How To Install A Sustainiac

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Installers for Sustainiac and Hex Pickup?

• Thread starter MarkF786
• First date Feb 8, 2022

• #1

Does anyone know a good luthier who could install a Sustainiac and hex pickup (either piezos or GK) in a guitar? I'd similar to find someone with experience in this area, doing custom electronics.

Thank you!

Mark

• #2

Ship it out to Gary Brawer in San Francisco.

15 Lafayette Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 621-3904
world wide web.brawer.com

Fernandes (who brand the Sustainer) sends most folks seeking installation of their product directly to him. Gary builds virtually everything that Neal Schon uses, and virtually everything that Neal Schon uses has a sustainer in information technology. He'south done two installations within the last year for us. I was at his place on Saturday (made the trip from LA specifically to accept him work on 3 guitars) and he'd just finished a Sustainiac installation in a very sparse bodied guitar that required some custom touches. My guitar (and Schon'south) required even more tweaking because the sustainer activator, which normally takes over the neck position on a guitar, actually lives next to a full-on stacked humbucker in the neck pickup bezel:

Here's a closeup:

And here's one of Schon's (aye, it'south a Yamaha SBG-2000, and this was taken at NAMM in January):

In fact, Gary did all the NS Sig guitars for Gibson dorsum in 2005, and has worked with Adrian Belew, etc. doing some of his custom installations. Matter of fact, I was upwardly there partly to discuss the installation of Variax guts (from a Variax 500) into an LP-blazon guitar using the Graphtech-saddled Floyd (which will besides support MIDI, etc.). Might even accept the sustainer installed on that puppy equally well.

• #3

I've ever been curious why the Fernandes sustainer needed a special technician to install. Is at that place something to it besides adding a pickup, wires, and a switch?

I would retrieve that anyone who could add a pickup to their guitar can install 1 of these.

• #4

I've always been curious why the Fernandes sustainer needed a special technician to install. Is at that place something to information technology as well adding a pickup, wires, and a switch?

I would remember that anyone who could add a pickup to their guitar can install i of these.

Most people are going to need some routing washed to set this upwardly.

It has a excursion board with switches, and a battery box that you accept to incorporate into your body, and the organization requires some fine tuning to piece of work correctly. Some bodies will be easier to install it in than others. If you desire to substitute different bridge pickups for their stock ane, it will require even more tweaking, since information technology'southward integral to the arrangement.

I merely got my 401 kit, and it looks like information technology will go into my rear routed hss Warmouth without any major hassle. I already had active pickups in information technology with 2 9v batteries, so I have a proficient size compartment already.

Now I just have to decide what I'1000 going to utilize for my heart pickup...anyone got any suggestions for a practiced humbucking single roll loftier gain that works well with this arrangement? I'm thinking mayhap hot rails or chopper...

Actually looking forward to getting this set up...I've been an ebow fan for a long fourth dimension, and all my fave players utilize these...

• #five

I've always been curious why the Fernandes sustainer needed a special technician to install. Is there something to it as well calculation a pickup, wires, and a switch?

Just wait until you get a squealing board then inquire that question <1000>. There are as well sometimes issues with routing the wires abroad from each other to forbid problems. The installation is oftentimes anything but routine, and an experienced tech volition know where problems are likely to occur and avoid them. The Fernandes I have (the FSK-401 kit) involves a excursion board, and I wanted my switches behind the Floyd rather than tucked in adjacent to the control knobs.

In add-on, the 401 kit involves TWO switches -- an on-off and a harmonic selector. Further, a full installation involves installation of a Sustainer Intensity knob. My guitar:

has the two sustainer switches between the Floyd and the bottom strap push. What would normally exist a tone knob (bottom left) is the Sustainer intensity knob. And on my guitar, there's a Master Book (nigh the bridge/span pickup, a Chief tone (direct to the left of the MV), and a Chandler Tone-X (sweepable mids + heave) where the other Book would ordinarily have been. And the black dot is a buckethead-style kill switch.

And finally, the whole thing needs to exist powered with a 9V battery. In my guitar, this involved putting a battery box next to the rout for the Sustainer:

Note that on some guitars the whole matter can exist tucked into a large control cavity, just you still want to be enlightened of shielding issues and wire routing problems that, if ignored, will make these things well-nigh unusable.

One concluding affair -- there are different activators (the pickup looking thing) out in that location. Fernandes has ii (one that looks like a humbucker...and can exist used as one, and ane that looks like a single coil), Sustainiac has at least ane (I've simply seen their single coil version). Some have larger magnets than others -- the ones with smaller magnets, it turns out, work merely as well and avoid ruining the sustain of the guitar (these are serious magnets) and affecting the other pickups. Ask Gary about that when you talk to him.

• #half-dozen

Now I only have to decide what I'g going to use for my middle pickup...anyone got any suggestions for a good humbucking single roll high proceeds that works well with this arrangement? I'yard thinking maybe hot rails or chopper...

Switching on the sustainer volition automatically put you onto the span pickup. It'due south the nature of the beast. Y'all definitely want a solid humbucking bridge pickup (rather than a single ringlet) if yous're going to exist working with a sustainer.

