Infinite sustain

Sorry, this is a real non-tuning question, to all the electric guitarists on
the list. It's urgent! Does anyone know how to obtain an infinite chord
sustain? The score I'm working on (Gavin Bryars' Bi-Ped) asks for high
three-note chords coming out of nothing, lasting for about 30 seconds with
some crescendo in the middle and dying out at the end. I'll use an E-bow at
some places when single notes are concerned, but for chords there really
seems to be a problem. Thanks for any suggestion or reference of a guitar
effect processor which may work.

Wim Hoogewerf.

Loop it and use a volume pedal

Darren Burgess

>From: "Wim Hoogewerf" <wim.hoogewerf@fnac.net>
>
>Sorry, this is a real non-tuning question, to all the electric guitarists
on
>the list. It's urgent! Does anyone know how to obtain an infinite chord
>sustain? The score I'm working on (Gavin Bryars' Bi-Ped) asks for high
>three-note chords coming out of nothing, lasting for about 30 seconds with
>some crescendo in the middle and dying out at the end. I'll use an E-bow at
>some places when single notes are concerned, but for chords there really
>seems to be a problem. Thanks for any suggestion or reference of a guitar
>effect processor which may work.
>
>Wim Hoogewerf.

> From: "Wim Hoogewerf" <wim.hoogewerf@fnac.net>
>
> the list. It's urgent! Does anyone know how to obtain an
> infinite chord
> sustain? The score I'm working on (Gavin Bryars' Bi-Ped) asks for high
> three-note chords coming out of nothing, lasting for about 30
> seconds with
> some crescendo in the middle and dying out at the end.

Obviously you could get a compressor, and maximize the compression. Follow
it with a volume pedal. You could use a bow, Jimmy Page style. Or make a
magnetic feedback system on your guitar...

http://www.fernandesguitars.com/Misc/Index/index_Sus.html

As I understand it, you use an extra pickup, a small amplifier, and an
electromagnet (could be a pickup with the magnets removed, or a coil from a
speaker, etc). The pickup captures the tone of the strings, then you
amplify it, but instead of sending to a speaker, send it to an electromagnet
underneath the strings thereby exciting the string with more of the original
vibration and sustaining it. If you add volume and tone pots to the system,
you can control how much feedback there is (volume), and the ratio of
fundamental to overtone in the feedback(tone). The pickup that goes to your
guitar amp can be totally separate from this system. In the Fernandes
system, I think they use the same pickup.

I bet this would give you the exact effect you are looking for, without
compromising tone, volume, dynamic range, or responsiveness of the
instrument.

I just tried it using the tiny coil of a cheap old car stereo speaker. It
sort of worked for the bass string when I cranked the amp up, but just when
the effect started getting noticeable, the coil started smoking. :-( Also,
it was very easy to get piercing feedback magnetically through the pickups -
keep the coil away from the pickup! I probably need some sort of pole piece
inside the coil to focus the magnetic field. I tried using a hex nut that
fit in there, but it didn't make much difference. The steel in the nut did
not seem very magnetic, maybe part aluminum. Also hex nuts are torroidal,
probably the only shape that wouldn't work for this application. Any
suggestions would be welcome. I think I have the right idea, but am
grasping at straws for the implementation. Maybe a pickup with the magnet
removed? Don't feel like smoking any pickups today. I'll wait for
suggestions.

So for the time being, buy a Fernandes.

You will still need to use your volume knob, or a volume pedal to get the
"coming out of nothing" effect.

---
Glen Peterson
Peterson Stringed Instruments
30 Elm Street North Andover, MA 01845
(978) 975-1527
http://www.organicdesign.org/peterson

if you are talking guitar type stuff i say Ebows on three or four guitars

A few years ago, Fernandes made a cute , vaguely elephant-shaped guitar with a
speaker built-in under the strings. I wonder how many kids who bought it
discovered the sustaining effect gotten by leaving the onboard speaker on while
using an external amplifier as well (and maybe they'll want to sell it cheap
because of it).

Glen, I've got a junk pickup (magnet forcibly removed) or two that you're
welcome to. My shop is in Fitchburg, MA so if you're in the area sometime drop
me a line.

Clark

Thank you all for your help and suggestions. Finally, for his particular
piece the E-bow turned out to be the best solution. So only single notes
will be sustained, the chordal sustain will be sacrified and the
clean sound will be priviliged. The problem in itself is interesting though
and I hope one day I can really work it out.
Patrick, would you join my E-bow guitar orchestra? :) In fact, why not?

Wim Hoogewerf