trem block replacement

I know that many on the forum recommend the heavier trem block as a major upgrade. Will this make a difference if I have the tremolo blocked so it is "locked" against the body? I am assuming it would not make a difference in tone the way I have the guitar set up. Thanks in advance.

generally speaking, adding mass to a guitar can enhance tone. A heavier block would mean more mass. I guess it depends on what you consider good tone. I heard a squier tele before and after a bigsby was added, adding more mass to the axe, but I actually preferred the before sound. YMMV

It's not just the weight it's the metal, some blocks ring more than others. You haven't said what guitar you have now and what kind of block it has, and what specific block you're thinking of changing to. Setting it so it doesn't move would not eliminate the effect the metal of the block has on the tone of your guitar.

If your after a Cold Rolled Steel bock check this guy out. He knocks them out for 25 quid-ish....I have a Callaham and one of his and there on par...

He is on the Strat Fourm.:- kevin@khurley.orangehome.co.uk and his forum name is Celtrocka....look him up.

You haven't said what guitar you have now and what kind of block it has, and what specific block you're thinking of changing to.

Sorry about that. I have a fairly new Classic Vibe '60s. I am not thinking it sounds bad, but curious if the general consensus is improved tone with a bigger block. The stock block looks pretty wimpy, but to me, that really doesn't mean anything - doesn't bother me.

I did various 'upgrades' or changes to my CV50 strat, which included a new Callaham trem with steel block. I did the upgrades because there was a specific aspect of the sound which bugged me, and I kept going till it was fixed (for me and my particular guitar - the attack of thenotes was somehow 'spongey'). The sound issue is now fixed - I don't know to what degree it was cumulative fixing, and to what extent it was my final upgrade - the trem with block.

(for me the new block fixed the main problem, but it also took out some of the airiness and scoopedness of the sound which I had liked, so it was actually plusses and minusses for me - but the plus was MUCH more important to me)

I float the trem so I can't answer your specific question, but are you unhappy with some quality in the sound? If not, leave it stock. Unless of course you just want to experiment and learn what changes do.

I also float the trem , so cannot answer fully.

I had a steel block from Celticrocka as per suggestion in post above.
It was for a Squier Standard Strat . Amazing improvement.

I also had a Fernandes 1986 Strat some time back that had a small alloy block.
I put a Steel block on that (got that one somewhere else - I forget where) and I went back to the original small alloy block. Something vital about the sound was quite obviously lost in that example - IMO.

Bigger / heavier is not always = better.
We have all been advised that since we were kids, but .. it is hard to let go of the principle ;)

So unfortunately, it might be trial and error, as so many things are with guitars.
However, - if you are blocking the trem with/against wood, I cant see how block material / size would matter quite so very much - if at all.

It's not just the "full-size" block that makes all the difference, it has to be a steel-block. The alloy blocks just sound dead (to me anyway). If you want to make your Mex Strat come alive, put a steel-block in it. Remember, that's where the strings go, so you know it contributes significantly to tone. Nowdays, you can buy aftermarket steel blocks for many different Strat bridges and Wilkinson sells one with a steel block with universal mounting.

Not wishing to hijack your thread, but has anybody here had experience with a brass replacement trem block?

I'm tempted to buy one of GFSs as they say it's ideal if you wish to warm up the sound, which I do.

I have a GFS steel block in a MIM strat and while I can't speak for the tone with brass vs. steel, I will say it subtly improved the acoustic sound and feel of the guitar. I don't float the tremolo but I haven't blocked it with wood either.

It's only $25 from GFS and I can vouch for the fit of the unit in my guitar. Fit very nicely.

I don't know which 10.5mm block you'll need, but it should be obvious from looking at these pictures
http://www.guitarfetish.com/Upgrade-Steel-and-Brass-Tremolo-Blocks_c_219.html

and your current bridge plate.

Drew

I expect a noticeable change in tone if you replace the original block with a steel one. Your strings couple directly to the block regardless of the trem position. The difference in mass and stiffness will be evident.

There's no guarantee you'll like the change, though, that's a personal preference issue. I replaced the bridgeplate and saddles on a Squier Std. Tele with Callaham parts based on claims of improved tone. Big change in tone, but I didn't like it. Went back to the OEM stuff, a little smarter about mods.

Not wishing to hijack your thread, but has anybody here had experience with a brass replacement trem block?

I'm tempted to buy one of GFSs as they say it's ideal if you wish to warm up the sound, which I do.

I've got a gfs brass block in my 1994 bullet strat. It made a very noticable change in tone. Very much worth the money.

Just to show how much it can differ due to any number of details, i put a callaham on a MIM classic 60's and it turned it into a tinny strat i'd have sold rather than have that sound. I tried it a second time on the same strat a couple years later and same thing. Eventually i got a new allparts body, same alder wood as the stock body. But it sounded considerably different. At some point i tried the callaham on it again with this new body and it's been on there since. I'd NEVER put the stock block back ! With this other body the block just sounds great. Makes the stock block sound like a muddy inarticulate mess ! So just like most things we talk about concerning parts that we try to improve our guitars with, this too can go either way. as has been said over and over, every single thing in the chain from your guitare to the speaker effect the overall tone. Change one thing and some others may now work great where they didn't before and visa versa.

Great story Fenderforlife, very true.