Big trem blocks. Any difference?

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I have a Squier strat build which had one of the thinner 40mm bodies on it, and I recently changed it for a full thickness strat body.
The little trem block really looks silly in a full thickness body and it's made me wonder if it would be worth spending some money on a bigger trem block.
Is it going to seriously affect my tone, bearing in mind I play with a lot of gain 85% of the time?
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

The type of bridge it's going on, the material used for the block, and the size all play into it. In general, yes, the mass of full size blocks will make a notable difference in your tone for the better.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

Worth every penny.. if the guitar's worth the investment.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

It probably isn't to be honest.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

I think I fell into the hype. Yes, there is a difference, but it is VERY subtle. I made recordings before and after (but they were on a looper so I didn't save them) to confirm. I think a twist of an amp knob could provide near the same effect. YMMV as one person's "huge" is another's "subtle". One drawback, on some guitars, is that the range of pull-up gets limited if the block is larger than the OEM one.

Edit: This was on an Original Floyd Rose. I used a FloydUpgrades.com Brass Big Block. AFAIK, the stock OFR block is brass as well. Perhaps that is why the difference was so subtle.
 
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Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

I don't know about the size but the material of the block makes a difference that's more audible than a lot of other nonsense people care about.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

wolf5150 said:
Look here.
I have their blocks on all my guitars.
The only thing I'm not impressed with is their trem claw.. it's too big.

http://www.killerguitarcomponents.com/
Click to expand...

They make great stuff. IF the block makes a difference, then it's probably also wise you get the heavier, lower-tension Raw Vintage Springs and even the thick brass claw they offer. IF it matters that much, take it all the way to the wood. Why invest in a $70 block, if you don't take the vibrations as far as they can go?

Besides, these parts can be removed from the Squier and put on a Warmoth custom or similar or a real USA Fender down the road. People don't often consider that. Make the Squier as badass as it can sound and when you step up to better tone woods, neck, etc... you'll have awesome components to compliment it.

To the OP... what kind of bridge are you using? If I were you, I wouldn't mess with a big block until you have a respectable bridge to mount it on. The vast majority of string vibration ends at the saddles... anything beyond that point is a combination of body/wood vibration and tiny remnants of actual "leaked" vibration from the strings. Stock Squier bridges are horrible pot metal crud, unless you're talking an 80's Japanese re-issue model. Go on eBay and get an all-steel Wilkinson bridge(I bought this guy for around $30 shipped)... Killer GC makes Wilkinson brass blocks with the staggered E and D strings btw.
 
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Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

uOpt said:
I don't know about the size but the material of the block makes a difference that's more audible than a lot of other nonsense people care about.
Click to expand...

And there are some that say the whole thing is a load of bollocks, the string dies at the saddle... end of story. I don't know if I agree, but I still think if you have a good bridge and you want to squeeze every aspect of tone possible, take it all the way to the wood... don't skimp on springs or the claw. I am of the belief the entire resonance of the guitar is heard by the pickups and any subtle change could mean the difference between flat, lifeless tone and OMFG BLOOOM tones.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

IanBallard said:
And there are some that say the whole thing is a load of bollocks, the string dies at the saddle... end of story.
Click to expand...

No, I changed from a Zinc Block to a Callaham on the same guitar, same strings and all, and recorded before/after. The difference is much bigger than between different capacitors and a whole bunch of other voodoo that people do after not recoding and then making up differences in their heads. The Callaham Steel block sounds softer, rounder, the Zinc block more driven. I can see situations where I'd want the Zinc.

In my opinion a Strat's sound quality is dominated by the metal. The truss rod, the tremolo, the neck construction, maybe even the tuners. Neck pocket. Forget about the wood by a good long shot until you sort out the other nonsense.
 
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Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

Why is $70 " dumb " ?

As I was told years ago, the best isn't usually the cheapest but it is ALWAYS the best.

Might as well ask why buy a Custom Shop Strat when a Squier will do ??
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

uOpt said:
No, I changed from a Zinc Block to a Callaham on the same guitar, same strings and all, and recorded before/after. The difference is much bigger than between different capacitors and a whole bunch of other voodoo that people do after not recoding and then making up differences in their heads. The Callaham Steel block sounds softer, rounder, the Zinc block more driven. I can see situations where I'd want the Zinc.

