The Sustainiac® Stealth PRO Sustainer is an electronic system designed to provide indefinite sustain for musical instrument strings, primarily guitars. It achieves this by electronically amplifying and processing the instrument's pickup signal, then sending this signal to a patented magnetic string driver transducer (driver). This driver, which replaces the existing neck pickup, emits a pulsating magnetic field synchronized with the string vibrations, adding energy back into the strings to counteract natural decay.
Function Description:
The core function of the Sustainiac Stealth PRO is to extend the vibration of instrument strings indefinitely. When activated, the system takes the signal from the instrument's bridge pickup, amplifies and processes it, and then feeds it to the driver. The driver, acting as an electromagnet, induces continuous vibration in the strings. This process allows notes to sustain for as long as the system is active, overcoming the natural friction that causes notes to die out.
When the sustainer is OFF, the driver functions as a humbucking active neck pickup. Users can adjust circuit board settings to achieve either a humbucker or single-coil sound from this driver. The system automatically selects the bridge pickup when the sustainer is ON to prevent interference from the driver's magnetic field with other pickups. The unique (patented) Bilateral Driver design aims to minimize this interference.
Important Technical Specifications:
- Driver Type: Magnetic string driver transducer, available in single-coil or full-size humbucker dimensions. Color options are black or white (7-string available in black only).
- Driver Spacing: Should be located at least 3.5 inches (90 mm) from the bridge pickup (center-to-center) to minimize oscillation (squealing). Not recommended for guitars with more than 24 frets. The driver must be perpendicular to the strings.
- Electronics Board: Small, prewired circuit board measuring 1.1 inches x 3.75 inches. Designed to fit into most electronics cavities.
- Power Source: Single 9-volt alkaline battery. Provides approximately 20 hours of combined sustaining/normal playing. Battery life varies with sustainer usage.
- Low Battery Indicator: Neck pickup function ceases at approximately 7-7.5 volts.
- Standby Current Draw: 3-5 milliamperes (ma) in standby mode (instrument cord plugged in, power switch OFF).
- Full Power Sustain Current Draw: Approximately 20-60 ma for most notes, with initial peaks above 100 ma. Higher notes and harmonics draw less current.
- Output Jack: Stereo output jack supplied to disconnect the battery when the guitar cord is unplugged, preventing battery drain. An optional 9-pin jack is available for guitars with active pickups or piezo preamps to ensure both batteries are disconnected.
Usage Features:
- ON/OFF Control: A potentiometer/switch combination (push-pull knob) or an optional mini toggle switch turns the sustainer ON. When ON, the bridge pickup is automatically selected. The pot portion can be used for original volume or tone functions.
- HARMONIC/GAIN Control: A 250K ohm pot/switch combination.
- Pushed In: Produces either FUNDAMENTAL or HARMONIC string vibration depending on rotation. Full right (clockwise) yields mostly fundamental vibration. Full left (counterclockwise) yields intense harmonic vibration. Rotating towards the center from either full setting decreases sustainer gain, leading to a slower fade-in of the sustain function. An optional 3-position toggle switch can also be used.
- Pulled Out (MIX Mode): Provides a more subtle harmonic mode. Produces mostly fundamentals on high notes and mostly harmonics on low notes. Full left (counterclockwise) produces another harmonic mode on some notes. MIX mode is the middle position with the toggle control option.
- Neck Pickup Boost: White/violet wires (10-pin) can be connected to ground with a DPDT switch (toggle or push-pull) to boost the neck pickup sound, giving it a humbucker quality. If not grounded, the sound is more like a Strat single-coil.
- Magnetic Adjustment Tab (Strats only): A small tab inserted between the driver and cavity to minimize noise and squeal, especially with slanted bridge pickups. Positioned at the center initially, then slowly slid to the best position to minimize distortion. Only plastic or wooden objects (or fingers) should be used to move the tab.
Maintenance Features:
- Battery Replacement: Requires a single 9-volt alkaline battery. Nicad batteries (7.2 volts) are not recommended. Quick-change battery holders are optional, or the battery can be placed in the tremolo cavity with minor routing.
- Troubleshooting Guide: Comprehensive guide provided for common issues such as sustainer being dead, squealing, pulsating, "grungy" signal, or weak sustain.
- Initial Trimpot Settings:
- Neck Pickup Trimpot (near 10-pin connector): Set to about 12 o'clock for normal output pickups; higher for hot pickups. Adjusts neck pickup volume.
- Sustainer Gain Trimpot (near 8-pin connector): Set to about 11 to 1 o'clock rotation. Affects all modes. Too high a setting can cause squealing in Harmonic Mode.
- Harmonic Mode Gain Trimpot (small, metal): Adjusts Harmonic Mode gain only; does not affect Normal or Mix mode.
- Crosstalk Prevention: Emphasizes keeping driver wires short, all pickup signal wires away from the circuit board (at least 1/4 inch), and twisting violet/gray wires together. Shielding the output jack tip wire or keeping it away from the circuit board is also recommended.
- Pickguard Considerations: Conductive foil or metallic coatings on pickguards near the driver and bridge pickup must be removed to prevent magnetic interference, squeal, and grunge. "Mirror" pickguards should be replaced with non-metallic ones.
- Ground Connections: All pot bodies must be grounded. Black ground wires from both 8-pin and 10-pin connectors must be soldered to the exact same ground point as the battery (-) wire to prevent grunge from pulsating ground currents.
- Soldering Precautions: Use a quality pencil-type soldering iron (25-50 watts, 650°F/340°C), rosin-core solder. Never use acid-core solder or solder with a battery installed. Avoid soldering to square switch bodies as internal plastic parts will melt.
- Wiring Check: Thorough check of all wiring connections, especially for solder "bridges" that can short adjacent connections. Ensure connectors are properly inserted and wires are not pulled out.
- Output Jack Check: Ensure output jack terminals are not shorted to the housing or each other.
- Pickup Selector Switch Rewiring: Ensure only the bridge pickup functions when the sustainer is ON. The internal electronic switch on the circuit board connects the orange OUTPUT wire (8-pin connector) to the white wire (bridge pickup) when ON, and to the blue wire (neck/middle pickups) when OFF.
- Driver Polarity: If mostly harmonics are produced in FUNDAMENTAL mode, reverse the red/black driver leads. For EMG and some other pickup types, driver leads MUST be reversed due to reverse polarity.
- Sustain Weakness: Suggestions include raising driver and bridge pickup closer to strings, checking for partial guitar cord shorts, ensuring tone control is not set to "bass," and adjusting the gain trimpot.
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