Quote:
Originally Posted by LoKi
The reality is though, how much sustain do you really need? Most people haven't got a clue. Are you really going to hold a note for 4 minutes, or the entire length of a single song? Can't most electric guitars do that anyway? Most of the actual electric sustain comes in the form of harmonic feedback from an amp. If you want your electric guitar to sustain forever while unplugged... Well... You are a dolt.  |
For starters, it's more than just sustain. When you give up string energy to the body, you don't give it up equally -- you give up certain frequencies, and that changes the tone of the guitar significantly. Plug in a solid body LP and then plug in a Strat with two 'buckers. You'll definitely know the difference.
Sustain that's native to the guitar is quite a bit different from the sustain that comes from electronics, and harmonic feedback from an amp usually requires some serious volume (and/or proximity to the amp cab). If you record, you definitely know the difference.
You can do a lot with relatively clean guitar sustain, which is why some folks put Fernandes Sustainers on their guitars (and you'd be amazed who has those things ON their guitars).