Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

I also see your point, but as was said previously, not everyone wants or needs to "upgrade". PLUS, the orig Floyd was designed 20+ years ago and as with nearly everything in the world, people are always trying to improve things. The original model T didnt have A/C and a cd player or produce 300+ horsepower. So, it's been made better. And as mentioned, cost concessions. If the upgrades came stock, then the base price of any guitar that comes with a Floyd would be higher and people would complain about that, or less kids would be able to buy that first guitar.. Just options...

It's not even that not everyone wants to or needs to. Not everyone is a tone freak like us. Not everyone cares.

How many players do you know who don't know what kind of pickups are in their guitars? More than a few. And yet pickups are the most common mods done. There are quite a few less players who care about the block in their FR.

 

[Jason_The_Angry]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

that's spot on. However, I'm one of the ones that can't leave anything well enough alone. In relation to this upgrade, I was not impressed by the trem when I bought the guitar. In the process of overhauling the guitar, I happened upon the site, and figured I'd try it out. I've spent $60 on garbage before.... this investment seemed to be worth it

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

It's not even that not everyone wants to or needs to. Not everyone is a tone freak like us. Not everyone cares.

How many players do you know who don't know what kind of pickups are in their guitars? More than a few. And yet pickups are the most common mods done. There are quite a few less players who care about the block in their FR.

This is what I was saying. Maybe it didnt come across as such. One poster asked why they didnt come stock.. I was saying to make em more affordable and the original way works well for many people. But, for those of us who upgrade, options are avail. I too, cant leave well enough alone.. Almost to a fault.. haha

As soon as I buy a guitar, straplocks go on. Then in 95% of the cases, at least one pickup is changed. Then a big block and other trem mods...

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

This is what I was saying. Maybe it didnt come across as such. One poster asked why they didnt come stock.. I was saying to make em more affordable and the original way works well for many people. But, for those of us who upgrade, options are avail. I too, cant leave well enough alone.. Almost to a fault.. haha

As soon as I buy a guitar, straplocks go on. Then in 95% of the cases, at least one pickup is changed. Then a big block and other trem mods...

As soon as I buy a guitar, I put Fender Strap Blocks. Pickups are another story (eventually they get changed but I live with the ones I have for a while).

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

As soon as I buy a guitar, I put Fender Strap Blocks. Pickups are another story (eventually they get changed but I live with the ones I have for a while).

if the pups are already good, like SD or something, Ill live with it awhile to see how it is of course. But if I want a different tone from it, Ill swap em. And it goes in stages.. I dont just have the money to buy all the trinkets.. have to save up for em. haha. But I usually do change some things..

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

And installed.

Sent from my Moto X 2014 using Tapatalk

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

The whole industry leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

Original Floyd Rose trems are supposed to be the best engineered on the market. If big blocks are an upgrade over the stock block, then they should come as standard.

As it is, they are creating a market for upgrade blocks by intentionally not supplying them as standard, all the while making claims about well thought out quality engineering.

It's like if a quality brand like Mercedes claimed to make the best engineered cars in the world, but shipped them with crappy engines... and then had the cheek to sell decent engines separately as an upgrade.

There's always a way to hot rod something, and people are always gonna figure out how. It doesn't matter if you're talking about a Floyd Rose, a Marshall head, a 1911, or a Mercedes. There's always room for improvement.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

Thanks everyone!!

 

[jmh151]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

I've used both. A Brass Big Block is a big improvement, more sustain, bottom end, warmer tone- it takes away the brittleness that many complain of with a Floyd.

Tungsten- Sometimes a Trem cavity isn't routed big enough to accommodate a Big Block- in my experience trem travel is limited, you can't push down as much or pull up as much if you have a floating trem. So you use a Tungsten Block. Tungsten is twice as dense as Brass, so you can used a Tungsten block the same size as the stock block, and get all the tone and improvements you would with a Bras Big Block.

I haven't tried the others, but have heard if you have a licensed Floyd with a cast base and hardened steel knife edges (Ibanez Edge, Schaller Floyd) which have a warmer tone to begin with, you want to use a Titanium big block as the case base will level out the brightness of the Titanium and vice versa.

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

I guess I am the odd one here cause giving the guitar a cold and a runny nose is not something I'd call an upgrade.
Well, unless you'd compare it to low end blocks as asthma and chronic bronchitis, that is. :kabong:

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

.

