Replacing a block on a strat make a difference sonically?

Keefy

Oh bugger, this is another TOAN thing for me to fret about.

ICBM

swiller said:

So sonically tbh hasnt made a great deal of difference.
More sustain and perhaps some more clarity in the mid range. 
has it solved some of the tinny sound? perhaps but not completely sold if im honest.
Worth doing for the 20 quid block? yes i think so , not least for a really good trem arm fit and sustain, better feel to the strings.
Would not call it a big difference though.  Maybe a more expensive one would help as others have said.

I would say that if you haven't noticed a huge difference changing from that thin alloy block to a full-size brass one, there's no point in spending more on a different one... with the caveat that steel doesn't sound quite the same as brass so that's the only other option. It's nothing to do with cost or quality, any block of the same material and mass will sound the same.

Funkfingers

swiller said:

… the old block …

Could prove a handy spare part for anyone trying to extract a snapped arm from an "import" vibrato block.

•

The brass versus steel versus zinc debate could rage on forever.

If an electric guitar sounds good DESPITE the sum of its parts including a shitty cast zinc sustain block, that is all that matters.

Case in point: Ibanez RG550 with mk1 Edge double locking vibrato bridge.

SteveRobinson

swiller said:

You've put the springs on all wonky

ICBM

SteveRobinson said:

You've put the springs on all wonky

Only two of them . I was going to say that too, but it doesn’t affect the tone, fortunately .

Cirrus

Funkfingers said:

swiller said:

… the old block …

Do what I did when I made the same upgrade to my 2002 Mexican Strat: Keep it in a box for 20 years, then try to use it as a heat sink in a pointless modding experiment on your amp.

swiller

ICBM said:

SteveRobinson said:

You've put the springs on all wonky

Only two of them . I was going to say that too, but it doesn’t affect the tone, fortunately .

it was the only way i could get the bstads on.

SteveRobinson

swiller said:

ICBM said:

SteveRobinson said:

You've put the springs on all wonky

Only two of them . I was going to say that too, but it doesn’t affect the tone, fortunately .

it was the only way i could get the bstads on.

I had a Wilkinson guitar here this week, I was going to straighten the outer springs but when I did the bass side spring rubbed against the cavity so had to refit them skewed.

ICBM

swiller said:

it was the only way i could get the bstads on.

If you can't pull them over the hooks because your fingers get trapped, use a small flat screwdriver as a lever to do it - through the loop on the spring, and behind the claw hook.

I'm pretty sure this is the reason that 'fan' fitting method was invented in the first place, nothing to do with tuning stability which it actually makes worse in some cases.

FelineGuitars

I find that I like the fanned spring fitting - especially as it sometimes allows me to et a little more spring stretch in a confined space if running short of adjustment range

swiller

yes ive heard that the middle spring tension is less, so tuning may suffer, but tonewise no difference. I did attempt the screwdriver method, but one of the springs  pinged off across the room at alarming momentum, so went fan method.

ICBM

swiller said:

yes ive heard that the middle spring tension is less, so tuning may suffer

It's because the two outer springs have to rotate on their pivot points as they stretch - occasionally you can actually hear them 'ping' as the bridge moves, which means they're locking in friction and the bridge isn't returning to the exact rest point every time.

Often it makes no difference either, I just don't like to introduce potential problems where you don't need to. (With the caveat about slightly increased tension sometimes being useful, that @FelineGuitars mentioned.)