I have the fernandez set-up in my baritione guitar, and I absolutely love it. It has issues, its NOT genuinely polyphonic, as one might think if one was coming from an ebow, there is always ONE string that wil take over and become the dominant note, not unlike feedback. It doesnt have the constant buzzing "its alive" feeling that the Sustainiac systems have. But speaking as someone who used to play at extreme volumes at one time, its DOES emulate THAT feeling. The way the strings really physically react as you press, is very like that "one the verge of feedback" feeling one gets stood next to a big marshall!!
Soundwise, I love it, Im not too good at stopping the crunch as you lift your finger, tends to ring at the harmonics and fart at other positions, but its made me start to play predominately without huge quantity's of distortion, because I get the sustain (infinite actually) that i want, but the attack is still there, and there is some decay. I have it on almost all the time actually.
Im not too au fait with the Sustainiac, just tried it a few times, but maybe Per is right about the fernandez being cleaner, but as for less organic, no no no.. Its wonderfull, it really make the guitar feel alive and pushing back at you.
One EXTRA PLUS is that if I just switch it on and let it go.. after a few seconds of strings fighting for attention, its always the B string that takes over and becomes dominant. I NEVER used to play in B,(always A or E or D) but I tried B because of this, (thinking that if the guitar was alive its favorite key is B, so I better not argue with that) and now I have discovered the wonders of playing in B!! Now my favorite key!
Drone on!!
M
On Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 11:15 AM, Per Boysen
<perboysen@gmail.com> wrote:
On Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 1:01 AM, Jeff Duke <jeff_d@embarqmail.com> wrote:
>
> Have you ever played with the Fernandes sustainor setup? It does have a
> harmonics mode
> where it jumps up an octave. I wonder how it would feel in comparison. I
> love the idea of an fx loop on the sustainac c. Maybe an auto wah/envelope
> filter would help
> to free up the feet.
Yes, I did a thorough shot-out of all systems for a guitar player
magazine article two years ago. Personally I don't like the Fernandes
as much as the Sustaniac C, but I know other players that are happy
with the Fernandes. I borrowed a guitar with the Fernandes already
mounted, that's a good way to find out "how it feels". My experience
is that the Fernandes is "cleaner" and "less organic". That probably
comes from the fact that the vibration feedback is transmitted
magnetically. The Sustainiac C does it mechanically through the wood
of the neck and of course that must color the process in some way.
--
Greetings from Sweden
Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
www.myspace.com/perboysen
www.stockholm-athens.com
--
www.markfrancombe.comwww.looop.no
