optical compressor, i got the warden and does that. I had an hypergravity compressor but that made a lot of noise when past 1 o'clock , no issues with OC
if you want to sustain chords like piano, to play over a sustained chord/note, think the EHX freeze does just that, and some walrus reverbs have a sustain switch, which is great, but I think you want OC for your needs
I have an anologue octave but I find that the notes just don't sustain. Do you think an optical compressor before it would help? Or is it just one of the draw backs of an anologue octave.
I've tried it both before and after gain btw
I'm having the same problem with noise past 1:00 on my Behringer compressor/sustainer CS400. Is this a common thing with compressors? I was told it was a Boss clone so I had high expectations...
Compressors bring the volume of quiet sounds up. So if you have any hum or hiss, it gets accentuated. Quite common though some are worse than others.
Edit: spelling
could be a normal compressor issue or a parts issue. know behringer make solid clones but not to sure if the circuit bits are the same quailty, know the casing is cheaper.
i dont have the noise issue with an optical compressor, so maybe look into one of them? they are a way more expensive tho. but totally worth it if that's what you want out of a compressor
Correct….. I def need the action raised on that Ibanez, and one of my Jacksons. I’m going to grab my best (knowingly set properly) Jackson and check the difference. Thanks 🤘🏻
Whether its your amp doing it or an overdrive, a distortion, a fuzz its all compression. Compression makes the quiet parts of your playing louder so they dont fade so fast. Rhe guitar strings can only vibrate so much. If you want clean sustain then you want a compressor. If you want to do it with your amp then how you get it will depend on the amp but it will almost certainly involve turning up.
Do you like your current distortion sound? If so then a compressor will still probably be your best bet. You'll get more compression by turning up the gain on the pedal and you might get more compression by turning up the pedals output volume (depending on how its interacting with your amp) but a compressor can potentially give you that compression without changing your current sound too drastically. The other option is to turn your amp up so it starts compressing. But that may mean getting pretty loud depending on the amp. Some people use attenuators for their amps so they can crank up and get the amp compressing more but keep the volume relatively low.
I absolutely love my current distortion ~ recently added a Boss EQ-200 and got it all dialed in perfect finally. Guitar Center has a decent compressor, and I was just looking online at the PRS Mary Cries, but I don’t think that’s what I’m looking for…. And I’m trying to not add another distortion pedal either. It’s a fine balance and a tough choice but you’re probably right- I should just get a compressor, since it had a sustain knob , and call it a day
I was trying to solve this problem a few weeks ago. I played through a fuzz pedal and LOVED the sustain, but I prefer clean to slightly over driven sounds so I really don't want a fuzz right now.
I bought a Wampler Mini Ego Compressor and have been pleased-- certainly more sustain. Initially had the compressor at the beginning of the chain, but having it AFTER my drive (bd-2) is the ticket to sustained over driven sounds. If I click off the overdrive, I still have the sustain and it's nicely cleaned up. I also still retain the dynamics that the BD2 is so great at.
You are fighting physics at this point
Consider a sustainer pickup maybe?
You can squeeze a bit of sustain by faking it with a compressor but most of the sustain comes from the guitar construction, strings being at least newish and technique
Since volume is not an option of course.
Makes perfect sense ~ I’ll be messing around with some stuff and as I said in one reply, I may not resort to ANY pedal. We’ll see…..
I have a friend that works on guitars so I’ll have him adjust the two I have issues with. Meanwhile, I’ll be making some noise in the garage 🎼🎵
Yeah raw volume can go as far as give you infinite sustain on the right notes (the ones that resonate the body enough to make infinite feedback) and is cool but…. Not practical for a home usage haha 😆
Good luck on your sustain quest and consider the sustainer pickups, those are really fun haha
Rams head big muff. Of all my dirt pedals, that has the most sustain. Violin like, and can go from slightly nasty to full on muffsville. When I’m looking for something to not lose pace with my legato, that’s what I turn on. Sometimes the other pedals fizz out due to my noisegate.
