DIY Sustainer
Introduction
Sustainer is cool little device originally designed by Fernandes®. It works opposite from "normal" guitar pickup. Basically, active circuit amplifies signal from bridge pickup and sends it to driver which generates magnetic field causing strings to vibrate infinitely. Driver replaces neck pickup on guitar which limits guitar tonal variations in one way but gives completely new possibilities. Signal flow with the sustainer is pickup -> amplifier -> driver where driver replaces a speaker. Speaker cone movement is replaced by magnetic field generated around the driver.
This photo shows Fernandes Sustainer kit which is cool but very expensive (above 200$). Fortunately, great guys from Project Guitar Forum (most of all Pete/psw and Col) developed DIY friendly project that costs much less than original but still sounds good. Also, I’d like to thank PSW Pete for sending me 0.2mm wire all the way from Australia at no cost.
Cost to build
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Bill of materials
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0.2mm wire
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1€
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Plastic pickup cover
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2€
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LM386 power amp
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0.5€
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DIL8 IC socket
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0.2€
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2x 100K trimmer
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0.5€
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1K trimmer
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0.25€
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Resistors: 1M, 1.5K, 68K
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0.1€
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Caps: 22n, 100nF, 22uF, 100uF, 220uF
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0.5€
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JFET J201
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0.2€
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SPST toggle switch
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0.5€
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DPDT toggle switch
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0.5€
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Board material, wire, battery clip
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1€
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Total
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7.25€
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If you do not have some old pickup to use for about 10€ you can order single coil pickup kit and pickup cover, StewMac carries both items.
Construction
I decided to go with Fetzer/Ruby amplifier that will drive the sustainer. It’s pretty simple to build and has been reported to work well. It’s basically a Fetzer Valve booster that drives a 386 based amplifier. Both circuits may be found at runoffgroove.com.
As far as the coil is concerned, I got a few dead pickups and choose the one that has the nicest bobbin. The coil itself should be as thin as possible so bobbin has to be shortened to 3mm or so. To do that I glued two plastic L profiles on the sides that leave just about 3mm of space on the top of the bobbin. Based on the size of my bobbin I calculated number of turns that will give 8ohm coil (link may be found below). Coil is potted with universal glue to keep it in place and prevent microphonics.
Pictorial
Click on an image to see more details.
Useful links
Project Guitar "Sustainer Ideas" thread (very large)
Project Guitar tutorial on building driver
Program for calculating turns count for given core dimensions
Official Fernandes Sustainer page
are this really works ?
I doubt it ….
really I’ve trying to build but it doesnt work
could you please give me the wiring include instruction of winding pick up ???
hello, my sustainer does not work on strings g, b and e or on the wire strings. In fibrous strings does not matter. Any suggestions for this problem ….
thank you, but why the sustainer only work with bridge pickup. Sorry for my bad english
You’d run into noise issues if used with the middle pickup because of proximity to the driver
my sustainer working on E string, A and D but the strings g, b, e the sustainer does not work at all. I just use a simple LM386 preamp but do not use a FET transistor. Whether it is the cause. Thanks …
thanks for your tutorial. but im still confusing about how to install or connect my guitar to sustainer and the driver sustainer pickup. Please see my pic diagram http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z407/viantd/pepi_sustainer.jpg. if my pic wrong, tell me or email me a right schematic diagram. thanks again for your hel..
Hi,
the diagram isn’t correct. The sustainer does not stand between your guitar and amp, but rather branches into another signal path. It’s effect on sound is through the driver.
You need a 3PDT switch that does the following when ON
Hope it makes sense,
Bane
I allready follow all instruction well, but the sustainer dont work at all,
i used ruby amp ,
for the pickup how many ohm
could you please send me the diagram and winding proccess
thanks
Hello!! the scheme where you are? thanks!
Hi, firstly, thanks for really quick answer
Next, I still have problem – I’ve been trying a lot of possible solutions. Swapping leads should only affect in switch between normal and harmonics (I pluged them into the DPDT switch), so I don’t think it’s a problem. To much gain – I have an amplifier without gain or volume control, so I pluged potentiometer before amplifier, then I tryied after amplifier, before driver. Now I’m able to keep sustainer working in almost every point of the string, close enough to put it in the hole, but it just stop working when I turn it upside down and put in the hole. When I give big gain, I have constant noice as before, with lower gain noice stops, but sustainer doesn’t work. Any idea? Greetings.
