I just bought the Fernandes sustainer kit for my RG 550.
Im gonna put it in the neck and have a hole drilled in my 550s pickguard for the mini toggle.

Anyone else have a sustainer in there 550? If so did the instalation go smoothly?
Any comments on the kit? Ive played the cheap fernandes guitars a few times and I liked the sustainer but the guitar sucked

which kit did you get?

one has the plastic board thing that holds all the electronics and one is a loose setup were it is a bit more workable.

the one with the plastic peice means you have to rout out the control cavity, the loose wire one is easier to work with and i dont think you have to worrie about any routing out.

the plastic board version
http://www.********.com/Fernandes-Su...t-i64658.music

the other
http://www.********.com/Fernandes-FS...-i146277.music


edit on my part, sorry i didn't know the filter was that sensative. mu--si-c--1-2---3 should go in the little ***** s

I got the $215.00 one.

i'm planning to buy the otherone in humbucker format, i think is the one you said you don't need to worry about routing... how's that? do you have any pics of the installation? i have a prestige RG2550EX it has a pickguard too. Where should i place the sustainer board ?

Im not that far yet, and Im gonna have my tech do it for me.

I think for the 550 you will have to route out for the board, I did. Check out these pictures of a friend's Installation in a jem aswell, this is routed in the place as I routed mine...

http://www.arrowheadguitars.co.uk/sustainer.html

I've seen those before, but that's a sustainiac stealth, what about the fernandes sustainer fsk-101?? would it fit under the pickguard too ????
the board on the fernandes is more a square...

Do they make the version that doesn't require routing in a single-coil version? I was thinking of adding one of these to my Strat eventually. How's it sound in pickup mode? I use my neck pickup quite a bit.

No, the Fernandes circuit-board will not fit under a Jem or RG pickguard.

Unless you have a HUGE cavity on the guitar already both Fernandes versions will require that you route your guitar.The 'Sustainiac' system on the other hand, is designed to fit in one of the guitars existing cavities. I think even that would be a struggle with the room available in standard Ibanez RG and Jem cavities though.

I've been thinking about getting a sustainer of some sort and after trying the Fernandes and the sustainiac versions I'd go for the Sustainiac without a second thought.
It seemed a far better working system than the Fernandes (much stronger sound) and the guys at Sustainiac offer far more help and advice than Fernandes do (their installation and tech-support seems almost non-existant). It's also available in white as well as black for people fitting one to their VWH's and stuff, the Fernandes comes in any colour as long as it's black,lol.

I just checked out 'Jammys' link and that's a 'Sustainiac' and it still required routing. I like the job the guy has done on that VWH though,really neat.

The Fernandes will require a bigger squarer route than that again,I don't know if you'd even get that under the pickguard. Most Fernandes installations you see have a route on the rear of the body for the circuit.

With the Sustainiac you can either use your pots(changed to push/pull) to switch the driver on and off or install mini-switches. The Fernandes can only use mini-switches.

i said that the humbucker one didn't need routing, in some control cavities it doesn't but in others it may need to have a place routed out. I would suggest that you take and do it simular to routing out a 9 volt battery, rout out the back, and have the sustainer switches in thier own cavity, then find some plastic, cut it and cover the cavity.

i think that would work better on both style guitars, ones with and without a pickguard.

routing isn't easy and if you have never done it or dont think you can, or dont have the right tools i dont recommend it. Buy a junk body first for 10$ and try it out first.