Stratocaster Sustain Trick - But Does It Work?

Sustain Trick For Bolt On Neck Guitars - But Does It Work?
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In my pursuit of getting more sustain from my Strat (s-style guitar) I kept running into comments from people who said loosening and tightening the screws on the neck plate could yield amazing results. I test it out here for you!

[@vitaliistep]

Neck pickup: BEFORE - 1:56 (7th fret) / 2:04 (D chord) AFTER - 5:11 / 5:25 Bridge pickup: BEFORE - 2:19 (7th fret) / 2:31 (D chord) AFTER - 5:44 / 5:54 To me they are identical considering that picking can't be the same every time. Thank you.

[@MarkZabel]

You bet. Thanks.

[@wraith2k82]

I’d be good with that sustain. Mine is currently 3-4 seconds.

[@johnpearson4899]

Another worthwhile mod is to "bed" the neck pocket. Just like the way custom precision rifles are done. Remove the neck, work a VERY THIN layer of hard curing epoxy resin into the grain of the bottom of the neck pocket. Most body woods are softer than the woods used for neck. Especially on lower end guitars. They can have readily visible or not so visible voids due to the grain of the wood and/or dull router bits, the routing machine moving too fast, etx. Working a VERY THIN layer of epoxy into the grain of the bottom of the pocket gives the neck smooth, solid contact and with the epoxy worked into the grain of the body, it transmits the vibrations much, much more constanetc. It works.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@IndyRockStar]

My CS Strat is roasted Alder with a roasted Maple neck. do you think roasted wood would absorb the epoxy?

[@lone-wolf-1]

For this method to work properly, you have to make sure the screws have nice clearance in the body holes. Two reasons for the importance of clearance of the body holes: 1. the neck have freedom to move back in the pocket, pulled by string tension. 2. the screws can actually pull the neck to a tight contact towards the body. If the screw treads grab in the body, there is no way they can pull the neck to the desired pressure of contact. I took a bigger drill and redrilled the body holes carefully. Then removed the splinters and burr around the holes in the pocket. Those little wood fibers can prevent an even fitting of the neck. Just wanna help😊

[@vitaliistep]

That's a guaranteed way to loosen the holes in the neck itself. Not a very good idea to me. You're right that removing threads in the body will help to press the neck closer to the body during tightening, but I think a much more elegant way is to just use other screws without threads at the top. Loose holes and more mobile neck is not what you want to have on a bolt-on neck guitar.

[@lone-wolf-1]

@@vitaliistep Losening the screw holes in the neck can indeed happen. But I guess it's not enough to worry about. But less, if the body holes have enough clearance to allow the screws to stay straight in the neck holes. Also the neck will not be loose, the friction of the wood on wood is high enough to secure the neck on to the body. Partial threaded screws are indeed a good solution. Cheers! 😊

[@jonaspeterson5040]

The point of loosening and tightening is... IF neck isn't seated firmly into the mass of the body, ie: not pulled 100% back into the neck pocket, there may be some loss of vibration. Every time you remove and reinstall a bolt on neck this is a common practice. Bolt it on, put on the strings and introduce tension...loosen the screws a bit and let the neck suck back. Then retighten...this won't help if your pickguard is getting in the way. It's easy to do this and poses no risk, why not try it out? Thanks for posting this video!

[@MarkZabel]

Yes, that's what I heard from a number of videos and thought, "why not"? I don't think it made a difference in my G&L Strat, but it was worth a shot.

[@jonaspeterson5040]

@@MarkZabel I am lucky and happy to own a USA g&l legacy strat and a Asat Bluesboy. Love them and will never part with them. I bet the neck pockets are plenty tight from the factory. Thanks for your videos, I've learned a lot of good songs from you

[@MarkZabel]

@@jonaspeterson5040 Thanks!! Yes, G&L makes really fine guitars. No doubt about that.

[@IndyRockStar]

just spent $5K on a Custom Shop Strat. Beautiful guitar, sounds amazing, and next to no sustain especially above the 12th fret. I'm changing out the custom shop RSD bridge for Floyd Rose Rail Tail on Monday. Hoping the all brass and decked bridge fixes the issue.

[@MarkZabel]

Good luck.

[@IndyRockStar]

@@MarkZabel Update: The Floyd Rose Rail Tail bridge did the trick. I actually love the Rail Tail. I was nervous about it. I'm not one to mod a Custom shop guitar.

