I've read mass equates to more sustain and tungsten being close to 3x heavier than steel, seems ideal I know I'd like some tungsten hard wear like machine heads, bridge posts, inserts, stop bars, and bridges(with actual brass where the string sets). Has anyone ever heard of tungsten pieces?
Tungsten parts
- Thread starter Deech
- Start date
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Tungsten parts
I have a tungsten drill bit.
I have a tungsten drill bit.
firebirdguy72
안전놀이터추천 『‰』ＫaＫa８３.ＣoＭ까톡: oxiz 『‰』 해외 베팅 업체
Re: Tungsten parts
Tungsten is used for GTAW welding and should be used as such.
Tungsten is used for GTAW welding and should be used as such.
DarkMatter
Unprofessional Toneologist
Re: Tungsten parts
There are tungsten floyd rose trem blocks.
There are tungsten floyd rose trem blocks.
knight_yyz
New member
Re: Tungsten parts
There are tungsten sustain blocks on the market, but they are super expensive and very hard to machine. But the sound isn't due solely to the mass. If that was the case sustain blocks would be made of lead. Supposedly titanium is an excellent sustain block material and has little mass.
There are tungsten sustain blocks on the market, but they are super expensive and very hard to machine. But the sound isn't due solely to the mass. If that was the case sustain blocks would be made of lead. Supposedly titanium is an excellent sustain block material and has little mass.
Re: Tungsten parts
1st off, lead is soft and toxic to the human. 2nd, I doubt there have been any quantitative before/after tests with the tungsten/titanium blocks. The topic of sustain is touched here : https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?284503-Sustain-in-20th-frets/page3 (pages 3->5). When the wood is neutral to the specific fret/note then it does not vibrate, therefore we have natural sustain. When the wood vibrates, this vibration can be harmless (lower frequency and less powerful than the string), or harmful (half or less the period of the string and also powerful) you would want something to help "amortize" the wood vibration, minimizing the negative effects of the wood vibration in the harmful case, only, while leave the guitar woods correspond as they were in the harmless case. A new material might help, but it would depend on actual woods as well. Throwing in some magic Strongium-90 Wishalloy block without doing extensive quantitative before/after sustain tests with many wood configurations is absolutely pointless.
1st off, lead is soft and toxic to the human. 2nd, I doubt there have been any quantitative before/after tests with the tungsten/titanium blocks. The topic of sustain is touched here : https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?284503-Sustain-in-20th-frets/page3 (pages 3->5). When the wood is neutral to the specific fret/note then it does not vibrate, therefore we have natural sustain. When the wood vibrates, this vibration can be harmless (lower frequency and less powerful than the string), or harmful (half or less the period of the string and also powerful) you would want something to help "amortize" the wood vibration, minimizing the negative effects of the wood vibration in the harmful case, only, while leave the guitar woods correspond as they were in the harmless case. A new material might help, but it would depend on actual woods as well. Throwing in some magic Strongium-90 Wishalloy block without doing extensive quantitative before/after sustain tests with many wood configurations is absolutely pointless.
Re: Tungsten parts
Maybe not to you, if people will pay 300-500 for a silver wire pickup what's 100 for tuners when it comes to passions making your dream guitar over years is easily justifiable costs. I'd pay some extra for some tungsten hardwear to buff up my sustain, I'd pay 200+ for a full tungsten precise wraparound bridge with brass saddles
crusty philtrum
Vintageologist
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
crusty philtrum
Vintageologist
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
firebirdguy72
안전놀이터추천 『‰』ＫaＫa８３.ＣoＭ까톡: oxiz 『‰』 해외 베팅 업체
Re: Tungsten parts
Most people aren't willing to spend that money... most people also won't EVER be able to tell the difference between a tungsten block and a steel block. Especially people that you're playing for. If you want to spend $200 on a bridge than go ahead, but to most people that would be a complete waste of money. $200 buys some killer SD pups. Your pickups affect your overall tone and sustain way more than a $200 bridge made of tungsten...
Most people aren't willing to spend that money... most people also won't EVER be able to tell the difference between a tungsten block and a steel block. Especially people that you're playing for. If you want to spend $200 on a bridge than go ahead, but to most people that would be a complete waste of money. $200 buys some killer SD pups. Your pickups affect your overall tone and sustain way more than a $200 bridge made of tungsten...
Re: Tungsten parts
pay as much as you wish, go and sell your house. I WANT NUMBERS. If you can give precise and detailed info on any improvement that would be really beneficial. Paying money blindly left and right, not so much. I have been in your shoes (brass nuts, brass blocks, super-vee "sustainiac", etc...). Ok it was fun, but the results just never came, neither did I force myself to believe otherwise.
pay as much as you wish, go and sell your house. I WANT NUMBERS. If you can give precise and detailed info on any improvement that would be really beneficial. Paying money blindly left and right, not so much. I have been in your shoes (brass nuts, brass blocks, super-vee "sustainiac", etc...). Ok it was fun, but the results just never came, neither did I force myself to believe otherwise.
