PC-1 Sustainer question

[Hellbat]

Does the sustainer allow you to sustain chords, or just single notes? I was reading about the stealth in the DK2-S and it's only capable of sustaining single notes.

Thanks in advance,.

[SixstringKing]

If you don't have the switch on for the harmonics it will blend in towards the root note whether you're playing with distortion or clean. So, yes it's the same as the DK2-S in that sense.
I had the DK2-S and it doesn't hold a candle to the PC1. If all you can afford to spend is $900 and would like to have a sustainer then it's your ticket but if you want quality, craftsmenship, beautiful top and a great neck then hold out for the PC1!

[Sustaaaaaaaain]

They are different sustainers...the DK2S has a Sustainiac Stealth Pro in it, and the PC-1 is a Jackson made susatiner unit.

From speaking with the creator of the Sustainiac, which is what is in the DK2S, on any sustainer system, it won't infinitely sustain an entire chord, but usually 2 or 3 strings win out and get sustained and not the others.

[SixstringKing]

The PC! has a Fernandez unit in it just like the the one Steve Vai uses in his one JEM.

[Sustaaaaaaaain]

Oh ok...well I don't know if I would want one...they are based on the older version of the Sustainiac...because when Fernandez first put Sustainers in their guitars they used Sustainiac brand, then took the parts that weren't copyrighted and made their own. I think I'll stick to the one's made and hand tested by the creator of all sustainer pickups...

[guitarhero]

The PC! has a Fernandez unit in it just like the the one Steve Vai uses in his one JEM.

I am not sure if I am totally correct on this or not but didn't Jackson buy the sustainer and all the copyrights from Fernandez?

[Sustaaaaaaaain]

Not entirely sure...if the system was made by Fernandez and they still owned it, then it would say so on the specs...but the Jackson site specs for the PC-1 call it a "Jackson Sustainer System" or something like that..?

[toejam]

I am not sure if I am totally correct on this or not but didn't Jackson buy the sustainer and all the copyrights from Fernandez?

I thought the Jackson unit was the old Floyd Rose Sustainer used on Kramers back in the day.

[Hellbat]

I thought the Jackson unit was the old Floyd Rose Sustainer used on Kramers back in the day.

This is what I understood as well. I just couldn't find out if it was capable of sustaining polyphonically or if it's just single notes.

This Kramer manual implied polyphony...

http://spaceryerson.com/sustainer/Sustainer_Tech_Info.pdf

I was kinda hoping somebody who actually has a PC-1 would jump in here eventually but for now I'll just kick back and soak up the DK2S zealotry...

[guitarhero]

This is what I understood as well. I just couldn't find out if it was capable of sustaining polyphonically or if it's just single notes.

This Kramer manual implied polyphony...

http://spaceryerson.com/sustainer/Sustainer_Tech_Info.pdf

I was kinda hoping somebody who actually has a PC-1 would jump in here eventually but for now I'll just kick back and soak up the DK2S zealotry...

I has one... The sustainer is able to do chords to a certain extent but it isnt smooth all the way through and starts to get a little messy. One or two strings tend to start over riding one another as the others are drowned out or just fade away after a minute and then you start to get some feedback. So to answer your question I would say No to full chords but power chords tend to come through fine on mine. Hopefully that helped.

[rjohnstone]

The PC! has a Fernandez unit in it just like the the one Steve Vai uses in his one JEM.

No, it does not.
The sustainer in a PC1 is made by Floyd Rose as an OEM part for Jackson.
Floyd Rose made a similar unit for Kramer's many years ago.

[rjohnstone]

I thought the Jackson unit was the old Floyd Rose Sustainer used on Kramers back in the day.

It is... the other poster is misinformed.
I've repaired and retrofitted many of these units over the years.
I've even fixed a few for some forum members.
The Fernandez units are 9v only and will cook if you try and convert them to 18v. Trust em... I've tried.

[rjohnstone]

You can get up to three strings going at best. Power chords sustain nicely.
Anything more complex and it turns to mud.

[toejam]

It is... the other poster is misinformed.

Then I remembered well. Glad I'm not going crazy... yet.

[Hellbat]

I think I could be happy with diatonic chords. I'm assuming the PC1 sustainer is more powerful than the DK2S by virtue of higher voltage alone but the neck worries me and I don't think anybody local stocks them. I guess I need to sit down with a DK2S for an hour or so and see if it will pull off what I have in mind in using it for. If it can, then decide where to go from there.