Stratocaster Sustain Block

Pictured is my white mutant Stratocaster which originally had a cheap aluminum sustain block. This is a guitar I play all the time and has one of the two pairs of Fender 69' pickups that I really like. I made my own block from 3/4" plate steel, and you can see it installed somewhat in the blurry picture. I did a simple comparison of Tremolo Blocks on another page, but had not installed the homemade one yet .

In a word, the results are awesome. Sustain might not be the right term to describe the difference. As I've mentioned throughout the pages on this site it's really hard to describe sounds and tone. There is definitely more sustain, that's for sure. But the overall tone of the guitar has changed significantly, it's deeper, richer, each string note played is more distinct. Though I can't articulate the science, there is something about the additional mass that has completely changed the characteristics of this guitar. If you have a cheap aluminum block or even a real fender, I'd really think about this upgrade. This block is twice the weight of a real fender block.

This was my first try at making one of these. It's probably not for someone without some metal working experience. I just happen to own a few drill presses, some metal cutting saws, welders, sanders and enough knowledge to pull this one off. The block sticks out past the body, oops, a little flaw, I've never had the trem cover on anyway. I'm going to make a few more of these so if you're interested I'll sell you one. I'm going to make one for my ibanez with the Floyd Rose type bridge. Check back, or sign up for my rss feed, thanks J.B. 4-2-11

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