Guitar design and innovation is one of those things that obviously doesn't move as fast as new technology for, say, the computer industry. I suppose there's not a lot of money to go around for things like research and development and the tried and true formulas that have been working for decades are the ones that companies tend to stay with. Sure, there are innovators out there, but radical changes seldom are widely accepted and just too much of a gamble for manufacturers.

Enter MusicYo! and the Kramer brand of electric guitars. When I first heard of the Kramer Baretta Infinity Sustainer I thought - "Gee, that's not very original". If you've been familiar with the guitar industry for any amount of time you've probably heard of Fernandes. They're a guitar manufacturer who builds "sustainer" guitars. However, what you will learn from reading this review is that there are several features that differentiate the two and you'll learn, in my opinion, that the Kramer is simply a better value.

We received our unit a few weeks ago and must admit we were quite excited to try out the new "sustainer" system. The sustainer system works by introducing an electromagnetic field from a neck position pickup that causes the strings on the guitar to vibrate ever-so lightly and can give the player infinite sustain or wicked-ass feedback on notes or chords when engaged.

When we first received ours, though, we really were at a loss. We thought "Ok, this is cool, but what the heck do you do with it". Rightfully so. Just like any new feature, you tend to tread lightly until you're comfortable with using the technology or until you find an application for it. Think back - how long did it take you to really start getting the most out of your whammy bar?

Fortunately, our good friends at MusicYo were able to send us a demo video showing the different things you could do with the sustainer system. After the demo tape was finished I was itching to get my paws on the Baretta Infinity Sustainer. I set to work trying the various settings I saw in the video and utilizing both the sustain and feedback controls, varying the rates with the control knob and trying tons of different licks and runs. You could literally sit and experiment for days.

After having played for a few hours, though, a few things really began to stand out. One of the greatest features of the system is that it is both active and passive. If the battery would run out on you and you didn't have a replacement at a gig, you can still play the guitar. Also, you can be jamming along playing through a song and when you get to the lead break flick the switch and have the infinite sustain and feedback right at your fingertips. If you really like to make your axe scream in your leads, you'll find that pinch harmonics can be held indefinitely when the sustain is engaged. Plus, by adding a constant vibrato you can actually execute the pinch harmonic, work that for 10 seconds, kick the sustainer system into feedback mode and make that same note feedback into oblivion.

Dive bombs and other harsh tremolo work is incredible because the note you're playing never decays or breaks up unless you drop the strings to the pickups or accidentally bump them. Combined with bends and slides the guitar almost takes on a "synth" feel when the sustainer system is engaged. Interestingly the sustain and feedback modes also work well on a clean amplifier setting. You do not need to have your amplifiers gain wide open to get the most out of these effects.