[@dpapaioannow]

eliminate any air gaps in the neck pocket by using a wooden shim that covers the whole neck pocket and is tapered accordingly to give you the correct neck angle for string action....also stainless steel saddles and/or nut

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you.

[@dpapaioannow]

@@MarkZabel kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXq4q5dmfs-Wnrc there are also babicz replacement saddles which are pretty good too if your bridge has strat style saddles

[@yapyap66]

I like to sit the guitar in a vertical position on a table and pull down hard on the neck when tightening the screws Proper neck guitar Connection definitely makes a big improvement to sustain and volume when you feel a lot of vibration in your left wrist you know you're pretty well got it I have found the pickguard on some Stratocaster overhang the heel pocket preventing proper connection easily fixed by shaving the edge of the pickguard cheers

[@MarkZabel]

Excellent comment. Thanks!

[@seansweeney3532]

What if I used some hide glue?? Just a dab? I have some from my repairs of string basses... I've put pennies and nickels in the neck pocket and that seemed to help. I use bone nuts, vintage trem with graphite ghost saddles... and when I get it nailed I have zero tuning issues... but I've had those issues lately since I changed necks. I like the shred legacy scalloped neck. So I don't mind committing if it sticks in the pocket permanently. I'm thinking I might even Dowell it..

[@jgia1562]

Digging the Elvis look.....I pulled the neck off my squire thinline vibe when changing strings and found woodchips wedged between neck and body as well as screw frays from just the screw going into the maple neck from assembly, blew the chips out of the cavity and used a larger drill bit by Hand and trimmed the screw fray to flush a very very lite sand with #1200 grit sand paper to bring the surface to flat as it was ever so slightly convex from the clear coat put all back together and had a noticeable difference in the action and sustain for the better.......anyway love your videos keep up the good work....

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!!

[@MarvinRWard]

I think it did work a little. Also I think dead strings could interfere with sustain as well. Thanks for the tip.

[@MarkZabel]

Sure thing Marvin. You're absolutely right about dead strings. Amazing what changing the strings will do for your tone!

[@brandonvandoorn333]

last saw your channel 3 years ago when I had to learn the hit me with your best shot solo! Its awesome to still see you doing the things you love! p.s NICE HAIR!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks Brandon. Yes, a colleague at work convinced me to grow it out. Come back any time!

[@barbmelle3136]

Thanks for trying the experiment to fine tune a guitars performance. Your "quarter turn" was more like 30 degrees, rewatch your video, you did not loosen them enough to free the neck, you need over 3/4 loose. The creak sound was the screws in tight hardwood. I have been fitting Strat necks for 5 decades. Also, the trick only works if you had a guitar with an alignment/seating problem to start with. Very seldom do you see a quality guitar with a neck fit issue. For any guitar player,; set up your amp with the guitar volume controls at 6 or 7. If you want to make a note or chord last longer, ride the volume control. I get a big laugh at shredders that talk about strats having no sustain, as if they ever sat on a note.

[@MarkZabel]

Okay, thanks.

[@melodypedals4827]

That’s a good trick if you have a treble bleed otherwise you lose all the goodness like low end and treble with the volume backed down . The best thing I ever did was install a 100pf cap on legs 1-2 (non grounded posts)of my volume pot . It allows the highs to remain when backed down . There are several kinds of treble bleeds . I only tried the 100pf because it works wonderfully ! The older you get the cleaner your tone it seems

[@bluwng]

This isn’t guaranteed if your neck was already set correctly then nothing happens. This works only on necks not fully seated even then if the neck is to big or pocket to small without sanding it will never seat correctly. Don’t look at the process understand the intent.

[@loubydal7812]

Sounds to me it gets a bit more sustain. I believe the neck sits better in the body pocket making some more wood to wood contact after loosening and tightening the screws. Thanks for a great video.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks for watching!

[@LaceChaser]

More pickups = more magnets = less sustain. I’ve built 3 strats now and I learned that the least amount of pickups gives more sustain. My strat with 1 single coil at the neck rings out forever with no effects needed.

[@tiborrisko7349]

Mark, try BLOCKING the tremolo block with a stack of coins squeezed behind the tremolo block, 100% reversible and there is quite a noticeable difference in increased sustain and attack. 1. first tighten the claw screws all the way in, squeeze in the stack of coins (you can use a small bit of electrical tape to hold the coins together in a stack so that they don't fall apart and I actually use 2 stacks of coins) 2. after you placed the coins (try to stack them so that they will fit in quite snug) LOOSEN the claw screws, so that the tension of the strings will squeeze the tremolo block against the coins. Try it, you'll thank me later ;) Dig your vids!