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knight_yyz
New member
Re: Tungsten parts
Wind instruments are made out of brass, and the best made bells on the market are some type of bronze. To me, a brass or bronze block would seem to be the better route. A really good copper bronze bell can sustain for a good amount of time. So why are there no cast bronze sustain blocks? 80% copper and 20% tin has been found to be the best resonant material for a bell. I was going to make a sustain block from a material called ampcoloy which is an aluminum bronze, but I couldn't find the right drawing for my guitar block so right now I have a piece of squared up material. I might get around to it one of these days . I've also wondered what would happen if a block was made of tool steel. Then harden it like a piece of glass. I'm sure the resonant qualities would be better than soft material due to the way the molecules line up when the material is hardened. BTY tool steel is just mild steel with a bit of chromium and nickel added.
Wind instruments are made out of brass, and the best made bells on the market are some type of bronze. To me, a brass or bronze block would seem to be the better route. A really good copper bronze bell can sustain for a good amount of time. So why are there no cast bronze sustain blocks? 80% copper and 20% tin has been found to be the best resonant material for a bell. I was going to make a sustain block from a material called ampcoloy which is an aluminum bronze, but I couldn't find the right drawing for my guitar block so right now I have a piece of squared up material. I might get around to it one of these days . I've also wondered what would happen if a block was made of tool steel. Then harden it like a piece of glass. I'm sure the resonant qualities would be better than soft material due to the way the molecules line up when the material is hardened. BTY tool steel is just mild steel with a bit of chromium and nickel added.
jmh151
Active member
Re: Tungsten parts
Tungsten is used also on the tips of armor piercing bullets. That's how strong it is.
I have a Tungsten Floyd Rose block. The advantage of Tungsten is it's double the mass and weight of brass. If you want a Brass Big Block on your Floyd, there are some guitars that are routed only to accommodate the stock small Floyd Rose Block and a Big Block won't fit, or rather, you get limited Trem movement. So, instead, you used Tungsten, which is the same size as a stock Floyd Rose block, but has the weight and mass of a large Brass Big Block. So you get the added mass, sustain, and tone of a Brass Big Block in a smaller package. The downside is it costs twice as much.
I wouldn't by a Big Block made of Tungsten though, the heavy weight (4 x as much as a stock block) would likely make the guitar too dark and dull.
Titanium blocks brighten up the guitar, which I hear is good if you have a Floyd with a cast plate with hardened saddles, like a Schaller Floyd or Ibanez Edge, which tend to darken or warm up the tone on their own. It would also be good on mahogany bodies.
Tungsten is used also on the tips of armor piercing bullets. That's how strong it is.
I have a Tungsten Floyd Rose block. The advantage of Tungsten is it's double the mass and weight of brass. If you want a Brass Big Block on your Floyd, there are some guitars that are routed only to accommodate the stock small Floyd Rose Block and a Big Block won't fit, or rather, you get limited Trem movement. So, instead, you used Tungsten, which is the same size as a stock Floyd Rose block, but has the weight and mass of a large Brass Big Block. So you get the added mass, sustain, and tone of a Brass Big Block in a smaller package. The downside is it costs twice as much.
I wouldn't by a Big Block made of Tungsten though, the heavy weight (4 x as much as a stock block) would likely make the guitar too dark and dull.
Titanium blocks brighten up the guitar, which I hear is good if you have a Floyd with a cast plate with hardened saddles, like a Schaller Floyd or Ibanez Edge, which tend to darken or warm up the tone on their own. It would also be good on mahogany bodies.
Demanic
PenultimateTone Member
Re: Tungsten parts
It has to do with density and molecular structure. Lead has an amorphous structure from what I recall. Metals like steel, tungsten and titanium are more crystalline. I bet cast aircraft aluminum would have a good sound, titanium would be similar. Steel would work well if it were high carbon. Tungsten has a nice ring to it, but it is heavy and would probably be fairly bright due to the tight crystalline structure.
It has to do with density and molecular structure. Lead has an amorphous structure from what I recall. Metals like steel, tungsten and titanium are more crystalline. I bet cast aircraft aluminum would have a good sound, titanium would be similar. Steel would work well if it were high carbon. Tungsten has a nice ring to it, but it is heavy and would probably be fairly bright due to the tight crystalline structure.
Demanic
PenultimateTone Member
Re: Tungsten parts
Dude, you want charts? The resonance frequency depends upon how much a material damps the wave. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resonance
http://substech.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=metals_crystal_structure
Does this help?
Dude, you want charts? The resonance frequency depends upon how much a material damps the wave. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resonance
http://substech.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=metals_crystal_structure
Does this help?
