Sustainer Question

[iNFeRNaL]

Hey there. Im seriously thinking about putting a sustainer in my JEM555.
My question is... Is it possible to use only the inside half of the neck evo pickup, with the other part removed? Because I really dont want to lose my bluesy Tender Surrender tone I dont care about the entire humbucker tho... I rarely use it, only as a combo with the single coil.
Any insight on this would really help in making the choice...

[maialinodivino]

Hi I just put a Fernandes Sustainer in a Ibanez mongrel and love the thing, I don't think you can separate the Evo's bobbins like that plus you must consider that the sound of the Sustainer driver isn't that bad at all, one other thing is you have to rout the back to make room for the pc board, but thanks to my friends in Florence Italy we managed to make the hole a lot smaller than the usual, I'll try to send you some pictures of the guitar asap
Stefano

[iNFeRNaL]

hehe, cool m8, i always can put in another singlecoil for a bluesy sound...
id love to see some pics

[darren wilson]

If you go with a Sustainiac sustainer, you may be able to get away without routing, because its circuit board is MUCH smaller than the Fernandes one.

You can also have them mount any mini-humbucker you want onto the plate with the transducer. You could inquire with DiMarzio to determine what single-coil sized unit would match the sound of the split Evolution.

Separating the coils can be done, but it's best left to someone who knows what they're doing with pickups... it'd be fairly delicate surgery.

[Al M]

Whats the difference in quality, sound etc between the sustainiac and the fernandez?

[darren wilson]

Sustainiac (Maniac Music) invented the modern mechanical and electro-magnetic sustainers, so i think they can do it as well as anyone. In my opinion, the Sustainiac has several advantages over the Fernandes unit:

1. It's more evolved. Sustainiac has been continually developing and refining their product, so the circuitry is more powerful, more energy efficient and smaller. Fernandes uses a much older design.
2. You can get it how you want it. When you place an order, Alan Hoover will work with you to determine exactly what switching scheme you're using, exactly how you want the Sustainiac to work, what controls you want to use, etc. You can get mini-switches or for a totally stealthy look, you can go for push-pull pots as an alternative. They'll also provide a very detailed instruction guide and wiring diagram for how to integrate it into your existing electronics. With the Fernandes, it's a bit more guesswork if you want to change pickups.
3. The Sustainiac Stealth Plus can be used as a pickup. When the sustainer isn't active, the transducer can be used as a regular pickup. Yes, the newer Fernandes units can do this as well, but Sustainiac gives you the option of tailoring its pre-amp toward two profiles: Single-coil sound or humbucker sound.
4. More options! You can get Sustainiac sustainers in black or white, single coil or humbucker base plates, with dummy coils or your favourite single coil or mini-humbucker mounted next to it. You can even get a 7-string version.

I'm not affiliated with Sustainiac, but i do own a Stealth Plus (the guitar it's going into hasn't been assembled yet), and i think it's a great product, and the company's service is second to none. I like to promote them because most people overlook them when considering a sustainer.

[iNFeRNaL]

sweet, sounds good, i think ill take one of these...

[sniperfrommars1]

Ill have to agree the general setup is nicer as they do give you more options. You buy from fernandes your virtually stuck with a certain setup and a big route. But I think the fernandes does what its designed to do just as well