[@MarkZabel]

I will try it! Thanks T.R.!!

[@tiborrisko7349]

@@MarkZabel Cool man! I hope it helps you! It has quite a big difference, you'll be surprised, I actually used 2 "stacks" of coins instead of 1 and it adds a punch, oh and bending will also become easier and the top E string will not go down in pitch temporarily while you hold a bend ton one of the other strings

[@taotuhao5969]

Absolutely, my Dad used to own a couple of arcade stores and we have tokens out the wazoo. So I tried the stack of coins trick with a cheap 40 yr old Hohner strat copy and I swear that guitar now sounds like a million bucks and the sustain is not subtle at all! I swear it's more like sustain for days. So right away, I tried it again on my first quality guitar, a 1980's Kramer Pacer which came with one of the first stock Floyd Rose tremolo systems. While I enjoy sometimes using the tremolo for dive bombs, vibrato, or Satriani type fluttering sounds ( not sure what it's actually called) I hate that its such a hassle to change tuning or switch the strings. Plus, these days, I am growing bored of shred and finally starting to appreciate Jazz, Blues, and even Bluegrass. So my point is that yes, the coin trick works! My Pacer not only sounds amazing, it still stays in tune no matter how much bending vibrato or whatever. I don't even use the string locks...I don't have to do that anymore. There is no need to spend money, or loosen your neck. it works well. For any new players on a budget, do this trick to you current guitar, and google how to properly intonate your guitar, and you may find that what you already own can sound awesome, without spending too much.

[@mouloudo]

You're supposed to tune it THEN tighten the screws back

[@MarkZabel]

Hmm. Maybe, but the additional tension seems infinitesimal. (Assuming that's the physical reasoning behind tuning prior to re-tightening. If not, what's the physical reasoning?) Here that's pretty clear, as the guitar was close to 100% in tune (very little if any shift of the neck). And if it's out of tune because the neck has shifted slightly to be more snug in the pocket isn't that the point anyway? So it's not clear to me tuning prior to re-tightening would make a difference.

[@mouloudo]

@@MarkZabel well all the videos I've seen as well as the G&L maintenance book precognise to retune the guitar before tightening the screws. I did it yesterday on my strat and it worked. But my guitar is a frankenstrat with a very tight pocket for the neck since they weren't from the same year, and following that procedure definitly forced the neck to go deeper into the pocket

[@MarkZabel]

Okay, I'll try that. I seriously doubt the re-tuning prior to re-tightening part of the procedure matters, but I'll try. Thanks. Okay, I tried it and it didn't make a difference on my guitar. That doesn't prove it doesn't work though - my G&L already had a tight fit in the neck pocket. So you may as well follow the normal process and re-tune prior to re-tightening. Can't hurt. Thanks!

[@mouloudo]

@@MarkZabel hey at least you've tried ;)

[@jeffreyjones486]

I just saw this on another video first. Logically, when you relighted the threaded area in the neck should realign making no difference although a very slight change might be all it takes. Might try it.

[@billoneill475]

I think these comparisons would be better with some sought of Meter to measure the length and intensity of the sustain. I don't think you can rely on the memory thing.

[@MarkZabel]

Hi Bill. Thanks for you comment. I'm an engineer and I thought about it. My thinking is that unless it's noticeable without measurement it doesn't really matter given the minute differences in pick placement, striking force, etc.

[@billoneill475]

@@MarkZabel Hi Mark. My thinking is, that a number of small things if measurable can be done together that might add up to something pretty special, such as blocking the Tremolo, adding a brass block, perhaps a base plate on the bridge pick up or a brass nut.

[@billoneill475]

@@MarkZabel Thanks Mark, I'm an old fool just experimenting with my Strats for something to do. I've seen quite a few of these how to increase sustain videos and I struggle to hear any substantial improvement in any of them. I thought perhaps if a few were added together on the one guitar it could make a substantial audible improvement I've done the Neck thing, heard all the pops and cracks and got quite excited about that. I put in a Callahan Bridge assy and blocked it with a piece of manicured hardwood and also blocked behind the spring claw with a piece of aluminium bar. I definitely have an audible improvement, whether it's a combination or just one thing I don't know. I'm planning to add a brass bridge bar in the very near future. Having fun experimenting, Cheers.

[@MarkZabel]

@@billoneill475 i hear you on that.

