Help needed - Sustainer problem

[Mattww]

I have just had a Fernandes FSK401 sustainer kit and DiMarzio Evolution bridge pickup professionally installed in my Ibanez RG570EX - replacing the V7 and V8 stock humbuckers.

The sustainer mode selector switch offers three options, normal, harmonic and mix. In the harmonic and and mix mode the sustainer works all over the neck. In the normal position however the sustainer only works reliably on certain frets. I haven't made any adjustments to the controls inside the guitar yet and when notes are fretted at the 24th fret the pickups couldn't really be any closer to the strings.

One thing I noticed in the manual is that the normal mode is in the up position on the switch. Mine is in the down position. The manual suggests this means the "hot" and "ground" need reversing on the bridge pickup - could this be the reason for the problem? The only other thing mentioned is that if one mode doesn't work reverse the bridge pickup - but I am getting some frets where it works.

Any ideas?

[jem_fanatic]

i think you need to explain this one a bit better if you want some good advice

[Mattww]

OK - I'll try to!

Basically the three way toggle switch has three positions, up, middle and down. On the up or middle setting I can fret any note and will get continuos sustain. The predominant notes produced are higher in pitch than the fretted note so must be the harmonic and mix mode.

In the down position I can fret some notes, for example the D at 22 fret of the high E string, the A at 17th fret on the high E, an E at the 9th fret G string etc. and they will all sustain as the fundamental note - no harmonic.

Other notes, for example the B at the 4th fret of the G string die out as fast or faster than with the sustainer off.

The manual does suggest that the normal mode should be in the up position on the toggle switch. I don't really mind if it is up or down just that the works all over the neck.