In my opinion a Strat's sound quality is dominated by the metal. The truss rod, the tremolo, the neck construction, maybe even the tuners. Neck pocket. Forget about the wood by a good long shot until you sort out the other nonsense.
Click to expand...

I am one of those who feels that hard-mounting pickups makes a big difference in tone.. whether good or bad is subjective, but there definitely IS a difference to me. Like I said, take the whole vibration path from tuners to claw, get the best components you can afford and it will make THE difference most people are looking for. As far as woods, I feel that makes the biggest difference when the pickup is actually mounted on the wood or indirectly using a wood spacer like I've done. But everything counts in the big picture. Take the exact chain of hardware from tuners to claw, pickups, pots and neck and use them on a mahogany body, then stick them in an ash body. There WILL be a pretty significant change because of the way the wood itself vibrates the components screwed into it.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

IanBallard said:
I am one of those who feels that hard-mounting pickups makes a big difference in tone.. whether good or bad is subjective, but there definitely IS a difference to me. Like I said, take the whole vibration path from tuners to claw, get the best components you can afford and it will make THE difference most people are looking for. As far as woods, I feel that makes the biggest difference when the pickup is actually mounted on the wood or indirectly using a wood spacer like I've done. But everything counts in the big picture. Take the exact chain of hardware from tuners to claw, pickups, pots and neck and use them on a mahogany body, then stick them in an ash body. There WILL be a pretty significant change because of the way the wood itself vibrates the components screwed into it.
Click to expand...

Are you aware of any ABX recordings with hard-mounted vs ring/pickguard-mounted pickups? Would be interesting to listen to...have to admit I'm skeptical.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

wolf5150 said:
Why is $70 " dumb " ?

As I was told years ago, the best isn't usually the cheapest but it is ALWAYS the best.

Might as well ask why buy a Custom Shop Strat when a Squier will do ??
Click to expand...

It's dumb if he's using a Squier mystery metal saddle bridge. The first mod I made to my Squier, even before pickups, was upgrade the bridge. Of course, he didn't mention if he changed bridges or not.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

Paying $70 for a $20 brass block is the dumb part, not the block itself. I use, and prefer the brass block on my floyds, and a steel block on my strats.

...And Ian is correct, upgrade the whole bridge on a cheap Squier. You can usually catch Hwy 1 trems on ebay for about $50, and they come with a steel block.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

Chad said:
Are you aware of any ABX recordings with hard-mounted vs ring/pickguard-mounted pickups? Would be interesting to listen to...have to admit I'm skeptical.
Click to expand...

No, I haven't seen others' comparisons, but I used ring-mounted pickups and decided to go the direct-mounted route. Two drawbacks that can be blessings... EVERY vibration, spring noise, whammy bar squeak, etc can be heard clearly in the pickup if you're not playing notes and, as a result I noticed microphonics can be bad under really loud situations. Pickups don't just pickup string vibration. ANY vibration traveling within the guitar will be heard by the pickup, ring-mounted or not but it's amplified by the legs being screwed into the wood and, in the case of Trembuckers, the pole screws touching the wood. Vibrations entering the coils, translates into some kind of sound, for good or bad.... sometimes bad. You just have to tame the beast. I noticed, regardless of the pickups I've tried, the spanky "Strat" tone still comes through better than when I mounted pickups on a ring. It's not for everybody though.
 
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Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

Ayrton said:
Paying $70 for a $20 brass block is the dumb part, not the block itself. I use, and prefer the brass block on my floyds, and a steel block on my strats.

...And Ian is correct, upgrade the whole bridge on a cheap Squier. You can usually catch Hwy 1 trems on ebay for about $50, and they come with a steel block.
Click to expand...

I'd gladly have one of my vintage Zildjians melted down and made into a block for $70 but bronze is a far more musical metal than brass, in my opinion. Also there are differences in sintered steel like the GFS ones (and my Wilkinson) and extruded, cold-rolled forged steel and there are also different brass alloys, some being more musical than others. I'll presume the GFS ones are not the best musical bell brass in the world.
 
Re: Big trem blocks. Any difference?

As I said earlier, it depends if the Op's guitar is worthy of the upgrade.

His may simply benefit from the cheaper compund that Guirarfetish sells, my guitars however totally benefited from the Killer brass blocks.

There are always cheap copies of quality products, then there's the quality stuff.
 
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