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Sustainer battery alternatives


lespaul1964

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Sustainers run through batteries very quickly.

 

I am looking for a way to use the sustainer system with other sources of power than the battery. A transformer? Phantom power? Which is the easiest way to power the sustainer and active pick ups without the battery?

 

I dont know a whole lot about electronics.

 

Thanks.

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You can install a stereo jack in the guitar and use a low impedance mic cord with a TRS (stereo jack on one end.

The other end that connects to the amp has a standard phone 1/4" phone plug and an adaptor jack for connecting

a zero hum wall wart. Its not all that hard to wire up, but since you said you dont know allot about electronics, you

may want to have some solder up the connections. You dont want a badly solderd cord that cuts out on you.

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Its still going to eat up batteries which is expensive.

Installing a phantom supply is a perminant solution and you'll never to

buy another battery, nor will it loose strength as the batteries die. It will coat about

$30 for a mic cord, TRS jack, adaptor and adaptor jack.

Plus you wouldnt bugger up your guitar in the process.

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Thanks WRG. I am not having an easy time understanding your concept in full. I do not use an amp, I use a GSP 1101 direct to the snake to the house board, or during rehearsal direct to the rehearsal mixer. I saw your (I believe it is yours) on a post several years old, but I have a hard time grasping the idea.

 

I havent owned an amp for years. How could that be accomplished without an amp? Can you give me a link to the adaptor and jack, if possible to do without an amp?

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Alan Hoover the guy behind the Maniac Music Sustainiac is a great guy and his units are very good (they were/are OEM on Jackson Dinky DK2S) and his web site while a little crowded includes info on running a clean DC voltage through a multiconductor guitar cable. Rechargables could also be good but I'd go with a couple 18650's or CR2's rather than the crappy "9v" rechargables

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Its not much different from a mics phantom power except you're using TRS connectors instead of XLR.

A stereo cord has three wires. Two center wires and a shield.

You would use one center wire and the shield for your normal guitar signal just like any other cord.

The the other unused wire is for your + DC phantom power and the shield is used for your -DC voltage.

 

The rest is all just connecting it up.

You replace your guitar jack with a three way stereo jack. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=092-124

You extend your battery clip leads to the guitar jack and connect the negative to the ground to the sleeve and the

+dcv hot lead to the center ring. The tip goes to your pickups just like they are now.

 

If you dont know what the tip ring and sleeve are google it up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS_connector

 

Then you use a cord like this

http://www.amazon.com/Dean-Markley-3109-W-Coast-Stereo/dp/B000EEL7KY

 

or this, (shop for the best price and quality or you can make your own from a mic cord).

http://www.rapcohorizon.com/p-48-stereo-guitar-cable.aspx

 

The cord splits to two ends. One will connect to an amp the same way it always does. The other will connect up to a 9V adaptor.

The easiest way would be to install one of these on an adaptor http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=090-313

Or you can make a conversion jack that will comvert the standard adaptor to 1/4"

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Thanks man. I think I get it now. The power is still provided by a regulated power supply, like a boss or one spot, is this correct?. The amp you mention is just the signal line that can be my GSP1101 with no amp. And, if I understand you correctly the stereo jack is the only change I would have to make to the guitar, it would then have the capability to power the active pick up and sustainer.

 

I would not touch the battery compartment, right? And, if I decide to put a battery for whatever reason, I just put the battery, connect with a regular mono cable and it would work perfectly.

 

Is all this correct? Thanks again for your patience and sharing your knowledge.

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There it says I have to add a second jack?? Is that right? I wouldnt want to do that. A guitar player in my band has a variax that he feeds through a single trs. That would not work on a sustainer system apparently, according to sustainiac. That was my first option, but decided to buy the Fernandes Revolver Elite to avoid major mods on one of my main guitars.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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You can install a stereo jack in the guitar and use a low impedance mic cord with a TRS (stereo jack on one end.

The other end that connects to the amp has a standard phone 1/4" phone plug and an adaptor jack for connecting

a zero hum wall wart. Its not all that hard to wire up, but since you said you dont know allot about electronics, you

may want to have some solder up the connections. You dont want a badly solderd cord that cuts out on you.

 

 

this. been done, heard it works. thing is (and correct me if i am wrong) i believe this can be done without modifying the guitar's wiring. since the second ground on the 1/4" jack in the guitar runs to the negative lead of the battery clip, and in turn out to the positive and the the +9v connection of your active electronics, simply putting voltage in on the jack, and jumpering the battery clip, (with another clip with the positive and negative leads soldered together) will send the power right to it. so if you wanted to go back to battery or forgot your cord at a gig, you could just pop off the jumper and run it normal.

 

this would also open up different voltage options for you. i know emg provides a diagram for people that want to run 18v with two batteries, not sure about what you are using but yeah.

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Yes the sleeve runs the guitar ground and negative battery. The center ring connection of the jack handels the

positive battery and the tip remains the hot lead for the guitar signal. You can run any DC voltage for it and the rest

of the guitar wiring remains the same.

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  • 1 year later...
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I am retaking this project, but modding one of my guitars. Apart from what has been mentioned here, the only change is that the plug has to be a 4 pin XLR.

 

Question, would somebody be willing to build this cable/regulated power supply for me?

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