While it may save you a couple of bucks in the short term, you’ll end up costing yourself in the long run when you have to replace a pedal that breaks or stops working. When you’re searching for a sustain pedal, look for one that features an all-metal case, heavy-duty input and output jacks, and knobs that are secure and move smoothly across their full range of motion.Ĭomponents that are built to last are more expensive than the budget options on the market, so it’s common for a pedal manufacturer to cut corners where they can to hit a certain price point with their pedal. If your pedal isn’t built to stand up to the abuse you dish out, you’re going to wind up with a pedal that doesn’t last, or one that fails you when you need it the most. If you’re like most guitarists, you put your gear through the wringer, especially if you gig out often. Road ready built qualityĪnother important consideration to make is how well the pedal is built. This is especially important for funk, blues, and country players who rely on their amp’s clean channel for their tone. Thankfully, the better sustain pedals on the market are able to provide you with the extra sustain you need while remaining virtually undetectable in your signal chain. Even some of the most popular sustainers on the market are notorious for adding lots of hiss and noise to your signal, which is obviously something you’d rather avoid. Virtually NoiselessĪnother vital characteristic to look out for is how much noise the pedal adds to your signal. This allows you to maintain total control over your tone without having to sacrifice the extra sustain you’re after. The best sustain pedals on the market are virtually colorless and simply provide you with the level of additional sustain you’re after. But, that additional sustain will cost you your tone. Sure, it provides you with added sustain. Some of the lesser sustain pedals on the market add unwanted characteristics to your tone, and using that pedal becomes a trade-off. That way, you can control your tone through your amp or your other pedals, and rely on the sustain pedal only to provide you with additional sustain. Ideally, your pedal won’t add much additional color to your sound at all. Most importantly, you’ll need to ensure that the pedal you choose provides a rich and natural sounding sustain. Whether you opt for one of the fantastic sustain pedals that we’ll cover in just a moment, or you go off the grid and select a pedal that we haven’t covered, you’ll want to evaluate all pedals based on these criteria: But, with a sustain pedal, you’re able to dramatically lengthen the amount of time it takes for your guitar to fall back to silence. With percussive stringed instruments like the guitar or bass, as soon as the note you play reaches its peak volume, it immediately begins it’s fall back to silence. Similar to decay, release is the time it takes for the note to fall from it’s sustained volume back to nothing. The sustain is the amount of time that your guitar’s signal remains at peak volume. The attack is the time it takes for the note you’re playing to rise to its peak volume, whereas the decay is the time it takes for the note to fall from its peak volume back to nothing.Ī sustain pedal also incorporates two new principles: sustain and release. Sustain pedals affect four elements of your guitar’s signal: the attack, decay, sustain, and release (also known as ADSR.)Īttack and decay are terms you’re probably already familiar with, and they’re concepts that are in play every time you play a note. In a sentence, sustain pedals allow you to prolong your guitar signal while reducing the rate of decay, therefore sustaining the note for a more extended period. What exactly is a sustain pedal and what does it do?
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