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Post subject: What does an Eric Clapton Style blocked Tremolo ?
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:20 am
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Hi Fender Community

Can somebody explain me how on the Clapton Startocasters the tremolo is blocked?

What does it to the sound and the sustian?What does it to other things?

I want to do this(let it do) to my Highway 1 as I almost never use it

Give me some pro and cons please

thanks

Roland


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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:34 am
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PRO'S
easier string changing
strings stay in tune when one breaks
some tonal improvement although i personaly dont hear it.
CON'S
you cant use your trem.

All you need to block a trem is a piece of timber cut to size to go inbetween the trem block and the body of the guitar. Or you can just add extra springs from the tremclaw to the tremblock. Or even just tighten the tremclaw screws into the body but loosen the strings first.


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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:36 am
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Blocking your tremelo means placing a block of wood in the trem cavity such that the tremblock can't move. This is mostly done for tuining stability by removing the float and essentially locking the bridge in place. It also goes into urban myth territory with great stories of sustainus infinitum...

Pro:
Tuning stability
Maybe some more sustain (unlikely, IMO though)

Con:
Can't use trem

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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:38 am
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thanks for the quick reply

Of all 3 versions

wood
annother spring
screw in(I dont think I take this-->irreversible)

Which would have most effect on tone and sustain and eventually which other effects

thanks for helping me

Roland


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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:02 am
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thunder100 wrote:
... Of all 3 versions
wood
annother spring
screw in(I dont think I take this-->irreversible)
Which would have most effect on tone and sustain and eventually which other effects

My opinion?

5 springs = wood, with neither providing improved tone or sustain

For me, I use 4 springs with no float. That allows me to use my trem if I wish (which turns out to be never) with the tuning stability of a hardtail. To me, it is the best of both worlds. My guitar sustained exceedingly well back when it was bone stock with the pre-06 smaller MIM tremblock and a standard float. Now it has different pups, different saddles, the larger 06+ tremblock, and 4-springs/ no float. The sustain now is even better. But I do not attribute that "better" one bit because of the 4th spring or the saddles (I think it is the pups and the larger tremblock).

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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:17 am
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I blocked my trem with a bit of roofing lath, simply because the trem cavity houses a battery. I didnt notice anymore sustain. Infact i think it sustained more with the trem floating. Overall tuning stability was definetly better when the trem was floating.


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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:45 am
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And how much do you really use your trem anyway?
Most players use it rarely.
I use the 4-spring solution myself.

Love,
Todd

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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:03 am
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IMO,

Pros blocked or decked- Other strings stay in tune when bending others, and also minimal loss of tuning if a string should break.

Cons blocked or decked- When the trem is decked but not so tightly that it can't be used, you are limmited to downward tremming only. This doesn't produce a good vibrato, nor does it stop strings from going flat when others are bent. When blocked you can't use the trem at all.

Pros floating- Vibrato can be used up or down, creating a more realistic vibrato effect, also better tuning stability when vibrato is used.

Cons floating- Strings go out of tune if one breaks. And also other strings go flat when others are bent.

I've had my Strats set up in all of these ways, never really noticed a change in tone or sustain. For me the trem on a Strat is important, and IME it works best when floating. Propper set up and the right amount of graphite and vasoline on friction points creates a very stable trem. To me a Strat just isn't a Strat without a wiggle stick!


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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:18 am
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Todd Montgomery wrote:
And how much do you really use your trem anyway?
Most players use it rarely.
I use the 4-spring solution myself.

Love,
Todd


Hi Todd: someone ran a poll on this Forum a while back on who did and didn't use their trem. It went on for many pages and, slightly to my surprise, I believe a modest majority were users. I didn't actually count, but that was my impression. I'm a user myself...

Nothing to add to what the other learned gentlemen have said about the meaning of blocking.

However, an interesting side point: in the Guitar Player Repair Guide, somewhere around page 26 to 30 (from memory) Dan Erlewine cites a setup expert at the Fender factory who gives a distinctly different method of setting up a Strat. Right near the start of his procedure he inserts a wedge shaped wooden block of the correct dimensions to hold the bridge firmly in place whilst other adjustments are made. The block comes out at the end and if you did everything right the bridge should stay in exactly the same position, perfectly balanced.

I thought I knew all I needed to about setups, but I was intrigued and gave it a go. It's an excellent process: I've been doing my setups that way ever since. Check it out...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:09 pm
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I happily stand corrected.
I have that Guitar Player Repair Guide and it's excellent. I forgot about that block trick.

Love,
Todd

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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:14 pm
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Todd Montgomery wrote:
I happily stand corrected.
I have that Guitar Player Repair Guide and it's excellent. I forgot about that block trick.

Love,
Todd


It's a good one, isn't it?

BTW: I love that you sign off "love, Todd".

Please don't stop doing that: it's great.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:21 pm
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[quote="Ceri"][quote="Todd Montgomery"]; OK Ladies...let's not get totally bent out of shape about each other over this :!: :roll:

Before you get the feeling you've discovered sliced bread, a tidbit from the vintage hall of fame. That setup technique using the spacer was included in the new Owner's Manual of my '58 Stratocaster long before many of you were anybody's idea of anything to brag about.

The trick was getting the spacer out from between the block and the back wall of trem rout when the guitar was tuned to pitch, without breaking the strings in the process. :?

Doc

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:42 pm
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zzdoc wrote:
OK Ladies...let's not get totally bent out of shape about each other over this


Doc, old guys rule; middle-aged guys look and learn.

I'd never heard of it before reading it in Dan's book: been done that way forever, huh?

Still, I find that wood block just lifts out nice and smooth leaving the trem properly balanced. Not had to wrestle it out - yet...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:49 pm
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[quote="Ceri"][quote="zzdoc"]
Still, I find that wood block just lifts out nice and smooth leaving the trem properly balanced. Not had to wrestle it out - yet...

Well...there's an odyssey behind that story which required a 2 hour bus ride from my home to the original Sam Ash store in Brooklyn NY where my buddy purchased the guitar. He still owned it at the time. We couldn't restring the sucker and kept breaking the lot pulling the trem block back to release the shim. They got it right, but that's the last time any one of us ever took all the strings off a Stratocaster guitar at once. :P :P

Strat memories :!: Maybe we should have thread on that :idea:

Doc

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Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:03 pm
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[quote="Ceri

It's a good one, isn't it?

BTW: I love that you sign off "love, Todd".

Please don't stop doing that: it's great.

Cheers - C[/quote]

I'll keep the Love in. There's not enough of it.
As always:

Love,
Todd

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