[@MarkZabel]

@@billoneill475 As long as it's fun it's worth pursuing!

[@swinneydillan]

I did it to my new special Stratocaster and I did notice a little different sound ,It's not a big difference but it does help thanks.

[@MarkZabel]

I've come to the same conclusion ... a bit of a difference, but not much.

[@chopperdeath]

Any vibration in the guitar other than the strings themselves will rob energy from the note. The more resonate the guitar the less sustain you will have. And why do we guitar players value sustain so much, do we really need an extra .5 seconds? Use a compressor, ebow, sustainiac or amp feedback.

[@admit8318]

or buy sustainer pickup guitar :o

[@KPVIDEONEWS]

You missed a step.... you should have " RETUNED IT WHILE THE SCREWS WERE LOOSE.... THEN RETIGHTENED THE SCREWS ".

[@3521rob]

Why ?

[@lemac3200]

To bring up the best comparison, you should record both versions via software and watch the soundwaves behaviours as they decay through the passing time. Everything other than that can be purely subjective and individual. I tried to stop the time of your played D-note (neck-PU) before and after. The D-chords (neck-PU) likewise. But that is inacurate, too. First, you stopped the D-note before it totally faded. Second, I can not guarantee that I'm simultaneously taking time either. So again: Make the signal trackable through software and use the timemarks to measure the decay. But nonetheless, your trick is absolutely perfect to correct an inaccurate positioned neck. And that is a win anyway. Thumps up!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks. I appreciate that what you suggest would indeed test whether there's even small differences and eliminates subjectivity. I'm a statistical engineer and I certainly could have done that. I'm actually not interested in "truth" here unless it's a "big truth". In other words, if I (or others) could easily hear a big difference, there's no need to make precise measurements. It would be an obvious difference. Then it would be easy to recommend people do it. Here, however, the results are a toss up. You can't really tell. So would an audience really be able to tell? Probably not. So people expecting a "magic bullet" with this trick might not hear any difference at all. Anyway, I agree that by making more precise measurement - and designing an experiment with multiple guitars, precise amounts of screw turns and so forth to eliminate noise - we could get to something more objective. What I can say after this is that it didn't make much of a difference on this particular guitar. Maybe a little, maybe not; certainly not a big difference. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@lemac3200]

@@MarkZabel I'm very glad you brought this particular trick back to my mind through your work. I learned it years ago from my late mentor but sadly forgot it. Thanks for helping me bringing this back. I spend yesterday evening in sweet remembrance. Rock on!

[@J__C__]

I believe Darrell Braun did that in one of his videos. I think it was Darrell, anyway. IIRC, there's also another guy that made a modular setup to test tonewoods with neck, strings, pickups and bridge all on a very small body that popped into the standard size bodies made from whichever wood. That way he could use the exact same stuff on every body to remove variables. I want to say he also had a screen setup to watch decay but I could be wrong about that part.

[@MarkZabel]

@@J__C__ Yes, Darrel was testing something quite specific (trems: hard tail, decked, floating). Again, for me it's somewhat academic. If you can't tell by listening, does it really matter? Maybe it does if you're going to try 5 or 6 different things.

[@joewalsh8217]

I always do that trick for any bolt on, I think it does help sustain. It just makes sense being tighter in the neck pocket making the body resonate more

[@MarkZabel]

I've done it now too to all of mine. Sometimes it makes a noticeable difference, sometimes not.

[@joewalsh8217]

It’s all a matter of how good it was originally set in there. I have done it before on a guitar that was fit perfectly into the pocket already and it sounded the same also. But it’s worth a shot in my experience!

[@MarkZabel]

@@joewalsh8217 Exactly!

[@jedfiekel9809]

I always rework and true up my neck pockets. I file all surfaces from multiple directions and the glue in extra wood if its a loose fit until every surface is flat to flat snug fit with the most wood to wood contact possible. Makes a HUGE difference on the ones that have poor quality fit or have paint and uneven surfaces.

[@philippinefandango2859]

Mark, I may be wrong, but it appeared to me you only turned the screws about an 1/8 of an inch or so... Take a look if you want to... Cheers... Merry Christmas...

[@philippinefandango2859]

Sorry, about 1/8 of a turn....

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks Bruce. I may try re-seating the neck entirely. Not sure. I've got a bigger project going on next week, so maybe after that.

[@billoneill475]

Hi Mark, how would you feel about letting the Guitar sit for 1/2 an hour before retightening the neck.

