I think I'm going to add a Sustainer to my "new" Charvel

[Matt_B]

After debating about whether nor not to keep my "new" Charvel 1H or not, I decided to add a single coil in the neck.

Now I've started looking at adding a Sustainiac Sustainer instead. It will give me the single I want (from what I've heard, it sounds good as a straight pickup and the Sustainer has always intrigued me.

I've been reading through their website on the device and it seems pretty cool. The only thing I need to really nail down is what control configuration I want.

[murkat]

Congrats on your decision.
I have installed a few, and what I could recommend,
1. avoid a fender slider style super switch.
2. an on/off (volume push pull?) switch
3. a normal/ normal octave switch. octave on its own is... to me... naaaa.
4. and to throw in there, a volume for how much sustainer is cool too, but not a deal breaker,
that way you can fade it in and out with a pot

J

[Newc]

Having used one (and actually owned one, I just don't have it installed at the moment), I can say the Sustainiac model is "interesting" to work with. It definitely takes some work to develop the skill to use it effectively. If you've got previous experience with the handheld E-bow device of years past, then the basic principle is the same.

However, this time it's all 6 strings at once, and they will get froggy in a hurry

Still can't decide of I'm going to reinstall mine; they're nice and all, but I just haven't found myself in a position musically where I need more sustain than the guitar can get on its own.

[Matt_B]

Congrats on your decision.
I have installed a few, and what I could recommend,
1. avoid a fender slider style super switch.

May I ask why? I was considering this for simplicity's sake but admittedly I have my concern about long term durability.

[Newc]

If he actually meant the SuperSwitch, and not a regular 5-way blade, it's probably an issue with cavity room. The Sustainiac board takes up some space.

[murkat]

the super is okay.... but limited and too simplistic in choice.
you are going to want to turn it on / off on command without sliding to whatever.
and
you are going to set, pre set to what type, normal, normal/ octave, etc.

it is too easy to fumble around trying to go from one side to the other on the super switch,
when all you want to do is on, off, shred, sing.

[Matt_B]

With a Super Switch I can get the controls down to two knobs and one switch:
1) Volume control
2) Super Switch for mode and pickup selection.
3) Drive control. I know they say that once you get used to using a Sustainer most folks just leave the drive wide open but for me, I think having flexibility to control the drive would be useful.

The alternate would be two knobs and 3 switches:
1) Volume control
2) 3 way toggle pickup selector
3) Drive control
4) Sustainer on/off mini toggle
5) Mode mini toggle

I've read over Maniac Music's website so I will be mocking up my layout based upon the Charvel's control cavity but I did see a Charvel Custom Shop that had a Sustainer and the same # of knobs and switches, albeit in a different arrangement.

What about a tone control? I rarely have tone controls on "metal" guitars but considering the fact that the Sustainer won't work on anything but the bridge pickup, being able to use a tone control seems like it would give a little more sonic variety.