Headstock sustain thing

JohnPerry

Anyone using one of those clip-on headstock sustain block things, like the fender fat finger? Do they work? Are there alternatives to the fender one?

steamabacus

I've not used the FatFinger, but I did try out the principle of increasing the headstock mass on my little Stagg minicaster (on the right here)...


It needed all the help it could get in the tone department, so I screwed four or five large heavy washers to the back of the headstock.
It certainly had an effect - I'm not sure if the sustain was noticeably better but the tone definitely had a bit more substance about it - a bit fatter and fuller.

You could experiment with temporarily taping some kind of weight (large washers are ideal) to the headstock and see if you like/notice the effect?

WezV

it will have an effect, but its pretty unpredictable.  i wouldn't bother unless you have a guitar which seems to have dead notes or dull frequencies. the extra mass can move the resonant frequency of the neck enough to solve it

for extra sustain I much prefer adding stiffness to the headstock/neck rather than mass, but that is a more difficult unless making from scratch

JohnPerry

Thanks all, useful steers those

axisus

They look naff, which is far more critical than tone improvement!

WezV

I just came accross this which seems like a good solution to similar issues.  As i said before, these things are unpredictable... but i do beleive they can work

http://www.bestbassgear.com/ebass/gear/hardware/tuner/treating-your-basses-deadspot.html?utm_source=e%3ABass+Newsletter&utm_campaign=85ba43f249-Got_a_dead_spot_in_your_bass_Treat_it_the_right&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0a1982ce06-85ba43f249-12152377&mc_cid=85ba43f249&mc_eid=67dd7585c4

steamabacus

WezV said:

I just came accross this which seems like a good solution to similar issues.  As i said before, these things are unpredictable... but i do beleive they can work

http://www.bestbassgear.com/ebass/gear/hardware/tuner/treating-your-basses-deadspot.html?utm_source=e%3ABass+Newsletter&utm_campaign=85ba43f249-Got_a_dead_spot_in_your_bass_Treat_it_the_right&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0a1982ce06-85ba43f249-12152377&mc_cid=85ba43f249&mc_eid=67dd7585c4

That looks like a rather elegant and more accurate take on what I did with the heavy washers. Ingenious.

ICBM

Damn, this is about the fifth time I've opened this thread expecting it to be about these...

http://www.amptone.com/images/sustrans.jpg

axisus

What a cool solution!

ddlooping

WezV said:

I just came accross this which seems like a good solution to similar issues.  As i said before, these things are unpredictable... but i do beleive they can work

Good find, thanks.