Floyd Rose releases Stone Tone granite block

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your work Steve! it seems to add something 'more' to the tone..is it worth the investment? What do you think?

Based on my testing, I'd say that for sure it makes the guitar louder acoustically and louder through the amp and it makes the guitar body and neck vibrate like crazy compared to a Ti or Big Brass block. The enhanced vibration makes the guitar feel really alive and is really cool once you get used to it. It also sustains better for sure in my guitar. It sounds throatier and chimier than a Ti block - perhaps not quite as warm. For me it is definitely worth $35-40 more than a Ti block...

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

The TI clip sounds warmer...and I never thought I'd say something like that about a TI block. Not that the granite block is without its charm. But I think I'd pick TI in this case, that is, if I had to choose based on clips and not how it sounded to me in person. That plus 2 of my 3 guitars don't have trems at all.

I agree that I hear the Ti as being bit warmer in the heavy part of the clip as well, but I like the chime in the clean more with the Stone. I also think the Stone heavy part would cut better in a mix than the slightly warmer Ti clip.

Steve

 

[rottingcorpse]

I ordered one. Just waiting for it to come in.

 

[JTyson]

Been swamped, just getting a chance to check 'em out
I hear a slight difference in the clip, the ti block seems to have a little more emphasis on certain strings, where the st block sounds more "even" if that makes any sense? Almost a similar effect of compression without being compressed (what?)
I like what I'm hearing out of it, I would imagine if I played it and it resonates much better through the body as you described I would really like that as well.
So is it better? I dont hear the difference that was discribed by the st guy, but I do hear one. The difference in feel would be an added bonus for me, but does not translate in the clip.
Thanks for doing this Steve I appreciate your willingness to put in the effort to cut through the bullshit and serve up some pudding
I love pudding..

 

[charvelstrat81]

Thanks for all your work Steve! it seems to add something 'more' to the tone..is it worth the investment? What do you think?

Based on my testing, I'd say that for sure it makes the guitar louder acoustically and louder through the amp and it makes the guitar body and neck vibrate like crazy compared to a Ti or Big Brass block. The enhanced vibration makes the guitar feel really alive and is really cool once you get used to it. It also sustains better for sure in my guitar. It sounds throatier and chimier than a Ti block - perhaps not quite as warm. For me it is definitely worth $35-40 more than a Ti block...

Steve

Steve this is what i wanted to hear!

thanks for all the work you put into the testing and confirming the stone block is not just snake oil
I ordered one for my main charvel to start with,

 

[Shawn Lutz]

very little difference between the two clips to my ears anyway. The feel and loudness increase sound like a winner to me.

 

[Anonymous]

Been swamped, just getting a chance to check 'em out
I hear a slight difference in the clip, the ti block seems to have a little more emphasis on certain strings, where the st block sounds more "even" if that makes any sense? Almost a similar effect of compression without being compressed (what?)
I like what I'm hearing out of it, I would imagine if I played it and it resonates much better through the body as you described I would really like that as well.
So is it better? I dont hear the difference that was discribed by the st guy, but I do hear one. The difference in feel would be an added bonus for me, but does not translate in the clip.
Thanks for doing this Steve I appreciate your willingness to put in the effort to cut through the bullshit and serve up some pudding
I love pudding..

Cool and I agree with your assessment... The volume difference I had to adjust for was major though...

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your work Steve! it seems to add something 'more' to the tone..is it worth the investment? What do you think?

Based on my testing, I'd say that for sure it makes the guitar louder acoustically and louder through the amp and it makes the guitar body and neck vibrate like crazy compared to a Ti or Big Brass block. The enhanced vibration makes the guitar feel really alive and is really cool once you get used to it. It also sustains better for sure in my guitar. It sounds throatier and chimier than a Ti block - perhaps not quite as warm. For me it is definitely worth $35-40 more than a Ti block...

