Titanium Floyd Rose Big-Blocks are the shiznit.

[jhale667]

I've been a fan of Floydupgrades.com's Brass Big Blocks for OFRs for over a year now, and I finally decided to give the Titanium ones a shot. I dropped for one last week that was an Ebay steal (I seriously scored, like 2/3rds off), arrived yesterday. I removed the Brass one from my 1-piece Koa-bodied Warmoth Strat and replaced it with the Titanium model. After re-assembling the bridge and then re-setting up the guitar, one thing became instantly apparent:

It's amazing! Titanium is a completely different animal, to say the least. As drastic an improvement as the Brass Big Block is over the standard production Floyd block (and it is), this is over the Brass. Unbelievable note clarity and definition - notes seem to have a 'presence' for lack of a better word that was not there before. The low-end corpulence was increased noticeably, giving palm-mutes an increased urgency (this even in a guitar with a Duncan Custom Custom pickup in the bridge slot, widely rumored here to be notoriously 'soft' on the low-end. Not so in this application). Overall notes seem to 'explode' off the pick, as if your pick-attack is translated more quickly and efficiently. Not to mention one need only strike the string with your left hand on the fretboard to get the note to sound, making legato and hammer-on runs even more liquid and aggressive sounding. Harmonics seem to literally jump from the fretboard. The effect is similar to that of a sonic maximizer, if you can imagine it. Suddenly my guitar has a new level of expressiveness I'm only beginning to appreciate. Uh, yeah...I like it, a lot!! As Fat Bastard would say, "It's dead sexy!"

And the sustain... Again, at the risk of sounding like Nigel Tufnel, it is endless. Effortless. Open chords ring forever, and single notes sing vocally, infinitely, almost majestically. Now I completely understand what Adam at Floydupgrades meant when he said "Welcome to your new crack habit." I think I'm in love with the things.

Here's the staredown mid-swap:



14 second phone clip...

[GAR]

I am a fan of traditional block trems for sustain.

[jhale667]

You talkin' vintage-style Trems, or the wimpy production Floyd Rose block?

[GAR]

I like and use floyds as a standard, not as a necessity.

The vintage block will always be my fave. You should have one in your arsenal.

They come now in titanium DeTemple Titanium Trem Blocks

[GAR]

I only have the cast-steel, and solid brass vintage style trems not the detemple titanium. But they are amazing, and I do believe in the difference.

However I don't believe in that much of a difference between the stock Floyd block and the tone in your video.. mainly because the dirty channel hides the string but also you're playing isn't allowing sustained notes to decay so we can see what you're talking about.

[al3d]

jHale..are you gonna sell your brass block?

[Diamondjimi]

Mr.Scary!
YYYEeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See that Gar ? That's how it's done!

Obviously it's a bit hard to tell with a phone vid. brutha J . But I believe you when you say something is the shiznit.... It's the shiznit!

[jhale667]

The vintage block will always be my fave. You should have one in your arsenal.

Ah, but like an ass, you assume I don't...

I've got two, thanks.

Though I imagine a titanium vintage block would sound pretty damn good too...

jHale..are you gonna sell your brass block?

It's going on a Floyd that won't be getting the Titanium upgrade...

More shred fun for Gar..

[GAR]

Mr.Scary!
YYYEeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See that Gar ? That's how it's done!

Mr Scary is two decades old by now. Let's push the envelope with new ideas gentlemen...

We have the technology.. we have the brainpow... well, we do have the technology at least.

[Diamondjimi]

Mr Scary is two decades old by now.

It's a figure of speech, you Dolt!

[GAR]

Jay any improvement you can do to make the stock Floyd transmit more bass resonance to the body and develop less tinny of a guitar tone we need to hear about it.

XLNT post I was out of thanks earlier..

[jhale667]

It's a figure of speech, you Dolt!

[kwame k]

Jay, killer shit as always! At least most of the people who comment in this forum actually own and play instruments. Poor Clay, so Little Guitars, so much Google.

[Coyote]

Mr Scary is two decades old by now.

Two and a half... But people always underestimate my age...

[Coyote]

[jhale667]

Alright, so after playing this thing a week with the new block, the wow-factor has not worn off...these things are amazing. Guess I need to start saving my pennies for one for the Charvel mutt rebuild...

[GAR]

I could make these things in my sleep AND mount them for individual string piezo outputs, ala Graphtech's bridge saddles.

I bet if someone made an identical one from aluminum you couldn't tell the difference..

[jhale667]

You could shit and fall back in it, no one would care...

[GAR]

True, but only you can hear the difference and be willing to pay for it.

[GAR]

I like plywood. I'm tone-deaf!

[jhale667]

True, but only you can hear the difference and be willing to pay for it.

Well, you sure as shit couldn't, plywood boy.

But Steve Stevens, Warren Demartini, Phil Collen, Michael Wilton apparently can.
And gee, aren't the $30K EVH replicas outfitted with Brass Big Blocks?


Actually, everyone who's familiar with my guitar's tone prior to the install that have heard it so far have noticed the improvement. But thanks for playing. Douche-nozzle.