I've used Hot Rails and like them. It'southward a groovy selection for a middle pickup and you may find yourself actually USING the eye pickup solitary for a change. The neck pickup that I've installed next to the Sustainer (meet the photos) is a DiMarzio Fast Rails II. This is *commonly* a hot (16K) bridge pickup for a strat. In the cervix position of an LP, it'south pretty much transformed, and I would imagine that the same would exist true if it were installed in the eye position of a stratalike.

• #seven

Switching on the sustainer will automatically put you onto the bridge pickup. It's the nature of the beast. You definitely want a solid humbucking bridge pickup (rather than a single curl) if you're going to be working with a sustainer.

I've used Hot Rails and like them. Information technology'south a great selection for a middle pickup and you may find yourself actually USING the eye pickup solitary for a change. The cervix pickup that I've installed adjacent to the Sustainer (see the photos) is a DiMarzio Fast Track Two. This is *ordinarily* a hot (16K) bridge pickup for a strat. In the cervix position of an LP, it's pretty much transformed, and I would imagine that the same would be truthful if it were installed in the middle position of a stratalike.

Yeah...I was only figuring that I would demand a actually good middle pickup for when I wasn't using the sustainer, since I don't know how good the supplied pickups sound.

• #8

Hey where did you get the little black killswitch? Is that the radio shack one? I don't want a big ruddy button...

• #9

Yep...I was simply figuring that I would need a really good eye pickup for when I wasn't using the sustainer, since I don't know how good the supplied pickups audio.

That guitar has a modified '57 (9K) in the bridge. I don't utilize the sustainer activator as a pickup at all. Information technology's also a neck-through guitar with most no neck heel. Oh, and it's got a wide/slim neck with a sixteen" radius. It may *look* like a stock LP type guitar from the audience, but 'snot.

• #10

Hey where did you get the fiddling black killswitch? Is that the radio shack one? I don't want a big reddish push...

This is just from Gary'due south parts bin. He says pretty much annihilation that will fit into the hole (it'south the standard pigsty left behind by a Gibson Tone Pot) volition work. That's another slightly-less-than-as-easy-as-information technology-appears install; I've seen these things installed by DIYers that pop every time you hit them. Non expert.

• #11

There was a good commodity on installing one in last months Premier Guitar.

Just looking for the right unmarried pole momentary that volition hold upward and not exist too obtrusive.

• #12

Believe me, installing a sustainer is fashion more involved than dropping in a regular pickup. I had a friend install a Sustainiac in my PRS Santana SE. He has a degree in electrical technology and had previously installed one in his ain guitar and it took him eight hours of work to do mine. I choose this guitar because information technology had a pretty expert sized cavity to arrange the circuit lath and 9 volt battery, although it still needed a modest corporeality of routing. The circuit board on a Fernandes is larger than a Sustainiac and has more limited mounting options. The board on the Sustainiac was small enough and thin enough to be mounted on it'south side, border-wise, rather than laying flat, similar y'all would accept to do with the Fernandes. I also installed a Duncan Custom Custom with 3-way switching in the bridge, also as a Roland guitar-synth pickup.

Besides the routing, the wiring is quite complex and is not something an inexperienced person should endeavour. The tech support at Sustainiac is fantastic and they were very helpful to us during the installation. In that location is also a lot of good info on their site. Earlier this I owned a sustainer-equipped Fernandes guitar, and I would definitely recommend the Sustainiac over the Fernandes. Nothing incorrect with the Fernandes, merely in my opinion, the Sustainiac is a bit better and takes up less internal room when installing. Also, as a neck pickup, the Sustainiac is pretty decent sounding, kind of like a fatty unmarried coil, compared to the Fernandes which was mediocre at best.

• #xiii

Also at that place are ofttimes issues related to GK pickup & Sustainer electronics affecting them. The wiring is complex too. Just finished installing a Sustainiac (not Fernandes Sustainer) into a Roland Set up Strat and the event is bang-up but took some effort.

For info, Sustainiac electronics are designed to fit in a strat without any routing provided in that location are no other active electronics etc kit in there. Regular Strat + Sustainiac is a get. To make it a sure hit I put a SeymourDuncan Hot Rails Humbucker (Singlecoil size) in the bridge pickup location. Sustainers like humbuckers in bridge position.

You tin can run across this thread for my journey and the end-result. http://www.futureguitarnow.com/forum/index.php?topic=764.msg7987#msg7987

Proficient luck!

Hmmm... interesting. I have a Roland-gear up Strat w/ Lace Sensors that I've considered putting a Sustainiac in, but after the huge job of installing on in my PRS to a higher place, I'm hesitant. With all the actress wiring in the Roland-ready, I'd imagine it would be quite a task. Plus, on my PRS I was able to put the battery in the control cavity, and so it's easy access to change it. I wouldn't desire to have to put the battery nether the pickguard in the Strat and accept to take the whole thing apart to change the battery. Either that, or have to road out the body for a battery compartment. Simply since the Strat has been my main guitar, it would be cool to have and I'm still considering it. Thank you for sharing your feel.

• #xiv

Hey MCK - Smashing projection, and very interesting forum you host over there...

• #xv

MCK - Thanks for all the additional info and details.
Very cool guitar you've got there. I'd beloved to put a Sustainiac in my Roland-ready Strat, just I call up this is more of a task (and expense) than I want to undertake right at present. Although I probably would if I didn't already have one in my PRS. Merely cool to read about your project.

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