Floyd Rose Big Blocks

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  • jhale667
    DIAMOND STATUS
    • Aug 2004
    • 20929

    #46
    Necro-bumping this bitch...:D



    Since I last posted in this thread, haven't completely went nuts with the Titanium yet, but starting to...

    Finally tried these out in a LOUD band setting, after spending the better part of the last year goofing around in Nuendo before getting Pro Tools and going nuts...posted a review of my findings on my Facebook page, and Adam at FloydUpgrades liked it so much he posted it on his site...lol..

    Here it is:

    So since I unfortunately haven't been doing much in the way of gigging in the past year(a situation that's soon to improve), the only indication I'd had that my ongoing (fricking nearly-OCD, lol) hardware refurb/upgrade mission on my guitars was yielding the desired results were the tracks I've been recording. While impressive, they still weren't giving me any idea how the new passive pickup and Big-Block combination I installed was going to sit in a REAL band setting/ mix. Yesterday we threw an informal jam at Gabe's place and I finally got to put Number1 and 3 through their paces for a few hours. I was extremely pleased with the results. Gabe even noticed. No drummer jokes, please...haha, he's actually becoming quite the multi-instrumentalist. My fave quote from him "It sounds so...CLEAR!" and I totally agree!

    The Big-Blocks (thanks Adam) have given my tone this ridiculous clarity and corpulence that is (and has to be) felt as much as heard. For the first time, it sounded not only like my guitar was sitting (perfectly) on top of and within the bass and drums frequency-wise, and at the risk of sounding like that dork in the "Pizza Whisperer" commercial - it sounded like it was "giving them a great big HUG"...LMAO...and I still maintain there is NO WAY to talk about the increased sustain properties Big-Blocks impart without sounding like Nigel F-ing Tufnel...but it was funny holding a chord with my amp on the MEDIUM-gain Channel, and watching Gabe's eyes light up as the chord began to sustain musically...not shrieking feedback, mind you, useful sustain. Then I showed him what it does on the Lead Channel...To quote the old SNL bit Sprockets: "I am as happy as a little girl...."
    :D

    And even though I had already grown tired of EMG pickups (it's not like I hate them now or anything, they just weren't doing what I want these days), I am also completely jazzed on the addition of the Seymour Duncan pickups I installed in the two that got tested yesterday; #1, the Ash Charvel-Mutt Strat, got a TB-5 Custom and #3, the Koa Warmoth Strat got the TB-11 Custom Custom in the bridge position and a Classic Stack in the neck slot. Did my homework on the wood-types of each guitar and what I was shooting for tone-wise, and #1 is a complete success. Pretty sure #3 is too, but I may swap out the magnet in the TB-11 (Alnico 2) for an A8 if after trying it in in the TB-11 I purchased (for $20 on Ebay, like most of these nearly brand-new pickups...LOL) for #2, which is still on the "bench" (more like dresser, lol) awaiting a Floyd Rose-recess and paint, with the Kramer also in mid-refurb. Definitely can put one in the "completed" column as far as the ongoing upgrade, possibly two...may leave the CC in #3 alone for variety. But I'm convinced I'm on the right track as far as what I'm shooting for from a sonic standpoint now. The new pickups better translate the tonal enhancements and nuances of the Big Blocks than the EMGs did, in my opinion. Now I reeeeeeally want to try a Titanium Big-Block in Number 2 (the Ash Charvel-Musikraft Mutt). That may just be the "little...extra push over the cliff it needs"...hahahaha

    But as you can see, pretty stoked with the results.
    Last edited by jhale667; 03-06-2009, 02:09 AM.
    Originally posted by conmee
    If anyone even thinks about deleting the Muff Thread they are banned.... no questions asked.

    That is all.

    Icon.
    Originally posted by GO-SPURS-GO
    I've seen prominent hypocrite liberal on this site Jhale667


    Originally posted by Isaac R.
    Then it's really true??

    The Muff Thread is really just GONE ???

    OMFG...who in their right mind...???
    Originally posted by eddie78
    I was wrong about you, brother. You're good.

    Comment

    • Matt White
      • Jun 2004
      • 20569

      #47
      BRILLIANT

      One of these days.............I'll get around to trying 'em out

      Comment

      • jhale667
        DIAMOND STATUS
        • Aug 2004
        • 20929

        #48
        Seriously...

        Can't recommend them enough.
        Originally posted by conmee
        If anyone even thinks about deleting the Muff Thread they are banned.... no questions asked.

        That is all.

        Icon.
        Originally posted by GO-SPURS-GO
        I've seen prominent hypocrite liberal on this site Jhale667


        Originally posted by Isaac R.
        Then it's really true??

        The Muff Thread is really just GONE ???

        OMFG...who in their right mind...???
        Originally posted by eddie78
        I was wrong about you, brother. You're good.

