Sustainer VI Fretless Guitar
After building stuff and making music for so many years I finally felt like I should try building a guitar. In the process I tried to incorporate as many dumb and interesting ideas as I could and decided on making a fretless bass VI style guitar (tuned EADGBE but an octave lower than a normal guitar) with a built in sustainer (ebow?) so it can sound like its being bowed and do volume swells and other sounds that wouldn’t be possible with a normal guitar.
Note: This guitar was built as a personal project at home with very limited tools. Basic hand tools, a drill, and a 3D printer for the most part.
| Scale Length | 30" |
| Tuning | EADGBE (octave down from standard) |
| Strings | Flatwound .025 - .085 |
| Neck | Modified 4 string fretless bass neck |
| Body Center | Diecast aluminum box |
| Body Sides | Wooden dowel, 3D printed parts |
| Sustainer Drivers | 3D printed bobbins, neodymium magnets, 32awg wire |
| Pickup | Split and modified noname humbucker, 43awg wire |
| Bridge | Adjustable saddles, 3D printed base |
The sustainer is a device that causes the strings to vibrate without the player having to pluck the strings. It works similar to a speaker, but instead of moving a speaker cone, it is moving the strings to produce sound. The signal sent to the sustainer is the sound received from the pickup on the same string. This creates a feedback loop which allows the sustainer to go up in volume or fade in if desired as opposed to typical guitar playing where the notes can only fade out. Additionally, the sustainer can be wired backwards to put it out of phase which will then create harmonics.
