My ISP

[kylendm]

Well I've had this thing for a while but i noticed that even when i get it tweaked at just the level where the noise on my amp stops i get very low sustained notes...Is there any way to fix this?

 

[GtrGeorge!]

I have never owned an ISP decimator, but if it is like most noise reduction for high gain players..the moe noise you lose..the more sustain you will loose,too.
Imho, the key to noise reduction is in how circuits are manufactured (a cheap capacitor may save a company thousands in production costs..but add more noise than it should. Spending an extra dollar on the part may help reduce some noise.
Guitar pickups are a BIG factor,,,if you are using noisy pickups..its real hard to overcome that. EMG have a good rep for low noise..but hopefully, you like their tone.
As a practical issue I have learned to get my guitars' volume dowqn to zero almost immediattely after a song ends, it costs nothing to get good at this and it really cleans some of the noise up. I started doing that years ago..and now its automatic. Consider that skill..every bit of the signal chain matters when it comes to noise.
By looking with scrutiny at every place inyour signal chianI am sure you'll get the noise level down while enjoying the sustain.
Keep Rockin..
GtrGeorge

 

[JKD]

How low are you setting your ISP?

I have a bunch of OD pedals, a wah and a GCX in front of my amp with the ISP set between -34 and -40 and I have no problems with sutain except on teh cleanest of low gain tones...but then I don't need the ISP for those!

 

[Julia]

I'm not using a noise gate anymore. I've learned how to control noise. I've learned how to use a volume knob on a guitar. I've also learned how to use my tuner to kill the signal going from my guitar. Or use the pickup switch on the guitar sometimes. But most of the time I liike to use both pickups.

Typically you can't hear the noise when you're playing. If it is squealing while you're playing your gear is telling you something -- turn down the gain or the volume.

I've also found you don't need as much gain as you think. I think I'm getting enough of what I want out of the Brahma -- this is my 90% go to module.

 

[salvation]

I've also found you don't need as much gain as you think.

Totally agree!

Anthony

 

[GtrGeorge!]

Well said...
you dont need as much gain as you think.
Most of the people I respect use alot less than you'd think.
In fact, Im bored with the over gained thing...I like things with more variety than that.

 

[kylendm]

Yeah it's true, we don't really need all that gain.

It helped lowering it a bit.
Still wish i could get a bit more sustain.

 

[GtrGeorge!]

sustain is a funny thing.
It has a lot to do with your guitars bridge,the wood of your guitar, its pickups, your action, how hard you strike the strings,

I have seen 2 different players produce utterly different sustain on the same intrument.

 

[SacredGroove]

Yeah it's true, we don't really need all that gain.

It helped lowering it a bit.
Still wish i could get a bit more sustain.

You should set your gate according to how much sustain you want/need. When I used gates I would strike a note and hold it while adjusting the gate threshold. If you want more sustain you'll need to set the the gate to be a little less sensitive. If you haven't already, you'll need to practice working your volume knob and a comfortable way of muting your strings during quick rests in a riff, so you're not relying on the gate to do all of it.

The gate is more useful in cutting amp noise while you're NOT playing.

Hope this helps.

 

[maximus1]

what you need to do is ditch the isp and get a ns-2. set the threshold all the way to the right and the decay all the way to the left. this is the only pedal i ve tried that works. it cuts the squeally's right out whereas the isp kills your tone by the time you get it set to cut out feedback. i had the knob set around 1-2 o clock on the isp so i could play stop start riffs and all it did was kill the tone, no sustain or life was left in my rig... isp decimater=junk

 

[crankyrayhanky]

How low are you setting your ISP?

I have a bunch of OD pedals, a wah and a GCX in front of my amp with the ISP set between -34 and -40 and I have no problems with sutain except on teh cleanest of low gain tones...but then I don't need the ISP for those!

agreed!

 

[Shinozoku]

Is your guitar trem equipped? Measure the back cavity and get the biggest brass sustain block you can from Floydupgrades.com That's what I plan on doing eventually when I have cash to throw around.

EDITL Just saw your sig. Invest in some of those brass sustain blocks and improve your tone AND sustain while still being able to gate how you need to

what you need to do is ditch the isp and get a ns-2. set the threshold all the way to the right and the decay all the way to the left. this is the only pedal i ve tried that works. it cuts the squeally's right out whereas the isp kills your tone by the time you get it set to cut out feedback. i had the knob set around 1-2 o clock on the isp so i could play stop start riffs and all it did was kill the tone, no sustain or life was left in my rig... isp decimater=junk

I've heard this opinion and the exact opposite opinion from others. It really depends on the person and the rig as to which one is garbage or not. I plan on getting a Decimator G-String as well for live playing. I know I can use my volume control, and I'm a minimalist with gain as well (I use enough to get a bit of punch in my sound with the preamp, then let the power amp saturate to give that extra grit and grind)., but sometimes you just need a gate for when you're in closer quarters with your amp or using a module like the Ultra XL that's quite noisy.
speaking of which, I need to clean up the solder connections on the mods I've made to my UXL and my SL+...