Getting enough sustain...

[Duncan113]

Howdy, I'm new here. I'd offer y'all some bean dip but I's only got enough for myself. OK, so I am trying to figure out how to get the right lead tone, one which results in the kind of screaming overdriven sustain that lasts for eight days and then asks for more. I used to have a Marshall 2266 Vintage Modern head, and would go from my Strat into a Digitech 1101 into the Marshall. With certain settings on the Digitech and the amp, I could achieve this kind of sustain. I no longer have the Marhsall, for certain reasons, and am switching from rackmount units like the Digitech to pedals. I want to achieve a lead tone which is clean, meaning it preserves as much of the tone of the guitar as possible, while being maximally overdriven and sustained. All suggestions not involving the thrusting of a railroad spike through my thorax are welcome.

D

P.S. OK, maybe one thrust.

[tedmich]

check this Eklundh clip
http://youtu.be/Vxq0xvSJojw

he's got a (Siberian made) AMT Fatal tube going into a POS Gorilla amp, pretty poor tone BUT endless sustain

[Steve Conner]

To me "clean + endless sustain" means a compressor pedal inserted into the rig somewhere.

"clean + overdriven" would be a compressor feeding into a distortion pedal or overdriven amp.

"clean + maximally overdriven" doesn't make sense as these are complete tonal opposites. More clean must equal less overdriven. So, about that railroad spike

But to preserve some of the guitar's tone, it might be worth going for a tube overdrive, or one that claims to simulate a tube sound, as the clipping might be less extreme than a plain solid-state distortion pedal.

Switching to a Les Paul might help, and you can hang it from the railroad spike to keep the weight off your neck.

[exclamationmark]

I'm assuming by "clean and maximally overdriven", they mean a guitar tone that doesn't sound like plastic cheese.

At any meaningful volume you basically get into 'infinite sustain' territory, even at relatively clean volumes. But for bedroom/practice use... maybe invest in a tubescreamer of some sort. It's a solid investment no matter what genre of music you play. I'm assuming you don't play with much gain if you have problems with sustain in the first place, in which case the tubescreamer would work nicely.

[Duncan113]

Mattias Bean Dip, Sustain, and all things lubricated...

check this Eklundh clip
Mattias Eklundh - Freak guitar demo - YouTube

he's got a (Siberian made) AMT Fatal tube going into a POS Gorilla amp, pretty poor tone BUT endless sustain

Great. Now there's another who's not only endlessly better at guitar than I am, but has even stolen my stand-up act. I had the Thursday night spot at Shecky's Chuckle Hut before he came along. Now I'll be lucky to be sweeping the peanut shells off the floor after he leaves the stage. <sigh>
What were we here about, again? Ah, yes, guitar playing. OK, so, in reply to your several replies guys, here are some more factoids about me without which your lives will seem empty.
I have a Line 6 compressor, a BG Butler Tube Driver, and a Fuzz Face (Hendrix style one). I just acquired an Orange Tiny Terror, though as the cabinet has not arrived yet, I ain't had a chance to try it out. My geetar is a G&L Legacy. So, to get as much sustain possible, I would go first into my tuner pedal--see, I's smart. It's the part after that what confuses me.

D

[tedmich]

often the geometry between the guitar pickup and the overdriven tube amps magnetic and sound field can give endless sustain, Santana had big Xs on the stage for these spots and many a player "turns back to toward the stack" to hold notes. Of course there are helper FX too like the eBow or the EH Freeze pedal, or sustainer pickups like the old FR model or the modern Fernandes Sustainer, Moog or Maniac Music Sustainiac (Alan Hoover is a nice guy) or even the stalk mounted sustainer with the cool blue LED made by vibesware
Vibesware Guitar Resonator


will think more deeply about ur specific set up later, not too much sustain w/out the cab eh?

[Duncan113]

often the geometry between the guitar pickup and the overdriven tube amps magnetic and sound field can give endless sustain <snip>

All of this is very helpful, thanks tedmich. A couple of questions. I know nothing about electronics, and things like you mentioned--the magnetic and sound fields of the amp, why certain pick-ups have certain characteristics, etc.--is something I want to learn about. I've read various articles on the web, but if you know of some more comprehensive sources that would let someone who knows basically nothing about the theoretical and electronics underpinning of the whole shebang learn about it, please let me know.
BTW, my Orange 1x12 just arrived, and I've just been playing through it with the Tiny Terror and the Digitech 1101. Sounds good, but I'm going to ditch the Digitech and hook me up some pedals.

[Steve Conner]

What happens if you plug straight into the Tiny Terror and turn all the knobs up full?

I tried that once in a music store and it felt pretty good.

[olddawg]

Roctron Compressor, Digitech Bad Monkey, Proco Rat into the tube amp of your choice. Preferably a Marshall/ Vox / or Bassman derived design. For club volumes an 18 watt Marshall variant is great.