Sustainer Guitar Information Thread Needed

sniperfrommars1 · #1 06-30-2005, 12:11 PM

Has anyone used the new fernandes kit yet? the Fs101? Are all the components basically the same? this ones running about 60 dollars or so cheaper and comes with a full size humbucker/sustainer driver so this is definitely more useful for my needs. I wish we had a sustainer specific thread for tech things. Its just difficult to get good info on them, Ive never seen screen shots on the wiring process on this, which Ive heard is fairly difficult. I mean I can work my way through pickups but this seems to be a fairly extensive mod. What I would like to do with this thread is have mostly just useful input. Anyone with sustainer equipped guitars especially those who have installed the kid, I would really love for you to post pictures of the electronics cavitys, and give me some insight into issues Im going to run into when I go through with this.

Devo · #2 06-30-2005, 12:46 PM

cant find any info on this fs101? could you post a link?

sugizo_esp · #3 06-30-2005, 02:11 PM

i think its on evil bay
saw it recently when i search for sustainer

sniperfrommars1 · #4 06-30-2005, 02:13 PM

http://www.aampselectricguitarstore....sustainer.html

Its at the bottom, but i mistyped its the fsk 101 anyways Im surprised this wasnt released earlier. Anyways I think we really need a info filled sustainer thread as Ive just found very little on the tech side of it, and id like to see as many examples as possible. Anyone with pics of sustainer equipped guitars please post as many different configs as possible

**jemsite** · #5 06-30-2005, 02:21 PM

101 lacks the mixmode. get the better kit FSK401 ... glen

JTM45 · #6 06-30-2005, 02:22 PM

As Glen says, the 101 is cheaper for a reason.
Also it is quite a major thing fitting one of the Fernandes kits. You've gotta' remember that it'll require quite a bit of routing unless the guitar has a lot of spare room in the cavities.
With the Fernandes systems the switches are fixed to the circuit board too so that board has to mount directly behind where the switches will sit on the face of the body.

The Sustainiac is a more compact circuit and you can operate it using your volume and tone pots (changed to push/pull pots) or with mini-toggle switches.
It's also far easier to get help from the guys at Sustainiac when it comes to wiring the thing.
http://www.sustainiac.com/

sniperfrommars1 · #7 06-30-2005, 03:03 PM

Thats definitely the type of info I want. Ive read everything on the sustainiac site, ive just been inquiring about this kit as I havent seen it before. Since the mix mode is potentiometer driven, and both kits use a similar circuit board, wouldnt it just be a matter of wiring the thing up? Anyways back to the topic at hand i want info from people whove done this. Glen have you done this yourself? I know littlegreenman has as Ive seen some kits in his custom guitars before. Or is their a fernandes forum with some more info on this stuff? I want details of the routing process, even though I have a router its a good idea to know where to start, especially when dealing with an isntrument you really love.

**jemsite** · #8 06-30-2005, 03:07 PM

I haven't gotten around to installing one, mostly 'cause i don't have a particular trem guitar i want to change the tone of (you lose the neck pickup). Search around as this has been discussed, but not the exact routing proportions... glen

Evo2k0 · #9 06-30-2005, 03:36 PM

I also have heard that the neck pickup for the fernandes sustainer sucks big time untill you turn on the sustainer. Not worth getting my JEM hacked into. Maybe one of my RG's.

sniperfrommars1 · #10 06-30-2005, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evo2k0

I also have heard that the neck pickup for the fernandes sustainer sucks big time untill you turn on the sustainer. Not worth getting my JEM hacked into. Maybe one of my RG's.

Actually from what ive read as soon as you turn the sustainer on, the neck pickup function is gone and your actually hearing the bridge pickup while the sustainer merely functions in sustainer mode.

Silentq2 · #11 09-26-2005, 03:36 AM

I agree with the subject of this thread. Somebody here has surely actually wired one of these up. This is the schematic link maybe somebody can help with a look at it.

http://www.sthacguitars.com/docs/sus...nstallman3.pdf

I want to make this work in an Ibanez with an Evo in the bridge and I want to keep the split bridge-middle pickup position. I'm not following on the schematic and the Dimarzio tip they offer how that can be accomplished maybe I'm just missing something. All I've gotten from Fernandes tech support is that all pickups must pass through the circuit board before going to the 5-way switch. Any help??

My experience to this point (to offer up a little help to those wanting to go with this mod) is this. I have an RG-750 that was getting a bit beat up and was looking to install a sustainer, knowing I'd need to rout out some serious wood I took this as an opportunity to do a refin. I got the Fernandes FSK-401, which is the most "complete" version it comes with single coil sized sustainer driver (and ONLY a SC sized driver for some reason that I can't comprehend) volume, tone, sustainer intensity knob, circuit board with electronics/switches, battery box, cheapo 5-way switch, and an extra 2-conductor humbucker for the bridge "specially designed" to work with the system. The FSK-101 only comes with the sustainer driver (neck pickup), which is a humbucker driver, circuit board with electronics/switches, and battery box. I offered to send back the SC driver and the extra humbucker from my kit and/or cash to get the HB driver to fill the HB space in my guitar, it was a no go from Fernandes (Vai's rig isn't commercially available I guess). So I had to rig up a bad old SC I had laying around with the driver so the guitar wouldn't look too weird.

As far as what I did with routing and placement the 750 has a pickguard so I drilled a hole between the volume and tone knobs. I moved the tone to the new hole and put the intensity knob where the tone knob was, "Stratifiyng" the Ibanez. Routing out for the circuit board, you've got to take out A LOT of wood so watch yourself. What I did was "extend" the input jack rout upwards and square it off, this seemed the easiest place to work from it also put the switches right around where Vai's are, if you're going for that look. To lay out the rout I took the trem cover lined it up with the outside edge of the input jack rout and just below the trem cover rout and traced around it. It lines up pretty close to both edges of the input jack rout. This served 2 purposes even with a "lip" to flush mount a cover it allowed enough space for the circuit board and to make a cover for the rout all I needed to do was get another trem cover which was nice and cheap and shape one side using my input cover as guide for a nice fit. The battery box I had a jig for so that was just a placement issue I just centered it in the space between the edge of the guitar and the trem rout. That's my info for all of you out there looking into doing this I hope it helps at least a little bit. Now if I can just get an answer to my wiring question.......

Brian
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