Most sustain out of strat body

[SlingeroGuitaro]

what wood type will offer the most sustain out of a strat body. i'm planning on putting some dimarzio fast tracks in it, and will have a maple neck installed.

i'm a fan of heavy woods to begin with, so let me hear it!

:headbang:

 

[Alfang]

My Guess is Oak, White, baseball bat, style oak, from nut to bridge oughta do it, can't wait to see the pics

 

[jackthehack]

Heavy does not equal sustain, per se. If you're playing at volume, a lighter piece of wood like a light piece of mahogany or a hollow chambered body of mahogany, alder or black korina are all very resonant acoustically and can make for more sustain than a heavier body of other woods.

Best sustaining guitar I've ever owned was a '65 Melody Maker that was especially light mahogany with early 70's DiMarzio PAF and Super Distortion PUs

 

[nathan a]

I get the most sustain out of a geetar with a tunomatic bridge, and 11-52 strings.

 

[bpmorton777]

Alf,

I thought they made bats out of ash? anyway, i dont think you could fit pickups or a bridge on a baseball bat. you might want to re-think that one.

Brian

 

[SlingeroGuitaro]

thanks guys-

i've asked this question around town- and mention that i dont mind the weight because i get a lot of 'oh such and such would be good but you dont want that because its to heavy' etc.

i plan on this guitar being hardtail, as well.  i havent decided a color yet- thats always the hard part, no?

hell, i'm not even dead set on a strat body. the jaguar has been calling my name for some time  :toothy12:

 

[JR]

i built a guitar out of silk ash (i think it was silk) which had awsome sustain!! it was a through body, but i dunno if that helps.

 

[riarojr]

my warmoth has real some nice sustain with a swamp ash body and all dimarzios....a fast tracks one in the neck actually.  i got a rosewood neck w/ebony board so i'm not sure how much of a difference that would make as for as sustain goes tho arty07:

 

[Alfang]

Alf,

I thought they made bats out of ash? anyway, i dont think you could fit pickups or a bridge on a baseball bat. you might want to re-think that one.

Brian

Yeh, your probably right, I was shooting from the hip, I am a baseball fan too, I just don't build Bats. :toothy10:

 

[CD]

There are a lot of ways to supposedly get more sustain out of a guitar

More mass on the headstock (bigger headstock, heavier tuners, or a fatfinger)
Thicker neck
a nice tight fit between the neck and body
if using a tremolo screwing the spring claw all the way against the body and/or using more springs
using a brass nut
using brass bridge saddles
thicker guage strings
correctly setting the pickup height for minimal magnet pull on the strings

It's hard to prove if they really do make any difference so whether you believe them are up to you.

 

[Shmoopie]

they make a weighted clamp that goes on the headstock to increase mass and sustain, i'll try to find, might be hard i found it on accident over a year or so ago.

 

[Shmoopie]

yup cd already mentioned it, but here it is
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Groove-Tubes-Fat-Finger-Guitar-Sustain-Enhancer?sku=420270

 

[-CB-]

Heavy does not equal sustain........very resonant acoustically and can make for more sustain than a heavier body of other woods.

Sort of controlled feedback ?

I agree heavy is not "sustaining", but to me stiffness... the ability to not resonate, is the sustainer in a quiet situation.  I mean... how many of us play at concert volume?

 

[SlingeroGuitaro]

well it looks like i was already halfway there and i didn't even know it!

i was going for CBS headstock, fatback neck- i play 11's anyway.


i don't know if i'm getting old or awesome, but i love talking about nerdy stuff like this  :cool01:

 

[JR]

I heard that the color red sustains the longest

 

[El Jefe]

To get an electric to sustain, you need to keep the energy in the string.  The more the neck and body vibrate, the more energy leaves the string and the quicker your sound decays.

The concept of impedance matching applies here...but it's mechanical impedance, not electrical.  If your string impedance matches your neck/body impedance, you'll have poor sustain.  Necks and bodys always have higher mechanical impedance than strings, so you want this to be as high as possible for best sustain.

And what is mechanical impedance?  It's a combination of mass and stiffness.  You could create an "index of sustain potential" by multiplying the density of a material by its stiffness.

Of all the body woods Warmouth usually has in stock, the one that would rate the highest for sustain would be wenge.  If they have a suitable piece in stock, Warmouth will make you a solid wenge body as a custom order.

Of the two, the neck is more important for sustain than the body.  Same thing applies...weight and stiffness.

 

[rockskate4x]

If you want sustain don't go with a strat. GET AN EXPLORER!!! I played an epi explorer next to a gibby LP and it DESTROYED it in sustain.

As long as you don't mind the shape it should be more than awesome...

I'm not a fan of radical shapes, but I loved the feel and sound I got out of it...

 

[kboman]

I heard that the color red sustains the longest

Nah, you've got to go black for that.

 

[fibredrive]

apparently a baseplate installed under the bridge pickup does the trick as well....

 

[Superlizard]

If ya want more sustain, crank that tube amp!