Cigarette Amp as a feedback sustainer

Swimming Bird · #1 10-29-2007, 05:49 PM

Hey all, I've been having a hell of a time trying to find a hands free, all-string magnetic sustainer for my Spalt Magma 6-string fretless. I talked Fernandez and they said their sustainer wouldn't work without an electric pickup. Sustainiac won't do 6-string bass sustainers any more.

I'm now looking at feedback the old fashioned way: getting really close to an amp. I was thinking of getting one of those cigarette case amps, but I'd like to know if placing it under the strings (I have plenty of room) would do the job? Opinions? Other ideas?

Firebox.

dancehallclasher · #2 10-29-2007, 05:57 PM

I think it'll work, but it'll sound terrible.

OhThePeacock · #3 10-29-2007, 06:01 PM

30$? They used to have em at my local shop for 5. :/

Taylor Livingston · #4 10-29-2007, 07:09 PM

I think you need something with more power. That little amp only has a half of a watt, which I don't think is going to be powerful enough to drive the strings. Another problem is that that speaker obviously isn't going to be capable of reproducing low frequencies, and any frequency that the speaker doesn't put out isn't going to be fed back into the strings. So even it could drive the strings, it would be all high frequencies.

You should look into getting a pickup made for this purpose. IIRC, a sustainer is a pickup in reverse. I can't remember specifically how it differs from a pickup, but I think it's almost identical. You could send your signal through a preamp for gain boost, then into your specially made pickup which would be handheld - it would work like a six-string ebow (I think). Talk to Clint Searcy about getting the pickup made.

funkalicious101 · #5 10-29-2007, 07:12 PM

you could buy 6 e-bows......

Taylor Livingston · #6 10-29-2007, 07:43 PM

Also, don't know if you know about this:

http://www.sustainiac.com/model-b.htm

I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work with your bass (I'm assuming it has lightwave pickups?), although at the same time, I'm not really sure why a regular sustainer wouldn't. I wonder if it just involves custom work that Fernandes or Sustainiac don't feel like doing...

Dirk Diggler · #7 10-30-2007, 07:48 AM

I have used those cheap little smokey amps and they work well as a sustainer, I do prefer using an Ebow but it is a different way to do the same thing. Also the Ebow does require some special technique in holding it to get it to work on bass, but it's totally doable. Do a search I'm sure there's plenty of talk on Ebows here.
Dirk

takeout · #8 10-30-2007, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conical johnson

I think you need something with more power. That little amp only has a half of a watt, which I don't think is going to be powerful enough to drive the strings. Another problem is that that speaker obviously isn't going to be capable of reproducing low frequencies, and any frequency that the speaker doesn't put out isn't going to be fed back into the strings. So even it could drive the strings, it would be all high frequencies.

This is a bad understanding of how feedback works.

A. The amp has plenty of juice for this purpose. It runs off a 9-volt, just like a Sustainer pickup. An Ebow runs off a couple of AAs.

B. The speaker doesn't need to reproduce full-range - it's only being used to drive the strings. Any harmonics within range of the speaker (and even a low B has plenty of those) will be repro'd, driving the string. The string itself will have full-range output through the pickup and out to the amp.

Provided the player has a way of splitting his signal for this use, it'll work fine.

Swimming Bird · #9 10-30-2007, 06:41 PM

Ebow also runs off a 9V actually.

And I've heard of Sustainiac, please read the original post.

Anyway, I've been emailing back and forth and the guys at sustainiac are willing to give it a shot, but that means I have to ship them my bass, buy 2 sustainiacs and pay for installation.

[EDIT] Oops, just checked my mail, sustainiac guy now says he doesn't have time because it's a six-string even though my subject line was "sustainer on a six-string bass". That's irritating.

Taylor Livingston · #10 10-30-2007, 07:54 PM

The one I posted a link to is not the the pickup-like sustainer, it clamps onto the headstock and works with vibration, so it doesn't matter what number of strings your instrument has.

Swimming Bird · #11 10-30-2007, 10:09 PM

It says in their FAQ that it doesn't work very well on bass, but thanks.