Hi, I’ve almost made my sustainer but I still have some problems. When I’m testing my driver over the neck (up to 24th fret) it’s working great. It stop work when I move it closer to the hole prepared for it (ex-neck pickup hole). Next, when I turn it upside-down (magnet down) and place it in the hole, it starts to generate some kind of noice, not depending on what I’m playing etc. It sounds like very high feedback. Can You help me with this? I’m affraid my driver has a bit to low resistance (about 7.1 Oms), but I can’t place more wires in 3 mm of space, should I make a bit larger space and force it to has 8 Oms? Thanks in advance
don’t worry about impedance, 7.1 is close enough. Try to swap driver leads and see if that solves squeal.
Cheers
another thing, try to reduce gain in the circuit if swapping leads doesn’t help. It’s possible that you have too much.
does this sustain on the top b ande strings..especially on the higher fret notes?…12-21 fret?…
Hello I was wondering if you could be a bit more specific about the parts needed for this sustainer.
I’m ordering a lot of them online but when I, for example, am looking for a 47n Capacitor they vary a lot. There is for example a capacitance tolerance and voltage rating. Or should i just look for everything with voltage around 9-12 V?
I hope to hear from you soon!
most common film capacitors in nF range are rated 63V, those will work fine. As for tolerance, shouldn’t matter.
cheers
hi,
which wire goes to the output nob??where the sustainer on/off switch should i connect??
regards,
Atif amin
Hi!
I have two questions but first I want to congratulate you on simplifying things
I wonder how does your high e string sound, is it sustained on high frets and the other is what kind of magnet did you use?
cheers,
vladimir
hey, can I see the wiring???
please explain it with pictures
hey dude, can I see the wiring????
please explain it with pictures
Hi. . I already made the fetzer ruby. . .but i dnt know how to instal it to the guitar wid hss c0nfig and a 5way switch. .can you send me a diagram? Can i substitute a push pull pots for the switch? Thanks dude
Is it works with chords? Can it provide sustain with several strings?
If you had read one of the sites that are linked above, you would know the answer: NO!
how does this sound (regular sustain/harmonic mode) against a sustainiac or fernandes?
I have Ibanez JEM with DiMarzo pickup.
I guess I have to remove the neck evolution pickup and replace it with piezo coil
I already understand how to make piezo and driver fetzer/ruby
the pickup wiring diagram is standard HSH.
how the wiring diagram to install fetzer/ruby driver to my guitar.
the fetzer/ruby circuit diagram i found it at your DIY software
what is the scheme? I mean where the wire goes from driver to pickup/5 way switch?
can u draw and send it to my email?
thanks for the great job
Thanks for this! A few questions though…
1. No thoughts on how well it worked?
2. How did you wire it to the guitar?
Hi,
orange and green wires connects to the blue and white,and then ?
please help!
nice job!
Where does the driver pickup is connected?
Looking at your driver, i try to guess
I’m really frustrated
Thank’s
Bye
Hi,
orange and green would go to red and blue on the right side of the board. That’s the output of the amplifier. In between you will probably want to have a DPDT switch that changes polarity (green to red, orange to blue and the other way round). That way you’re changing between sustain and harmonic modes.
Cheers,
Bane
Thank you very much!
And what about white and blue wires? I have a dual humbucker guitar with 4 knobs (gibson like), my idea is to replace neck pickup with an 8 ohm “single coil” driver (even if the hole) … should white and blue wires have to be connected where the old nec kpickup was?
One more time, thank’s!
nope, blue wire goes to guitar ground and white goes to the bridge pickup output. You will also need a switch to turn the sustainer on and off, probably the best way would be to cut the voltage out.
Hello,
Thanks for your work in the sustainer proyect.
I would like to make one, but i need instructions and info to start, where i can find information to do the circuit and coil/magnet?
Regards,
Gabriel.
Hi,
the circuit is Fetzer/Ruby (you can find it on http://runoffgroove.com/). As for the coil, check out the photo gallery on this page. There’s description under each photo. Also turn calculator program I referenced under links will be helpful…
Cheers,
Bane
i need the wireing diagram to know how to wire all the peases on the board i dont see the layout .. thanks