[GAR]

You have six youtubes with no singer.

/owned

[jhale667]

You have six youtubes with no singer.

/owned

And you're a racist troll asshat who's douchbaggery has made you a pariah at pretty much every Roth site you post at...with a plywood guitar collection, and a serious inferiority complex, turns out!
Post something that shows how much better you (and your singer) are, or STFU.
Much like pictures of your imaginary guitar collection, or an erection in the presence of a female.... you won't be able to produce.

No singer? That's all you've got? Really, GAyr? Not to mention I've previously posted vids of my last cover band, so there goes that assertion...congrats on owning yourself...

And it's seven, Sperm-burp.

Your life in pictures...



Oh, yes you are, and yes you have.
Do the world a favor...got lie down in the eastbound land of the 101 during rush hour. Or the 405, you pick~!

[jhale667]

Here, let me just respond in advance to your next lame post...

[GAR]

Songwriting's an artform, show me some canvas big-talker!

/owned x2

[jhale667]

You first, whiner.

[kwame k]

You first, whiner.

Just show a pic of any guitar you own, si-gar and I'd be impressed.

[jhale667]

M'kay...back on fucking topic...

So far I've tracked a lead and two rhythm tracks over the weekend with the Titanium-equipped Koa Strat. In the case of the two rhythms, I re-did tracks with the same emulation I'd done them in prior to the install (a Soldano, for anyone interested in the specifics), specifically to A/B them.
Survey says...clearer...fatter. Punchier. Better. Oh yeah.

Probably will keep the Brass tracks ("sounds like a Judas Priest album" ) as they mesh well and compliment each other, but I'm definitely preferring the Titanium overall.

[GAR]

I mount my pickups directly into the body, with shims made up of stacked 5-gallon and 1-gallon stir sticks free from Home Depot and from that, have plenty of sustainregardless of what bridge I use. But I prefer the Fender trem for recording something, or the Kahler trem if the recording needs the divebomb stuff and so does EVH apparently..

I cut one strip from the 5-gallon stick, it's about 1/4" thick, and the width is about 3/8" or just enough to snug-fit under both the height adjust legs, the 4 bezel screws, and the thru-plate bobbin screws.

Then, a couple strips of the 1-gallon sticks that are about 1/8" thick are glued in layers then tucked under the strings until I have just about the right height before I drill 1/16" holes just to the left of the height-adjust leg's hole, then bury a small #3 phillips-head screw thru the wood-and-metal leg sandwich, into the body dabbed with a little white glue.

The white glue is a weak bond but a good one, it allows you to remove the pickup should you remove the screw, and wiggle the pickup out from side to side.

[jhale667]

Even on the crappy sound quality of this video, you can still hear every note of the solo in this clip...crazy clarity with this block...

Now I wanna try one with the Graph Tech saddles...

[jhale667]

Only annoying part is now that I've doubled two rhythm tracks on the tunes I'm working on with the Titanium-equipped guitar, they sound so much better I almost want to go back and double all the rhythm tracks I used this guitar on...it sounds that much better...don't think I'll re-do them all, though...just a few of the heavier ones that could use the extra fatness...

[GAR]

Now I wanna try one with the Graph Tech saddles..

Which ones, Fender style? w/ or w/o piezo implants..

[jhale667]

Which ones, Fender style? w/ or w/o piezo implants..

Graph Tech makes saddles for Floyds, including the "Ghost" piezo series. Might try those later...trying the regular String Saver Floyd saddles first.



They're also selling their own licensed units now with the piezo saddles and harness already mounted...




I imagine if I could find a deal on the bridges, would be nothing to swap out everything onto an OFR baseplate rather than theirs...

[jhale667]

And without completely derailing the thread, my quickie image search for the Ghost saddles led me to a website that answered one of my big questions about the Ghost system - Can you run a Variax circuit with them? Apparently, the answer is yes.

Guitarist Jeff Miller - Guitar Mods

[jhale667]

So imagine a guitar with kickass passive pickups, the Variax electronics, and a Floyd with both the Ghost saddles and a Titanium Block installed...

[Diamondjimi]

So imagine a guitar with kickass passive pickups, the Variax electronics, and a Floyd with both the Ghost saddles and a Titanium Block installed...

One word comes to mind...............HEAVEN!

[indeedido]

I upgraded to the big block last year, and it did provide some better tone. That makes me a believer in the titanium, but I have a hard time pony-ing up $300 for one. It's been in the back of my mind but that is a lot of cheddar for a part

[jhale667]

I upgraded to the big block last year, and it did provide some better tone. That makes me a believer in the titanium, but I have a hard time pony-ing up $300 for one. It's been in the back of my mind but that is a lot of cheddar for a part

No debate there. But IMO they're worth it. It's just gonna take me a while to get around to upgrading the other pretty much mandatory one (unless I happen upon another deal like that); I might stick with the Brass ones in a couple of my guitars...

[GAR]

mass=sustain
lower mass=resonance

I'd like an aluminum block.

[kwame k]

mass=sustain
lower mass=resonance

I'd like an aluminum cock.

Sorry guys, couldn't help myself


Carry on.