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Post by guitarclod on Dec 20, 2020 1:50:17 GMT -5
So I have a Fender 50's classic stratocaster with a Mighty Mite body (I sold the original body long ago, which in hindsight was incredibly dumb, but anyway...). I'm changing it to a Squier classic vibe body, which is set up for the narrower 2 1/16" bridge. I'm planning on using an older bridge from a MIM Fender strat, which has a thinner zinc block. How much difference will this make?
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MoJoe
Wholenote
Posts: 855
Formerly Known As: quiksilver
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Post by MoJoe on Dec 20, 2020 5:40:23 GMT -5
Hi there. I've had a cheap Wilkinson steel block trem in my former 50's Classic Strat. Way louder and clearer, closer to the AmStd. I had at the same time. If your build is lacking ring you would bring it up to speed for around 30 bucks, - if I remember correctly. There will follow more welcomes with much more pronounced expertise here shortly I presume. 🙂
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Post by chimpo on Dec 22, 2020 3:20:47 GMT -5
I had a bunch (5 all-up) of pre-2006 MIM Standards Strats factory fitted with the old zinc blocks. I thought they sounded OK but the material is so soft I eventually wound the Trem arm straight through one of them. I decided to fit a Callahan stainless steel block as a replacement and, oh boy, what a difference. The zinc blocks sounded non-resonant and dead in comparison. I replaced another block with a Callahan but eventually sold all all my older MIM Standards.
I have one MIM Standard Strat remaining, a 2006 MIM 60th Anniversary (the one with the diamond anniversary neckplate and finished in Blizzard Pearl). This was fitted with an upgraded block (which Fender started fitting as standard to all MIM Standards during 2006), which is way better than the old Zinc block and close enough to the Callahan stainless block that didn't make it worth upgrading.
In summary: the zinc block are resonance suckers in the worst way (which is why Fender eventually stopped fitting them to MIM Standards). I highly recommend replacing it in your guitar to get the most out of it. Doesn't have to be a Callahan, which are quite expensive, a cheap Wilkinson, for example, will be a big improvement.
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Post by Pinetree on Dec 22, 2020 3:41:05 GMT -5
I put a Callaham in my pink (MIJ) Strat and was very much satisfied.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 22, 2020 9:35:37 GMT -5
Fun fact: the block in the Strat was a last minute addition. The guitar's tremolo was designed from the ground up for that guitar, and it was sent out with local players to be put through its paces. The players came back saying they absolutely hated it because the tone was really thin and everything wobbled around. The block is meant to be an inertia block so the springs don't suck a whole bunch of resonance away through sympathetic vibrations.
The block does make a difference. There will be exceptions to the rule, and they're all over the place. Lots of MIM guitars with the thin block sound amazing and don't sound like they need an upgrade at all, but on average the block does make a difference. There have been a few instances throughout the years of brass blocks instead, and that can be a nice upgrade, but it isn't a very "stratty" thing to do. PRS and Music Man are two that use the brass blocks. I played a '70s strat that had P-90s and a DiMarzio bridge (yeah, they made hardware at one point) that had a brass block in it, and the thing was absolutely amazing. I'd love to duplicate that some day.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 22, 2020 10:41:33 GMT -5
As with many guitar parts swapping adventures, changing one thing (even for a "good" part) may improve it, or it may stay the same. It may even sound worse. As our collegue wrnchbndr says, "tone just happens."
You can increase the odds of good tone happening by using good parts, but ultimately it's a combination of everything on the guitar that makes it sound the way it does.
The absolute best thing you can mechanically do to improve a guitar's tone is to have a pro setup done on it (nut/fretwork, specs) or do it yourself. The next best thing is practice. Seriously.
There is a whole industry built on guitar replacement parts that all promise great tone and creamy endless sustain. If you buy into that, you'll be buying a lot of stuff.
All that to say...yes, the material the block is made from does affect the tone. It's not a night-and-day difference, but it's detectable.
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Post by Seldom Seen on Dec 22, 2020 18:16:19 GMT -5
I've changed to Callaham blocks on two builds and the FDP Strats. I left the '65 and the '62AV stock. If it were me I'd eighty-six any zinc block.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Dec 22, 2020 19:35:21 GMT -5
All my experiences with block swaps have generally had positive results. I really like my one Callaham block. Also have a brass block that sounded/worked good. That said, my favorite Strat was constructed with some aftermarket parts and I don't know what that block is made from, I know it's not magnetic. I haven't tried an "upgrade" for fear that its part of the sum of everything that makes that guitar special.
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Post by guitarclod on Dec 22, 2020 21:23:03 GMT -5
Thanks for all the replies and advice. I've been checking out eBay and Amazon, and have found a brass block with good reviews at a reasonable price. I will probably use the zinc block for the initial assembly, then swap it out and see how it sounds. Should be a fun experiment if nothing else!
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 22, 2020 21:44:13 GMT -5
Make sure the three screw holes in the block you order will match the three holes in your bridge plate. Measure carefully.
Some aftermarket blocks that are fatter than the stock skinny Zamak block can rub on the inside of the rout when using the bar. If that happens, you can use a small file or rasp to knock some material off the inside of the rout where the block rubs. An even bettter option than a rasp is a small sanding drum on a Dremel.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 23, 2020 9:13:06 GMT -5
There is a whole industry built on guitar replacement parts that all promise great tone and creamy endless sustain. If you buy into that, you'll be buying a lot of stuff. Correct, and I'd add two things: lots of solutions seeking problems, and that this is why a lot of dream guitar builds turn out mediocre. Too much time spent looking at sales pitches for different parts, not considering how the parts work together as a whole instrument, and a lot of time imagining it in your head assuming what it'll sound like. Those builds often remind me of the episode of The Simpsons where they let Homer design a car because he'd be the perfect everyman, and it is just a hot, expensive mess of odd features that bankrupts the company.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 23, 2020 11:03:00 GMT -5
...It is just a hot, expensive mess of odd features that bankrupts the company. Wait...are you talking about The Simpsons? Or Gibson?
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Post by Seldom Seen on Dec 23, 2020 13:43:16 GMT -5
...If that happens, you can use a small file or rasp to knock some material off the inside of the rout where the block rubs. An even bettter option than a rasp is a small sanding drum on a Dremel. Now you’ve thrown the whole tone balance out of whack! 😉
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 23, 2020 18:39:40 GMT -5
...It is just a hot, expensive mess of odd features that bankrupts the company. Wait...are you talking about The Simpsons? Or Gibson? Well played!
Life does indeed imitate art from time to time.
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Post by cedarchoper58 on Dec 26, 2020 19:17:54 GMT -5
are the after market ones better than pre cbs ones thks
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