The Lie We All Believe About Sustain

When it comes to the never ending debate about tone wood, and its effect on a guitar's sound, sustain is almost always brought up as a sign of a great guitar. But in my mind I don't think a guitar's natural sustain is all that important, heres why.
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[@fundude365]

Rhett: "Sustain doesn't matter." Also Rhett: Sustains a successful career in music, a healthy and vibrant youtube community, multiple adult friendships and a loving marriage at the same time.

[@UXBen]

😁 I see what you did there.

[@joshuamichael4312]

Hahah your username rings true, and it sustains for days.

[@PulledPurk]

heckin hypnocrite

[@benjaminfowler4513]

Some sort of philosophical mathematics you just did there

[@chrispodesta9728]

Somewhere out there, Davie504 just uttered, "CHECKMATE!"

[@vincentcuclair5522]

Well done Rhett! That really needed to be said 👍. There’s too much snobbery about this as is.

[@house-o-twang]

Rhett, I found a partscaster that blew my mind the way it vibrated and sounded. That feeling hasn't worn off & I play it as often as I can.

[@terenzo50]

There's a video interview with Stephen Stills & Neil Young from ages ago in which the interviewer expressed astonishment at their learning curve relative to their second album differing so greatly from their first. What would you say was the most important thing you had learned, he asked? They answered simultaneously with one word: "Compression!"

[@slizz_detroit]

Want to see this!

[@cnking27]

That's awesome. I love what compression and EQ alone (and reverb of course) do to a clean guitar sound, it's like it makes the guitar sound "more natural" than natural, if that's possible.

[@jamesmarkham7489]

Placebo effect works in medicine, food, and obviously music. It’s amazing what we think leads to what we perceive.

[@phasemod]

I actually recently had to do some work to get *less* sustain on my 335. Every note was just too bright and long lived--I wanted to get more of a woodier, thuddier sound with a faster decay and, with flatwound 11s, I got it. And I love how it sounds. I could see myself even switching to a wooden bridge, but I've got everything dialed in so tight with intonation and everything, it's pretty much perfect for me right now.

[@RoloTomasie]

Wow, phenomenal summation of guitar construction and how it effects the player. I really appreciate your pragmatic approach.

[@KLBoringBand]

I was thinking for sure when that sound started, “oh, this is the plus pedal.” Was right. Very nice

[@ramrodthenigmatic5615]

Hey Rhett, your videos are the best! There's no fancy video editing, no bullshit. Relevant issues, great information for guitarists of all levels, and I can tell you are a real humble guy. You want to give back. I've learned so much from you. Thank you. Vin

[@ghosttownreview1531]

"Instruments are not just tools for making sound. They are more so designed for the instrumentalist to interactive with." Fantastic way to define the purpose of an instrument. I'm primarily a bass player and my custom shop Fender P bass sounds and looks fantastic, but feels terrible. The feel is opposite of what I hear and therefore uninspiring. Meanwhile my Fender American Elite Jazz sounds amazing, but also feels great and is a match between what I feel and what I hear. Great topic of discussion!

[@mojoshopguitar6172]

watch mojo shop guitar ,and learn how to fix that bass

[@louderthangod]

Don’t forget volume. Playing in front of a full stack up loud, even if clean will resonate the body and add tons of sustain. Add gain and it can be like sustainer pickup. The more the body resonates, the stronger the sustain gets and the more harmonic it gets as well.

[@martin-1965]

I like it when it resonates not just the guitar body but MY whole body as well, but... now I'm older and the tinnitus is there in the background, plus stages are getting super quiet these days (except for drummers who are never quiet) I can't enjoy stupidly wonderful loud amps the way I could way back in my youth. Kinda miss that but also need my ears to keep working - sucks.

[@louderthangod]

@@martin-1965 Thankfully many clubs that have metal bands play still let you get away with a full stack. I’m 48 and thankfully I learned early on to get the largest practice space possible and never set up near the drummer those cymbals are what kill your hearing and my ears are pretty decent still.

[@martin-1965]

@@louderthangod Yeah it was the hihats and cymbals that took out the frequencies in the right ear in my case, which was the side facing the drummer. But back in the 80s and 90s we didn't know or more to the point, didn't care. Sadly my singer from back then was a maniac and he's ended up almost completely deaf so I'll consider a light whistling noise in my ears as a warning shot in comparison. Still miss playing that loud though :)

[@andrijasentic9702]

that is feedback, not sustain

[@careerminorleaguer]

Feedback is when a systems input picks up it's own out output. Ie the guitars pickup picks up the speaker. He is talking about the strings, wood, etc actually vibrating in response to the volume. That is a separate thing and a definite contributing factor to actual sustain.

[@Guitarjosii]

Oh I loved your explanation of "resonance". Thats exactly what I am thinking about my '68 SG Special.

[@SorenJohnsonGuitar]

That intro got me. Well done.

[@NiallCrossley]

Rhett, this is such a good video. The guitar is a conduit for the player to get “their sound” across to the listener. This is why so many different players love so many different types of guitars, amps, pedals, pickups etc. the true value of a guitar is in how it makes the player feel. As you say, “if you think it sounds good, then it is good”.

