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Topic: Too much sustain? |
Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 6:31 am |
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| I have a solid body electric lap steel that has oodles of sustain. Normally its a great thing and I wouldn't trade it for the world. On a couple of new songs though I'd like to have a tone with considerably less sustain, more of a resonator or acoustic guitar type sustain. Has anyone experimented with different bars to achieve this,or placed anything under the bridge saddles to achieve this effect? |
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Matt Johnson
From:
California, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 6:44 am
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I know what you mean, sometimes you want a quicker, more acoustic-type decay on an electric steel. Try using a glass bottleneck-style slide, a light wooden tonebar, or a BIC lighter (  ). A big, hollow glass one works well for me for this purpose.
I guess a basic general guide is the lighter the bar, the less sustain there will generally be. But it does impact the tone, for better or worse! |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 7:34 am
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| You could try wedging a small piece of acoustic foam under the strings, right up against the bridge. |
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Terry Gann
From:
Overland Park, Kansas
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 9:59 am
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A stomp box graphic EQ with one slider all the way up, the next all the way down gives me sort of a hollow, resornator effect. The energy is pulled out of the pickup reducing sustain as well. Anybody use that trick?
_________________
TerryGannAOneManBand
psgs: Fessenden SD-10, Nashville LTD SD-10, lapsteels: Fouke Indy Rail, OAHU Tonemaster, Roy Scmeck. amps: Fender Steelking, Boogie Nomad, Marshall TSL, Bogner Alchemist, POD Pro, Boogie Studio Preamp. Pedals... lots and lots of pedals! |
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Roman Sonnleitner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 10:12 am
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| I got a bullet bar made from some plastic stuff (acrylic?) on Ebay a while ago, and with that thing I can get a very "acoustic" tone with less sustain. |
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Ed Altrichter
From:
Schroeder, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 10:17 am
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| BOBRO |
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Greg Gefell
From:
Upstate NY
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 10:38 am
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| These are all great ideas - I'll try them all and see what works best for me. Thanks |
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Jim Bates
From:
Alvin, Texas, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 11:39 am
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In addition to all above, turn off any reverb and delay.
Thanx,
Jim |
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Andy Zynda
From:
Wisconsin
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 12:54 pm Sustain Killer
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Danny Gatton used to use an old 6L6 tube.
It gives a very nasal, poorly sustaining tone.
Perfect for certain types of music.
-andy z- |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 1:30 pm
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| Everything above, for sure. Lower density bar material (lighter weight). Less polished surface. Technique can help, too---lighter grip on the bar and lighter pressure on the strings. This all can result in lower fidelity---as in 'lo-fi'. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 3:44 pm
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| A glass bar does the trick for me. I use it a lot, actually. |
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Don Barnhardt
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2007 7:56 pm
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| Try a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe. |
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Pat Piette
From:
California, USA
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Posted 21 Sep 2007 1:12 pm
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| An old recording trick for a muted slide is place a strip of cloth first aid tape to a stevens bar. It'll sound like an old fender Jaguar mute. Especially if the pickup is really hot. The other thing you can try is a thin piece of suede. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 21 Sep 2007 3:52 pm
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| try peanut butter on the strings... |
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Kelvin Monaghan
From:
Victoria, Australia
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Posted 21 Sep 2007 9:29 pm
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| Get one of Gary Boyett's Glass bars that will do it for you.They give a nice lite tone with less sustain a more accoustic type tone.Cheers Kelvin |
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