Stock vs big brass vs big titatium block test

[aceman_831]

thought everyone would like to hear the comparisons

[sixstring]

I would like to see a demo with the 3 blocks side by side in 3 identical guitars with 3 identical amps/ settings. Hard remember what the previous sound was like in this demo.

[aceman_831]

yea there just never seems to be a good demo. you always have to skip around. or the clarity just isn't there.

[smorgdonkey]

yea there just never seems to be a good demo. you always have to skip around. or the clarity just isn't there.

Indeed. The best other than having A/B in person is to have an uncompressed wav file posted to download but that is so rare.

[mmmtacos]

The titanium sounded better in my opinion. More compressed and less out raw with distortion

[skydive69]

ya think so? to me the titanium one sounded thinnest and weakest when i clicked back and forth between different parts of the video. btw, i think its ridiculous to try and do these sound tests on a vid online......

[mmmtacos]

Well, the speakers in those Commodore 64s probably aren't the best:happy1

[aceman_831]

i myself dig the big brass block and for about 40 bucks you can go wrong.... for about $140 you get the titanium block. i dont see how its really worth the jump in price? oh well.

[LiamMaru]

I would like to see a demo with the 3 blocks side by side in 3 identical guitars with 3 identical amps/ settings. Hard remember what the previous sound was like in this demo.

I completely agree, I find a lot of YouTube comparisons really frustrating as a result of this. Although there's that one channel that do great pedal comparisons because they really line them up, you know the one .

I also notice he's using an old RG550, the original Edge bridges were cast and not milled (like an OFR), so it's a softer metal, and as such the sound is supposedly a a bit less shrill. With that in mind, I think the brass block is the way to go.

[-=Scorch=-]

All I can tell you from personal experience is the fat brass blocks are one of the best upgrades for your floyd. I don't have a floyd guitar in my collection that doesn't have one.

[_xxx_]

i myself dig the big brass block and for about 40 bucks you can go wrong.... for about $140 you get the titanium block. i dont see how its really worth the jump in price? oh well.

Titanium is very expensive in comparison.

On the other side, $40 for a piece of brass worth $1 in materials is truly shameless.

[Rick S]

Yeah, Ti is pretty expensive no matter what the application. While brass is quite inexpensive I can't really see anyone making the blocks and charging $1.10 per block.

[_xxx_]

Of course, but $15-20 would be more reasonable IMO.

[vwdoctor3]

I dunno I think $40.00 with all the time to make one doesnt sound too bad.

[80sKramer]

Would it be worth upgrading a floyd with the brass one? Would the diffrence justify the hassle?

[_xxx_]

I dunno I think $40.00 with all the time to make one doesnt sound too bad.

The time is like ten seconds, put a piece into the machine and press the button. The time required for initial programming is a few hours at best. That's exactly the reason why I think it's too expensive, noone makes stuff like that by hand nowadays.

But as always, it's a question of demand, as long as people are ready to shell out $40, they'll keep the prices up. Good old "vote with the wallet" at work.

[skydive69]

you dont factor in the cost of the machine to do it quickly, breakdown and repair costs, down time if theres a breakdown, money spent on advertising and other marketing, overhead like heat or ac, paying employees, electricity, rent, etc......


heres retail for a piece of 1/2"x3"x3'.........$265.50. thats 8 blocks per foot.......24 out of a 3 foot bar. $960 if they sell them at 40 a pop. cost of materials per block, $11.06.......before they even touch it. of course youll get a quantity discount for buying lots and lots of bar stock as a manufacturer, but im just giving an example......especially for the people who think the materials are a buck or two, and they should be cheaper.

only selling volume at a high price will make the money back for the machine, cover all the overhead and make a profit. noone is in business to not make money and give shit away for free.

noones going to buy a 100,000 dollar machine and make parts for a buck, unless theyre selling millions of little parts for a buck.

now 50,000 of those at 40 is a couple million.......gross, not net.

or you can make one yourself........go buy some brass bar stock, hack saw it to size, belt sand or file the edges, drill the angled spring holes, drill the block mount holes, tap the holes.....you get the picture....have all those tools on hand? the right size drill bits? the tap? saw? drill or drill press? files or belt sander? hey, even a block and some sandpaper will do......hope you dont have to go out and buy any of those items......youll be over that dollar or 2 limit.....oh wait, you already were way over after buying the brass......


http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Fla...VR4?Pid=search

[Rick S]

Yeah Vin, thats exactly my thought. I've heard people complain about everything costing to much and saying how easy it is to make that item. Funny thing is that I never see those who know everything about everything actually make whatever item it is that they know everything about. Wow, a whole $40. Big deal.

[_xxx_]

Usually it'll be a company already in metal business and do this as a side-job, which eliminates most of those factors you mention. Otherwise the price for the brass blocks would be probably way more than $40 in your scenario, probably over $200 just to cover the startup costs.

We're making (way more complicated) prototype engine parts on a daily basis, I'm not talking science fiction here. One kg (about 2 pounds) of brass goes for $3-5 around here when you're selling scrap material and $5-8 when buying it recycled, so that's a crazily inflated price you posted above:

http://www.looker.de/messing-ms63-cu...0e8567cabef6ae

[skydive69]

i know, im sure 5 people will search and search to prove they can find a piece of brass cheaper now. i know they are out there, i just grabbed the first one i saw. im sure i could find it cheaper. it was only to make a point. its not going to be a huge difference. maybe if i search enough i could end up getting the same piece 40 bucks cheaper? yeah, im sure they would be more than 40.....like i said, these companies are there for one thing. to make as much as they can at the end of the day, as cheaply as they can, and to sell as many as they can, at the right price. its all a balance......

btw serg, you posted a scrap metal exchange.......quite a bit different than buying extruded or milled bar stock. your challenge today is to find me 1/2 inch by 3 inch by 3 foot brass 360 alloy bar stock at the cheapest price and post the link.....

[moku]

you can really tell the difference:

clean:
brass: bridge 2:20; neck pickup: 2:38
titanium: neck pickup: 4:22; bridge: 4:40 [he reversed the order]

distortion:
brass: 2:56
titanium: 5:11

the brass sounds better in my opinion in the clean and distortion...

[billmill310]

Are these blocks any closer to the neck than the original, or do they just extend back further?

[aceman_831]

Are these blocks any closer to the neck than the original, or do they just extend back further?

they extend back further to the back or else the springs wouldnt be able to latch on

[kysrsoze]

All I can tell you from personal experience is the fat brass blocks are one of the best upgrades for your floyd. I don't have a floyd guitar in my collection that doesn't have one.

I completely agree here. I've got brass in two of them, and am getting ready for my 3rd. It made a huge difference in overall presence and clarity.

Haven't tried titanium, so I can't comment on whether that is work it... likely not since seller "hoockey" has been selling them to me for $25 on the fleaBay. He's been really good to work with and I'm happy with the sound, so I'm buying another from him shortly.

[mmmtacos]

There were these two guys where I live. They were buying bales of hay for a dollar a bale, and taking them across the river over to a town in kentucky and selling them for a dollar......

On the third trip across the river one of the guys looked at the other and said "Why aren't we making any money?"

:happy1