[@MarkZabel]

Hey Bill. Might make some sense, but I'm not sure how much of a difference it would make. Worth a try.

[@mikecamps7226]

you need to slightly open up the 4 body holes so they are more oversized than the screw going through them....and when you loosen the neck....you need to go wat more than a 1/4 turn. But as with opening up the 4 body holes, the neck pocket in the body needs to fit the neck heel snugly with minimal slop. So when you do loosen the 4 bolts enough while under string tension.....it does pull the neck in to the body pocket and retune while the screws are loose. Having the bolt holes over sized give some play to let the neck pull into the body the right way. As long as your neck angle and everything is right, you should have no need in the future to unbolt the neck......So you could consider making it a true project and find a suitable glue and glue it in to the pocket with some type of glue that's heat sensitive.....so you could heat the joint if you ever need to remove the neck. It doesn't really matter if there is a tenon joint or some type of dove tail joint or the basics of a bolt on neck and pocket......a glued in neck is a glued in neck....bonded. A neck through one piece is a whole different story...… You'd get much more sustain if you had a hard tail bridge with strings through the body. With a traditional trem, the trem block is critical as well as the springs when it comes to the metal. But when you set the bridge float with the spring claw......its just 2 screws. you want to shim both screws to the body using metal washers as spacer shims for a more solid coupling of the claw to the body by the 2 screws...you get more surface area in the mechanical coupling with washers as shims. The washers should be the same metal as the spring claw and screws.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks for the comment Mike. Yes, definitely I could hard tail the trem (or at least even deck it, which would help a little), but I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too. I want to keep the floating trem for the expressiveness. Gluing the neck is interesting to me, and makes a great deal of sense to me. I have to say I don't fully understand over-sizing the bolt holes though. I understand getting a little play there, but the over-size would have to be tiny for the screws to still work right, wouldn't it? Irrelevant if I would end up gluing, but still a bit scary to me. In any event, thanks for the insightful comment. Much appreciated!!

[@mikecamps7226]

when the screw goes in to the neck wood and the heads are on the metal plate.....its a clamping force holding the neck secure. The holes shouldn't be part of the clamping action where the screw threads are making a mark in the holes in the body, they just have to be a round pass through with no screw thread bite in to the wood. SO you'd need a set of numbered drill bits to open up the holes over sized just a bit. The screws should slide through the body holes and has a bit of wiggle to them but not too super sloppy. At most the neck heel into the body pocket would have like a 1/32 possible gap or less, it should be tight and maybe an automotive feeler gauge blade set might yield the gap. When the body wood is machined and the raw wood neck is fit......its going to be close. Then add a finish on the wood.....its going to make the pocket fit tighter...how much tighter is the question as they have to account for the finish thickness so the 2 mate together. At worst you might have to massage the heel and the pocket with a dremel sander. Since wood expands and contracts, one day it might be tight and another day it might be less tight. Metal work machinist tricks are to freeze a part that has an interference fit, and the opposite part gets slightly heated to exploit the expansion contraction effect. SO if you have a refrigerator where you could put the neck for awhile to cool it and leave the body at room temperature or slightly warmer......it the body joint is super tight. Its usually a question of the corner radius with the heel and body as opposed to the flat areas that can cause the perfect contact to be off when pulling the mating surfaces to be in absolute contact in a mechanical fit. With a tenon joint or a dove tail, the wood moisture content is a factor when joining the 2 pieces, so they either use a mallet or press to join the 2 machined parts and then finish the wood. If the wood dries out significantly, the joint can get sloppy due to the shrinkage.....you'll see that in really old furniture and antique stuff that's in original condition. The poly finish paints tend to seal the wood and hold it at the moisture content it has in that moment in time.....where as nitro laquer is more porous and lets the wood breath....and it out gases and shrinks itself too and the expansion and contraction of the wood and temperature exposure cause that patina cracking in nitro that comes with age. The poly finish's are like dipping the wood in plastic and encapsulating. But once the mechanical fit is precise as you can get, the thin film of glue would make up any voids for transfer.....excess would squeeze out as you tighten up the neck to torque.....but I'm not sure there is an actual torque spec anywhere for tightening a neck

[@mikecamps7226]

if the G&L followed the LEO original with the Stratocaster trem…..I have never examined that type trem, then the transfer chain goes to the spring claw in the back of the body and the metal is held to the body by the 2 wood screws......the screws are adjusted by turning them out away from the body....so the spring claw metal is out and away from the body by the 2 screws. so the transfer is by the screw heads in contact with the metal of the spring claw metal plate and the shafts of the screws in to the body wood. You increase the contact area by using metal washers as shims for the screws to take up the area between the spring claw metal plate and the body wood.....after you set your float on the bridge. You don't want the spring claw to be suspended just by the shafts of the 2 screws and the screw heads......the shims add surface area to the body contact for transfer.....the best that you can get under the circumstances.....without custom machining a block of metal as a spacer and file fitting it.

