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In the descriptions, some pickups are claimed to have quot;increased sustainquot;. Either by more coil winds or using A2 magnets. So, which one has the best sustain?

A2 magnets have less magnetic pull on the strings, so they will sustain slightly better than if that same pickup had an A5 magnet and was set exactly the same. Higher output pickups have a more compressed tone, which gives the illusion of more sustain. But other than that, sustain is a function of the guitar's setup, not the pickup.

Ryan

THe Duncan Antiquity Surfer.

I don't understand how any pickup can increase sustain unless the signal is being compressed somehow by the coil being saturated or ??? such that it's voltage output is maxed out, limited by some design characteristic that prevents a linear response. Not impossible, I guess, but how can this be?

I think its probabally a better idea to have the pickup deal with the tone, and the amp or maybe an Overdrive to boost the sustain.


Originally Posted by BStingI don't understand how any pickup can increase sustain unless the signal is being compressed somehow by the coil being saturated or ??? such that it's voltage output is maxed out, limited by some design characteristic that prevents a linear response. Not impossible, I guess, but how can this be?

You dont understand how any pickup could increase sustain?? It's possible because factors like number of turns, size of wire, and magnet can all have an effect on highs, mids, and lows, which in turn is directly influential onto how long a pickup sustain. If one pickup is wound very vintagey and very underwound, chances are it wont have tons of sustain. This isnt to say that an overly overwound pickup will necesarily be dripping with sustain, but many factors go into determining how a pickup will sound, and one of this factor is how much sustain it has.


Originally Posted by fuzzyratfartsYou dont understand how any pickup could increase sustain?? It's possible because factors like number of turns, size of wire, and magnet can all have an effect on highs, mids, and lows, which in turn is directly influential onto how long a pickup sustain. If one pickup is wound very vintagey and very underwound, chances are it wont have tons of sustain. This isnt to say that an overly overwound pickup will necesarily be dripping with sustain, but many factors go into determining how a pickup will sound, and one of this factor is how much sustain it has.

I think most people confuse the sustain that they hear, as provided by increased drive, hence distortion or compression provided by the AMP, as pickup enhanced sustain; it is not the same as a sustained guitar signal.

The pickup's tonal response can affect the frequency band in which the extra drive takes place, which can be a good thing, but until someone can tell me how a pickup can improve sustain of the guitar signal, and I don't just mean louder, I will remain skeptical. When the string stops vibrating.... it's over. If there is a non-linear decay to the signal please tell me how that is done!


Originally Posted by rspst14A2 magnets have less magnetic pull on the strings, so they will sustain slightly better than if that same pickup had an A5 magnet and was set exactly the same. Higher output pickups have a more compressed tone, which gives the illusion of more sustain. But other than that, sustain is a function of the guitar's setup, not the pickup.

Ryan

I agree with Ryan. He is 100% on the money.

Clean Sustain is primarily a function of the guitar and the guitar's set up.

Unless you're talking about overdriving the daylights out of a Marshall or playing with some kind of super saturated tone...that's a differant thing altogether than the type of clean sustain like Mark Knopfler gets from his Strats.

I should point out that there are a few exceptions. Pickups such as Kinmans or the Lace Sensor series will sustain a little better than a traditional pickup because they are designed to exert very little magnetic pull on the strings. As a result, you can (and should) set them very close to the strings without experiencing the typical negative effects you'd notice if you tried this with a traditional pickup.

As someone else mentioned, I think a lot of people are confusing compression with increased sustain.

Ryan


Originally Posted by rspst14As someone else mentioned, I think a lot of people are confusing compression with increased sustain.

Ryan

Including those writing ads for SD.

Until someone can really tell me how pickup design affects the attack and decay envelope of the signal (it may) I will not put a lot of faith in pu's as a source of sustain. (OVERDRIVE character is a separate quality to me)