[@ChristopherOrth]

A thing worth mentioning is how the current aggressive use of noise gates is a sure fire sustain killer. I find this to be the case on most modelers... a majority of the stock patches have such aggressive noise gating on them that it kills off the beautiful tails of most notes. Turning those blocks off and doing nothing else will give you miles of sustain! Or at least turn down the sensitivity so you can hold a longer note. After that... every guitar has a volume knob, btw... just sayin.

[@MrLiftr]

I love your sneaky sense of humor man I cracked up in the first 10 seconds of this vid🤣

[@darwinsaye]

Regarding resonance, I had an eye opening experience years ago with Bass. I had a cheap 70's Epiphone Newport for my first bass (the ET-288N, an entry level import, not one of the sought after 60's Newports), and I never really thought about resonance since it was my first bass. I just thought mine was typical of how basses are in general. But then I bought a modern Schecter thinking it would be a big upgrade. It arrived and one of the first things I noticed about it was if I played it unplugged, I couldn't hear anything. I literally had to stick my ear right over the strings to hear them and there was barely a whisper of sound coming off them. Then plugged in, I found it didn't have nearly the the amount of rich, deep bass and mids as my other one, even though it had an *active EQ*! That was what really got me - active EQ, and even cranking the bass knob, it couldn't compete with my old passive Epiphone. I played a couple of shows with it because it was pretty, but then sold it to a co-worker without a second thought or any regrets.

[@RC32Smiths01]

Sustain is very cool for compositions I like to play and think up, so this is quite an interesting analysis as always man. Cheers!

[@whirekobzin]

In my opinion a good electric guitar needs to have some decent sustain. I like when I (and not the guitar) get to decide when to end a note. Adding drive or compression can be limiting, because it raises the noise floor and decreases dynamics.

[@Davepotnoodle]

Paul Reed Smith did a ted talk (at least i think it was a ted talk.... it was that sort of thing) Where he said something along the lines of "the electric guitar is a subtractive system" the point he was making is that, every part of a guitar subtracts energy from the vibrating string to a greater or lesser extent. The guitar builder's job is to use materials that subtract the least amount of energy from the string so you get out as close to what you put in.

[@druwk]

Amen! It all has an impact, but it’s the player. How you feel playing a tone will only inspire as long as you don’t start comparing yourself to others.

[@EddieKingMusic]

My wife has given me several guitars over the past decade including 2 for my birthday just recently. We are lucky men! Agree totally on the "if the guitar makes you happy when you play it's a good guitar" they all have personalities as well. Some days I pick one over all the others. They are like old friends sometimes and you have to pay them a visit.

[@mderose214]

Love this video! Don't fantasize and debate about dream gear's sustain, start playing what you have and figure it out for yourself!

[@jwpranzo]

A guitar that has high resonance (that doesn’t absorb sound) will allow the strings to oscillate longer. The longer the stings vibrate, the longer the magnet field in the pickup causes induction by the strings, the longer the natural sustain. So even though the pickup only mimics the acoustic sound of the guitar. The wood’s ability to resonate or absorb sounds has a direct effect on playability and what you hear coming out of the amp.

[@sergioserramusic]

There is only one thing I can say about sustain: when is the guitar that has a lot of sustain is better because creating it with compression and overdrive adds noise. My LP has the most sustain out of all my guitars, and I tend to play differently on it because of that feature

[@MrBurakOzel]

and this is why the anology in video is pure stupidity..

[@ericwobschall8410]

The feedback that the instrument gives the performer definitely affects the performance. Also, if you have the choice between instrument derived sustain and electronic sustain, I prefer to start at the beginning. Of course, it depends what you're going for. But it's the same in recording. Move the mic or change the mic before you equalize.

[@jonathanwapner6262]

My favorite guitars have also been the relatively lightweight, resonant, and loud when unplugged types. My Gibson Gothic Flying V, Billy Corgan Signature Strat, and my newly acquired Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster come to mind.

[@JonahKrullMusic]

Well said 👏 I’m shopping for a new main guitar now that I’m playing out every weekend, and the guitar I was gonna get had a huge price hike recently (heritage H535). But this video has inspired me to just go out and try a bunch of different ones, maybe even styles I never considered and just go with whatever feels right

[@cnking27]

Take your amp to play through and make a lot of noise

[@john564holloway]

@@cnking27 Agreed, totally. When buying an electric guitar, hopefully your amp is small enough to go with you unless they have an exact Marshall stack there (lol)...If your hunting for an amp, ALWAYS use your guitar, not one from the store.

[@mojacarflamenco6314]

Don't buy a guitar. Buy your guitar.

[@john564holloway]

@@mojacarflamenco6314 Dat's rite!

[@cnking27]

​@@john564holloway I'm kind of going backwards with it, I've been playing through a crappy practice amp with a crappy Squier from 1998 for almost a year. I live in a super rural area so I'm planning to get a Katana delivered, without playing through it first, because I figure I can't go wrong with that and I get to mess around with a ton of tones that way...and then I'll drag it with me to find the right guitar. I can't imagine getting a guitar without playing it first.