Steve

Steve this is what i wanted to hear!

thanks for all the work you put into the testing and confirming the stone block is not just snake oil
I ordered one for my main charvel to start with,

No problem! I'll be interested to think of what you think of the Stone Block once you get it in the guitar...

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

very little difference between the two clips to my ears anyway. The feel and loudness increase sound like a winner to me.

Pretty much!

Steve

 

[H_Squire]

The following is strictly *my opinion* based on my ears.. which may or may not scuk

Between the two clips I cannot discern a major difference with gain...as I would've expected. I also don't think there is an unbelievable difference in brass vs ti blocks w/ moderate-large amounts of gain. There may be more sustain...but there are not many times that I am holding notes out for 20 seconds when I play live...and if for some reason I do...there are pedals that can make sustain last way longer than the block would want to.

I do hear quite a difference with the clean...but to me it is not a good one. If you used the exact same settings... the stone block clean sounds very bad to me. It is too chimey and comes across like a poorly EQ'd acoustic guitar (again, just my taste).

I will say that the difference in feel does sound very interesting...but I don't even put ti blocks in my guitars. I just can't find enough difference with ti/stone block/etc vs just a brass block to justify spending all that money replacing a ton of blocks on the guitars I use live.

However... I am glad that there is SOME difference and that it isn't really snake oil...although I think the way it is being presented is very misleading and I don't understand why Stonetone can't just present it as an "alternate" tone instead of trying to convince me that there is some inter-galactic federation alignment of the cosmos live changing spirit touching reason that a granite block will make me a better sounding guitarist

 

[Racerxrated]

The following is strictly *my opinion* based on my ears.. which may or may not scuk

Between the two clips I cannot discern a major difference with gain...as I would've expected. I also don't think there is an unbelievable difference in brass vs ti blocks w/ moderate-large amounts of gain. There may be more sustain...but there are not many times that I am holding notes out for 20 seconds when I play live...and if for some reason I do...there are pedals that can make sustain last way longer than the block would want to.

I do hear quite a difference with the clean...but to me it is not a good one. If you used the exact same settings... the stone block clean sounds very bad to me. It is too chimey and comes across like a poorly EQ'd acoustic guitar (again, just my taste).

I will say that the difference in feel does sound very interesting...but I don't even put ti blocks in my guitars. I just can't find enough difference with ti/stone block/etc vs just a brass block to justify spending all that money replacing a ton of blocks on the guitars I use live.

However... I am glad that there is SOME difference and that it isn't really snake oil...although I think the way it is being presented is very misleading and I don't understand why Stonetone can't just present it as an "alternate" tone instead of trying to convince me that there is some inter-galactic federation alignment of the cosmos live changing spirit touching reason that a granite block will make me a better sounding guitarist

I agree with the presentation...he would have been better off saying something simple and honest like "we thought it would be interesting to try this, cut a few blocks and it does make a difference....here are some players that like it" instead of trying to explain with scientific explanations that are nonsensical. I'm no scientist myself but I do have a license in the medical field. Chem, Physics and a few more fun classes I want to forget. He just came across too much like a clown. But I'm glad to hear it does make a difference..thanks again Steve!

 

[JTyson]

Been swamped, just getting a chance to check 'em out
I hear a slight difference in the clip, the ti block seems to have a little more emphasis on certain strings, where the st block sounds more "even" if that makes any sense? Almost a similar effect of compression without being compressed (what?)
I like what I'm hearing out of it, I would imagine if I played it and it resonates much better through the body as you described I would really like that as well.
So is it better? I dont hear the difference that was discribed by the st guy, but I do hear one. The difference in feel would be an added bonus for me, but does not translate in the clip.
Thanks for doing this Steve I appreciate your willingness to put in the effort to cut through the bullshit and serve up some pudding
I love pudding..

Cool and I agree with your assessment... The volume difference I had to adjust for was major though...

