Satriani wrote
I would KILL to get my hands on the Sustainiac Sustainer (%*@#(%*@%*@*%%@
But none in this wonderful country of course. I found a Jackson at Music Connection with a Sustainiac in it, but I don't wanna play a Jackson, and I wasn't gonna pay 8k for a pickup.
There's also the Fernandes Sustainer. I think there are one or two cheaper Fernandes guitars with it fitted. It's one of those things that it's probably best to order from overseas - forget finding a relatively obscure bit of kit like that in a local store - most of the importers are only interested in carrying the stuff that will sell well.
They are both a little limited, which is why I haven't bothered yet. You can only use your bridge pickup when you are using a Sustainer and it means taking out a lot of wood from your beloved guitar. They also have the downside that they tend to make some notes of a sustained chord louder than others.
I may go for one next year when I build my fretless, but it's more likely that I'll try an Ebow first. Difficult to use, but quite amazing when you get the hang of it. If you decide you don't like it, no great loss.
I find that Vai really relies on his pedals and effects boards for his 'sound'.
Yeah, well with the ridiculously skinny strings he uses, he has to get it somewhere. ?
He's got an awesome clean tone going tho
I don't know if it's still true, but I read an interview where he mentioned having an old, odd input transformer from a mixing desk that someone had turned into a DI box for him. He used that for all the DI'd stuff on
Passion and Warfare.
I've always believed, it's all in the fingers.
Absolutely. I saw Queen in Sun City (second row - ;D) and when May played
Crazy Little Thing Called Love, he played a Telecaster and still sounded just like himself. That really drove it home for me, as I'd always thought that his tone was mostly a result of his wierd guitar.
Alan, you need to give me a crash course on pickups
I can give you some general guidelines, but the best way to learn is to listen.
