Blocked Trems

[Lake Placid Blues]

Many players that never use trems, including EC, like a blocked trem better than a hard tail. They like the effect of the metal sustain block on the sound but otherwise don't want a trem. A blocked trem has a trem but the springs are tightened down and a piece of wood is jammed into the space between the block and the guitar body making it a more solid connection.

I tried this on a PRS Standard that I never use the trem on, but didn't like it that much. It noticably altered the tone, essentially making it more upper mid-rangey. I liked it better with the springs just tightened down. I tried using a block on a couple of my strats that are normally floating and noticed the same thing. I liked their tone best with floating trems.

I also decided I don't really like hard tail strats as much as trem loaded strats.

Has anybody else tried blocked trems, vs a hardtail, vs floating, vs tightened down trems, and what did you like or dislike about it?

 

[jammertom]

Re: Blocked Trems

I'm with you. I've tried both blocked and decked (spring claw is tightened up to the point that the trem plate is pulled down tight against the top of the body). Both of these setups added components to the tone that I didn't much care for, even though though the sustain and resonance seemed greater. I like to adjust the claw so that I can just barely slip a playing card between the back end of the trem plate and the top of the guitar body. I feel like there's a sweetness available that is lost when I set my strats up "solid"...but then, everyone likes their coffee different...

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Blocked Trems

I was thinking of starting a poll for everyone to weigh in on Strat tremolo setup.

I have used, at various times, floating, barely decked, and fully tightened springs. I've decided that if I want to use the Trem I keep it floating, and if I want to ignore the trem I tighten the springs down enough that the bridge won't lift if I do a compound bend.

I've found if the trem is held down with some force, then I use the trem to divebomb, it changes the tone once the trem is off the body. This kind of precludes subtle vibrato since the tone changes, so a decked trem gets no bar for me. I haven't jammed a block in there since my HS days when we fixed up a Strat and we didn't have enough springs to keep the bridge down. That was a cheap knockoff and had EMGs, so I'm not sure of the effect on tone.

 

[rgand]

Re: Blocked Trems

I have the tremolo in my Strat blocked with wood both ahead and behind the block. Sustain is amazing and the tone brightened up some where before it was a little too warm for my preferences. I have a trem block to install instead of the wooden block ahead of the trem block to see how that works with the trem block solidly anchored. http://www.ebay.com/itm/250939421781?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I'll be ordering a heavy steel trem block to try, as well. I haven't tried a hard tail Strat so can't give an opinion on that.

 

[koshikas]

Re: Blocked Trems

i'm one of those using barely decked trem just in the manner u described in my pacifica, and i ve noticed the tone change while diving/lowering pitch. i have assumed it to be a result of strings moving away from pickups, visually that is very obvious on synchronized tremolos. apart from that, i think tonal change is also due to slack in string tension.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Blocked Trems

For some reason, I feel like guitars with blocked trems are easier to play than ones with floating trems.

 

[DreX]

Re: Blocked Trems

For some reason, I feel like guitars with blocked trems are easier to play than ones with floating trems.

If it's genuinely floating, then simply resting you palm on the bridge will cause it to go out of whack, but even with a low tension trem, when you bend a string, it causes the other strings to drop in pitch, a little or a lot, depending on how loose the trem is, and it's especially noticeable if you try to do the faux b-bender maneuver where you play two strings at once, but only bend one of the strings. A decked trem and a blocked trem are pretty much equal in these respects, though.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Blocked Trems

My favourite guitar has a blocked trem, but I haven't tried an identical hardtail strat to determine which is better. The blocked trem seems to have more bass than floating though.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Blocked Trems

I don't like a hard tail strat because I like a tremolo. If the guitar has a Floyd then I like it to be floating with it routed out behind the Floyd. For a non-Floyd/Kahler bridge I like it flush with the wood and only able to go down and not pull up (I don't know if there is a technical term for this or not...)

