RE: Sustainer, Forcione

[Michael Peters <MPeters@compuserve.com>]

Michael P. Hughes asked,

>do you Ststainer-equipped types out there get much
>feedback of more than one note?  When I tried a sustainer most feedback
>happened around one note - so the main advantage over an Ebow was that you
>don't have to hold it!  

no, that doesn't do it justice. It's true that (at least with the old
sustainer that I have - there is a new one that's supposed to be better)
one of the strings tends to succeed over the other ones, but it depends,
sometimes you get several strings to vibrate.

If you're used to an Ebow, and then get a Sustainer guitar, it feels very
liberating. You can play freely without having to hold this thing in your
hand, and this free playing in combination with the sustained notes gives
you a whole new vocabulary of expression. The guitar reacts very
differently, more as if you had a real feedback sustain from a loud amp
behind you. Plus, you get all sorts of weird harmonic effects.

This doesn't mean that an Ebow isn't a cool device - I still use the Ebow:
you can do different things with it.

If you can get hold of a Sustainer guitar, buy it - you'll love it. I
wouldn't trade mine for anything. 
___________
Michael Peters   
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