Effect to reduce sustain?

[jonshin]

What effect pedal should I use to reduce guitar sustain?

[Unclenny]

Maybe an EQ pedal.........notch out the offending freq.

[BLUElightCory]

An expander pedal could help, it's essentially a noise gate that doesn't shut all the way. When the level of the sustain drops below the threshold, the expander will drop the volume even further or fade it out altogether.

Or just use some old strings.

[jonshin]

I couldn't find any expander pedals...do they go by a different name?

Thanks!

[BLUElightCory]

Originally Posted by jonshin

I couldn't find any expander pedals...do they go by a different name?

Thanks!

Check out noise gate pedals like the Boss NS-2 - An expander and gate are essentially the same thing, though an expander generally won't completely mute the space between notes, it just reduces the volume. You'll probably have to play with the settings to find what works for you, so definitely try before you buy.

[3waytie4last]

To affect sustain, try:

- A single coil guitar

- A compressor pedal

- An Attack/Decay pedal -- this will give you most control of sustain

[teleharmonium]

the Pigtronix attack sustain pedal is pretty good at that.

Otherwise, try flatwound strings, a wooden bridge, or a bridge that has less surface area connecting the bridge itself to the base that goes on the top of the guitar, like Rickenbacker bridges and some Gretsch bridges or any others where the bridge is elevated by small screws instead of large studs.

[rack gear]

palm muting ?

[Victory Pete]

Originally Posted by jonshin

What effect pedal should I use to reduce guitar sustain?

Playing a guitar without sustain is like drinking O'Douls! I am usually a bit tipsy with loads of endless notes! I have a Boss NS-2 and I think it will do what you want if you tweak it right. Good Luck!
VP

[Unclenny]

Originally Posted by Victory Pete

Playing a guitar without sustain is like drinking O'Douls!

I agree.

Originally Posted by Victory Pete

I have a Boss NS-2 and I think it will do what you want if you tweak it right.

Not so sure about that. I took my NS-2 out of the chain a long time ago......it sucks up too much tone for my liking, even carefully tweaked. I use a volume pedal at the end of my chain sometimes to back things down.

[Bob Ross]

Not sure if they're available in a stompbox format, but what you want is an SPL Transient Designer.


...either that, or a chunk of foam wedged under the strings back by the bridge.

[marwutz]

Try wrapping cloth around the Guitar Neck to dampen the strings.
Or Electric Tape...

[MasterTrax]

When I want a note to stop sustaining I lift my finger from the fretboard.

I found this to be 34% cheaper than a pedal.

[wwittman]

You could try the SPL De-Verb plug in, or Transient Designer, but neither is a pedal

surely the best way to get less sustain live into the amp is to simply lower the GAIN

[nicknolte]

A compressor/sustainer(not an optical comp) or like the poster above said, lower the gain

[lettenmusic]

buy a shittier guitar

[drbob1]

The only current pedal designed to do this is the Pigtronix. You can also use an envelop generator, but I'm not aware of one that will do that in a stomp-box. The Peavey Spectrum Filter (rackmount) will, as will a synth using the external sound input and triggering with a midi input. The Moog Guitar does it perfectly, including string by string, it also costs $5k. So, buy the Pigtronix, you'll be glad you did!

[Dean Roddey]

Bass players have long used a soft sponge under the strings back against the bridge to create a more acoustic bass type of muted decay. A fairly thin strip of soft sponge just the right height so that it touches the strings lightly will probably do the trick.

[Mario-C.]

Raise the pickups.

put 'em really close to the strings.

[Harry Hughes]

Originally Posted by Mario-C.

Raise the pickups.

put 'em really close to the strings.

Also severely ****s with the intonation.
Also has very little effect with active pickups