[@robertregalado1015]

Scraping all the paint out of the neck pocket makes a big difference in sustain also. Wood on wood...

[@MarkZabel]

Makes sense!

[@0013619511]

Just keep the screws snug the neck can get loose enough to cause tuning issues

[@davidjairala69]

I think you gotta tune the strings up before you tighten the screws back down

[@MarkZabel]

Interesting. I would try it if I didn't give the guitar away to a friend. Maybe on another Strat.

[@mykemech]

Nice test and good idea. I wonder if it would be more accurate if you didnt play through an amp. The soundwave in the room from it will artificially sustain the note

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! You're probably right, but if it made a difference in sustain that really mattered I think it would be evident. That's my general thinking on it in any event.

[@mykemech]

@@MarkZabel I came to that conclusion after commenting. Unless you are in a lab where external control would be necessary, otherwise, trying to pluck consistantly and listening are best. Keep it up friend!

[@texanleons]

It definately works. I did mine and it's 3 x's better. Thank you sir!

[@MarkZabel]

Excellent!

[@demirozdemir1776]

First loosen about a quarter then tighten a quarter back? What is the principle? And dou you do this eveytime before you play the guitar?

[@MarkZabel]

The principle is to seat the neck more firmly in the neck pocket so that the neck and body couple better. You should only need to do it once. And it may or may not make a noticeable difference.

[@demirozdemir1776]

@@MarkZabel Thank you. I will try it.

[@krisberntzen]

I'm not an engineer, but if you loosen a screw an amount, the retighten it the same amount you will not increase the contact point. You will only re-set the neck at the exact same point as it was. You could try and tighten it some more, if that's possible without damaging the screws or the wood. If you loosen your shoelaces then tie them back exactly as tight as before, will the shoes fit tighter then? I don't think so. Same principle, if we pretend that the laces and the leather in your shoes don't expand at all

[@texanleons]

Having A G&L guitar sure doesn't hurt!

[@andrewpaton6075]

Hey mark how about " This planets on fire " by Sammy Hagar for 2019 ??

[@MarkZabel]

Sounds good. I'll put it on the list of songs to do. Lots of good riffs in there!

[@UrbanGarden-rf5op]

Maybe there was no difference because it was already set up right, at the factory. Leo was a smart man. Science at work, for the good of man ♬🎶

[@francissevero2911]

Hydrating the scale leds to a quite good sustain improvement

[@MarkZabel]

Do you mean hydrating the fretboard? Yes, that can help. Tougher with maple though.

[@francissevero2911]

@@MarkZabel yeah, my mistake, in portuguese we call freatbord the same as "scale". Yeah, I dont have any maple freatboard guitar at all, so I use lemon oil in dark freatboards.. it actually made an amazing sustain improvement in my instruments. I dont know how to procede in maple

[@MarkZabel]

@@francissevero2911 No worries. I just wanted to make sure I understood you correctly. It's a good point to make!

[@francissevero2911]

@@MarkZabel Give it a try, the sound of my strat got warmer after hydrating, and sustain sounds way longer and clear. Best thing I've done for a while!

[@JimmyKay1976]

What driver is that?

[@stilldreamin57]

You should have timed the length of sustain in each case! More importantly, this "trick" only works if your bolt on neck is truly a "bolt-on" neck. Meaning, the screw that goes through the body of the guitar should slide through the body, i.e, the holes in the body need to be a fraction larger than the screw, this will give the neck the ability move, ever so slightly, when you retune the guitar, now the neck can make better contact with the pocket if it isn't already snug. Many guitar necks on Strats are screwed all way through the body and then into the neck, which will not allow neck to move when you loosen the screws!

[@Deathweaselpro]

Thanks

[@MarkZabel]

You're welcome. Thanks for listening.

[@purplemonkeyelephant]

Not sure why this comes up first when I search for Fender Fat Finger. Nothing to do with that product

[@MarkZabel]

Not certain, but probably because the Fat Finger is supposed to increase sustain.

