Previously only available to OEM manufacturers, these boards are now available for custom builds or serious retrofits.
The OEM boards have been used for over 20 years by guitar manufacturers such as Jackson and Schecter. These boards are electrically identical to the retrofit boards found in the standard kits. The OEM board has been widened to allow the Sustainiac toggle switches to be mounted directly to the board. Removing the need for any soldering.
The main advantage of this form of installation is that the hookup is far easier. It also eliminates the issue of incorrect wire placement within the control cavity which can cause electrical crosstalk and squealing.
Much like the AUX boards, also offered by Sustainiac, the number of soldering connections is about half that of a traditional installation.
But there is always a compromise. The OEM board is normally too big for most guitar control cavities. This means that either a large addition needs to be made to the original cavity or a separate Sustainiac cavity needs to be routed to position the toggle switches in the optimum position.
The OEM board is also designed for guitars with a Humbucker bridge pickup.
Due to the shape and toggle position on the board, it is highly advisable that these OEM boards are used for flat-topped bodies. An installation on a guitar with a contoured top would be very hard to achieve. In these cases, a retrofit board install is advised.
With the toggle switch mounted directly to the board, it also means that these kits are ‘toggle switch only’. There is no Push/Pull pot install option with the OEM boards.
With the popularity of the Sustainiac Stealth PRO system increasing each year, Sustainiac are now releasing these OEM boards for sale.
These OEM boards are really aimed more at the custom guitar maker rather than someone who wants to drop a Sustainiac Stealth Pro kit into an existing guitar. Adding a cavity suitable for the OEM board at the design phase is far simpler than having to retrofit a board of this size into a guitar. Having said that, it’s totally possible!
Check out the product photos for dimensions.
Made in USA
