[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Dawgrit

Good info, makes sense. But I would say resonance is a perfect term for this thread. I started the thread and it’s called “Resonance versus sustain”.

Hi Dawgrit

I want both resonance and sustain. I do NOT see resonance as the opposite of sustain. Decay…whether produced by strings being old, induced by touching/muting strings, or the instrument not being built to encourage more sustain…would seem like the opposite of sustain to me.

And the word resonance has different definitions. I use it to designate the vibration of the instruments I'm playing. Yet there are times when I hear an orchestral stringed instrument being played that I'd describe it as resonant to my ear…and I'm basing that on the volume and projection.

I've always prefer to own guitars with a long sustain because I can shorten it if I want to. But a guitar with dead strings or built without sustain…you cannot lengthen it's ability to hold notes out (sustain them).

I've laced a piece of felt (or other materials) through the string-bed at the tail end (next to the bridge) to cut sustain for fun and effect. Victor Wooten (bassist) and his brother (guitarist) both use a women's hair scrunchy around the upper end of the neck (next to the nut) to cut the ability of strings to sustain.

I've laid the back edge of my palm lightly on the string bed while continuing to pick to simulate pizzicato. I drop the underside of the palm on the strings to fully mute them as I strum for a percussive beat (I call it drop-strum).

Not since I traded off my first $10 guitar for a $75 guitar have I had a guitar which lacked sustain. I always desired an instrument which would ring out and hold chords or notes as needed.

This may be rooted in my love of lyrical melodies. I love long, flowing, sustained passages full of slurs, slides and vibrato. Impossible to play without better than average sustain.

I love a great Bluegrass solo player who is barking out melodies full of runs and arpeggios. But as far as I can tell players like Billy Strings own guitars with really good sustain, projection and resonance yet they produce amazing clarity and volume throughout their solos while maintaining the ability to sustain chords and notes as needed.