[@BigdaddiZ]

“Sustain doesn’t matter” me an acoustic player: 👁 👄 👁

[@hangaroundrecords4761]

Haha, that intro!! I love that you are always able to keep an open mind Rhett. We guitar players all need to try to do that! I think also as an audience member at a live show the appearance of a guitar makes a big difference in how you hear it.

[@tejassingh4404]

Hey love your videos! I would say that a lot of folks use "lack of sustain" as a way of communicating not so well made instruments. I remember the first electric guitar I ever had. It had a dead spot at the 11th fret - no sustain. Literally like half a second. I have no clue why. It didn't matter if I put on compression or cranked the gain. To me and my fellow guitarists, that guitar had a "sustain issue".

[@kevinlocke6120]

Sounds like it had a fret sticking up slightly that was deadening the sound.

[@atan-11]

This is fresh breath of honesty and reality-oriented statements. But how did you go from this to claiming that maple necks sound snappier than rosewood? I understand it's important to get views and to feed the algorithm, but that is quite the step down in caring about reality and honesty.

[@Terry3Gs]

Well explained rhett !! Back in the "tonewood" days .. i always felt it was the sum of ALL the parts. Even today peaple will STILL argue basswood is crap ... but meanwhile for decades Ibanez has put out high end guitars with bodies totally made of basswood ... and they never sound bad or have bad sustain or resonance.

[@felonyx5123]

I see it as: wood does change tone. You can watch an A/B comparison with people swapping out the neck or body but all the same everything else, there is a difference. But it's not a big difference. If you don't have the direct comparison you'd hardly notice. But a bunch of other factors work the same way, this or that part also makes a little bit of a difference, and if you design the whole instrument so all those little differences are all pulling the tone the same way, it'll add up to a difference that matters.

[@waldemarpierzchalski]

Actually there's many types of basswood and some are expensive, not all basswoods are cheap

[@gcvrsa]

People who think basswood is crap simply don't know enough about why basswood is actually a good tonewood-because it is stiff and light, so it is resonant. It's also a nice wood for making objects, because it has very consistent, tight grain and machines smoothly. However, bassword is also relatively soft, so it is easy to damage.

[@diegogallardo8604]

Ibanez? Try John Suhr. Try EVH. Music Man. All use Basswood on expensive instruments, and have for a long time.

[@E.T.musics]

Everytime you re making your point very well. You can use the words very well and giving lots of good information as well. Thats why im clicking on your videos even if the topic is not always what i search for . Congrats

[@MrMd5555]

When this video first started who else was ready to cancel their subscription to this channel when he was trying to claim that was natural sustain!! Lol then he showed that pedal & i thought thank god, Rhett hasn't lost his mind!

[@mathiasplihal1242]

But isn’t that sustain having to do with the feedback of the speaker too?

[@sohosteveuk]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 No. It's the result of utilising an effect pedal

[@mathiasplihal1242]

I know but you can make that with the feed back of the speaker, I’ve done it before with loud volume with minimal gain

[@American-Dragon]

If you are not using it for leads that call for sustain it don't matter. I have the analogman rangemaster clone, beano boost, it will make any guitar sustain forever and it's a lot cheaper than a novo but a novo is very nice

[@jakestewartmusic]

100%, I feel like pleasing feedback is actually what most guitarists think of when they think of great examples of 'sustain' in music

[@mathiasplihal1242]

@@jakestewartmusic yea it’s a more “harmonious” feedback since it’s actually feedbacking a higher interval than the “open” strings if you just leave it feedback, they harmonize i think that’s what makes it different

[@lowqualityguitarvideos]

You make great points here. Cheers from another 65 sg junior owner.

[@MrLegion501st]

I like what you said at the end; there is too many people bashing others for buying certain brands, because they cannot afford the big names. Others bashing people for buying branded guitars and not fully 100% hand made and buying a useless piece of plastic made by a machine, according to them. Just spreading hate instead doing what they supposedly love, that is playing the guitar. Good video as always.

[@samueljones3682]

This is a really important point. There are so many sounds and vibrations the player is aware of that the listener is not, but that does not mean those sounds and vibrations aren’t important. They are important because they inform the player’s playing and facilitate inspiration.

[@judewessel5713]

Honestly that guitar is so cool man, first time I saw you playing it in a vid I went right to their website but couldn’t find it :,( lol love the vids man

[@druwk]

Amen! It all has an impact, but it’s the player. How you feel playing a tone will only inspire as long as you don’t start comparing yourself to others.

[@adehorton7287]

Thanks Rhett, you’ve made me feel better in the knowledge that my guitar is merely an extension of the music that is inside of me and with all the components needed to give the electric guitar my voice through my fingers! 🤘🏻

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

Sustain is all about technique. And volume, too. Gary Moore is a good example. Squeeze the life out of the notes.

