Floyd Rose Upgrades

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The Jeff

The Jeff

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Is it mostly just snake oil? Check it out and discuss.

http://www.floydupgrades.com/

I have, of course, heard of brass blocks for FR's...how about the titanium version or the bridge saddles? The reviews are extremely positive, but I'm suspicious by nature.
 
Ok, I've worked with metals for years. Titanium gives a better strength to weight ratio then steel... BUT a pound of steel is MUCH stronger then a pound of titanium. Unless those titanium ones are BIGGER, they wont provide any benefit over a GOOD steel floyd rose.The ONLY thing I could think of, is it MAY provide a "brighter" tone. Still, for 800 dollars, theres no way its worth it unless you have XXX,XXX,XXX.XX$ in your bank account!

The brass blocks on the other hand make sense to me. More mass = more sustain. More resonance, and I cant think of a downside to having a brass block other then it being weaker. But its not a wear part, so it shouldnt matter. A "steel" block would be heavier and have even more benefit, but it would corrode, and chrome plating or stainless block would costly.

For reference on what im talking about,

tool steel has tensile strength of around 5000 mpa, titanium has strength of around 1000... Tool grade steel is almost 5 times stronger. Again, its MUCH heavier, but its a floyd rose.... its not really that heavy to begin with. Another "benefit" of the titanium one though, would be zero corrosion ever. It should, theoretically, literally last forever.

Now a graphite floyd rose on the other hand....


edit: now THIS is EXTREMELY cool!!

http://www.floydupgrades.com/catalog/in ... cts_id=196

edit 2: Now this is complete garbage. 19$ for what's effectively steel wool? No thanks.
http://www.floydupgrades.com/catalog/in ... cts_id=223
 
linuxpenguin hit it pretty damn solid with his explanation. I had titanium saddles on an old 6er I had, and it added volume, calrity, and brightness, both unplugged and plugged. The brass block made it louder and sustain better too. As for a full titanium Floyd, I do not think I would ever waste the money on something like that, unless you have plenty of money to throw around and want to try it for the hell of it. I would also be very curious as to what grade of titanium it really is that is used.
 
Don't know about the full titanium floyd, but the as far as blocks go the brass and titanium are both great. Brass seemed to give a deeper, low-mid type bump, plus all the added resonance and sustain it advertised. Titanium adds the same kind of sustain and loudness, but moved the eq bump to the higher mid range a bit. It is also much lighter. On a heavy guitar an ounce or two makes a difference.

I've used the titanium string blocks for a bit as well. I've had a few of the standard ones crack on me over the years, or rust. These ones seem indestructible.

I'm definitely a fan.
 
I can attest to the legitimacy of a titanium block. However I have heard they work better on some guitars and not as good on others.

I got one on sale almost half price for a couple hundred bucks. Right away the difference was apparent over the regular block.

First thing I noticed were incredible overtones. The notes were astoundingly more complex. You could notice it clean or with distortion.
Second is the sustain improved. Hard to qualify it in a number. Third the guitar is louder and more acoustical sounding unplugged.
Clarity, brightness improved as others have said.

The guitar sounds so good I would not change a thing now. Can't comment on saddles or full floyd. I think there is something to titanium though from my experience anyway.
 
I have some of the floyd stabilizers and I bought some of the string and fret cleaner from him. I can't think of what it is called. It is awesome. It is a cloth that you tear a piece off of and it cleans and lubes you fretboard and you cleans the shit out of your frets. Awesome. He is a good guy and a pleasure to do business with. I still have to install my new stabilizer. I ordered a different one, and a brass string spring tree (lol) and some heavy springs. I asked he sold some screws, which he didn't so he just sent some for free. I thought that was pretty cool.
 
+1 for the big brass block here. Definitely made a positive difference on my Charvel San Dimas.
 
I did try the titanium block. I didn't pay that much for it either. I preferred the brass. The titanium did add some sustain, but I found it made my tone brighter.
 
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