        Comment

        • ELVIS
          Banned
          • Dec 2003
          • 44120

          #49
          How much ?$?


          Comment

          • jhale667
            DIAMOND STATUS
            • Aug 2004
            • 20929

            #50
            Originally posted by ELVIS
            How much ?$?


            Depends on what size you need. Usually it's 42mm for a non-recessed model, 37mm for a regular recessed and 32mm for like a Dinky or something that also has a recessed tremolo cover...

            The Brass ones are $32-50 on the site...Titanium ones will set you back about $250...

            FloydUpgrades.com Big Blocks/Sustain Blocks Series
            Originally posted by conmee
            If anyone even thinks about deleting the Muff Thread they are banned.... no questions asked.

            That is all.

            Icon.
            Originally posted by GO-SPURS-GO
            I've seen prominent hypocrite liberal on this site Jhale667


            Originally posted by Isaac R.
            Then it's really true??

            The Muff Thread is really just GONE ???

            OMFG...who in their right mind...???
            Originally posted by eddie78
            I was wrong about you, brother. You're good.

            Comment

            • Sarge
              ROTH ARMY WEBMASTER

              • Feb 2003
              • 5424

              #51
              I have a Jackson that I never play with a Floyd that I might try the Brass ones on.
              I bought it hoping for a Les Paul meaty sound, but it doesn't have it.
              Maybe the Floyd is the reason why? It might be time to try a different trem block..

              has anyone ever noticed that
              BRASS is spelled almost like
              BRAS?

              Breasts,
              Sarge
              ROTHARMY.COM WEBMASTER AND FOUNDER
              The Diamond David Lee Roth Army

              MY GROUPS ON ROTHARMY.COM
              [Fender Custom Shop Owners Club]

              Comment

              • ELVIS
                Banned
                • Dec 2003
                • 44120

                #52
                Especially if it has a cheap cast block, that will be your problem...

                Comment

                • ELVIS
                  Banned
                  • Dec 2003
                  • 44120

                  #53
                  Hey!

                  Eddie Ojeda, Phill Collen and Mike Wilton all endorse these upgrades!

                  They gotta be awesome...

                  Sign me up for two sets of the Titanium saddles for $795 each...

                  Make it three...lefty!

                  No, wait...

                  Do they also come in unobtanium ??


                  Comment

                  • jhale667
                    DIAMOND STATUS
                    • Aug 2004
                    • 20929

                    #54
                    This from the guy that likes Kahlers....cough, cough...(lame)..cough..

                    Originally posted by ELVIS
                    Hey!

                    Eddie Ojeda, Phill Collen and Mike Wilton all endorse these upgrades!

                    They gotta be awesome...

                    Sign me up for two sets of the Titanium saddles for $795 each...

                    Make it three...lefty!

                    No, wait...

                    Do they also come in unobtanium ??


                    As do Steve Stevens and Warren Demartini...neither being "slouches"...your point?

                    Originally posted by conmee
                    If anyone even thinks about deleting the Muff Thread they are banned.... no questions asked.

                    That is all.

                    Icon.
                    Originally posted by GO-SPURS-GO
                    I've seen prominent hypocrite liberal on this site Jhale667


                    Originally posted by Isaac R.
                    Then it's really true??

                    The Muff Thread is really just GONE ???

                    OMFG...who in their right mind...???
                    Originally posted by eddie78
                    I was wrong about you, brother. You're good.

                    Comment

                    • jhale667
                      DIAMOND STATUS
                      • Aug 2004
                      • 20929

                      #55
                      Originally posted by Sarge
                      I have a Jackson that I never play with a Floyd that I might try the Brass ones on.
                      I bought it hoping for a Les Paul meaty sound, but it doesn't have it.
                      Maybe the Floyd is the reason why? It might be time to try a different trem block..

                      has anyone ever noticed that
                      BRASS is spelled almost like
                      BRAS?

                      Breasts,
                      Sarge
                      By all means, try it-but first one queston: Is it an Original Floyd, or the Jackson-licensed model? If it's the latter, check with Adam to make sure it'll fit....
                      If it's an Orginal, go for it...it will certainly fatten up your tone.

                      We were jamming with a new bassist last Saturday, so he'd never heard the "before", but he complimented my tone, and was attributing it mostly to my amp ("I'm familiar with Mesas, and they're great - but this one sounds really good!") Told him "Well, it's partly that..."

                      I still maintain whoever decided to switch to the Production-Floyd's skimpy block (the old ones had blocks like these retrofits) as a cost-cutting measure should be publicly flogged daily...whoever they are, they literally ruined the tone of a Floyd Rose, once you've heard a guitar with the O.G.-type one installed. It's beyond night and day....


                      Originally posted by conmee
                      If anyone even thinks about deleting the Muff Thread they are banned.... no questions asked.

                      That is all.