[@3500ton]

Squeezing it from an original 59 LP standard through cranked tube amp makes it even better. Gary was one of the best ever though

[@MontyCantsin5]

@Burnt Gerbil: Have you seen the Guitarist magazine interview with GM in which he talks about how to go about choosing a good guitar? He mentions that unplugged, a guitar should be loud and have sustain (i.e. when you hold a note and add vibrato it doesn’t die on you or wilt away too quickly). Yes, the volume that a player like him used live will certainly help with feedback, etc. but I think there is something to be said for a guitar sounding good acoustically. Having to hammer away at it with the picking hand in an attempt to get it to sing isn’t really the way to go.

[@guitfinger]

Interesting topic. Two points mentioning. first of all: sustain is the opposite of resonance. The more something (the wood) resonates, the more it sucks out energy from the vibrating string. Thats why acoustic guitars are loud, but don't have that much sustain: the string has to move the resonant guitar body and translates it's energy into the wood. On the opposite: the most sustain you probably will get out of a string mounted on a big, heavy body of concrete or steel. As the body is so heavy and stiff, it wont take any energy out of the string, so the string can vibrate with the least dampening. In my opinion a great electric guitar is always a compromise between resonance and sustain. As Rhett says: we like to feel resonance and if it feels good, we will sound better. My second point: the more resonance a guitar has, the more character the wood and the construction of the guitar adds to the strings vibration. That's also something guitar players like.

[@Lantertronics]

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!

[@DavidMorales008]

Excellent wisdom is growing through new thought experience

[@colinwallace5286]

My sister has two Larivee acoustics from the late 80’s that were built by Jean himself, and had the inlay work (it’s really art, no question) done by his wife. They’re visually stunning, but also great sounding instruments. She has said many times that she is lucky to call him a friend, and humbled that he gave her the opportunity to have guitars she only dreamed of. There is something special about playing what is essentially a tangible part of someone’s life’s work and passion.

[@migueleespinosa2632]

Larivee are some of the most vocal acoustics I have ever played. Made the mistake of not getting one in the 1990s but the impression it left on me is obliviously unforgettable.

[@KakavashaForever]

You make a great point about the way a guitar vibrates and feels while playing being important, I had a guitar that really resonated and I found it so distracting I had to get rid of it even though I loved the way it sounded. I took it back down to the shop I got it from and traded it back in for another identical guitar that didn't resonate the same way while being played. Both guitars were 1997 BC rich Warlocks, both were brand new, and both were set up by the same man to my specifications, Both sounded identical, but one had a tactile resonance that I found distracting and the other didn't.

[@ColinDaviesGTR]

You should do a video about treble boosters. Super misunderstood effect that makes the world of difference

[@Lantertronics]

I theorize that treble boosters like the Dallas Rangemaster were something of a happy accident. They're not special -- just common emitter amplifiers with a biasing scheme that involves a capacitor at the front that blocks low frequencies. So they don't boost trebles as much as they attenuate bass in the overall amplification structure. My head cannon is that they were trying to design a pure clean boost, noticed it couldn't pass bass, noticed that was kind of cool anyway, and then decided to call the bug a feature. ;)

[@kenzuercher7497]

Nice discussion. I have found recently that The amp is also a big factor in sustain. about 6-10 dB below the "sweet spot" the tubes begin to compress the signal, effectively evening out the notes. The 'sweet spot' can be moved lower by using a Tube Screamer or a Soul Food type pedal. The Soul Food spot is a bit further toward clipping. Another big thing is to follow the lead of the shredders and pick lighter and turn up the amp to compensate. Hard picking gives a big transient at the beginning of the note and if the amp volume is set for that transient, your notes appear disconnected and actually have less sustain. I switched (after 50 years!) from a 1.52 mm pick to a Fender thin and its extended my sustain by not allowing me to overpack the beginning of the note. You never know! Keep up the great discussions and observations, Rhett!

[@maxpeck4154]

Excellent points. I don't use pedals at all but letting the amp do they work and break up naturally while varying pick dynamics is satisfying and inspiring. You're bang on about picking too hard and killing a note. That frustrated me for years. Switched from .12s with an extra heavy pick in my teen years to .10s with a thin pick in my 40s. If only I had known back then...

[@migueleespinosa2632]

We all develop differently. I use to play exclusively light picks for about 40 years but now play a V-pick big Fattie 5mm with a lighter attack strumming and soloing with better control of expression, and yes sustain. I use more compression now because of quieter stage volume requirements, direct to PA modeler use, and because my dynamics grew immensely with the use of thick pick.

[@yannick2047]

I have to respectfully disagree in this. Sustain, while not being the „be all end all“ of a guitar‘s sound, certainly is important. When I bend a note on one of my good Les Pauls and let it ring there for a while, with better sustain I have more time to vary and modulate my vibrato „by hand“, thus generating more emotion out of the note. Also, it somewhat sounds more „impressive“ on the listener‘s side, if a note has noticeably more sustain. Furthermore, with a Les Paul I can achieve such an effect without needing some additional fancy electronics between the guitar and the amp. However, another question would be whether it is possible for a guitar to have a nice, rounded tone which just doesn‘t ring as long, but still sounds good. This is actually also quite possible, in my opinion. For instance, I own a Flying V which, at least in case of my V, doesn‘t sustain quite as long as a Les Paul, but the notes you get out of this thing still sound amazing and the guitar is somewhat „lively“, in a way. Furthermore, in my experience as well, „sustain“ also has something to do with the player. I.e., most instruments have a „sweet-spot“, some area on the neck where notes tend to ring a bit longer than in others. That, combined with the way you hit the string, also contributes to sustain, as well as tone quality.

