Originally Posted by: tab222I got a fender sp 10 amp with a boss me 25 fx pedal and a fender starcaster
and when i try to play a long note it would hold for 2 sec then fade out.

Three things contribute to sustain:

1. Vibrato.
2. Volume.
3. Gain or overdrive.

You can use all three, a combo of 2, or sometimes just one.

Remember that any guitar note naturally has a quick attack followed by a gradual decay. Violins solve this by keeping the string singing out with constant bowing back & forth, keeping the string in motion. Brass & wind instruments will sound a note as long as they have a steady source of air blown through them.

So, the problem to solve with the guitar is: how do we keep the note singing out & sustaining?! The answer is vibrato. :)

Let's work on your vibrato technique. Make sure you're holding the string firmly right behind the fret, strike the string with your pick starting the note ringing. Slowly, evenly, and firmly wiggle the string back and forth across the fret you are holding. This method of vibrato will help keep this string sounding longer than it otherwise would.

Get your vibrato technique down right first. Because even if you have lots of volume or gain, the note will still just die quickly or your gear will fall over into feedback if you don't have the vibrato down right.

Next, try to turn the amp up or turn the gain (overdrive) on.

GT has lots of lessons on vibrato. This is a good one by HP using vibrato to sustain long notes:

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=11359

Give it a try & let us know how it goes!