[@purplemonkeyelephant]

@@MarkZabel Sure, but there are other videos using that product. This doesnt and it's first! Give your SEO guy a bonus

[@MarkZabel]

Really odd. The SEO guy is me, but I assure you none of the tags contain Fender, Fatfinger, fat, or finger. I'm perplexed. I tried it myself. My video came up on top for me too. And also with Chrome in incognito mode. Doesn't make sense to me. KZbin's algorithm is bizarre at times.

[@cjjuddaustralianartist]

I love upgrading Squirrel guitars. (Squire) When I reassemble the neck to the body, I place some alluminium foil in between, to fill up any gaps. Then, I sacrifice several black chickens to the guitar god, and screw the neck and body as tightly as I can without causing earthquakes on a remote part of the world through the "butterfly" effect. But seriously now, jokes asode, I firmly believe sustain comes from the electonics. I've come to this conclusion after ruining several guitars, and brutalising the contents of my wallet. So, there!

[@gerdpfeil]

Sustain can be measured with a stop watch or a simple recording software and none of the videos presenting this wonder trick is presenting any before/after measurements and waveforms of recordings...makes the inquiring mind wonder why?

[@MarkZabel]

I state it very clearly in the video - if you can't hear the difference, it doesn't matter if you measure the difference (my opinion). I'm an engineer and statistician, so I totally understand using measurement to detect small differences. But I simply don't care about small differences. Now you know.

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

I don't see any logical or mechanical reason that loosening the screws and retightening them would have any additional amount of sustained from the guitar since you're just putting it back in exactly the same position it was in. It sounded exactly the same to me but also when you played the cord both times it almost sounded like there was a slight amount of modulation on it

[@MarkZabel]

The idea is to help set the fit between the heel of the neck and the body of the guitar. Supposedly on some guitars by loosening the bolts slightly it allows the neck to shift slightly, making a better contact. For the guitar I demonstrated ... had no effect as far as I can tell. Worth a try though, since it's very simple. There are a number of videos from luthiers who claim it works.

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

@@MarkZabel My American strat has good sustain after i changed the pup's to Texas Customs with their wired pick-guard and then choice of amp settings. it sucked out of the box. the neck is always going to be the same in the pocket after the holes are drilled and tight

[@swinneydillan]

When I did it to mine ,I had never messed with it besides setting the bridge ,but I'm glad that I watched this vedio is because my screws were not tite so that was a plus to notice that and when did the tighting it did sound a little more solid if u know what I mean.

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

@@swinneydillan Ya if they weren't tight, then it would help. Also, it should be easier to stay in tune and keep the action when the neck is tight.

[@bluwng]

You have to understand the mechanics, it’s not magic. The intent is to get the neck to seat well in the pocket, specifically to sit tight at the back end. You need to re tighten back screws first. If your guitars neck is already seated well you gain no advantage, if it’s mostly seated well you get little advantage, and so on.

[@MarkZabel]

Yes, if it's seated improperly the trick can work.

[@nyalarhotep]

That guitar is set poorly. The problem is probably not in the joint. Loose bolts can impair sustain, but if they are tight, loosening and tightening it further will not change anything. Bolt on guitars have weaker sustain than glued ones not because of the joint, but because they often come with tremolo bridges and floating trems etc. Hardtail bridges dont dissipate vibration that much. No matter how massive your trem block is, it will never beat an immovable piece of hardware.

[@MarkZabel]

Okay thanks.

[@sowhat5150]

I’m a new subscriber. Why are looking off to your right?

[@MarkZabel]

Different camera.

[@bobproduction3211]

Меня так же училка в школе ругала, а потом оказывалось, что вообще не меня

[@santi-xj1qr]

1:56 5:11

[@MarkZabel]

ok

[@Thirdgen83]

Absolute mythology.

[@J__C__]

Whoa. It's seem like my $125 strat clone has more sustain than that G&L. I clocked an easy 12.9 seconds on the stopwatch. No joke.

[@MarkZabel]

That's good!

[@joewalsh8217]

J D C that’s too much sustain hahaha

[@stamppedals3536]

Which Modell do U have¿

[@ace6space]

I think that it works. Isn't to notable but yes just a little bit. 👍🏻

[@MarkZabel]

Cool! Thanks for listening!

[@pagisubuh]

i think it does not make any difference .

[@MarkZabel]

👍

[@joavenutube]

you think? or did you measure it?

[@jedfiekel9809]

SHOOT GANG, HERE COMES THE FUZZ!