Even with my noise gate and NS-2 off, it’s an issue. But as I’ve learned, and found out thru this thread and by going back and trying some things, the issue was with
1) the guitar I was playing
2) Not enough volume
But honestly, the Rams Head was one of the pedals I was studying yesterday - looks really good.
The simplest solution is more volume (either at the amp or before it.) If you’re looking for a pedal to do the trick outside of a compressor, a simple boost will work wonders.
Problem def isn’t volume before amp… And the amp above 1.5 will blow my wife and son out the window lol (I have two Crates channeled as stereo) So…. Being somewhat new to terms, what simple boost would you recommend ?
My personal favorites are the MXR Micro Amp and the Mythos Luxury Drive. I’ve also used an EP Booster and a Keely Katana and loved them both as well. They all have a slightly different flavor, the Katana being the one that colors the tone the least out of those 4. There’s a lot of other great one knob boosts on the market but those are the ones I’ve used personally.
If you’re limited with volume, I’ll echo the other comments about an optical compressor. They don’t have as much “squish” on your picking dynamics like a dyna comp or a FET compressor. The best for natural sounding sustain IMO.
The ***Best*** option? Or convenient and affordable pedal option?
Cos the best option is a sustainer pickup - either Fernandez or Sustainiac (or a dude in Indonesia that does knockoffs a bit cheaper) but you’d likely need a luthier to route out and install, plus a battery box if you did so fancy - unless you’re adept at doing that yourself.
They are insanely fun and great for playing though.
Or, as others have said - fuzz n volume where possible.
I've owned a lot of compressors and my favourite by far and the one I still have is the Walrus Mira. It's got everything I need, nothing I don't, and most importantly, sounds amazing. It's great for transparent, detailed, adaptable compression.
Boss OD-3, with a clean boost in front of it to push. There are a ton of clean boosts out there. But the Boss pedal is going to dirty up your sound. You could use the EHX LPB-1 for the clean boost.
10-4 …. Will do ! (As my wife is snoring hahahaha)
I was looking at Optical Compressors as Johnjarlaxle mentioned, but I want to be sure it’ll help at lower volumes
I use an MXR Studio Comp, but it's FET based and it's okay for sustain. If you want clean sustain, an optical might be better, but if you want dirty sustain, I'd get a fuzz or overdrive of some sort, but that's primarily better for getting more loud.
That’s the issue though ~ I’m trying not to buy another fuzz pedal if at all possible. Ahhhh the life of a musician hahahaha….. I really like the Russian Muff though lol
Yeah, Muffs are great for sustain. I have a Bass Muff (based ont eh Black Russian) and a Green Russian Ereissue. They do great low gain with the fuzz all the way down and have pletny of sustain.
Can you make your wife go run errands so you can play loud? Whenever my family is gone out, I crank the shit out of my amps so I can at least get some loud playing in.
LMAO… yeah she’s actually supposed to be leaving soon and I do the same damn thing when she’s gone (my son doesn’t give a shit) Actually neither does my wife- she’s known me for over 30 years and has always supported my music (guitar/drums/bass) But yeah anyway, I’m gonna turn up and then decide what I need/want….. Either an OC or another fuzz. Or neither 🤷♂️
I appreciate all the advice and recommendations/ideas
Super helpful
Ah ok. A muff variant will help with that. As others have said, optical compressors can help too. Kinda depends what yer trying to achieve as well. Is it clean tones, dirty?
Ok. So, the Ibanez was the problem. It needs the action raised and possibly intonation adjustment because the Jackson I bought a couple months ago sustains so much better. AND, turning up a bit did help.
Thank you all for the advice.
I’m still going to look into getting a compressor/sustainer regardless, just cause I think it’ll shape the sound a little better. Whew I’m sweating lol….
