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My Charvel San Dimas guitars sound great as is, but sometimes I wonder if adding a sustain block could just push them a little over the edge and make them better. I was wondering from those of you that have installed the sustain blocks....Was it worth it? Could you tell a noticeable difference? Would you do it again? Which material did you use?
I've been reading up on these for a few months now, and I'm not really sure how I feel. First off, I'm really into anything that will give me even more resonance. It's not that I have a problem or think my Charvels sound thin or anything, but I figure if I can make them sound better, then why not. Second, I use my Floyds quite a bit on those guitars. I do not like blocked tremolos. I love to dive bomb, hit harmonics, and pull up a lot on the Floyds. I reiterate, I like to pull up a lot with my Floyds. How much of a hindrance will that be on me doing pullups? I love pulling up 3-4 steps or so.
If there is an impeding problem with installing a sustain block for me and my pullups, I have no problem getting out a dremel and routing out some of the wood. Have any of you ever done this?
Which of the sustain blocks do you have experience with? My guess is most of you have only tried the brass ones. No matter which I get, I would probably go with the L type. However, I think only a couple of the sustain blocks of the different materials come in the L type configuration.
Soooooooo;
Copper:
Soaring highs, nut crushing lows and scooped mids!
Brass:
it is notorious for increasing warmth and clarity simultaneously, a rare combination. While greatly strengthening chord clarity and beefing up individual notes, it also greatly improves resonance, especially in the midrange of the instrument.
Tungsten:
When it comes to sustain, the single most important property of a metal is density followed by hardness. Tungsten is over 4 times denser than titanium and more than twice as dense as brass. To equal the mass of our tungsten sustain block, you would need a titanium block 4 times the size and a brass block double the dimensions of our tungsten block. The tungsten sustain block, every note will be brighter with a noticeable increase in clarity and sustain.
Granite/Stone:
These patented blocks are made of granite, and are designed to enhance and strengthen the sound of your tremolo-equipped instrument across the entire audio spectrum. Granite, when quarried in its natural state, is not only of an ideal density for the purpose of sustain, but also has a crystalline atomic structure which is ideal for sonic transference—it requires no factory processing or dilution, and the natural change in sound, upon installation, is so drastic that signal loss from the guitar to the amplifier will be decreased by at least 30%. That doesn't really tell me anything about the tone.
Titanium:
absorbs virtually no sound at all. This block is absolutely unmatched in resonance and clarity, ideal natural frequency and a unique ability to transfer sound energy seamlessly-- this is the upgrade of upgrades.
I've been reading up on these for a few months now, and I'm not really sure how I feel. First off, I'm really into anything that will give me even more resonance. It's not that I have a problem or think my Charvels sound thin or anything, but I figure if I can make them sound better, then why not. Second, I use my Floyds quite a bit on those guitars. I do not like blocked tremolos. I love to dive bomb, hit harmonics, and pull up a lot on the Floyds. I reiterate, I like to pull up a lot with my Floyds. How much of a hindrance will that be on me doing pullups? I love pulling up 3-4 steps or so.
If there is an impeding problem with installing a sustain block for me and my pullups, I have no problem getting out a dremel and routing out some of the wood. Have any of you ever done this?
Which of the sustain blocks do you have experience with? My guess is most of you have only tried the brass ones. No matter which I get, I would probably go with the L type. However, I think only a couple of the sustain blocks of the different materials come in the L type configuration.
Soooooooo;
Copper:
Soaring highs, nut crushing lows and scooped mids!
Brass:
it is notorious for increasing warmth and clarity simultaneously, a rare combination. While greatly strengthening chord clarity and beefing up individual notes, it also greatly improves resonance, especially in the midrange of the instrument.
Tungsten:
When it comes to sustain, the single most important property of a metal is density followed by hardness. Tungsten is over 4 times denser than titanium and more than twice as dense as brass. To equal the mass of our tungsten sustain block, you would need a titanium block 4 times the size and a brass block double the dimensions of our tungsten block. The tungsten sustain block, every note will be brighter with a noticeable increase in clarity and sustain.
Granite/Stone:
These patented blocks are made of granite, and are designed to enhance and strengthen the sound of your tremolo-equipped instrument across the entire audio spectrum. Granite, when quarried in its natural state, is not only of an ideal density for the purpose of sustain, but also has a crystalline atomic structure which is ideal for sonic transference—it requires no factory processing or dilution, and the natural change in sound, upon installation, is so drastic that signal loss from the guitar to the amplifier will be decreased by at least 30%. That doesn't really tell me anything about the tone.
Titanium:
absorbs virtually no sound at all. This block is absolutely unmatched in resonance and clarity, ideal natural frequency and a unique ability to transfer sound energy seamlessly-- this is the upgrade of upgrades.
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you do upgrade
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