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Just bought a Kramer Baretta with quad rail humbuckers. I love the sound, but feed-back and sustain are harder to come by. Is that the way it is or do I need to turn it up to eleven?
Hold the strings to the neck at the last fret (22nd/23rd) and turn the screws clockwise to raise the pickups until the high E string is about 2mm away from the magnet, low E about 3mm away.
If that in't enough you need hotter pick/ups - Seymour Duncan do some high output buckers, as does Kent Armstrong.
TJ
Besides, as I've said before, the only way to get great sustain is with an old Les Paul. ;)
when I converted my Fender jazz bass to fretless
That's "tinkering"?!
Let's just say that in the process of loosening the frets I found that I'd also loosened the glue between the fingerboard and the neck. Not pretty. It cost me a packet to get that job completed...
when I converted my Fender jazz bass to fretless
I have played guitar for about 15 years and just recently started playing bass. The reason is there are no bass players about to form a band. I am practising on an Aria Pro fretless bass that was converted from fretted. It is quite easy to play cos the dots on 3rd 5th 7th 9th n Octave are still there. BUT! the intonation is an ass to get right. No matter how I set it up it goes sharp around the octave. Makes it quite difficult to play in tune higher up the neck but does help with ear tuning.
It sits in the corner mostly in favour of my Aria Pro Fretted bass which is a much nicer sounding guitar.
Ska
loosening the frets I found that I'd also loosened the glue between the fingerboard and the neck. Not pretty
Poor quality job on the glue in the first place, unless you really were using excessive force ;-)
You need a proper fret puller for that job (Stuart MacDonald are good for all that stuff).
With pickup movement, you can always measure before you change. That way it's pretty easy to revert to the old setup.
It's really not a job to be scared of.
TJ
Poor quality job on the glue in the first place, unless you really were using excessive force ;-)You need a proper fret puller for that job (Stuart MacDonald are good for all that stuff).
The deal was that I was trying to heat up the glue to loosen the bond between the actual fret and the fingerboard - you can do this with an old iron, a soldering iron or whatever.
You can just hack at them with a screwdriver and a hammer (carefully!) - but you end up tearing off little chunks of the fingerboard that you have to glue back later anyhow.
So if you heat it up you make the job easier. If you heat it up too much and in the wrong places you end up looking in the yellow pages, for a luthier... ;)
Right now it gets sharp as I go higher on the neck
Its just the intonation. If I remember right the floyd rose has little screws to adjust the length of the string. So, tune it open and then tune it at the 12th fret. Adjust the string length blah bla I'm sure you know how to set up intonation.
Ska
I know as much about setting up intonation as I do about seo.
I know as much about intonation as I do SEO and I know a fair bit about SEO ;oP
Ska
I wouldn't quit my day job to do seo. :)
I re-arranged the earthing on mine and screened it, wow, what an improvement.
huh?
I think achieving "feedback sustain" is a product of just the right height of the pickups and to a certain extent how microphonic the pickups are. Different notes sustain differently as well. There is no substitute for volume.
When playing direct into a PC through an amp modeler I never get feedback unless I crank the monitors.
I've been wanting to get one of those Kramer Sustainer guitars. James Young uses one of the older models in the "Return To Paradise" DVD and it just leaps into harmonic sustion.
huh?
Sadly, the earthing arrangements on Leo's original design are somewhat lacking. Fender's are also known for having a lot of noise, largely when you don't touch the strings ("it's all part of having a Fender").
Well, now I have no noise, I have screened most of the circuitry/wiring from outside interferance, I can get real close to TV sceens, etc, without nasty buzzing sounds and, as I have no background mush, 'all' the available harmonics come through loud and clear, allowing a better chance of getting a longer sustain.
I will say, going back to basics, if you put your ear to the body of your guitar, without plugging it in, and you can hear/feel the strings vibrate for a loooong time, you are in with a chance at getting a good sustain. From there on in you gotta check the electrics.
Have fun..... ;)
I will say, going back to basics, if you put your ear to the body of your guitar, without plugging it in, and you can hear/feel the strings vibrate for a loooong time,
Try resting the headstock on top of a table or bench. It really amplifies the unplugged guitar so you almost don't have to place your year next to it.
Nigel: The sustain...listen to it...
Marty: I'm not hearing anything.
Nigel: You would, though, if it were playing, because it really ... it's famous for its sustain...I mean, you could, just hold it....
Marty: Well I mean so you don't....
Nigel: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... You could go and have a bite an'...aaaaaaaaa...you'd still be hearin' that one.
I wouldn't quit my day job to do seo. :)
Well, after last nights attempts to set up the intonation on a friends strat knockoff I will not be quitting my day job to do SEO or guitar intonation.
Nightmare!
That thing is only useful for kindling.
Ska
Action is much better, sustain/feedback is present in abundance. This thing cranks. I'd like to say it shreds, but I don't know how to shred. Nevertheless, lawman happy. :)
I don't know how to shred
Put 10s or better 11s on, for the first few weeks your fingers will shred ;)
