Sustainer or Sustainiac

[axeman628]

Does anybody here have first hand experience with the Sustainiac. How does it compare to a Fernandes Sustainer. Has anyone installed the kit by htemselves, other than routing, how complicated is installation.

Thank you

[butch]

The Sustainiac is the original driver pickup. I have a few of them, as well as a Fernandes 7 with a sustainer system. Tonally, the units are very much the same. My nod goes with Alan Hoover, the owner of Sustainiac. Since it is a smaller company, he is very receptive and patient when helping customers out. Just more customer service friendly. He also has more models to choose from, and is knowledgeable with pairing up certain pickups.

Putting in the Sustainiac is a days' work, about 6-8 hous, depending on routing and how skillful and patient you are with solder.

Cheers,
Butch

[axeman628]

Thank you

I do hawever have more questions. Soldering I'm not worried about. The routing is my only concern. I have done some routing, but never guitars. Is it hard, or do I just have to be extra careful( measure four times, cut once ) Do you or anybody have any detailed pictures of an installation of either model. Thanks you guys

-Bryan

[darren wilson]

One of the key differences between the Fernandes unit and the Sustainiac is the size of the pre-amp.

Sustainiac have been continually refining their product over the years to the point where the circuit board is very, very small compared to the Fernandes unit, which means you can get away with no routing on many guitars. Also, Alan Hoover at Sustainiac will work with you to determine exactly what switching scheme you want and the control setup you prefer, so you can get it more custom tailored to your needs.

For example, i ordered a Sustainiac Stealth Plus that i'm planning on putting in a project guitar i've been working on, and instead of mini-switches, i'm wiring it up with push-pull pots to turn the sustainer on/off and to activate the funamental/harmonic modes (i decided to forego the harmonic mix mode). Alan also provided me with all the wiring diagrams for my specific pickup setup and gave me lots of good advice before settling on my final order.

With Fernandes, you get what you get. Making changes or alterations to the way it comes out of the box is more difficult, and you probably won't get the kind of support Sustainiac gives.

[axeman628]

Thank you for all the help, this is why Jemsite is the best. Also, If I wanted to put a sustainiac in my RG520, how much routing(other than the battery box) would need to be done. Thank you, and have a Happy Holiday

[butch]

The routing that was used on my RG520 is pretty straight forward. Basically, if you made a triangle out of the back control cavity, you'll get the idea.

On my RG560s, I will have a slightly larger route, which will encompass the rear jack cover as well. This way, I'll be able to move the switches further away from the regular controls (just personal preference).

Hope it helps.

Cheers,
Butch

[Harry_D]

I put a sustainiac in my RG570, and because I allready had plans to block the tremolo, I just took out the springs. So no extra routing needed.

The 2 push-pull pot's work great. The only small 'problem' I had was with the shielding, but that was easily fixed.

Harry.

[tomizm]

Anyone have any suggestions to a single coil that would go well in the middle position that pairs up well with a Sustainiac (being in the neck, to clarify). Also, any opinions on which humbucker to pair with it? I have at my disposal a FRED and a V8.