                      Icon.
                      Originally posted by GO-SPURS-GO
                      I've seen prominent hypocrite liberal on this site Jhale667


                      Originally posted by Isaac R.
                      Then it's really true??

                      The Muff Thread is really just GONE ???

                      OMFG...who in their right mind...???
                      Originally posted by eddie78
                      I was wrong about you, brother. You're good.

                      Comment

                      • indeedido
                        Veteran
                        • Feb 2004
                        • 2293

                        #56
                        There is a review on these in Premier Guitar Magazine Feb issue.

                        Big Block Floyd Rose Tremolo Review - Premier Guitar


                        In keeping with the theme of this issue, hotrodding an electric guitar, we could not ignore the Floyd Rose tremolo. True, it went through an unpopular period in the ninties due to the retro-vogue phase. But with the resurgence of the hot rod guitar, the Floyd Rose has again come to the forefront of tuning stability in a modern-made guitar.

                        Invented in 1977 by an imaginative guitar tech named Floyd Rose, this tremolo was an updated version of the original Fender design, eliminating friction points at the nut and saddles. While most of its focus was on its ability to stabilize tuning, there were guitarists who noted the thin, tinny tone the Floyd gave to a guitar’s sound. Guitar tech Adam Reiver decided to improve the tone of Floyd-equipped guitars by attacking the tremolo at its heart: the sustain block. This new upgrade, designed by Reiver, is named “The Big Block,” and is available at floydupgrades.com—where you can also find other upgrades for Floyd-equipped guitars. The sustain block reviewed here is non-descript, looking like a rectangular block made of high-grade bell brass.

                        I installed a 42mm Big Block in the Floyd Rose assembly on my main Charvel guitar. This guitar is simplistic in design, with an alder body and maple neck. It has only one humbucker and a single volume pot, so wood routing is minimal outside of the actual tremolo cavity. I recorded the tone of the existing guitar through a Marshall 100-Watt half stack with a moderate amount of overdrive, using a digital recorder before taking the whole tremolo bridge apart. Dismantling a Floyd Rose is a fairly easy task. Underneath the saddles are three Allen head screws that are countersunk into the base plate. Removing the original block, I compared it to the Big Block in size, dimension and weight.

                        The Big Block is significantly larger in comparison to the original Floyd sustain block.
                        Note the differences:

                        Standard Floyd Block
                        Floyd Upgrade Big Block
                        1 15/16˝ width 1 15/16˝
                        1 5/8˝ height 1 11/16˝
                        1/4˝ thickness 1/2˝
                        5 oz. weight 8 oz.

                        Attaching the Big Block to the baseplate, one thing I noticed was that the sizeable difference allows for surface contact to the baseplate. This would later prove to affect the tone. Reassembling the rest of the Floyd Rose was relatively easy; the placement of the spring attachment holes seemed to be in the exact same position as the original block. After mounting the reassembled bridge back onto the guitar, only very minor adjustments were needed made to the correct float position (parallel to the surface of the body). The only degree of difficulty involved was re-intonating the saddles. Once that was done, I continued the test.

                        Picking up the guitar, I noticed a different center of gravity. I couldn’t have anticipated the difference three ounces makes to that area of the guitar, but it created a different mass to the rear bout of the guitar. When strumming open chords, the guitar was noticeably louder acoustically and less trebly. Amplified through the same amp, the guitar was more articulate in tone and less tinny than before. Though it took away the overt trebly tone, there wasn’t any overcompensated muddiness in its place. Recording this tone and comparing it to the previous recording, there is more pronounced sustain. Again, this is the same guitar, and there were only minor intonation adjustments made after the Floyd was reassembled.

                        Adam Reiver’s Big Block is the best upgrade you can add to a Floyd-equipped guitar. It improves the tone and resonance of the guitar, and it brings out a more natural fullness you may not have known was possible.

                        Buy if...
                        you want to improve sustain and resonance of your Floyd-equipped guitar.
                        Skip if...
                        you like the sound of your current Floyd-equipped guitar.
                        This space for rent.

                        Comment

                        • jhale667
                          DIAMOND STATUS
                          • Aug 2004
                          • 20929

                          #57
                          The funniest thing about that review...I'd like to see the statistic of people who've tried it and decided they liked the standard block better after hearing the difference...betting that's a small if not NON-EXISTENT percentage...it's that drastic a difference...

                          Originally posted by conmee
                          If anyone even thinks about deleting the Muff Thread they are banned.... no questions asked.

                          That is all.

                          Icon.
                          Originally posted by GO-SPURS-GO
                          I've seen prominent hypocrite liberal on this site Jhale667


                          Originally posted by Isaac R.
                          Then it's really true??

                          The Muff Thread is really just GONE ???

                          OMFG...who in their right mind...???
                          Originally posted by eddie78
                          I was wrong about you, brother. You're good.

                          Comment

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