Improving sustain

[Von Beerhofen]

What can be done to improve sustain on the low E string? Would more bridge mass help, higher or lower bridge, lighter or heavier string gauge, heavier or lighter bridgepins?

What's the consensus on this problem.

Ludwig

[printer2]

More mass would increase sustain as you would be taking less energy out of the string with that end point (the bridge) acting more like a fixed point. Adding more mass does change the resonance of the top, whether that is a good or bad thing depends on what you get. Heavier string would help.

[HodgdonExtreme]

[Athens]

Originally Posted by HodgdonExtreme

Is that the Dutch design?


But seriously, I have seen different approaches to this. Parker had acoustics where they had asymmetrical bridges that were larger and had more mass on the bass side specifically for that reason.





I don't remember other manufacturers that took that approach.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Von Beerhofen

What can be done to improve sustain on the low E string? Would more bridge mass help, higher or lower bridge, lighter or heavier string gauge, heavier or lighter bridgepins?

What's the consensus on this problem.

Ludwig

Hi Ludwig

I'm not sure there's consensus that it's a problem.

If you want to increase only sustain on a single string, a fresh string may be the solution. Fresh strings vibrate longer than 'aged' strings do. And you could even bump it up a weight or two (just the 6th string).

Companies like Just Strings sell single strings for very reasonable prices ($1.56 per string for the bass strings). Their house brand bulk strings work just fine. Perhaps one of our sponsors has single strings in stock at reasonable prices as well.

My point is you could just thicken up the bass string, and change it more frequently if it tends to go south earlier than all the others.

You could add brass bridge pins too, but that will increase the sustain across the string bed, and not specifically bass. And brass pins tend to shift the tone of a lot of guitars in a not-so-good way.

[Jambi]

Originally Posted by Athens

Is that the Dutch design?


But seriously, I have seen different approaches to this. Parker had acoustics where they had asymmetrical bridges that were larger and had more mass on the bass side specifically for that reason.





I don't remember other manufacturers that took that approach.

I believe that's why Andrew White guitars have asymmetrical bridges as well.

[philjs]

Originally Posted by Athens

I don't remember other manufacturers that took that approach.

Tacoma Guitar (RIP) bridges were designed with that in mind:



Phil

[Von Beerhofen]

Thx for your views guys,

I don't think it's an option for me to get a heavier gauge, not even for a single string. At 65 it's already pretty hard on me to stick with MSP7100's but I believe there are also sets which come with a slightly heavier gauge for the low E (0.056? instead of 0.054 for the MSP's), so I may give those a try. Brass pins seem a pretty good idea for this guitar if it wasn't for a metal allergy. With it's thinner Adi top I don't mind loosing some of the harmonics, they're pretty rich already. I currently have bone pins, is there anything besides metal that could be used, semi precious stone or something or petrified wood?

Ludwig

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Athens

... asymmetrical bridges that were larger and had more mass on the bass side specifically for that reason.
...

I don't remember other manufacturers that took that approach.

Gibson tried it too

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by Von Beerhofen

Thx for your views guys,

I don't think it's an option for me to get a heavier gauge, not even for a single string. At 65 it's already pretty hard on me to stick with MSP7100's but I believe there are also sets which come with a slightly heavier gauge for the low E (0.056? instead of 0.054 for the MSP's), so I may give those a try. Brass pins seem a pretty good idea for this guitar if it wasn't for a metal allergy. With it's thinner Adi top I don't mind loosing some of the harmonics, they're pretty rich already. I currently have bone pins, is there anything besides metal that could be used, semi precious stone or something or petrified wood?

Ludwig

If you paint the exposed part of the brass with clear lacquer (nail polish), that will solve the allergy issue. If your guitar is short scale switching to a longer, 25.5", scale would increase sustain. I know that's a radical solution...

[Von Beerhofen]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

If you paint the exposed part of the brass with clear lacquer (nail polish), that will solve the allergy issue. If your guitar is short scale switching to a longer, 25.5", scale would increase sustain. I know that's a radical solution...

Nail polish or anything else won't stick with the ammount of time I play my guitars and that rash from brass is not really nice. The longer scale isn't at all radical, at least not when I'd be looking for another guitar but it doesn't solve this guitar's issue, lol. Thx anyway!

Ludwig

[printer2]

Back brace shaving? Oh wait more sustain rather than bass. I get confused so easily.

[MikeMcKee]

I'm always skeptical about things like this, but I do have a guitar that I wanted more sustain on and I decided to put on a set of DR Sunbeams. The sustain improvement was noticeable to my old ears. I still primarily use Elixirs, but on that particular guitar I continue to use Sunbeams and am pleased.

[Inyo]

Originally Posted by Von Beerhofen

What can be done to improve sustain?

Would more bridge mass help, higher or lower bridge, lighter or heavier string gauge, heavier or lighter bridgepins?

None of the above.

You must use sustainable woods.

You're welcome.

I've read other threads that talk about increasing sustain and the two most abundant answers tend to be: 1) shave the braces down thinner (or modify them in other ways). 2) the sustain of a guitar is fairly static and cannot be changed all that much with minor things like different strings or bridge pins.

So I suspect if you want more sustain you will probably have to have someone who knows what they are doing to modify the braces and even then I'll bet it's a gamble as to whether sustain will increase and almost assuredly the tone will be altered to some degree.