[@Andreorsel]

Totaly agree with you!

[@yannick2047]

@@Andreorsel thx!

[@piersuntersander]

Fantastic video. The subject matter is one thing, but how you were able to rip through the majority of it without a prompter or a million takes speaks volumes on how far you've come in this YT game. Intelligent, well-articulated content motivates the viewer's intellect and , I believe, has longer lasting beneficial impact on the channel than regurgitating trending content ad nuseaum. Wurdz is hard. Well done, Rhett, loved this one!

[@Lantertronics]

Rhett has tremendous on-camera presence and a radio DJ voice.

[@stevenjefferies9415]

Very happy to see this video Rhett. Its about what plays good and feels good in the hand. The wood does that for sure. It has almost zero bearing about what comes out the amp, but you combine good pickups/setup with a guitar that feels great in the hand, you've got a winner. It could be that $5,000 Gibson, or that $500 Epiphone with upgraded Gibson pickups. The tone out the amp will be the same, but it also needs to pair with how well it feels to play and vibrates with you. To the point of all this, the term "tone-wood" in this case is really false nomenclature. It should really be called "feel-wood" or "connection-wood" (I know those are stupid though) because the wood is simply the connective tissue between the player and the guitar, not the tone. And that connectivity is big, but is not a tone driver. Again, very happy to see this video. Good stuff Rhett.

[@Lantertronics]

I like the term "feel-wood" -- and love the phrase "the wood is simply the connective tissue between the player and the guitar"

[@joeurbanowski321]

Brett..! I’m working on a jobsite only 6 minutes from a Guitar Center.. Not my fave music store.. but now ya got me drooling for some gear… HAHAHA..! And it’s payday..!!!

[@FarmKid1715]

My go to test on a new guitar it to hold the body up to my ear and play an big open E chord and let it ring out. That’s a quick test that gives a pretty good sign of whether I will like it or not.

[@micahjonesmusic]

Just throwing this out there, but sustain does have an important relationship with noise. You can totally add sustain with compression, but you also bring up the noise floor of the signal overall. I have a Gretsch that, when I first got it, required a lot more compression to achieve the same sustain as my other guitars, and it resulted in a higher noise floor. Part of that is the pickups, the Bigsby, etc. All I know is when I changed the pickups out and got a Tru-Arc brass bridge on it, it was like a whole new instrument. Now it rings a good deal longer, which means I don't need as much compression, which means less noise.

[@ganjafarmer1572]

Thanks for this video. I ran one of your SG videos thru my sound system, that thing SINGS. I am sure youtube compresses the signal , even so .....magic. Big up.

[@Tonskiislegit]

This is exactly what people need to hear! Great job.

[@victorcampos6865]

Amazing video as always!

[@fullbeans983]

I 100% agree. My second acoustic was so resonant I felt my voice in it when I first held it, I played for about 30 seconds and knew I was taking it home. The whole feeling good equals sounding good upwards spiral that starts from feeling that resonance aswell as hearing it is on point, exactly how that instrument effects me. My current acoustic doesn't have that same connection to me.

[@Lantertronics]

Oh, yeah, acoustic and electric guitars are entirely different things. An acoustic guitar *must* resonate according to its principle of operation.

[@BanBanChi]

My acoustic guitar is so resonant that when I cough I can hear it vibrate! First time that happened in the middle of the night I thought we had a ghost

[@Lantertronics]

@@BanBanChi That's the sign of a good acoustic. It wants to couple with the air around it.

[@BanBanChi]

@@Lantertronics good to know. It's a 30 year old Takamine student model that I got at a second hand shop in Japan for less than $50!

[@fullbeans983]

@Lantertronics - Aaron Lanterman I never tried saying electric or acoustic are the same. That still doesn't change the fact some acoustics are more resonant than others but thanks for the information I suppose.

[@arsethehorse]

Really good vid Rhett and early P90 SGs are brilliant at bringing out the best in the player in my experience for the reasons you explain.

[@mojacarflamenco6314]

Rhett's point towards the end, when he talks about reflectivity, hits the nail on the head. I call it responsiveness, but it's the same thing. When I do a thing, does the thing I'm doing it on respond? This is true whether it's a guitar, a fly rod, or a car. It's also something that varies from person to person. I've played some great guitars that did nothing in my hands and guitars from unknown builders that were perfect for me. I'm a flamenco and classical guitarist, but the underlying truth about reflectivity/responsiveness holds true.

[@williammyers9209]

that opening cracked me up

[@marcofioravanti4176]

Three thoughts: 1.) You can see it kinda "backwards". How much does the construction of the guitar "take away" from the possible optimum string vibration? 2.) More pickups, more - or stronger - magnets, less distance to the strings etc. reduce sustain! 3.) Pure volume, coming out of speakers, stimulating string vibration, is one of the biggest influences on sustain! This adds to natural or artificial compression, sag and distortion. Great stage-experienced guitarists ride on the "knife edge" and play the fine line between endless sustain and controlled - or even chaotic - string feedback by tweaking tone and volume control of the guitar as well as changing the guitars distance and position to the speakers. The more a bedroom guitar player or even headphone guitar player you are, the more you are in need for artificial support by various pedals.

