Struggling With Full Volume, Tone & Sustain on High Notes

Moke said:
Kicking in a mid-focused Drive (or Filter) block, and a mid (around 800Hz) post-amp 'Filter' boost during those parts should help.
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Admin M@ said:
I really like the GAIN ENHANCER in the Amp's output compressor.
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Alright, another country heard from! I’m getting input from the big guns. Sounds like two more really good ideas to try. I am going to be busy this weekend. Thanks so much for chiming in.
 
I love playing around with feedback, and here are some things I've observed:
  • You don't say what type of guitar you're using but, in my experience, a solid body will react to the acoustic coupling from the speaker more consistently than semi or hollow bodies. Semi and hollow bodies shake easier from the pressure waves, but they're also prone to additional harmonics from the acoustic coupling combined with the wood that dampen the string's vibration and kill the sustain. My semi-hollow sustains nicely by itself, but there's a sweet spot in its volume where it's more likely to hold notes and rolling the volume higher seems like it pushes the preset's amp harder, thickens the sound and over vibrates the guitar, resulting in wild harmonics I can't control. In contrast, my solid bodies, both Strats and various PRS, can handle their volume at 10 without a problem, at least until I'm so close to the speaker, or the volume is so loud, that the pickup itself shakes, then all bets are off.
  • Last night I was playing, and my friend had just installed a Guitar NutBuster on his Bigsby-equipped Les Paul, and it made a very audible difference to the sound of the guitar that I could hear across the room. It did a good job increasing the guitar's initial attack and sustain, and he said it helped even out the feel of the strings. A Bigsby-type tremolo doesn't lock down the strings as well as a regular tailpiece, so adding the NutBuster seems to have been a good idea. I'm sure there are other, similar, gizmos out there that accomplish the same thing, so look around and talk to others if it seems like that's useful.
  • A guitar with a tremolo, especially a Fender or PRS type that floats on six knife edges, has to be set up carefully because unequal pressure from the screws can dampen the sustain and make the guitar sound muddy. My PRS DGT had lousy sustain when I bought it used, but I slowly tweaked it, letting it settle between adjustments, and now it sounds sustains well, and I can hold a note almost at will. Fellow member @Andy Eagle has a wealth of knowledge about this stuff and can correct my understanding if I'm wrong, and he can give ideas what else to look at so maybe he'll chime in.
  • Volume is really important. We can add compression in various ways and try increasing the gain, but you must have enough air moving from the speaker to shake the guitar strings. Without that we're really just increasing the likelihood for EMI noise or a harmonic taking over and changing the note from what you want. It doesn't take gawd-awful volume, a 15-20 watt combo or a FRFR or monitor with a 8" to 12" close to you can put out plenty of sound to generate it. If the volume is high enough so you hear the strings start to ring then you're just under the point you want to be, and a little increase of the guitar's volume should be sufficient to hold notes.
 
Thanks Greg. All good stuff to consider. I did mention a couple of posts back that I alternate between a PRS Custom 2408 and a Les Paul Standard, so the solid body part is covered. Also, Andy weighed in a little earlier with his input. he suggests another guitar. I have a Fender Strat and Tele so I will also test them out.

Thanks for taking the time to write all of this up. Appreciate it!
 
Man, sure seems like you would get more of that native sympathetic resonance with set-neck guitars
than with a bolt-on like the Fenders.

Of course, those Fenders might give you some of that delightful single-coil squeal and peel we
all know and love. ;)
 
Yeah, but I can’t quite settle on the fact that all four of my guitars are ”dead”. So I keep looking elsewhere. Could be, but probably not. Probably a combination of several things affecting it.
 
22 frets said:
Yeah, but I can’t quite settle on the fact that all four of my guitars are ”dead”. So I keep looking elsewhere. Could be, but probably not. Probably a combination of several things affecting it.
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Most dead guitars can certainly be improved considerably. Some go dead if you don't play them often enough and setup can play a large part. It's by no means catastrophic. I'm just saying that amp tweaks don't fix guitar issues.
 
Are your pickups all at the same volume if not set the neck pickup height and use your solicitor switch to check the volume on you middle pick up raise it to match the volume of the neck pickup, and then do the same for your bridge pickup.
Start by tweaking your neck pickup and then set the others.

You can find the factory default settings for your Guitar on line as a starting point measure from the top of the poll on your pickup to the bottom of your strings. You’ll need a good rule.

Raising increases the volume lowering decreases the volume to find the sweet spot us your ears while setting.

Hope this helps you.
 
Thanks Freds. That is another good thing to consider!

l can‘t believe how much great advice I have received from my question. You are all kind to offer your suggestions. What a great forum we have here full of guitar players willing to share. May you all have a wonderful holiday season! Thanks again for your generosity and willingness to help!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 
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