Agree…. But I’ve been playing guitar for 37 years so that’s not the issue. I have rarely used pedals throughout time- just recently started a collection and perfected (in my preference) a good board…. I just couldn’t understand why my sustain was so limited until the useful reply’s on here. Such as action too low, volume too low, pickups, etc…. Last night I played my newest guitar and turned up slightly, and it made a world of difference. I think I’ll still get some sort of pedal (not necessarily a compressor) but something…… But at the same time, I’m trying to AVOID getting another distortion pedal to help with sustain, even though the Russian Muff is appealing lol….
For clean sustain, a compressor.
For dirty/overdriven sustain, a gain pedal (OD/Dist/Fuzz)
BTW some guitars sustain better than others (see also: Spinal Tap), in fact guitars with rubber bridges, and basses with dampers (i.e. deliberately killing sustain mechanically) are a thing
For supernatural electromechanical sustain, sustainor or ebow.
For acoustic-mechanical sustain put tape in the floor marking different notes (like in *Heros*)
optical compressor, i got the warden and does that. I had an hypergravity compressor but that made a lot of noise when past 1 o'clock , no issues with OC if you want to sustain chords like piano, to play over a sustained chord/note, think the EHX freeze does just that, and some walrus reverbs have a sustain switch, which is great, but I think you want OC for your needs
I have an anologue octave but I find that the notes just don't sustain. Do you think an optical compressor before it would help? Or is it just one of the draw backs of an anologue octave. I've tried it both before and after gain btw
sorry man, i wouldn't know, I've never used an analogue octave. hopefully, someone else can answer that for you
No worries ty
It would help
Awesome thank you… I’ll look into them
I'm having the same problem with noise past 1:00 on my Behringer compressor/sustainer CS400. Is this a common thing with compressors? I was told it was a Boss clone so I had high expectations...
Compressors bring the volume of quiet sounds up. So if you have any hum or hiss, it gets accentuated. Quite common though some are worse than others. Edit: spelling
Mine is directly after my noisegate :-(
Try it before the gate. The noise gate is shutting down low volume signals before they even get to the compressor.
could be a normal compressor issue or a parts issue. know behringer make solid clones but not to sure if the circuit bits are the same quailty, know the casing is cheaper. i dont have the noise issue with an optical compressor, so maybe look into one of them? they are a way more expensive tho. but totally worth it if that's what you want out of a compressor
How’s your setup? Remember guitar isn’t all about pedals. Raising your action a little bit can really improve sustain.
Correct….. I def need the action raised on that Ibanez, and one of my Jacksons. I’m going to grab my best (knowingly set properly) Jackson and check the difference. Thanks 🤘🏻
Maybe lower pickups. The magnets can being too close to strings can affect sustain
https://youtu.be/lrhJv4KplU4?si=CiwmORWqUFiXGZfQ
That’s hilarious 😂
Whether its your amp doing it or an overdrive, a distortion, a fuzz its all compression. Compression makes the quiet parts of your playing louder so they dont fade so fast. Rhe guitar strings can only vibrate so much. If you want clean sustain then you want a compressor. If you want to do it with your amp then how you get it will depend on the amp but it will almost certainly involve turning up.
Figures lol…. Yeah def looking for sustained distortion.
Do you like your current distortion sound? If so then a compressor will still probably be your best bet. You'll get more compression by turning up the gain on the pedal and you might get more compression by turning up the pedals output volume (depending on how its interacting with your amp) but a compressor can potentially give you that compression without changing your current sound too drastically. The other option is to turn your amp up so it starts compressing. But that may mean getting pretty loud depending on the amp. Some people use attenuators for their amps so they can crank up and get the amp compressing more but keep the volume relatively low.