[@TheJayblue1]

Man... you Nailed it... what a video... your take on this conondrum syndrom where nothing really is important about how we feel about what we play... man... spot on... thanks for keeping the inspiration coming... 😎😎👏👏🔊🔊🎸🎸🎸🤟🤟😃😃🙏🙏

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

Nice exploration on the question of what makes a guitar good.

[@VAWOZNIAK]

After watching this video, Rhett, I understand now what ‘sustain’ really means. The original note on the guitar is no different, but it’s VOLUME can be SUSTAINED for a longer duration of the held note (or notes in the case of a held chord)..

[@stevenpipes1555]

Oh Rhett, you were so close to making my point! Tone comes from the inspiration, and inspiration comes, largely from the way the guitar feels. A good sustain, in my opinion, is less about how long the note rings, and more about how strong and healthy the note jumps off of the guitar. A guitar with great sustain is letting the notes ring out stronger and with a more natural decay. If i play a bit on any guitar, then hand that same guitar to Stevie Ray, Chris Buck, or to you, it will sound different. Before the pickups detect anything, the strings need to vibrate. Every guitar lets the strings vibrate differently, so the tones frequency may come from the pickups and amp, but the tones charecter comes from the way the guitar feels and rings. I use the same strings on all of my guitars and, unplugged, they all sound different.if it was all a trick of strings and magnets alone, then unplugged with identical strings, they would all just be the same!

[@maxpeck4154]

How strong and healthy the note jumps off the guitar. Perfect way to put that. 👍🏻

[@mojoshopguitar6172]

Radius the pickups, puts the strings in the same part of the magnetic field, for even magnetic pull. Also all notes must play perfectly in tune, for this to happen. learn more at mojo shop guitar on youtube.

[@michael1]

You're close. Tone comes from inspiration, which comes from perspiration which comes from precipitation that derives from evaporation which comes from radiation which comes from the sun which comes from helium which comes from hydrogen which comes from the big bang. So all you need to get good tone is a big bang and that's why I use diamond picks.

[@ATotalDork]

The weird thing about sustain is that everyone tests it by just playing a clean chord / note and listening to how long is lasts, but how many songs do you know where a completely clean, uncompressed chord / note is played and held for dozens of seconds at a time? Testing sustain outside the context of a song and a mix is just completely irrelevant information

[@Lantertronics]

I liked Jim Lill's approach where he was fixed a time interval and then looked at what the amplitude was after that interval.

[@kevingreen3365]

Good stuff, brother… very well done 👍🏻

[@cderosa1185]

Rhett great video and I totally get what your saying about the vintage guitar being reflective. I recently had that same experience. Picked up a 335 Jim James and was a little upset that it didn’t give me that reflective feeling. It was almost too compressed. However a pickup height adjustment fixed that for me. Not I feel like it’s giving me back what I put in it

[@ovash1]

When I graduated High School in 83, all I could afford was a Maya electric guitar, strat copy, but I couldn't afford an amplifier. Cheap guitars were not good in the early 80s, but i loved that guitar. I played it without an amplifier, at first, because I couldn't afford an amp, but later, because I became accustomed to the sound of the guitar itself. To this day, I still enjoy the sound of a resonant electric guitar without an amplifier to get in the way. I do use amplifiers when necessary, but otherwise, I just love the sound of a good un-amplified electric guitar. I hope that makes sense.

[@mknow1]

Great video. I am not sure if the professor addressed dampening and resonance. String vibration will be dampened by the body and neck (some frequencies more than others). The body and neck can also feed vibrations back into the strings. The resonant frequencies of the body and neck will add overtones and other vibrations back into the strings. So although it is the strings vibrating in the pickup's magnetic field that produces the signal - it is definite that the body and neck do take away and add to that signal - no question. That's why the other SG felt like a sponge - it had high vibration absorbtion (like a shock absorber on a car) and quickly took the music away.

[@Lantertronics]

I get into it a little bit. You can find my video here (this was my response to Rhett's original video) by searching "Refining Rhett Shull's Resonance Reasoning: Vibrations in Electric Guitars and the Sustain Paradox"

[@Lantertronics]

Considering how thick an electric guitar body compared with the thicknesses used in an acoustic guitar, I expect that the effect is mostly damping, with little if any coupled resonance going back into the strings in a constructive way. So to the extent that the body/neck effects tone on electric instruments, I suspect it's primarily a *subtractive* effect.

[@santrixhimself3679]

the worst are the comparisons on how long a note will ring. like guitar 1 rings 28 seconds and guitar 2 rings 30 seconds. that is an absolutly unusable result. almost nobody plays notes that ring that long in a musical context

[@Lantertronics]

Even if it wasn't a silly test to begin with, there's too much variability in when people decide a note goes below the threshold of hearing.

