could you link me to what youa re talking about?
considering tone block replacements for trems
- Thread starter soldierkahn
- Start date
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I get the feeling 99% of people commenting on tremolo blocks being a waste of money have never ever done it once.
A brass block is dirt cheap. It can change the sound of a guitar acoustically a fair bit. Since we usually base our decision on pickups based on the tone of the guitar, it can also affect your pickup choices.
If you have an OFR the difference may not be as big since the stock block is brass already, but Strat and Ibanez trems have cheap pot metal blocks.
How much that matters to you, only you can tell. People seems to associate Tremolo block swap = FuTone scam.
A brass block is dirt cheap. It can change the sound of a guitar acoustically a fair bit. Since we usually base our decision on pickups based on the tone of the guitar, it can also affect your pickup choices.
If you have an OFR the difference may not be as big since the stock block is brass already, but Strat and Ibanez trems have cheap pot metal blocks.
How much that matters to you, only you can tell. People seems to associate Tremolo block swap = FuTone scam.
I get the feeling 99% of people commenting on tremolo blocks being a waste of money have never ever done it once.
A brass block is dirt cheap. It can change the sound of the guitar acoustically a fair bit deal. Since we usually base our decision on pickups based on the tone of the guitar, it can also affect your pickup choices.
If you have an OFR the difference may not be as big since the stock block is brass already, but Strat and Ibanez trems have cheap pot metal blocks.
How much that matters to you, only you can tell. People seems to associate Tremolo block swap = FuTone scam.
its less about changing my tone, i can shape with my modeler fairly decently. i probably should have worded what i was saying better but what i was hoping to gain is more resonance and sustain, and i figured that more the mass would equal more resonance and sustain.
The sustain thing is negligible at best. It's more of a tonal change more than anything. Brass blocks will make the guitar more resonant and louder, though. Again, how much taht matters once amplified is up to you.
Another interesting factor is weight. Brass blocks are heavier. Titanium blocks are way lighter. Tungsten are massively heavy. It can help to leverage some weight on your guitar or balancing one that neckdives.
yeah i generally use fishing weights in control cavities for that, but its nice to know that the brass outweighs the titanium. i sure wouldnt mind a little more weight in the body to balance it out more
trem licking
Well-Known Member
anyone that has swapped blocks... did you record the DI before and after swaps to A/B? that is the tell all
I did. Even swapping just the claw made a slight (although trivial) difference. There're videos on youtube showing you before/after block swap samples where you'd be deaf to deny a difference.
But different =/= better. I preferred the stock block on a Strat against a titanium one. It was just too bright.
Of course you can play with EQ to replicate the effects, but I prefer to focus on the instrument (if I can) rather than pedals and other stuff.
odibrom
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A higher value volume pot will deliver brightness (more high end passing through).
A different kind of strings may deliver brightness as well.
All these are cheaper than a replacement trem block...
A different kind of strings may deliver brightness as well.
All these are cheaper than a replacement trem block...
You can't replicate the frequency shift of a brass block with a different pot. A titanium one maaaybe. But then again I would only get a titanium block for their weight relief capabilities or for a very, very dark guitar. And there's no way I'd pay what they ask for them nowadays.
The days where Floyd Rose sold them for 80$ are looong gone. And there's this guy at TGP that buys every single one of them that pops up for sale
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Bloody_Inferno
Silence is Violence
Tremolo deadlock - how to lock a trem in style
Hi! i was playing around with my EPS LTD F and was not happy with the Floyd Rose 1000. I think everyone knows the peculiarities and problems with tremolos. So i decided to LOCK THAT THING DOWN. Not just locking it, but make the bridge part of the body. And reversible should it be. Without...
sevenstring.org
Tremolo deadlock - how to lock a trem in style
Hi! i was playing around with my EPS LTD F and was not happy with the Floyd Rose 1000. I think everyone knows the peculiarities and problems with tremolos. So i decided to LOCK THAT THING DOWN. Not just locking it, but make the bridge part of the body. And reversible should it be. Without...
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I saw a thread years ago, maybe on here where a guy changed the intertia block from the stock gotoh to bras, titanium, etc.
He had graphs and all.
The end result was that it sounded different but not "better". All the blocks has something going on.
The biggest takeaway was that the stock block is far from junk, and tjat the cost was not worth it.
All the new blocks also limited the trem travel, if that is important to you.
My edge is 100% stock and fully functional after 25 years.
He had graphs and all.
The end result was that it sounded different but not "better". All the blocks has something going on.
The biggest takeaway was that the stock block is far from junk, and tjat the cost was not worth it.
All the new blocks also limited the trem travel, if that is important to you.
My edge is 100% stock and fully functional after 25 years.
lost_horizon
Well-Known Member
No but I also changed to a Tremmory at the same time so it wasn't single variable either.
My trems have usually a big block, titanium string lock screws, titanium string clamps and some sort of trem balancing system.
It makes a big difference. One thing is the mass. The TRS-101 trem has a really light block so adding some mass helps.
Even if you block your trem you are adding mass. More mass equals more volume, e.g. sound travels farther in water than in air because it's denser.
Yul Brynner
Fabricated Background
Yeah I don't do the fat blocks. I just want a standard size block made of steel. The oversized blocks limit movement.
I've done a lot of block changes over the years, Brass, Titanium, Steel, Hantug Ti trem. In my personal experience:
- The amount of tonal change depends on the guitar. Brighter guitars will change more significantly than darker guitars
- You will hear change in the 'speed' of the low end. For instance, when I changed from a brass block to a Ti, the low end became quicker and less 'smeared' because there was less resonance (it was like effect that you get from muting trem springs or strings behind the nut but without becoming duller)
You need to consider the guitar tone as it stands currently, the material you want to play on it, probably the tuning to some degree and then adjust accordingly.
- The amount of tonal change depends on the guitar. Brighter guitars will change more significantly than darker guitars
- You will hear change in the 'speed' of the low end. For instance, when I changed from a brass block to a Ti, the low end became quicker and less 'smeared' because there was less resonance (it was like effect that you get from muting trem springs or strings behind the nut but without becoming duller)
You need to consider the guitar tone as it stands currently, the material you want to play on it, probably the tuning to some degree and then adjust accordingly.