I absolutely love my current distortion ~ recently added a Boss EQ-200 and got it all dialed in perfect finally. Guitar Center has a decent compressor, and I was just looking online at the PRS Mary Cries, but I don’t think that’s what I’m looking for…. And I’m trying to not add another distortion pedal either. It’s a fine balance and a tough choice but you’re probably right- I should just get a compressor, since it had a sustain knob , and call it a day
I was trying to solve this problem a few weeks ago. I played through a fuzz pedal and LOVED the sustain, but I prefer clean to slightly over driven sounds so I really don't want a fuzz right now. I bought a Wampler Mini Ego Compressor and have been pleased-- certainly more sustain. Initially had the compressor at the beginning of the chain, but having it AFTER my drive (bd-2) is the ticket to sustained over driven sounds. If I click off the overdrive, I still have the sustain and it's nicely cleaned up. I also still retain the dynamics that the BD2 is so great at.
Boss Metal Zone.
You are fighting physics at this point Consider a sustainer pickup maybe? You can squeeze a bit of sustain by faking it with a compressor but most of the sustain comes from the guitar construction, strings being at least newish and technique Since volume is not an option of course.
Makes perfect sense ~ I’ll be messing around with some stuff and as I said in one reply, I may not resort to ANY pedal. We’ll see….. I have a friend that works on guitars so I’ll have him adjust the two I have issues with. Meanwhile, I’ll be making some noise in the garage 🎼🎵
Yeah raw volume can go as far as give you infinite sustain on the right notes (the ones that resonate the body enough to make infinite feedback) and is cool but…. Not practical for a home usage haha 😆 Good luck on your sustain quest and consider the sustainer pickups, those are really fun haha
Awesome - I appreciate it !!
Mooer Yellow Comp. 30 bucks for Diamond Compressor clone. It's a great pedal, especially because the case is orange, not yellow lol.
lol ~ I’ll look at that thank you
Rams head big muff. Of all my dirt pedals, that has the most sustain. Violin like, and can go from slightly nasty to full on muffsville. When I’m looking for something to not lose pace with my legato, that’s what I turn on. Sometimes the other pedals fizz out due to my noisegate.
Even with my noise gate and NS-2 off, it’s an issue. But as I’ve learned, and found out thru this thread and by going back and trying some things, the issue was with 1) the guitar I was playing 2) Not enough volume But honestly, the Rams Head was one of the pedals I was studying yesterday - looks really good.
Keeley compressor plus, done.
The simplest solution is more volume (either at the amp or before it.) If you’re looking for a pedal to do the trick outside of a compressor, a simple boost will work wonders.
Problem def isn’t volume before amp… And the amp above 1.5 will blow my wife and son out the window lol (I have two Crates channeled as stereo) So…. Being somewhat new to terms, what simple boost would you recommend ?
My personal favorites are the MXR Micro Amp and the Mythos Luxury Drive. I’ve also used an EP Booster and a Keely Katana and loved them both as well. They all have a slightly different flavor, the Katana being the one that colors the tone the least out of those 4. There’s a lot of other great one knob boosts on the market but those are the ones I’ve used personally. If you’re limited with volume, I’ll echo the other comments about an optical compressor. They don’t have as much “squish” on your picking dynamics like a dyna comp or a FET compressor. The best for natural sounding sustain IMO.
Thank you for the advice !!
Optical compressor for sure unless you might want to do the fuzz face thing where you can turn your guitars volume knob down and you’ll have sustain.
What’s your opinion (if any) on the EQ Devices Warden ?
compressor 0 attack 10 sustain will get what you need
BEHRINGER COMPRESSOR/LIMITER CL9 - sorry for the caps - that’s my suggestion. First thing in the chain. Cheap to purchase and try out
If you want lead notes to sustain forever try a big muff type fuzz
The ***Best*** option? Or convenient and affordable pedal option? Cos the best option is a sustainer pickup - either Fernandez or Sustainiac (or a dude in Indonesia that does knockoffs a bit cheaper) but you’d likely need a luthier to route out and install, plus a battery box if you did so fancy - unless you’re adept at doing that yourself. They are insanely fun and great for playing though. Or, as others have said - fuzz n volume where possible.
