Adding Sustain

[Dbassmon]

Just curious, what style of music requires electric bass guitar to have massive sustain.

I spent a lot time learning how to articulate short notes. Unless you are talking about a bass with dead spots, just about any bass has plenty of sustain for modern music. Round wounds and some compression, you are golden.

On the checklist of what makes a great bass, long sustain is not high on the list. IMO

 

[fretno]

I would guess great for solo bass works but for many popular modern music styles a muted bass .. perhaps with flats and maybe even an oldsckool mute gets you in the sweetspot of the track . I actually had to use a mute the last track I was working on because the highs and harmonics and overtones were just running away out of control .

 

[mark beem]

Just curious, what style of music requires electric bass guitar to have massive sustain.

Sludgy, drudgy, doomy, dirgey metal?? Just a guess..

 

[FugaziBomb]

The topic is debatable, bit I will say this:

I have cashed out countless bridges, necks, saddles, etc on a wide variety of basses, but never once did I hear a difference, even when I did before and after recordings. For me, changing out any hardware has been entirely for aesthetics

 

[FugaziBomb]

Just curious, what style of music requires electric bass guitar to have massive sustain.

I spent a lot time learning how to articulate short notes. Unless you are talking about a bass with dead spots, just about any bass has plenty of sustain for modern music. Round wounds and some compression, you are golden.

On the checklist of what makes a great bass, long sustain is not high on the list. IMO

Sustain is sort of multi-dimensional. Increasing sustain isn't all about how long a note will last, but also the envelope of the harmonic content. For example, let's say you play an A. The fundamental is 440hz (on guitar, anyway) but there will also be 880hz, 1.7khz, etc. Those harmonics really account for the "tone" of your instrument, and if they die off rapidly leaving only the fundamental, what you are left with is a somewhat lifeless, dull sounding guitar. The same is true for bass.

 

[Dbassmon]

Increasing sustain isn't all about how long note will last, but also the envelope of the harmonic content.

Thats an interesting opinion, I have not heard that definition before.

 

[DavC]

the are many parts that might influence sustain ... where the strings go might be 1 ...

i like Badass bridges ... with the factory multi cut slots ... i like the look , simple adjustments , and whatever sustain might be had from ' more mass ' ...

adjustibiblity is most important for me ...

sustain ... keep parts tightly in place ... don't allow anything to mute the string

 

[somebrains]

Go old school and fabricate a brass headstock plate.

 

[Aidenn7]

 

[40Hz]

Sustain is sort of multi-dimensional. Increasing sustain isn't all about how long a note will last, but also the envelope of the harmonic content. For example, let's say you play an A. The fundamental is 440hz (on guitar, anyway) but there will also be 880hz, 1.7khz, etc. Those harmonics really account for the "tone" of your instrument, and if they die off rapidly leaving only the fundamental, what you are left with is a somewhat lifeless, dull sounding guitar. The same is true for bass.

Sustain is a time function. It’s the duration of the note from its initial attack to the moment where it becomes inaudible.

What I think you’re talking about is timbre which is defined along the lines of:

the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, from which its source or manner of production can be inferred.

Timbre can affect the perceived overall musical quality or complexity of a sustained note. But it’s not the same thing as sustain in the technical sense. A synth playing a pure sine wave with no envelope applied to it has infinite sustain despite its complete lack of harmonic overtones.

 

[ll Rip ll]

A compressor is THE best way to add sustain to eny bass, periond. It will add sustain the basses with little sustain, just as it will add sustain to one's like my pedulla, that already has plenty. Best part - no modding!!

 

[ll Rip ll]

Sustain is a time function. It’s the duration of the note from its initial attack to the moment where it becomes inaudible.

What I think you’re talking about is timbre which is defined along the lines of:



Timbre can affect the perceived overall musical quality or complexity of a sustained note. But it’s not the same thing as sustain in the technical sense. A synth playing a pure sine wave with no envelope applied to it has infinite sustain despite its complete lack of harmonic overtones.

+1 (learned in first quarter of music theory)

 

[40Hz]

+1 (learned in first quarter of music theory)

Hey, I’m surprised I remembered it after all these years.

 

[ll Rip ll]

Hey, I’m surprised I remembered it after all these years.

Me too! 16 years since music theory 101. I played an epiphone les paul bass back then...

 

[mark beem]

A compressor is THE best way to add sustain to eny bass, periond. It will add sustain the basses with little sustain, just as it will add sustain to one's like my pedulla, that already has plenty. Best part - no modding!!

This!

A good compressor has been the only way I've been able to detect an appreciable increase in sustain.

/thread

 

[tubestuff]

Body-through strings have more sustain than top-loading bridges, right? So, would a Badass bridge essentially give the added sustain of body-through stringing?

Through-Neck vs. Bolt-on

 

[Pet Politics]

have you tried Dunlap™ Liquid Sustain?

 

[micguy]

My Physics schooling says mass is the key to sustain, but it's probably not the mass at the bridge end that's limiting your sustain. The strings on your bass have two ends to them - losses at either end can reduce sustain. As an engineer, I also know you should work on the weakest link in a design first. At the bridge end, you have the mass of the bridge, and it's coupled to a thick, rigid body of wood. At the other end, you have either a nut or a fret (either of which has a lot less mass than your bridge), and it's coupled to a much thinner cross section of wood. WhiCh end do you thing is limiting your sustain? If you answered "bridge", you're not paying attention.

If you're trying to add sustain to a bass, I'd suggest that a heavier neck (maybe steel reinforcement like Warmoth does) and or more massive frets would be the first thing to try.

As for me, I have graphite reinforcements in my necks, as I'm trying to sustain holding the darn thing up for a few hours...at a fairly old age.

 

[birminghambass]

An aftermarket high mass bridge absolutely makes a difference! See below:
1. Weight. It's heavier than vintage bridges.
2. Visual appearance. They are usually larger than vintage bridges.
3. Your bank account. Bridges aren't free.

And for my MIA jazz, I always go string thru body. The one time I didn't one of the ferrules (sp? ) fell out and rolled across the stage.

 

[ThudThudThud]

I think it is debatable. I think you're better off with a good compressor since you can use that with any bass to increase sustain.

^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS!

My last band had some songs that required whole-notes+ in some places. Even those basses I thought were short on sustain benefited from a good compressor in the signal chain. Never had an issue.