[@MarkZabel]

LOL!

[@pmcm-ih1ep]

It’s because you’re looking at the video of yourself being recorded on the computer screen off to your right that we can see in the reflection of your glasses..... “...not sure”? baloney, you know why...it’s only vanity, that’s all. Nothing to feel you gotta run away from... unless you are super vain?

[@MarkZabel]

"Not sure" because I don't do it in other videos. Vanity? Please. If it were that I would wear hipper clothes and get a haircut. 😀 Of course I'm looking at the computer screen, but why? I look at the camera in other videos, so why in this one did I not do it? That's the question. The computer screen is always there when I record. I've come to the conclusion that it's because I'm not confident the parts of the guitar are being shown properly in the camera and this permeated throughout the video. Normally I do teaching videos where I know the camera angles better. But in this one I'm trying to show different things and apparently had to keep checking items were on screen ... not, "wait, how do I look in this angle and light??" 😀

[@pmcm-ih1ep]

@@MarkZabel fair enough...top chops by the way...

[@MarkZabel]

@@pmcm-ih1ep Thanks! Appreciate it!

[@ephraimwarrior6766]

Buzz lol😂

[@therealjackfisher]

These are just screws for the cover.. Beneath that plate you have the real screws XD .. I hope you didnt think the neck sits on these 4 tiny screws? That changes nothing.

[@MarkZabel]

Uh, no. They are, like all other bolt on guitars I know, the same screws that hold the neck in place. If you don't believe me, take your Strat or Tele, unscrew those same screws, tap gently but firmly on the back of the neck and see whether it falls out of the neck pocket. Hint: It will.

[@crabtrap]

@@MarkZabel the dummy is probably thinking that a fender 'tilt-angle' screw is the neck bolt (not all fenders have that)

[@MarkZabel]

@crabtrap Yes, that's possible. But he says "4 tiny screws" ... maybe he's just trolling (in a bizarre way) or just has never taken a bolt on neck off and really thinks that. Who knows?

[@44scoots]

Its not a Stratocaster unless it says Fender!!!

[@MarkZabel]

Okay, bolt on neck strat style guitar made by Leo Fender.

[@vitaliistep]

If it looks like a strat, sounds like a strat and feels like a strat, then it's definitely Stratocaster :)

[@spencerwarren9219]

Nope

[@MarkZabel]

Yeah, I didn't think so either. Some have said yes, but it's very minor improvement at best.

[@robertstan2349]

buy a Gibson 😉

[@BorisBidjanSaberi11]

And then the headstock breaks

[@robertstan2349]

@@BorisBidjanSaberi11 i've had one of my pauls probably longer than you've been alive. it has untold miles of travel on it: it's seen wild swings in temperatures; it's been chucked into trailers full of gear and PA equipment; tossed into hotel rooms and stages and ... the list goes on. no breaks.

[@BeefNEggs057]

Who sits on stage and lets a note ring for 10 seconds without vibrato anyway. Just need to turn up your amp. If the tube amp is in it’s sweet spot you’ll have sustain coming out your eyeholes. It won’t sound thin and weak either. Need a fender amp for that perfect strat sound. Sounds like a Walmart special. Sorry man but strats are my thing so forgive the defense of them. I guess you either love them or you haven’t figured them out yet 😂.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks for your comment. Volume definitely covers a lot of sins. Distortion even more! Hard to beat Strats or Teles for lots of stuff. Hey, we all have our preferences. I *hate* Taylors for instance ... even though they are great guitars. Martins are where it's at for me. And no, the amp is not a Walmart Special. I used to use a Fender Twin back in the day. My strats might have sounded okay to others when I played them, but even then they were thin sounding comparatively. Plus, that middle pickup ... always breaking nails on it. I always wanted to love them, but never quite do. :) This G&L is close for sure. I guess my perfect Strat would have a single cut, 24.75" scale, no middle pickup, and a set of PAF's! LOL! Seriously, I have a CP Thornton Strat style guitar that I love. No sustain problems whatsoever. The main difference is that it doesn't have a bolt-on neck, and it has a Gotoh trem and Lollar Pickups. Gets a great Strat sound IMHO - even out of some cheap amps. Amazing guitar!

[@siamese1414]

That was useless. Why didn't you just measure the sustain...easy enough to do by recording a wave file.

[@MarkZabel]

If you can't really hear it, does it matter if a WAV file shows a slightly different decay? Nah. Not to me; the point being "don't expect a miracle to occur."