Swapping blocks and trem block impact on sound.

[deeaa]

On a whim, I decided I'd swap the trem blocks on my strats, because that's said to have a big impact on sound.

One victim is my Stratoblaster, which has a 'normal' rather heavy metal block of unknown material, not the softest stuff out there but not steel or anything. The guitar has a strurdyish rosewood/maple neck and medium-light body and sounds rather dark and 'even' with a strong and low sounding acoustic ring to it & a nice low sustain.

The other is the dee-constructed Squier Classic Vibe strat, which has an one-piece maple neck and similar body, but there is no pickguard damping down the body and the block is next to non-existant thin slab of something that looks like tin or something. The guitar sounds very lively and screams well amplified but also very thin and 'high' compared to the other strat, sort of like it had .008 strings and the other .12's, I'm sure you know what I mean. Not a lot of natural sustain. I think it is the neck; the other is a rather sturdy V that has this deep 'bong' sound to it when rapped with knuckles and very thin lacquer plus it's like 20 years old or more, and in comparison the Classic Player neck sounds like 'ding' when rapped and of course has been virtually dipped in thick plastic-looking lackquer.

So, I'm eager to see if there will be a difference in sound when I swap blocks. I think the neck construction is the key in how they sound, though.

I put a Wilkinson steel block in the dark strat, and now I've been playing it for a while. Can't say I could hear any clear change acoustically or amplified, but it is possible there is a weeeeee bit more top end there. I'm not sure there is, but if there is, it has not affected the lower end any. It sounds very much the same as it did, but it *may* have some more top end 'ping' way high up in the frequencies, not really affecting the sound directly but it may feel a little bit more lively. I'll have to A/B them with an amp but the Squier is now laying in pieces, awaiting the new block to be installed.

Because the other guitar is quite thin-sounding, I got this HUGE and heavy brass block for it...will install it next week and report on how that sounds; on that one I'm expecting more of an impact to the sound If there is next to no difference, I'll be ready to deem the whole block thing just a myth...but there has to be some difference. If there will be enough of a difference to counter the effect of the one-piece Squier neck on the sound, I'll be surprised, but pleasantly.

Then, regardless of the results, what I'll do is put the cheap Squier neck on the other one and vice versa when the time for the next string change comes up, and see if the sound qualities indeed follow the neck or not.

[deeaa]

I took the opportunity and did some fret work on the Squier...after just two string changes there were already clear spots of wear on some of the frets, so sadly I expect a fret job on it in a few years if I play it much. I guess that's just one of the things that make for the price difference between a Squier and a Fender.

I was able to, however, level the frets with very slight water sanding paper&block treatment and not even needed to recrown them, simply polished with steel wool and now they at least look really nice and smooth. Not that there had been playability problems before either, it's a good neck.

[Tig]

I replaced the small zinc with a thicker brass block on my Squier CV 50's Strat, and it was a noticeable improvement in resonance, as well as sustain. The difference in block size had to be a part of it, regardless of material.

[deeaa]

Yeah, I'm expecting a clear change with this. Must be much more of a change than the ss block for the other axe.

Hm, indeed, it might well be just a question of mass more than the material...the other block was just the same size and AFAIC just the same weight as the ss one, and there's next to no change. But that Squier block...it's super light in comparison indeed.

[Ch0jin]

I replaced the block on my 80's MiK Squier and it noticeably improved sustain.

To keep it simple and unscientific (for once), the original made a "thud" when you struck it and the replacement makes a metallic "donggggggg" when struck. I needed to replace the bridge anyway (wrong one fitted messing up string spacing) so the "thud" to "dongggggggg" upgrade was a nice bonus.

[deeaa]

That's why I got the Wilkinson in the first place...it now has a slightly narrower string spacing despite the wider baseplate, which fits my guitar perfectly. Used to be the high E string was just a wee bit too close to the edge for comfort on higher frets.

The SS block was a bonus. But, despite the old one clearly is some quite soft alloy and even painted silver to boot, it still makes pretty much the same sound as the new SS one does when rapped. Only when I hit it with a metal spoon or something, I detect some difference, the SS has slightly longer higher note ring.

But the Squier one...that makes no sound when rapped, just a 'pok' basically. It should improve clearly.

[Commodore 64]

The string vibrates between the saddle and the nut. How does the trem block affect this?

[marnold]

I'd be interested in your take on the changes. I've been considering swapping out my block on my DK2M for a brass one, but I haven't done it. I've listened to clips where people have said they notice a massive difference. Usually this is with a TON of gain so any subtlety is lost in a wave of distortion.

[deeaa]

The string vibrates between the saddle and the nut. How does the trem block affect this?

the whole trem unit does vibrate...I do not think the material per se matters much/any but since the trem is not bolted down tight, more mass should affect the way vibrations transfer to body. Amplified...I expect very little difference, at best a wee bit more sustain...but acoustically and perhaps with clean chords there should be a difference. We will know in a day or two...

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[deeaa]

Well now I have the huge brass block in the Squier and the SS block in the other darker strat.

Very interesting. While the SS block did very little to the darker one's sound, the huge change on the brass block was quite noticeable.
Funny thing, still, the sound is very much the same style overall, i.e. much spankier and livelier than the dark one, so it didn't change the fundamental tone signature of the guitar...but there is clearly way more volume and more powerful acoustic sound, plus both acoustically and electronically, sustain improved quite noticeably. At least with quick tests, the guitar doesn't suffer from too quickly dying sound on high bends no more.

So there seems to have been a clear improvement with the easily quadrupled mass of the block, but no fundamental tonal changes in either case.

Funny thing, though, the GFS block is so big it actually doesn't fit inside the body even, but protrudes a clear 4mm out of the body at the back!!!

Here's a couple of pics---first the block sticking out of the guitar back:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JXRkpZ0rxSk/TxgfmovWjoI/AAAAAAAAEmY/-swan6r2ScI/s800/IMG_20120119_152630.jpg?gl=FI

Then the entire guitar:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--uchL7j1exY/Txgfl_R_eoI/AAAAAAAAEmU/LvjKudr7at4/s800/IMG_20120119_152716.jpg?gl=FI

And the dark one with SS block:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MdSGxE2f0qM/Txgfn1Uj55I/AAAAAAAAEmg/aCmn4hnkRyw/s800/IMG_20120119_152958.jpg?gl=FI

Next up - when the next string change comes along - I'll swap the necks on these and see if the basic tonality of the axes follows the neck. I'm quite certain that it will.

[marnold]

Hmmm. Interesting. Maybe a brass block for my Floyd would be worth it after all. Your description sounds like how I described a Jet City amph that had been retubed with JJs. It sounds like the same basic amph, only more so.

[deeaa]

I dunno...depends on what is there now. I do not think swapping any normal good sized heavy block to other similar or just a little bigger one is really worth much, unless you really w ant the absolute most out of the axe..it makes so small a difference.

On the cv squire the difference is signifant because the orig.block really is pitifully light and puny.

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[marnold]

I dunno...depends on what is there now. I do not think swapping any normal good sized heavy block to other similar or just a little bigger one is really worth much, unless you really w ant the absolute most out of the axe..it makes so small a difference.

On the cv squire the difference is signifant because the orig.block really is pitifully light and puny.

The trem on my DK2M is a Jackson JT580LP. The block on it is not much to write home about. If it was an OFR, I probably wouldn't even consider it. It depends on whether a) I really want to spend the money and b) I can figure out how to disassemble and reassemble it properly.