theblueark

On that PUp/Driver, one side of the HB (with the writing on it) is the driver, the other half is the pickup (single coil). So, the driver is again of the (fairly) thin type.

This was an early sustainer, the patent (F Rose) is one of the easier (less BS) to understand.

Hmm ok I see.

Oh could you answer this?

I'm sorry I'm not too well versed in electronics. Why does the preamp section prevent loading? Is it because of the 1Mohm at the input?

My exams are almost over and hopefully I am able to find shops which sell the parts I need for experimenting over here (Singapore).

The pickup->driver amp->driver is not loaded because of the driver amp's preamp section. This ensures that the pressence of the sustainer is transparent to the tone of the instrument.

I'm sorry I'm not too well versed in electronics. Why does the preamp section prevent loading? Is it because of the 1Mohm at the input?

And about the humbucking sustainer, it appears that the floyd rose sustainer I mentioned in my earlier post is using that.

Here's the link to the site again:Kramer sustainer guitar

Some interesting bits from that page:

The pickup itself looked like a typical "blade" type unit (think X2N) with the electronics built into the body. The electronics of the guitar were listed as such: one volume, one tone, 3 way pickup switch, an LED for weak battery indication, sustainer on/off switch, and a 3-way sustainer function select which could be selected as, fundamental mode/harmonic mode/increased sensitivity harmonic mode.

Many Sustainer guitars out there today you may find have the sustaining pickup/electronics removed and a regular humbucking pickup put in it's place. Reports are that the sustaining unit will fizzle out with age which is why many people will take them out and discard them and replace the pickup.

Today, Fernandez makes a superior sustaining pickup that basically does the same thing and perhaps a bit better if you are looking to get your Sustainer back and working.

I did a bit more research and found these:

Kramer Sustainer

Kramer Baretta Infinity Sustainer

Japanese sustainer?

The Kramer Sustainer page has a manual for download and a schemetic on how to hook it up (not for how it works though). Apparently it's a humbucking sized sustainer and can work as a humbucking pickup also.

I've spent the week reading this whole thread, till my eyes went all criss-crossed heh.

I am amazed at the amount of work and dedication you have put into your creations. Very impressed by everything.

Have you ever thought about working for some bigger company's Research and Development? Since the way I see it, you, like most diy guitarists, are more interested in finishing the creation than in owning the license and stuff like that.

Could this be a solution to many of your problems? You'll have access to more parts than you'll have on your own, you'll get paid doing what you're doing everyday now anyway, and although you won't have the license to the product, you'll probably be credited with the invention of it.

Would some kind folks volunteer emailing the more trusted 'ethical' companies and point them in the direction of this thread? I'm sure if they read through carefully they will see how dedicated you are and what a valuable employee you would make.

Some questions, of which I wasn't able to find the answers in the thread.

1) I got lost somewhere in the middle as to why you abandoned the hex x series drivers. Was it because of the string bending? Or was it that it is simply easier and that it works better in this magnetic coil method?

2) How do you split the signal? 1 goes to the driver and 1 goes to the output. Do you have a buffer before the split? I understand the Ruby amp circuit but I'm not sure how to connect it up to my guitar and still have an output to my output jack. It seems in Ansil's circuit, he just takes the output from the pickup and directs it into the amp. So pickup --> output and pickup --> amp. Won't that cause any problems? I always thought you had to have a buffer before any splitting of a signal, instead of just using a Y cable, or the signal would be weaker, and the the 2 loads will affect each other.

3) What will happen if we wind the driver like an inductor? As in coiling the wire around the width of an object roughly the length of our pickups and with the thickness similar to what we've been working with (3-6mm)

Like so:

I'm gonna participate in the experimenting once my exams are over, around the December period. Hope my questions aren't too silly

Tim, how do you shape the magnets? I wanna make some narrow ones too.