Comments on Michael's Titanium Trem Block
I don’t think it is going to make any difference if you have the titanium or the steel block when it comes to the bending. There are two ways to set up a vintage Strat-style trem:
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. |