Sustain pedal from Big Muff

[aldistannos]

Hi everyone I've just found this from the internet :


is it possible to make a clean sustain pedal out of it? I'm a newbie and don't understand much about this thing..

[Mark Hammer]

Short answer: no.  Yes, I know the traditional BMP has a control labelled "Sustain" on it, but it is really just a sensitivity control to set how much clipping happens and for how long the clipping lasts prior to the note's natural decay.  An actual clean sustain-enhancing function requires an entirely different circuit.

[aldistannos]

Okaay. thanks Mark, I almost waste some time. A suggestion for the right circuit perhaps?

[induction]

A compressor is good for getting clean sustain. I like mictester's cheap compressor for that, but there are lots to of others to choose from, too.

[Mark Hammer]

There is much written here about the topic, but I will just say quickly that there are two major paths to pursue. 

Compressors and limiters create the illusion of sustain by reducing the difference between the volume when you first pick a note, and the volume after the string has been vibrating for a little while.  They do this by reducing when the input is strong, and boosting as the input starts to weaken.

Sustainer circuits actually try to make the string mechanically vibrate longer.

In practice, the two approaches start to behave like each other when playing at higher volumes.  If you play loud enough, and stand close enough to the amplifier, the guitar body will start to vibrate, which shakes the strings a little bit more.  Since compressors try to prevent the note from dying out naturally, they will assist a loud amplifier in shaking the guitar body.

[DougH]

Ironically enough, the BMP was created from an aborted attempt at a "clean sustain" pedal.