Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

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Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Doug »

I play direct into my 1997 Danelectro Honeytone (the prototype for the 1998 to 2005 Nifty Fifty). But I want sustain and am considering using a pedal...big leap for this Blues-Roots-Rocker. So I've looked at the Behringer CS400; the JOYO JF10; and the DeadBeat Sound Distortion pedals.

What other make-models are good quality at a budget price? Is it worth buying a used Electro-Harmonix Big Muff? Thanks!

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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Pens »

I have no idea/opinion on the first two, but the Deadbeat is just a basic Big Muff clone, isn't it? EHX has put out like a ton of variants now on the BM, and it sounds like you really want the BM, so...

I've been on a pedal spree lately, and between Reverb, ebay, and Craigslist I've gotten some stuff at pretty good discounts. If I were you, and maybe I'm wrong here, but it sounds like you want the Big Muff, so get a Big Muff. Unless a clone has some gimmick that makes it stand apart, clones in my experience are often not really a good substitute for what you actually want.

Find a used Big Muff.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by NickS »

It really depends what you're trying to achieve. The CS400 is a compressor/sustainer that will maintain a clean tone. The Big Muff achieves sustain by amplifying and clipping the signal, causing distortion. I have a Marhall Ed The Compressor to do the former and other pedals to do the latter.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Doog »

For more rootsy sounds, I'd personally go for something a little more "overdrivey" and less "distortiony" than that Deadbeat, if you're not going for actual clean sustain, like NickS was saying.

Are you running the amp overdriven/distorted?
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Bacchus »

There isn't really any such thing as a "sustain" pedal. There are things that are marketed as sustain pedals such as compressors or fuzz pedals.

There was the Boss Feedbacker/Booster which I always thought was gimmicky and brilliant in equal measures.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Pens »

Bacchus wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:51 pm There isn't really any such thing as a "sustain" pedal. There are things that are marketed as sustain pedals such as compressors or fuzz pedals.

There was the Boss Feedbacker/Booster which I always thought was gimmicky and brilliant in equal measures.
I have two of these. First Boss pedal I ever bought, it's a DS-1, and the "feedback" feature is a weird note sampler that just generates a crazy sine tone based on a note you played. I own them purely for novelty. I don't think I'd ever actually use it for anything.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Doog »

Those are two (well, three) different pedals, innit:
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I still kinda want one of these, but the Digitech FreqOut does it better
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by plopswagon »

I’ve one of those orange ones somewhere.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Bacchus »

Doog wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 2:17 pm I still kinda want one of these, but the Digitech FreqOut does it better
Didn't know about these.

Anyway, this "class" of pedal is what I would consider a "sustain" pedal, insofar as there is such a thing.

I suppose the best, inexpensive sustain pedal is whatever cheap drive pedal you like and a fucking massive half stack cranked up.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Bacchus »

Also:
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Gavin »

When I want sustain I simply play my guitar with my violin bow.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by BearBoy »

Use longer fingers.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Doog »

Bacchus wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 3:01 pm Also:
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

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ekwatts wrote: Wed Dec 21, 2022 12:53 pm The word "moisty" has made me irrationally angry.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by sunshiner »

If you play through a clean solid state amp and want some passabale overdriven sounds I'd go for Boss Bluesdriver or its clones, there are some nano size Chinese clones like Donner. They all have the famous mod that boosts the low end and you can switch between the original sound and the modded one. Bluesdriver is a heavier distorting OD than your typical Tubescreamer but at the same time is not nearly as crazy(for blooz) as a Big Muff
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Pens »

A friend of mine swears by the EHX Freeze, if actual hold-note-forever is what is meant by "sustain".

I didn't know Boss went and made another "feedbacker" pedal. That's...interesting.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by henkstroem »

Marshall ed-1 compressor is better than most cheapos if you need a bit more than a Ross-style comp. Can easily be set to ”increase sustain” without sounding like a oldie compressor pedal, has a sort-of presence boosting knob that helps.

Boss CP-1X behaves a wee bit like a studio multiband comp, and is a wonderful piece of kit. It is amazing how this thing fixes most problems cheap pickups have. Maybe not a budget pedal, but a steal if you compare it to a rack device.

If you’re not after just cleans, most any drive pedal increases sustain. A cheap one with a wet/dry switch and a useful bass control switch is the Trex Diva.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Bacchus »

Pens wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:36 pm A friend of mine swears by the EHX Freeze, if actual hold-note-forever is what is meant by "sustain".
I've been so close to buying one of these so many times. But then I get greedy and want the Superego + instead, and that takes a bit of saving to get there. So I don't buy.

There's also that gimmicky one that looks like a sustain pedal from a piano. It looks shite, and I reckon it would break in no time.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by Doog »

The Superego+ is so good, I kinda wish they did a compact half-way version though; the "multi-fx" stuff on the + is cool, but being able to set all of extra 'sustain'-y parameters is the real step up versus the OG.

Being able to effectively 'bend' between one sustained chord to another over a long period is so sick running into distortion, like a real 'uhhh what's happening here' sleight of hand trick.

Might get another one at some point, lotsa fun.
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Re: Best inexpensive sustain pedals?

Post by benecol »

Doog wrote: Fri Dec 09, 2022 8:05 pm The Superego+ is so good, I kinda wish they did a compact half-way version though
The Superego would like a word.

(my best pedal)