Feel there's not enough sustain in my Les Paul

FarleyUK

Hi all,

I've had the feeling for a while that my Les Paul was harder to play than it should be - I think I've narrowed it down to there being a lack of sustain, as I feel I have to fight to get the notes out.

I have the tailpiece top wrapped, and have gone from 11s to 10s. I also have pretty low action, straight ish neck and no fret buzz or choking. I'm using Alnico 2 Pro pickups (slash signatures), bridge is about 2mm away and neck is about 3.5.

Any ideas what else I can try?

gringopig

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mrkb

Compressor, or more volume moving the air to create string sustain. What are you playing through?

FarleyUK

Thanks guys - I thought top wrapping increased sustain though..?

I'm playing through a Kemper, but had the same feel when playing through a JVM and Silver Jubilee.

Legionreturns

Does it sustain acoustically? Pickups can only amplify sound if it's there! 

gringopig

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guitars4you

Legionreturns said:

Does it sustain acoustically? Pickups can only amplify sound if it's there! 

I'm just wondering a similar thing - Some guitars just don't sing - simple as

That is why to me the unplugged test is a good place to start on any/many guitars

It still might feel great etc to play, but some just don't sing, for whatever reason that might be - Not always down to weight either as I've seen light weight and heavy weight that can be both good and/or bad regarding that acoustic vibrant voice and how they sing/sustain

Don't see anything wrong with his set-up etc - So me it just sounds like the bit of wood you have

My only other comment would be a) what LP is it age/model and b) is it worth trying a better bridge and tailpiece ie Faber, but if the tone is not in the wood in the first place then not much left to do

Play it unplugged and see how it rings - see how that compares to a mates/other LP, especially one that you know possesses the voice/resonance that you are after

FarleyUK

Cheers guys!

It's a 2008 Les Paul standard. It's been my main workhorse for 10 years - I have a 2015 Tribute as well, and that feels the same, so I have a feeling it might be the top wrapping... Will have a go at changing it!

TTBZ

I don't think top wrapping makes much of a difference to sustain. The only reason I do it on my SG is that it lets me have the tailpiece all the way down as otherwise it'd be really high to clear the back of the bridge, which I think looks weird!

People reckon bridge and tailpiece material/weight makes a difference, might be worth looking for a known good one?

fendergibson

Dunno how it’s set up but maybe try raising the action a little. That can help notes ring/sustain.

FarleyUK

It's a TonePros LPCM04 bridge and tailpiece set.. Have to admit not sure what material that is!

Anyone have suggestions for better bridge and tailpieces?

ICBM

It’s not the bridge and tailpiece. They’re made of metal, and which exact type doesn’t noticeably change the resonance of the guitar.

First, stop top-wrapping it. Second, try increasing the relief slightly - sometimes there is a ‘sweet spot’ where the resonance increases - if the neck is straighter than that it can kill the sustain. Lower the bridge if necessary, if that makes the action too high. (But not low enough to choke on bent notes at the top of the neck.)

If that doesn’t fix it then as guitars4you said, the problem is likely to be in the woodwork - some guitars simply resonate better than other ones, and if you’ve got one that just doesn’t resonate very well then you normally can’t fix it. (At least on one without a bolt-on neck.) Gibsons are quite well-known to vary a lot. In that case you need a different guitar.

Sorry to be so blunt.

Jonathanthomas83

Top wrapping isn't the problem. My standard was top wrapped and it played and sustained very well.

mudslide73

Play some Gibsons and compare them.. my co guitarist and I have LP STDs from the same year and they're like chalk and cheese. Weight, neck profile, everything.

FarleyUK

Just restrung it with 'normal' string-through in the tailpiece.... And it might be my imagination but it seems to - acoustically! - have more sustain....

Will investigate more shortly!

TA22GT

Just try raising the bridge a little.

You don't have to go crazy but it is very surprising how it can alter the vibrancy of the guitar. Costs nothing too!

skunkwerx

Pickups arent too high are they? 

sweepy

Some Les Pauls just don’t sustain at all, it’s like there is a fight going on in the Guitars resonance between the neck and the body usually combined with a horrible nasal honk around the 9th to 15th fret 

Voxman

gringopig said:

Try not top wrapping and raise the action (or give a wee bit of neck relief). Increased pressure on the bridge and more room for the strings to vibrate in are both steps  that can increase sustain a lot.

This - I've just re-set up my Yamaha Pacifica 611VFM - the action was great but it wasn't 'singing' because it was too low, bends were more awkward to get my fingers under, and the strings weren't resonating properly.  I gave it a little more neck relief, tweaked the action so it's very slightly higher, & it's now playing much better, with no bend snagging, lovely 'singing' resonating strings and still a very comfortable low action.  It's always interesting how even subtle set-up changes can have a big impact on the character of a guitar.

rico

A lightweight aluminium tailpiece screwed down right to the body and top wrapping has made my LP sustain dramatically. Much more zing too. 

Funkfingers

On a two-piece bridge and tailpiece combination, the significant detail is the angle at which the strings travel between the tailpiece and the bridge saddles. If you like, think of the stopbar tailpiece height as a form of overall string tension adjustment.

Voxman said:
I've just re-set up my Yamaha Pacifica 611VFM - the action was great but it wasn't 'singing' because it was too low, bends were more awkward to get my fingers under, and the strings weren't resonating properly.  I gave it a little more neck relief, tweaked the action so it's very slightly higher, & it's now playing much better, with no bend snagging, lovely 'singing' resonating strings and still a very comfortable low action.  It's always interesting how even subtle set-up changes can have a big impact on the character of a guitar.

Pretty much this. Some guitars seem to go better when they are set up to require slightly more physical effort to play. 

On this point, try playing more acoustic guitar. With no amplification or pedals to help, you have to extract sustain mechanically, using only your fingers, plectrum or, maybe, a slide. Always a useful lesson.

FarleyUK said:

I'm using Alnico 2 Pro pickups (slash signatures), bridge is about 2mm away and neck is about 3.5.

These are not the most powerful pickups in the Duncan range. More significantly, because Slash is going deaf, his signature humbucker design was tweaked to produce the levels of treble that he used to hear in his twenties. For anyone with healthy hearing, the pickups can sound a little bit screechy. 

FarleyUK said:

my Les Paul

Thus far, all comments in this thread have assumed that your guitar is a Gibson Les Paul. Is this correct?