[@nick16754]

the tree outside to the left of Rhett's head is glitching during this video but still a good video as always :)

[@andrewbecker3700]

Best video yet on this ongoing debate about what actually matters most when searching for tone. If the guitar doesn't inspire you create and enjoy music, however that may be. Mechanically or astetically, then move on. To tell anyone that "hey, this is the best, and screw the rest". Is non sensical. The best is where your at in the moment. Enjoy what you have and practice more.

[@Lantertronics]

I recall a well-known producer saying something like "the best microphone is the one that's closest/already hooked up when you're feeling inspired."

[@carverpartin6604]

This was a great video Rhett. Definitely one of my favorites

[@rondelio8562]

Great points made, Rhett!! Since I build electrics, I would say that all the elements that go into a guitar make the guitar what it is. I also agree with the points you made and the use of true science to back up your points. Thank you for this!!

[@EasyHeat]

Different materials and wood species definitely "feel" different in regards to perceived notions of vibrational resonance that are only experienced by the player, but no matter how negatively toxic the guitar community becomes when anyone proclaims this inconvenient truth?... It does not, in any way affect the tone. Denser woods definitely "feel" snappier, while less dense woods tend to "feel" more loose or "spongey" as you mentioned, and therein lays the conundrum. Because our inherent natural senses kick in, crosses paths, and ultimately blends our subjective tactile perceptions with our audible ones, and due to the profoundly unique human trait that is musical expression, including the well documented induction effects it has not just on emotive neurotransmitters, but also other biochemical processes? For example, I can rarely make all the way through "Landslides" by Stevie Nicks if also singing the lyrics while playing it on acoustic guitar. Not because I'm not skilled enough mind you. I can easily do either or separately, but when attempted simultaneously?! I start balling as soon as the chorus kicks in. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ That's because music, especially for someone performing, is a deeply ingrained and psychologically hardwired emotive experience. It honestly doesn't require much of a leap of faith, as it does merely a basic understanding of neurological psychology, for one to even casually asses as to why such borderline superstitious personal experience mythologies persist to this day about a technology that's literally well over a century old and beyond. For me personally? I can almost psychologically correlate to the day of when my live performing career first ended, and when my subsequent issues of living with previously undiagnosed "high functioning Autism" (Asperger Syndrome) and former addiction struggles began. Especially with the later, as I was basically attempting to chemically over supplement those all powerful endorphins known as dopamine & serotonin that I had previously only experienced through performance. Unfortunately, it's not an uncommon fate for musicians. Finally coming to grips with that reality ultimately saved my life, but also unwittingly cost me 20 years of it overall with nothing to show for now. Holy crap! How in the heck did I start out discussing "tonewood" and end up oversharing about mental health and addiction?! (facepalm) I think within the "Aspie" world we term that as " hyper-focus"?! Anyhoo... Thanks for letting me... Uh. Share? I guess? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ LMFAO! Love the channel Rhett! Stay safe and well out there amigo. Cheers!

[@pierresalameh123]

Totally agree with the summery : each his own guitar 🎸

[@daviddaniels4075]

"If it sounds good, it is good." I have always said this about music in general. If the music sounds good, The music is good. Love the video, and the SG.

[@seanrosedotcom]

For everyone that says it's the pickups... forget how the string vibrates for those pickups is entirely driven by the construction of the guitar. Wood, metal type and shapes all matter... and they matter a great deal. You can put a bad singer in front of a Neumann, and the mic won't help. It's never just the pickups.

[@shortstack7365]

One of the pitfalls of lots of criticisms/videos is crapping all over an idea and leaving it at that. I love that most of your videos present an alternative concept to latch onto versus the misconception you're discussing. It reminds me of the "consider the following" segment from the Bill Nye videos I watched in school as a kid. Thanks for keeping up with the great content.

[@lloydster9000]

For electric instruments, the sound and tone is mostly coming from the speaker(s) used. That’s where the signal is converted into actual sound.

[@UXBen]

I don’t disagree that’s important, but it’s just one more variable. Ultimately we could argue that you or your mic position to the speaker is even more important. Proximity effect and phasing can completely change how sound is translated. And are we talking recordings or live? Because in recording, what mic I choose or going DI will have a huge impact. And there’s a big difference between how we interface with a PA and how we interface with earbuds or car speakers. If it’s going through a soundboard or a DAW, has it been EQed? Just as important, how’s the listeners hearing? A crowd of 65+ are going to hear a very different tone than a crowd of teenagers. These rabbit holes go DEEP, which I why I appreciate when Rhett always brings it back to “if it sounds good, then it is good.”

[@lloydster9000]

@@UXBen microphone position is indeed important, right up there with the speakers. You’ve made a few great points.

[@Lantertronics]

@@UXBen Indeed, it's more than the sum of its parts. (Microphone choice is huge too. And then you can play games of using multiple microphones... the possibilities are endless).

[@jowensoderlund]

This is a great video/overall point. I would have mentioned a 4th type of sustain - when the guitar amp/speaker sound is reintroduced to the guitar's pickup(s).

[@Lantertronics]

I think Rhett should do a whole video on feedback through speakers. That Hendrix-style feedback is kind of its own instrument.