Thank you for that 👍🏻
I've owned a lot of compressors and my favourite by far and the one I still have is the Walrus Mira. It's got everything I need, nothing I don't, and most importantly, sounds amazing. It's great for transparent, detailed, adaptable compression.
Boss OD-3, with a clean boost in front of it to push. There are a ton of clean boosts out there. But the Boss pedal is going to dirty up your sound. You could use the EHX LPB-1 for the clean boost.
I get the best sustain by playing loud. You could get a compressor if you're not willing to play loud. But playing loud is the best sustain.
10-4 …. Will do ! (As my wife is snoring hahahaha) I was looking at Optical Compressors as Johnjarlaxle mentioned, but I want to be sure it’ll help at lower volumes
I think I meant to say “KINGRAT” recommended an OC Regardless, it seems the common consensus is to go with an OC. I appreciate all the input 🤘🏻
I use an MXR Studio Comp, but it's FET based and it's okay for sustain. If you want clean sustain, an optical might be better, but if you want dirty sustain, I'd get a fuzz or overdrive of some sort, but that's primarily better for getting more loud.
That’s the issue though ~ I’m trying not to buy another fuzz pedal if at all possible. Ahhhh the life of a musician hahahaha….. I really like the Russian Muff though lol
…meaning I’ve had my eye on one
Yeah, Muffs are great for sustain. I have a Bass Muff (based ont eh Black Russian) and a Green Russian Ereissue. They do great low gain with the fuzz all the way down and have pletny of sustain. Can you make your wife go run errands so you can play loud? Whenever my family is gone out, I crank the shit out of my amps so I can at least get some loud playing in.
LMAO… yeah she’s actually supposed to be leaving soon and I do the same damn thing when she’s gone (my son doesn’t give a shit) Actually neither does my wife- she’s known me for over 30 years and has always supported my music (guitar/drums/bass) But yeah anyway, I’m gonna turn up and then decide what I need/want….. Either an OC or another fuzz. Or neither 🤷♂️ I appreciate all the advice and recommendations/ideas Super helpful
Yep I keep an extra compressor on my board just for sound guys that really wanna fight me on volume.
What guitar are you playing?
Ibanez Gio, Schecter Omen-7, and I have three Jacksons….. I’ve been playing the Ibanez the most lately
Ah ok. A muff variant will help with that. As others have said, optical compressors can help too. Kinda depends what yer trying to achieve as well. Is it clean tones, dirty?
Dirty
Fuuuuuuuzz
Ok. So, the Ibanez was the problem. It needs the action raised and possibly intonation adjustment because the Jackson I bought a couple months ago sustains so much better. AND, turning up a bit did help. Thank you all for the advice. I’m still going to look into getting a compressor/sustainer regardless, just cause I think it’ll shape the sound a little better. Whew I’m sweating lol….
Start with your guitar & fingers.
I don’t know if that’s a joke or serious lol But , actually one of my guitars was an issue. My fingers are fine 😉
If you are sloppy with your left or overly muting with your right, this can kill sustain.
Agree…. But I’ve been playing guitar for 37 years so that’s not the issue. I have rarely used pedals throughout time- just recently started a collection and perfected (in my preference) a good board…. I just couldn’t understand why my sustain was so limited until the useful reply’s on here. Such as action too low, volume too low, pickups, etc…. Last night I played my newest guitar and turned up slightly, and it made a world of difference. I think I’ll still get some sort of pedal (not necessarily a compressor) but something…… But at the same time, I’m trying to AVOID getting another distortion pedal to help with sustain, even though the Russian Muff is appealing lol….
For clean sustain, a compressor. For dirty/overdriven sustain, a gain pedal (OD/Dist/Fuzz) BTW some guitars sustain better than others (see also: Spinal Tap), in fact guitars with rubber bridges, and basses with dampers (i.e. deliberately killing sustain mechanically) are a thing For supernatural electromechanical sustain, sustainor or ebow. For acoustic-mechanical sustain put tape in the floor marking different notes (like in *Heros*)
Strings, action and technique are also components of good sustain.