 

[JimmyO]

Re: Blocked Trems

I don't like a hard tail strat because I like a tremolo. If the guitar has a Floyd then I like it to be floating with it routed out behind the Floyd. For a non-Floyd/Kahler bridge I like it flush with the wood and only able to go down and not pull up (I don't know if there is a technical term for this or not...)

I have a similar approach. For an OFR I like the Trem floating, the tremolo action is smoothest like this and you get the flutter effects that floyds are known for. I have a guitar with a Floyd Rose special and have it decked and set for dive bombs only, it was having some tuning issues with pull ups and the guitar is not routed so didn't lose much. My favorite trems in terms of smoothness are the vintage strat trems and new U.S. standard two post strat trems. I have them decked as I do a lot of unison bends and pedal steel type stuff and find decking a strat trem doesn't effect the tremolo action as much as on a floyd. So basically floating for floyds, decked for vintage style strat trems.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Blocked Trems

If it's genuinely floating, then simply resting you palm on the bridge will cause it to go out of whack, but even with a low tension trem, when you bend a string, it causes the other strings to drop in pitch, a little or a lot, depending on how loose the trem is, and it's especially noticeable if you try to do the faux b-bender maneuver where you play two strings at once, but only bend one of the strings. A decked trem and a blocked trem are pretty much equal in these respects, though.

Ah no, I meant that the strings seem easier to bend with decked trems. Slinkier, if you will.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Blocked Trems

Yeah,
The reason is if a trem is decked then when you bend a string it is the ONLY string you bend. With a floating trem, it requires more strength or pressure because as you bend an E string, you are also bending all the other strings with it. Try it. Play an open low E then do an Albert King type of bend and you can hear the low E going down as you bend up, as this bend forces the rest of the plate to go with you.
A decked Fender 2 fulcrum trem opposed to a floating trem (Same guitar-locking tuners, tusqXL nut strings, etc) has trouble with the G string returning to pitch much more than with it floating.
I used a digital tuner and when floating the G came back almost perfect, and sometimes perfect after a bend or bar use. The same guitar decked with springs only, when I pushed the arm down-it always came back sharp, almost a quarter tone, so that I had to bend the g with my fingers to get the G back to G. I don't know why, but my guitar stays in tune better with the trem floating as opposed to just downward only use. An immobile trem (fully decked both up and down) acts just like any other guitar as far as tuning goes.
SJB

 

[Stratman]

Re: Blocked Trems

I have tried a lot of different tremolo setups, blocked, spring tight / loose, etc...

Best mix that I now use is a combination of the following:

Bladerunner
KGC brass block
KGC angled claw
Graphtech Tusq saddles
3 springs

No wood blocks

Bridge / springs set up so that 2 business cards can rest under the bridge plate, during setting up operations.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Blocked Trems

My HWY1 trem is fully tightened down with no block.
Eliminated the overly jangley Strat tone, which was fine for me with that guitar.
I'm going to experiment with my incoming Strats trem, but I think it will likely be the same, just with less tension on the claw in an effort to retain some of that open jangle tone.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Blocked Trems

No wood blocks

Bridge / springs set up so that 2 business cards can rest under the bridge plate, during setting up operations.

This is how I like my personal guitars setup. I think the Strat Tremolo is the pest for palming/muting...just a personal preference.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Blocked Trems

I've tried every way (hardtail, tightened springs, locking thingy, and blocking the vibrato). I have no preference, and in fact, I don't bother any more. I can't say that any of these methods made any improvement short of the guitar staying in tune better when a string breaks. I just set Strats up to float now. It doesn't make much of a difference to me, tone, feel, or otherwise. It takes nothing away from the blocked setup, and it is nice to be able to use the vibrato.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Blocked Trems

I had a vintage Strat years ago, and tried blocking it once. Best thing about it was--it took me only two minutes to remove the damn thing!

I use G&L guitars with the Leo Fender-designed Dual Fulcrum Vibrato. This system is rock solid when it comes to tuning stability--it's just too good a vibrato to block.

Bill

 

[dominus]

Re: Blocked Trems

I think the Strat Tremolo is the best for palming/muting.

It is.