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How are MM's for sustain?

S

sniffles

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2004
Messages
20
Ok, went to a few guitar shops yesterday and had a play with a Gibson SG Special and a Les Paul Studio. Both were very nice and the LP just edged out the SG on sustain.

The SUB 1 guitar is in the same price range as the above but as I can't test one (no shops here have it) so could anyone who has tried one shed some light on it's sustain capabilities?

I only ask because it is a bolt on and the US and Mexican strats I tried yesterday were pretty crap for sustain.
 
Don't compare EBMM's to Fenders....that's baaaaad. hehehe. My Petrucci's are awesome as far as the dynamics of playing are concerned.
 
Heh, Those are gibson's not Fenders... either way... EBMM all the way for me!
 
I know a les paul and sg are gibson, he mentioned usa and mexican strats at the bottom, and said...ah eff it...read it, you'll get it brah. Hahahaha! :D
 
I was playing Les Pauls and an SG before getting my first Axis, and I ended up selling the LPs and SG for the $$ to buy more Ernie Ball guitars... Of course, there are tonal differences between a 9.5 lb. set-neck, Mahogany guitar and a 7 lb. bolt-on made of Basswood or Ash, but I have never felt that I was lacking in the sustain department with my Axes... Granted, it seems easier to pull a sustained note out of a hardtail Axis than a trem equipped one, but so very many factors contribute to this thing we call "sustain" (volume, gain, action, setup, technique, hardware wear and tear, etc.), that it's pretty near impossible to say with any certainty that "guitar X sustains better than guitar Y"... That being said, I suspect that all other things being equal, the construction and mass in a Les Paul would probably give it an edge in the sustain department over an Axis, but that wouldn't make it play as well as an Axis, or be as versatile, or as comfortable... Horses for courses... :cool:
 
The subs are supposedly made with with materials that are not as expensive as non-sube.
But you will be hard pressed to be able to find fault with the subs.
Maybe over the yars , there will be a greater degree odf deteriorization on a sub model.


The degree of sustain is dependent to a great degree to the string pickup combination , and the height of the string from the pickup, assuming the nut and bridge are in good shape.
A heavily magnetised pickup tends to restrict string vibration and shorten sustain.
Same with a string that is too close to the pickup, sustain will suffer.
Active pickups have have a much longer sustain then passive pickups.
The reason id that the magnetics are weaker in an active pickup , however the pickups internasl circuitry, aamplifies the sound.
Endidng up with long time sustain with less interference with the dtringd vibrartion.

You can imagine that the more pickups a guitar has the greater is the magnetic pull on the strings.

Often the strings are placed close to the pickups , the purpose is to increase the sound output, but this mosy often works against you, .
There is a sweet spot with regards to string height, and the sustain will be best when the proper string height is set.

Usersof Fenders often have the strings too close
 
Sustain.....what we all like! I have played Gibsons and what not. They are nice guitars, and I believe JimiD is right about sustain. I think the Gibby will sustain longer, but, you will notice an incredible weight difference. I think the Gibby's neck are too fat for my liking. They just don't do what I want. Not to bash them, they just don't work for me. Fenders, never liked them. But, to answer the question, I think the Gibby will sustain longer, but will be less versatile, and fenders are, well, you already know! ;)
 
woah wait where did you find a gibson les paul for the same price as a sub 1 guitar either the gibsons are too cheap or the sub is going for twice the price i dont know who would try to fool you like that
 
Timrams88, I'm in the UK. The LP Studio I tried is £699 ($1200+ to you guys). It comes with a case, strap, lead etc. The SUB 1 is £625 for the spec I want (twin hum hard tail) and it doesn't come with a case or strap so I'd have to buy those separate, so the prices for my purposes are pretty much the same with the SUB 1 actually being the most expensive (the MM case is £115 ($210) here).

The SG Special is only £500 and comes with a gigbag. Even if I buy a case I'd still be cheaper than the SUB.

I'm pretty sure a full priced MM would be competitve on sustain and miles better on quality as you guys have said but as I can't test a SUB out I'm going to have to buy blind and it's an expensive mistake should I not like the SUB sound.

I saw earlier threads where some people have actually played the SUB. Any of you guys able to comment at all?
 
timrams88 said:
woah wait where did you find a gibson les paul for the same price as a sub 1 guitar either the gibsons are too cheap or the sub is going for twice the price i dont know who would try to fool you like that
Click to expand...

I took a rare opportunity yesterday to play nothing but Gibsons in the Sam Ash around the corner to remind myself what they were all about, and they're selling a Les Paul Special for around $750-ish, ditto on a similar SG model. Granted, it's a simple stained finish on sealer, definitely NOT the stereotypical LP Standard or Custom that most people know of when they think of LPs, but it's made in the USA and a set neck with 2 humbuckers. And for those who were wondering, I can assure you the LP Special does NOT sound like a "real" (read: more expensive) LP - the pickups are different, and the body is a flat-topped all-mahogany slab - no maple top at all - making it definitely more middy than the higher end ones. Think Leslie West vs. Slash, and you'll get the general idea....

Personally, I wouldn't pay that much for either Gibson, and they weren't necessarily awful - but from what I've seen of the SUB bass (haven't seen a guitar yet), the 6 string SUBS will definitely be of comparable quality with more tonal flexibility and a better neck. Sustain on LPs is indeed legendary due to the short scale and heavy mahogany/maple bodies, but I'm very happy with my Axis Sport hardtail's sound, and this is coming from a guy who's first guitar was an LP Custom clone, and who later owned the real deal (an LP Standard).

Regarding prices, remember also that our friend is from the UK, where everything is taxed up the yingyang compared to the US - not to mention that even the cheapest guitars (US made or otherwise) are considered import items, making 'em that much more expensive. From that ads that I've seen, their dealers take a US dollar price, and swap the dollar sign with a pound sign, and that's the UK price (consider that a pound is 1.5 - 1.75 more per every 1 US dollar, and you'll get an idea of why those poor chaps over there might consider a US made guitar to be that much more of a valuable commodity)...
 
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