The most desirable tone comes from bridge saddles made of metal with a low internal damping factor. This quality transmits sound with higher efficiency than metals without it. We learned that of all the possible metals (and other materials) that Titanium has the absolute best of these sonic-friendly properties. And after careful and extensive experimentation we chose Titanium as the the clear choice for our bridge saddles.

Titanium's low internal damping factor is one of the most outstanding features as good sounding metal. This is because the majority of the wave motion created by string vibration is transferred to the guitar body without being absorbed by the metal material. This happens because of a unique hexagonal close-packed crystallization structure of Titanium -- which also stabilizes strings vibration.

In addition, a metal which has less ratio of "E (traverse coefficient) / p (density)" usually has better vibration transmission properties. In other words, a light metal that is hard to bend has naturally better tonal properties.

When you install DeTemple Guitars' Titanium Saddles on your guitar you'll hear an immediate and obvious improvement in its sound. Not because the metal gives you a completely different sound, but because it brings out the beautifully rich wave motion inherent to your guitar. This means that you'll still get the essential sound of the instrument, especially if you use our saddles on a vintage-style guitar.

Thanks to the distinctive sound quality of titanium and our unique processing technologies (Titanium is extremely difficult to work with) we've created new bridge saddles that we believe blow-away the tone of conventional versions

The way it was designed with the back of the top plate floating off the top of the guitar by about 3/32", or

To have the trem springs pulling harder than the strings causing the top plate to lay flat on the top of the guitar.

If you set up with the floating method the whole concept is to have the string tension match that of the spring tension so that the whole trem assembly returns to its neutral (floating) position. As far as the mechanism is concerned it doesn’t matter what material the block is made out of as long as it is stable.

If you chose the second method of set up you can adjust the springs just tight enough to hold the top plate down on the top but still allow it to move when you bend or you can adjust the springs tight enough to not allow any movement even on the biggest bends.

Even though the vintage style tremolo is 50 years old it really can be set up to be very sensitive and always return in tune.

I have used the cold rolled steel blocks by Bill Callaham for a few years find them to be of the highest quality. But after I developed the Titanium Trem Block, and put it in my guitar, I would never go back. The tonality, touch sensitivity, clarity, sustain and definition are all greatly enhanced. When you plug in to your tuner it really “sees” the difference as well. To me, the titanium block and saddles are one of the greatest evolutions to ever happen to the Strat.

Titanium has a lower internal damping factor than steel, brass or aluminum. It allows the string’s natural vibrations to last longer. I also find the definition from string to string is drastically improved. A one-quarter pound difference in the weight of the guitar is nothing to take for granted either! I have tried so many different materials over the years for bridge, saddle, block, nut, and string tree fabrication. When I eventually tried Titanium the superiority I heard was so apparent that I knew immediately I had found a very important part of the equation that had been missing for me. I did not make all of the parts of the bridge out of Titanium to start with but tried the saddles first. I first tried them for the Strat. Next, for the traditional Tele bridge, I made the compensated three barrel models. I also made the bridge plate out of Titanium but found the hardened steel bridge plate in combination with the Titanium block and saddles was the sound that best suited what I was looking for.

Interestingly, one guy who returned a bridge assembly played with .009- .038" strings and set his action very, very low. In this case the titanium was amplifying the shrill highs that come with fret buzz. Titanium will "hear" bad or rattling fret work more so than steel saddles. Titanium will duplicate the untrue tonal signals caused by metal-on-metal instead of the pure string vibration and acoustic resonance from the wood itself. Titanium is much less forgiving of poor set-up work. If you play with a guitar that is set up to play cleanly I feel the titanium will provide an expanded harmonic palate. In addition, the clarity and definition are improved along with the touch sensitivity. With the addition of the titanium parts you are making a change to your guitar and in so doing a pickup adjustment is a must. You may find that a slight adjustment to your pickups will "marry" better with the addition of the titanium parts on your guitar.

Remember, if you don't like how our titanium components make your guitar sound, just send them back. We have a 10% restocking charge. It may be easier to just drop the whole trem assembly in your guitar than taking everything apart and going through a complete re-set up. If you don't like what you hear you can drop your old assembly back in and be up and playing in no time.