Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

B

BloodRose

Professional Scapegoat
Im a big believer in the large brass trem blocks.. Seems to make a very nice improvement. Have been curious to try other materials, but hard to A)pony up more money, and B)try something else when the brass works so well.

I have blocks on I think all but one of my Floyd axes now.. Awhile back I scored a deal on a Ti block to try.. I think Im going to put it on the currently stock guitar.. Who has used Ti blocks and how do you like em? Big diff? Now, I KNOW it has somethings to do with the metal properties.. But my brain is having a hard time wrapping my head around something.. I can see how the brass ones work.. They are bigger, more mass. The Ti one is about the same size as the tiny stock block.. Seems odd that itll make much improvement... Any of you using Ti, how you like it? Tonal diff??

Also, have been curious about the Stone tone blocks.. Users? Opinions??? Yes, I remember when a rep was on here talking about them, but wondering if you guys have any real world experience recently or currently?? Again, I can fathom how those would work as they are heavier than stock...
Thanks
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

Well my 2015 Les Paul has a titanium nut and titanium saddles, and it has a much clearer tone, more harmonics, and a tad more sustain than my 1986 with a bone nut and cast saddles
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

No one? I know I havent given much time.. Im just staring at the guitar and the block and wondering, do I or dont I??
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

There was a thread from I think last year where a few people here got stone blocks. Might try searching for that.
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

AlexR said:
There was a thread from I think last year where a few people here got stone blocks. Might try searching for that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, thanks.. I was involved in the stone block discussion. That was about the makers claimed benefits and all.. Im asking about Ti now AND who has tried the stone tone blocks since that discussion and their thoughts..
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

Well, its one of those things about materials and a specific set of properties.

I'm not sure if you tried the block in many guitars during that test. My results after having done similar upgrades on guitars with different shapes plus also some with the same shape (or construction) is that results can be unpredictable. Mine was with converting some of my Gibsons to ABR bridges using Faber parts. One LP stunned everybody with the quality of sustain it gained. Another LP (an older one) changed the tonal aspects without sustain. An SG of about the same vintage as the old LP seemed unaffected.

Ti has certain properties.....which will depend on what it is alloyed with as much as its own. I know about Ti in the iterations that are used in the MTB and roadbike riding. It was the wonder metal.....stronger than steels and could be made into thinner tubes which were lighter. It wasn't as flexible as steel, so whilst it had some of the cushioning it didn't do that as well.


So in summary, you could say that Ti will have some of the same properties as steel. It may well be slightly on the brighter side as it is a more stiff material.
But it will depend entirely on the guitar in question what it does.
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

If you have a Titanium block already, break down and install it. It will certainly be better than the stock zinc block. How it varies from brass, I don't know. Be the guinea pig by installing it and reporting back to the group. Personally, I'm really interested in the Tungsten and Copper blocks. No one seems to have much experience with those, but the tonal properties listed sound impressive. I know Chris Poland swears by the Stone Tone blocks, which says enough for me. If I played a Floyded guitar regularly, I'd start saving my pennies.
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

Yeah, I prolly will, but.. just gonna be pissed if its a waste of time.. Again, cant wrap my head around the fact that a block of of nearly the same size and weight will make much diff
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

This thread is giving me the urge to upgrade my floyds haha. If I like my guitars to have a snappy, staccato tone, would a brass block be counter productive?
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

BloodRose said:
Im a big believer in the large brass trem blocks.. Seems to make a very nice improvement. Have been curious to try other materials, but hard to A)pony up more money, and B)try something else when the brass works so well.

I have blocks on I think all but one of my Floyd axes now.. Awhile back I scored a deal on a Ti block to try.. I think Im going to put it on the currently stock guitar.. Who has used Ti blocks and how do you like em? Big diff? Now, I KNOW it has somethings to do with the metal properties.. But my brain is having a hard time wrapping my head around something.. I can see how the brass ones work.. They are bigger, more mass. The Ti one is about the same size as the tiny stock block.. Seems odd that itll make much improvement... Any of you using Ti, how you like it? Tonal diff??

Also, have been curious about the Stone tone blocks.. Users? Opinions??? Yes, I remember when a rep was on here talking about them, but wondering if you guys have any real world experience recently or currently?? Again, I can fathom how those would work as they are heavier than stock...
Thanks
Click to expand...

I've covered full Ti FR rigs and a Ti bridge and tailpiece. I also have a lot of brass sustain blocks and some brass locking nuts that were part of a batch made for EVH. Those have been covered on my site.

I've tried a granite block and am waiting on more/different sizes from the manufacturer (to be able to comment from different perspectives).

They all bring their own thing to the table. As with many things, it's best to try them to see what works best for you. Many Ti parts are more affordable than people expect. Brass blocks are so affordable that there's no good reason to not try one.

A common fallacy is that brass warms and Ti brightens. I like to suggest that brass enriches and Ti clarifies (by nature of being so transparent).

Sorry, no lab results to show. Just my ears. [emoji41][emoji41][emoji41]
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

Quick, man! Do it! Do it now!
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

The difference lies in the molecular structure of the material being used. Have you ever heard the difference when you tap on an ordinary water glass versus tapping on a crystal wine glass?. Glass doesn't have a crystiline structure so it doesn't ring. Granite and titanium have crystalline structures. The differences in their densities will affect their resonant frequencies. One will be brighter sounding, the other deeper. This will go for any of the replacement blocks. Zinc doesn't sound bad because it's light, but it's structure is amorphous, like glass, not crystal.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

I actually never tried different materials, but I would think it is a little bit of a rabbit hole like many other things. No doubt anything is an improvement over very cheap blocks, but I would imagine you can get blocks made out of anything you want to pay for these days (brass with stone inserts? why not?Someone is bound to make it). I just know that by the time I switch the block out, I'd forget what the last one sounded like! I have a terrible memory that way.
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

I would think that it all comes down to cost vs benefits. If it doesn't cost more than a new pickup but greatly improves the sound, then I'm in.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ti trem blocks?? Stone Blocks??

Thanks all! Will try it.. I have it, so may as well.....

As I said, I find a great difference with the big blocks. Bigger, ballsier tone.
Bartofdarkness, snappier?? prolly not. But can give you more sustain and a more punchy sound.. almost like trem vs hard tail..
 
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