What do you people mean by 'sustain'?

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1292240' date='Jul 4 2011, 02:46 PM']Sustain is quite important to me because I use octavers a lot. As a consequence, dead spots really wind me up![/quote]

Dead spots are a special case, they are a bit annoying!

[xilddx]

Muting can make your electric bass sound more like a string bass, a sustainer can make you sound more like a keyboard. A normal electric bass with notes that sustain well is much more useful, generally, than one whose notes decay quickly. Depends on the style of music one plays. I prefer the choice and therefore will choose a bass that sustains better. I can mute if I need to with my hand.