Jackson vs. Fernandes -- Sustain(er/iac) Content

[shood]

I am looking to pick up a Floyd Rose-equipped guitar with a factory-installed Fernandes Sustainer or a Sustainiac, and my two best options in the ~$1000 or less range appear to be the Jackson DK2S (w/ Sustainiac) vs. a variety of Fernandes offerings (I love the Jackson PC-1, but that is more than I am going to spend).

I can compare relative specs, but am interested in hearing how overall quality compares for these two lines of guitars?

Many thanks, Sean

[dspellman]

Quality's good for both. Sustainiac vs. Sustainer is no big deal. The PC-1's a wonderful guitar but the sustainer on that one is an old version that Collen still likes and is VERY difficult to get anyone to repair should it go out.

Side note on sustainers: Neither Fernandes nor Jackson have the full monte on these. The kit versions that your tech will install have the option of running the Intensity out to one of the pots on the guitar. For example, I have an LP-alike that would normally run 2V, 2T. Mine is now running a master volume, master tone, and one of the remaining pots is the Sustainer Intensity. Very nice to be able to adjust this on the fly rather than having to open up a hatch in the back and get out a screwdriver.

Most sustainer installations (including the ones on both the Fernandes and Jackson guitars) use the sustainer driver as a neck pickup when the sustainer isn't engaged as a driver. That works fine, if they give you the sound you're looking for. But it's possible to install the single coil driver side by side with a single coil size humbucker (assuming a full humbucker neck ring) if you like that better. In my case, I've done exactly that. You can't run the signal from the neck humbucker through the sustainer (it will ALWAYS run the bridge pickup; squealing issues otherwise), ever, but you can have the neck pickup sound you prefer if you do it this way.



Last item: if you can get Gary Brawer in SF to take a bit of time out of his day (this is a VERY busy tech shop, ordinarily) to talk about sustainers, he can probably give you a LOT of good information. Last I heard he'd put one of his electronics geniuses to work to redesign a few circuits that have been giving installers fits for years. He has extremely good relationships with both manufacturers, and while they may not ordinarily exchange information with each other, they seem to give him carte blanche, and he seems to help them improve their product.

[shood]

That's a lot of great info, dspellman, thank you very much. One of the points that you made might actually be the current deciding factor between the two for me: the DK2S has a dedicated external Sustainiac intensity control, most or all of the Fernandeses appear to rely on internal adjustments for the corresponding function on the Sustainer.

I am fairly well-read on the differences between the two sustain systems, if anyone else has any input on the overall quality of these lines of Jacksons vs. Fernandeses, I would love the input

[karma1]

I can't speak about the Jackson, but I've previously owned a Fernandes Revolver Pro (Strat-style w/ Floyd Rose) with the sustainer. After a few years I sold that and had a Sustainiac installed on my PRS Santana SE. The Fernandes sustainer was fine, nothing wrong with it and I enjoyed using it, but in my opinion as well as others, the Sustainiac is a superior product. As a neck pickup with the sustainer off, it sounds better, tonewise, than the Fernandes. I also like it better as a sustainer (I used the same bridge pickup in both guitars - a Duncan Custom Custom). The Sustainiac is easier to install because the circuit board is smaller and easier to fit than the Fernandes. But installing either one is a HUGE job. Also tech support at Sustainiac is better than Fernandes and lots of good info available on their site.

[shood]

Any other input -- Jackson DK2S or Fernandes (Revolver or other)?

[dspellman]

Originally Posted by karma1

The Fernandes sustainer was fine, nothing wrong with it and I enjoyed using it, but in my opinion as well as others, the Sustainiac is a superior product. As a neck pickup with the sustainer off, it sounds better, tonewise, than the Fernandes. I also like it better as a sustainer (I used the same bridge pickup in both guitars - a Duncan Custom Custom). The Sustainiac is easier to install because the circuit board is smaller and easier to fit than the Fernandes. But installing either one is a HUGE job. Also tech support at Sustainiac is better than Fernandes and lots of good info available on their site.

Keeerect on the tech support. Lame at Fernandes. The good news is that there are people out there that know lots, and Fernandes will actually point you at them (Gary Brawer in SF is one of those people). Gary's also one of those people that the Sustainiac folks will point you at on the west coast.

The Sustainiac has a flexible circuit board, the Fernandes is a non-flexible PC board. It's easier to stuff the Sustainiac into a control cavity, obviously, but that same flexibility and the control cavity location can work against its lifespan and it can actually make it tougher to work with when an adjustment is needed. These things are a bit futsy, and I would much rather have it isolated. While you CAN tuck the Sustainiac into the control cavity, you may find that things get pretty crowded what with knobs and switches all jammed together. Talk (again) to Gary Brawer about this. Mine are installed in big old routs in the back of the guitars and the switches are behind the Floyd:



There are actually TWO options for drivers with the Fernandes (and if you're using them for a neck pickup, obviously two options for sound) -- a full-on humbucker size and a single coil size. Here's what you get in the 401 kit:



The actual circuit board is the rectangular thing you see under the translucent control layout thingie above. Bear in mind that you also have to have a 9V battery with either of these, so you either have to rout a hole in which to put the box, or cram that battery in with all the wires and that delicate circuit board in what's quickly become a very crowded control cavity.

Last time I checked with Gary, he was leaning toward a solution that used pieces of both Sustainer and Sustainiac; he rather liked the Sustainiac driver (single coil size) better than the single coil size on the Fernandes, but he liked the Fernandes board better than that on the sustainiac. I realize I'm putting words in his mouth, here, so you'd better check with him for the real scoop. But you can use some things interchangeably between the two products.

[beckola]

Just a word to the wise: Some of these float around on EBAY from time to time and they are sold as "like new". In the case of MY FSK 101, it wasn't new, and a gorilla tried to adjust the AGC pot (very cheap little units on the board). and made it useless by busting the top off and GLUING it back on. Of course I was awaiting proprietary parts from Fernandes to complete a project Vortex Elite, and I had my item way too long by the time I got them and discovered what shape the nitwit gave it to me in! Trying to get Supportfrom Fernandes might be easier if I lived next door to the factory, because it takes weeks for them to return your emails. Pretty much sure I'm going to rip the thing out and go with Duncans for creamy feedback, cuz the neck on the Vortex is awesome!!