FERNANDES GUITARS/ SUSTAINER PICKUP

[martinidol1166]

Ive been looking at fernandes guitars lately and im looking at either a monterey elite or a dragonfly elite. anyone have any first hand experience w/ these?

 

also, anyone have firsthand experience w/ the Fernandes Sustainer FSK-101 Humbucker Pickup Kit? im thinking of putting it into my washburn.

[benzem]

I have a '98 Dragonfly Pro. Great guitar.

 

The sustainer works perfect. It has the 3-way toggle for sustainer mode. PU in neck pos. HSS

 

So thumbs up on both.

[Karma1]

I've had a bit of experience with them. I used to own a Fernandes Revolver Pro. I loved the sustainer in it and used it a lot, but I'm just not a fan of Floyd Rose-type trems, so I sold it after a few years. I was going to pull out the sustainer and put it in another guitar, but after doing extensive research I left it in and bought a Sustainiac instead, which I installed in my PRS Santana SE.

 

A few things you should know first - one is that installing a sustainer (either one) is a HUGE job. It is not like just dropping in a pickup. It took my friend who has a degree in electronic engineering and had installed a Sustainiac in his own guitar before, over eight hours of work to finish the job. Secondly, the Sustainiac is a superior product and has a smaller circuit board than the Fernandes, which makes it easier to fit in the guitar's control cavity. Plus you'll also need to have room in there for a 9 volt battery, unless you want to route out a separate cavity in the body to fit one.

 

Installing either sustainer is not for the inexperienced, and most guitar techs charge at least $100 and usually more for the job. I'd say that if money is not a consideration and you want the best, get the Sustainiac and have a pro install it. However, for most people who are curious about them and not wanting to make a large investment, I recommend to go out and buy a Fernandes with one already installed - preferably used if you can find one. I sold my Revolver Pro for around $300 a few years ago. However, I really like the Monterey Elite, and I believe Robert Fripp from King Crimson uses one.