Tungsten- Sometimes a Trem cavity isn't routed big enough to accommodate a Big Block- in my experience trem travel is limited, you can't push down as much or pull up as much if you have a floating trem. So you use a Tungsten Block. Tungsten is twice as dense as Brass, so you can used a Tungsten block the same size as the stock block, and get all the tone and improvements you would with a Bras Big Block.

That's great to hear since I do a lot of dive bombing and pulling up sharp with the bar.

 

[speed2dirt]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

Don't forget steel as a trem block. That's what Kahler used exclusively for their fulcrum trem blocks.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

I've always wondered about just adding weight to my existing block.... like lead tape (used by old timers to add weight to golf clubs)

Also adding weight to the headstock in the same manner...

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

I've always wondered about just adding weight to my existing block.... like lead tape (used by old timers to add weight to golf clubs)

Also adding weight to the headstock in the same manner...

Somebody over at VHLinks.com or EddieVanHalen.com (I forget which) glued two stock blocks together and there was a change in tone. I think your lead tape might work.

Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

I've always wondered about just adding weight to my existing block.... like lead tape (used by old timers to add weight to golf clubs)

Also adding weight to the headstock in the same manner...

Somebody over at VHLinks.com or EddieVanHalen.com (I forget which) glued two stock blocks together and there was a change in tone. I think your lead tape might work.

Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk

Cool idea! For my acoustics I like to add the Fender Fat Finger Sustain Enhancer. The difference was more noticeable on my acoustics than the electrics although it was a nice subtle increase in Sustain on the electrics.

View attachment 64635

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

I've used both. A Brass Big Block is a big improvement, more sustain, bottom end, warmer tone- it takes away the brittleness that many complain of with a Floyd.

Tungsten- Sometimes a Trem cavity isn't routed big enough to accommodate a Big Block- in my experience trem travel is limited, you can't push down as much or pull up as much if you have a floating trem. So you use a Tungsten Block. Tungsten is twice as dense as Brass, so you can used a Tungsten block the same size as the stock block, and get all the tone and improvements you would with a Bras Big Block.

I haven't tried the others, but have heard if you have a licensed Floyd with a cast base and hardened steel knife edges (Ibanez Edge, Schaller Floyd) which have a warmer tone to begin with, you want to use a Titanium big block as the case base will level out the brightness of the Titanium and vice versa.

Good info! I kinda wonder how Ti would work for a block. Cant really spend that kind of money on one, but curious. I know the benefit is more about mass than weight, but seems like they kind of go together in this case. So I wondered how using Ti works since its a lighter metal.? I do want to try Tungsten next tho. The bummer is, the guitar I want to put it on already has a big brass block on it and I REALLY dont want to tear the trem down again and have to redo setting the intonation and all.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

Somebody over at VHLinks.com or EddieVanHalen.com (I forget which) glued two stock blocks together and there was a change in tone. I think your lead tape might work.

Gluing the two blocks sounds better than the lead tape idea. Lead is toxic. My daughter had touched it during some mods I was doing to my edge zero ii-7, and I freaked out. Ended up using small iron weights used for auto wheels balancing. I managed to add max 100g, didn't get much of a difference in tone.
I am still puzzled over sustain on those two last frets of my Ibanez, uv70p. If I could improve just the sustain on 22->24th fret I would experiment with after market blocks.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

Lead is toxic.

Ha ha it can't be any more toxic than my whiskey drunk guitar playing!

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

Mmm...it depends on the actual setup of the guitar and also what kind of midrange transfer you want going to your amp.

I have one guitar with a floating original Floyd that I installed a standard size KGC brass block on. It made an enormous difference.

I've also had a few Charvels and Kramers that were decked (down-only, EVH style). I AB'd them with brass block and without. The difference is marginal.

Better springs also help stability and sustain.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: Talk To Me About Floyd Rose Sustain Blocks. I have Quite A Few Questions

There's a video with Paul from GW that I think actually shows off the difference pretty well. It's exactly what I heard on my orange Strat when I replaced the block of the OFR with a Floyd Rose-branded big block.

Acoustically the guitar became louder and fatter, which translated well to distorted tones. I'm a happy customer.



Let me tell you this, though... Look on eBay for the Floyd Rose branded blocks. You can usually find them for less than the FU-Tone blocks and they're basically the same thing.

Agree with all of the above; I pretty much upgrade every OFR or Ibanez Edge Block to either a F.U. Big Brass Block (never tried any other material as I love the BRASS) from ebay seller "O C Custom" or "squidmusic" or "Hoockey"...all great sellers w/fair prices, quick shipping and great customer service.