Remove Floyd Rose tremolo block shim?

thegame

thegame

Well-known member
I’m about to do the Big brass block thing on a couple OFR trems (37 mm BBB replacing the stock 37 mm unit). What is the purpose of the tremolo block shim (part S in the illustration) and should this ´tone sucker’ be discarded? I should note my bridge doesn’t have or need saddle shims as the radius of the saddles already matches that of the neck/nut perfectly. Will removing part S here affect fine tuner performance or anything else? Most are saying there is a little increased coupling between the block and trem baseplate with it removed.

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That shim is there as a backer for the fine tuner tension plate.. adding the flex support (or torque) reaching closer to the tines.

It creates a wider platform between the baseplate and the block.

Removing the shim gives the rear of the tension plate (in the direction of the locking screw) more space to "hang" if you start to tighten the fine tuners.
 
That actually serves two purposes and is there for a reason. As Arch mentioned it adds support to the fine tuner tension plate since it's very thin flexible metal and it also allows a Floyd to be used dive only resting flat on the body. Since Floyds don't have a beveled front edge like a vintage Strat trem if you set it flat on the body without that and dove down the front edge would dig into the body causing damage. That 1mm shim adds enough height for the Floyd to sit level on the body with the shim making firm contact with the body while being able to dive down and not dig the front edge into the body.
 
Off topic;

Is this a 1000 series/pro, or is it a german OFR?
The germans come with a stock shim under the saddles of the 2nd-5th strings, thereby giving the bridge a 10" radius.
If you removed the stock shim then it will be radiused at about 12" instead of 10".

I know some of the OEM versions of the pro/1000/1500 do not have the stock saddle shim included, which is better for the flatter boards on the models that usually host them.
 
dave74 said:
Off topic;

Is this a 1000 series/pro, or is it a german OFR?
The germans come with a stock shim under the saddles of the 2nd-5th strings, thereby giving the bridge a 10" radius.
If you removed the stock shim then it will be radiused at about 12" instead of 10".

I know some of the OEM versions of the pro/1000/1500 do not have the stock saddle shim included, which is better for the flatter boards on the models that usually host them.
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I bought two big brass blocks for two Rico Jr guitars. Both German OFR. I’m 99% certain these guitars have 12 degree radius fretboards which I guess explains the absence of saddle shims.
 
When you switch those blocks out, it's always fun as you try to get those openings to 'line up' as you screw in the 3 screws....enjoy!
:giggle:

Yes, that's sarcasm....the blocks do make a noticeable difference though. Hopefully for the better....because the last thing you want to do is do the whole process over again. My 86 Jackson sounded better stock..ugh.
 
Racerxrated said:
When you switch those blocks out, it's always fun as you try to get those openings to 'line up' as you screw in the 3 screws....enjoy!
:giggle:

Yes, that's sarcasm....the blocks do make a noticeable difference though. Hopefully for the better....because the last thing you want to do is do the whole process over again. My 86 Jackson sounded better stock..ugh.
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I tried the big block thing on an old Jem and it killed it imo. But tons of people swear by them so I guess it’s always worth a shot
 
Aynirar27 said:
I tried the big block thing on an old Jem and it killed it imo. But tons of people swear by them so I guess it’s always worth a shot
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It's a trial and error process....error when you realize that the block just adds 'too much' and gets overpowering...back to the old block. But, if you have a thin sounding guitar with a Floyd, they can be a godsend.
Brass-thicker, a little darker/warmer.....Titanium gives more resonance and clarity, a bit brighter...haven't tried any others.
 
Racerxrated said:
It's a trial and error process....error when you realize that the block just adds 'too much' and gets overpowering...back to the old block. But, if you have a thin sounding guitar with a Floyd, they can be a godsend.
Brass-thicker, a little darker/warmer.....Titanium gives more resonance and clarity, a bit brighter...haven't tried any others.
Click to expand...
I think there is a stone one or something like that now too
 
He still posts here all the time. Starts many threads.

Probably a good product if you need to shift a guitar in that direction. I'd be curious to hear some more non-endorsed forum bro accounts of the changes coming from a stock floyd block.

Years ago I installed a brass big block and actually did not like the change, at least not in that specific guitar. It would also depend on which pickups you had currently, so IMO it would be better to settle on the guitar's tuning, strings, pickups,ect, before auditioning different blocks.
 
Just have to try it for myself. Opinions range from “it darkened and subdued it” to “it came alive with ringing resonance”. This tells me it’s 100% guitar dependent and how it synergizes with what’s already there.
 
The block shim doesn't affect the saddle height at all, and there is no shim directly under the saddles. It looks like the floyd height is exclusively dependent on the mounting studs. I would not take out the shim due to fine tuners, but I've never tried it.
 
XSSIVE said:
That actually serves two purposes and is there for a reason. As Arch mentioned it adds support to the fine tuner tension plate since it's very thin flexible metal and it also allows a Floyd to be used dive only resting flat on the body. Since Floyds don't have a beveled front edge like a vintage Strat trem if you set it flat on the body without that and dove down the front edge would dig into the body causing damage. That 1mm shim adds enough height for the Floyd to sit level on the body with the shim making firm contact with the body while being able to dive down and not dig the front edge into the body.
Click to expand...
Floyd’s don’t sit flat on the body. The plain string side always sits lower. Only way to change this is to shim saddles to compensate…. Which is still never exact enough for it to sit perfectly flat.
 
dave74 said:
Off topic;

Is this a 1000 series/pro, or is it a german OFR?
The germans come with a stock shim under the saddles of the 2nd-5th strings, thereby giving the bridge a 10" radius.
If you removed the stock shim then it will be radiused at about 12" instead of 10".

I know some of the OEM versions of the pro/1000/1500 do not have the stock saddle shim included, which is better for the flatter boards on the models that usually host them.
Click to expand...
You seem to know quite a bit about Floyds and therefore I'd like to ask you the following:
I have a Charvel with a compond Radius 12-16 and what radius you think is the best for that guitar? I use a Schaller Lockmeister with a 10 radius nut and I know they do sell 12 radius as well. The Lockmeister tremolo is 12" with shims and 16 without. So should I go for a 12 nut radius or keep the 10 and remove the shimms under the bridge for 16? That would make the nut/bridge 12-16. Is this the way to go or not?
 
MrFlexx said:
You seem to know quite a bit about Floyds and therefore I'd like to ask you the following:
I have a Charvel with a compond Radius 12-16 and what radius you think is the best for that guitar? I use a Schaller Lockmeister with a 10 radius nut and I know they do sell 12 radius as well. The Lockmeister tremolo is 12" with shims and 16 without. So should I go for a 12 nut radius or keep the 10 and remove the shimms under the bridge for 16? That would make the nut/bridge 12-16. Is this the way to go or not?
Click to expand...
I'd stay with the 10" nut, close enough. I would remove the shims under the bridge-saddles and see how you like it.
 
To add a little more to this thread, For many years I used a Floyd without the shim or fine tuner tension plate. The strings provide tension to the fine tuners...even when dive bombing. I had ZERO issues with tuning, etc.
 
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