So I've got a jem7vwh and it sounds great and all. But the sustain doesn't come close to what Vai gets. Is this a guitar-specific thing, or does his sustain come from his insane rig? Or maybe it's from his hands?

Then it may come from the sustainer pickup he's been using the last few years

Haha...I know he uses the sustainer in Flo for those reeeeallly long sustains...but im pretty sure he doesn't always use the sustainer.

Vai uses circular vibrato. It causes the string to vibrate longer than noe vibrato. It is about the most difficault thing to do. He has combind the vibrato style of violin players with the classic vibrato of guitar players to create a very unique and almost impossible technique.

that and
fingers
gain
compression
volume
godlike talent

~K

so...basically i have no chance of getting the sustain he gets

And then throw in some compression...

then for safe measure add some compression...

and if that doesn't work, you can always try some compression

Could be his massive processing and compression...

...just a thought.

Good Cheese,
-VIG-

Without saying you have talent or not, there are other things on that list that will get you lots of sustain. Vai plays and records really really loud. and, as Gresh subtly suggested , uses lots of compression.

Us mere mortals do have a chance of getting long sustain. Keep in mind also that the more string there is to vibrate, the more sustain you'll get, i.e. you'll get better sustain on the 5th fret than you sill on the 17th.

if not, there's always compression.
~Kenny

and magic!

...Don't forget compression

if we use compression on this post and squeeze it down to one entry, will it last for a few weeks?

just wonderin'

-H/M-

its a mixture of a guitar gods skill and his setup of amp and effects.it would be equaly hard to even come close to either of these two things so have FUN.no one will ever be steve vai except steve himself even though we would like to be.

Outside of using a Sustainer pickup, your vibrato has the biggest effect on your sustain.

i would like to add that vai doesnt have a compressor in his rig