Sustainer block really bright?

[ChadVanHalen]

So I recently switched out the block in the Floyd of my Gunslinger for one I had for a parts guitar I put together a couple years ago... One thing I noticed since is that the block seemed to really thin out my tone and make hitting the bass E string sound really bright, almost single coil-y? I made a lot of changes, changed pickups to a JB, made it push pull coil split, changed the block, but I think it's the block. If I remember right I think I bought a tungsten block, but can't be 100% sure, can't find the confirmation email from when I bought it years and years ago.

Is this a normal thing with tungsten? Because it's gotten almost unplayable in some songs with heavy palm muted parts making the note really shrill...

 

[Doughboy]

Titanium & tungsten will make your guitar more bright & brittle.

I always switch my blocks to an L shaped big brass block & it seems to add girth & sustain to the tone, but doesn't change the EQ frequency.

 

[ChadVanHalen]

Titanium & tungsten will make your guitar more bright & brittle.

I always switch my blocks to an L shaped big brass block & it seems to add girth & sustain to the tone, but doesn't change the EQ frequency.

I originally got the tungsten because I have fully floating Floyds, and at the time I was told they didn't make brass ones that allowed you to pull up... Is that still the case? I haven't looked into blocks for a while, the last one I bought was for a blocked trem so it didn't matter if it prevented it from pulling up

 

[Doughboy]

Titanium & tungsten will make your guitar more bright & brittle.

I always switch my blocks to an L shaped big brass block & it seems to add girth & sustain to the tone, but doesn't change the EQ frequency.

I originally got the tungsten because I have fully floating Floyds, and at the time I was told they didn't make brass ones that allowed you to pull up... Is that still the case? I haven't looked into blocks for a while, the last one I bought was for a blocked trem so it didn't matter if it prevented it from pulling up

I don't think a block makes a difference in being able to pull up or not. That's how your trem is set up & if your guitar has room to pull up.

They make all kinds of blocks. I get mine at http://www.fu-tone.com

 

[ChadVanHalen]

Titanium & tungsten will make your guitar more bright & brittle.

I always switch my blocks to an L shaped big brass block & it seems to add girth & sustain to the tone, but doesn't change the EQ frequency.

I originally got the tungsten because I have fully floating Floyds, and at the time I was told they didn't make brass ones that allowed you to pull up... Is that still the case? I haven't looked into blocks for a while, the last one I bought was for a blocked trem so it didn't matter if it prevented it from pulling up

I don't think a block makes a difference in being able to pull up or not. That's how your trem is set up & if your guitar has room to pull up.

They make all kinds of blocks. I get mine at http://www.fu-tone.com

Well years ago they only had the big brass one that were so big and bulky that it essentially acted as blocking off your trem, which is why tungsten came around, denser metal so it could be the size of a normal block but still adds sustain... Or at least that's the impression I had back then, but it looks like they have normal size brass ones

 

[psychodave]

Titanium & tungsten will make your guitar more bright & brittle.

I always switch my blocks to an L shaped big brass block & it seems to add girth & sustain to the tone, but doesn't change the EQ frequency.

I use a Ti block for years and didn't think it was bright or brittle. I also had Ti saddles as well as a complete Ti Floyd. I liked just using the Ti block the best. These days I leave the stock block on the bridge.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Check your pickup wiring. A block makes a difference but not what you describe

 

[paulyc]

I had a Gunslinger that sounded really bad no matter what I did to it...until I changed the volume pot (mine had a 250K OHM pot stock from the factory), so I put a 1 MEG OHM pot in along with a better/hotter pickup and that woke it up, guitar sounded dead and lifeless before, but 1 MEG will make it bright. I'd change to a brass block.

 

[ChadVanHalen]

I had a Gunslinger that sounded really bad no matter what I did to it...until I changed the volume pot (mine had a 250K OHM pot stock from the factory), so I put a 1 MEG OHM pot in along with a better/hotter pickup and that woke it up, guitar sounded dead and lifeless before, but 1 MEG will make it bright. I'd change to a brass block.

It was great, but I had it refinished, put a JB with a push pull, and I think a little later is when I switched the block out. From what I recall the weirdness only came with the change in the Floyd, not after the refin/pickup change... I'll poke around the back to see if anything is cold, it's a single hum into a single volume pot, not too much to go wrong there

If anything I'll throw the old block back on and see if it's still there if I have some down time... We all know how fun disassembling a Floyd to change the block out is