[@JonathanWhitcomb]

There is a difference between sustain and feedback resonance.

[@TheLeandroSOliveira]

Thank you, Rhett! I've been a believer that the whole sustain thing doesn't matter for years now, but somehow guitar players are still debating this very thing. I've never played a single guitar in my life, cheap or expensive, that didn't sustain enough for me to do my thing while playing it.

[@thecroft6070]

Love the look of your SG Junior, especially its perfectly formed pickguard

[@pd-kx4qw]

Love that you use the SG for this video. They have that ring to them like no other guitar. At least any that I’ve played. If you want to see a crazy level of ‘the ring’ on a SG try using the elixir nanoweb extra long life strings in 10-46. They are pricey but whatever it’s the cost of a few cups of coffee and the difference is 👍. I started using them a few months back on a Std 61 and they just sound fantastic. I play that guitar a lot and they still look brand new. Same strings too.

[@palindronenoise]

Interesting listening to this with the thought of Les Paul not wanting the wood to contribute to the sound at all. The man put strings and pickups on a railroad track.

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

Maybe this video should just be called, "I changed my mind about not liking compressors."

[@Lantertronics]

HAH!

[@rodmorgan7041]

You said that so well. Oh, and that jnr looks fantastic !

[@bwest2010]

Great video Rhett. Your point about resonance is spot on. Some guitars, for lack of a better term, actually feel alive when they are played. The same model sitting next to may not. The same goes for tube amplifiers. The comfortability factor is also huge and an element people often overlook and should be the primary consideration for new guitarists. A $3000.00 Les Paul that hangs on the wall because it's 12 lbs of back ache is not a great guitar. It's wall art. These factors often manifest subliminally. I have a collection of guitars to pick off the wall to play including Strats, Jaguar, Surfcasters, Les Paul copy, Schecter, Jacksons etc but one day I noticed that the guitar I always picked off the wall to play, especially during free time creative noodling, was a custom 3/4 size semi acoustic Surfcaster. When I analyzed why it became clear it was because it was the most comfortable to play in any position. It also sang under the fingers, but so did most of the rest also.

[@harrys.5550]

I agree with your points of view in this video and would add the following- One of the original ways to create sustain in an electric guitar is finger vibrato. Get good at it and you'll have sustain and tone for days. Also, the workbench guitar "experiment" was just a revisit to the century old Southern Diddley Bow- 2 nails on the side of a barn with wire pulled tight between them and a bottle or knife to create sounds.

[@TJEvans98]

I always argue this with myself as well....until I realize that I NEVER play a note that needs to resonate long enough for it to matter...

[@perrymann6807]

Lots of ads out there making references to having or requiring ‘pro gear’ which by definition should mean gear used by pros. Historically some of the greatest sounds have come from rather simple and relatively inexpensive combinations of instruments, amp/cabinets, pedals. Curious if you or any of your pro buddies would have any reservations to show up with any gear solely based on its cost or brand. I once played a very expensive retail for $25000 guitar with a very prominent name on the headstock. I was completely underwhelmed by its feel and sound which I know was inferior to my self customized $250 Ibanez S that when ever I let somebody play it they ask if I’d sell it-this is usually after initially snickering about it not being ‘pro gear.’

[@deanz9161]

I have a 1979 Ibanez Iceman ps10. Paul Stanley from KISS sold these even back then. It sustains forever before I ever plug it in. When I plug it in I don’t need alot of help from pedals at all. It sounds great!

[@NobodyWhatsoever]

One thing which has been a bother when some people review guitars in videos is that they'll play some riff while exclaiming something like, "Wow! Listen to that sustain!" But nothing they play lasts more than a half-second or so, as if they expected the signal to drop off significantly in that amount of time. And I don't care what "style" they're playing in such a scenario, that has little to do with sustain.

[@mikaashton2152]

I'm with you in the sense of just play it and if you like it well that's that.. Simple... We live unfortunately in a world where it's more about consuming...

[@theelectricvoyage]

Rhett, you ain't preaching...this is like zen and the art of electric guitar, anyone who is lucky enough to explore this instrument as a music making tool has to get you. So the start of the video had me freaking out......great stuff even though you were probably thinking oh just making the point of what wa to come, please tell me what that pedal was? Keep preaching! Thanks for this...........really.

[@figueiredomarcelobe]

Rhett, this is a very good video and I share the same thoughts. As a player I can say the link I have with each gear makes me feel and play different and this have a huge impact on the music we are playing. There is no need to anyone keep experimenting to prove that only strings and pickups matter, because it is subjective to each player and music and art are subjective. I am eletronic engineer and I love messup with my rig but I never forget the final motive is music, art and everthing is subjective.

[@john564holloway]

Can't agree more, Rhett. Even a set neck vs a bolt-on neck can sustain more than the other. The whole body of my Fender Strat w/alder body and bolt-on neck vibrates twice as much as my Les Paul Classic. Both axes are worlds apart. IMO, when buying an electric guitar, play it acoustically first to feel the true 'spirit' of the guitar. To me, if it feels & sounds good unplugged, it'll feel & sound good plugged in.