I also use lots of feedback assisted Sustain with my mustang ala Hendrix/Brad Gillis/Billy Gibbons.

Another thing with pretty much all electric guitars in general, is that the screws on the guitar should be tight to the body. The more tightly attached the parts are, the more they work with the body in synergy. My best axes are the ones where you hit a string, and can feel that note strongly anywhere on the guitar.

Earth

Like I and another poster have said, a clean and stock mustangs is not going to sustain as if you have it thru a big muff on full suistain into an amp on 6, there's just no way in hell it will do it.

Robbmonster

All I can say is that if it is sustain you are after, you chose poorly when you chose a Mustang.

Earth

I wouldnt say that, my mustang sustains endlessly if I have my big muff on. 😁

But if you want endless sustain thru vintage mustang pickups which are 5.5k into a clean amp you are living in dream land because its simply not possible!!!

foxyloxy

ugh, muffs are lame.

Earth

Maybe for you but for me and coutless others (Mascis/Moore/Arm etc and even Cobain recorded with them on a few songs)) they are the key to our sound.

I own 9 vintage and RI muffs BTW!

The interwebz is a wonderful thing isnt it, state soemthign online enough times on enough forums and it becomes fact! (I have observed this for years)

Ahh, Subjectivism!