Steve

Are we talking guitar volume as in output to the amp? I may not be following you here, please clarify
If so, that would possibly account for the difference in gain when I thought he had changed the amp settings. I may owe him an apoligy?
I would certainly give him one if owed, but is that what we're talking about?

 

[Anonymous]

Been swamped, just getting a chance to check 'em out
I hear a slight difference in the clip, the ti block seems to have a little more emphasis on certain strings, where the st block sounds more "even" if that makes any sense? Almost a similar effect of compression without being compressed (what?)
I like what I'm hearing out of it, I would imagine if I played it and it resonates much better through the body as you described I would really like that as well.
So is it better? I dont hear the difference that was discribed by the st guy, but I do hear one. The difference in feel would be an added bonus for me, but does not translate in the clip.
Thanks for doing this Steve I appreciate your willingness to put in the effort to cut through the bullshit and serve up some pudding
I love pudding..

Cool and I agree with your assessment... The volume difference I had to adjust for was major though...

Steve

Are we talking guitar volume as in output to the amp? I may not be following you here, please clarify
If so, that would possibly account for the difference in gain when I thought he had changed the amp settings. I may owe him an apoligy?
I would certainly give him one if owed, but is that what we're talking about?

The guitar is louder in two ways:

1.) Acoustcally. Sitting in the room, the guitar is way louder with this block than the Ti block when it is not plugged in. It is louder than my guitar that has the big brass block as well.
2.) Electrically. When the guitar is plugged in, with the amp settings the same, the output of the amp is louder. When I mic'd the tracks into my DAW, you could see the waveforms were larger and the tracks hit higher on the meter with the Stone block and NO changes to the amp settings or anything else at all. When I was mixing, in order to match the output volume of the previous clip, I had to bring the faders down a significant amount on the newly recorded tracks with the Stone block.

So, because the guitar is louder acoustically with the Stone block, the pickups are generating more output, driving the amp harder (more input to the amp), resulting in more volume output from the amp for the same settings. More input to the mic, mic pre and tracks with no changes to the settings on the amp. So, yeah, more guitar volume output to the amp...

Does that make sense?

Steve

 

[Racerxrated]

Been swamped, just getting a chance to check 'em out
I hear a slight difference in the clip, the ti block seems to have a little more emphasis on certain strings, where the st block sounds more "even" if that makes any sense? Almost a similar effect of compression without being compressed (what?)
I like what I'm hearing out of it, I would imagine if I played it and it resonates much better through the body as you described I would really like that as well.
So is it better? I dont hear the difference that was discribed by the st guy, but I do hear one. The difference in feel would be an added bonus for me, but does not translate in the clip.
Thanks for doing this Steve I appreciate your willingness to put in the effort to cut through the bullshit and serve up some pudding
I love pudding..

Cool and I agree with your assessment... The volume difference I had to adjust for was major though...

Steve

Are we talking guitar volume as in output to the amp? I may not be following you here, please clarify
If so, that would possibly account for the difference in gain when I thought he had changed the amp settings. I may owe him an apoligy?
I would certainly give him one if owed, but is that what we're talking about?

The guitar is louder in two ways:

1.) Acoustcally. Sitting in the room, the guitar is way louder with this block than the Ti block when it is not plugged in. It is louder than my guitar that has the big brass block as well.
2.) Electrically. When the guitar is plugged in, with the amp settings the same, the output of the amp is louder. When I mic'd the tracks into my DAW, you could see the waveforms were larger and the tracks hit higher on the meter with the Stone block and NO changes to the amp settings or anything else at all. When I was mixing, in order to match the output volume of the previous clip, I had to bring the faders down a significant amount on the newly recorded tracks with the Stone block.

So, because the guitar is louder acoustically with the Stone block, the pickups are generating more output, driving the amp harder (more input to the amp), resulting in more volume output from the amp for the same settings. More input to the mic, mic pre and tracks with no changes to the settings on the amp. So, yeah, more guitar volume output to the amp...

Does that make sense?

Steve

I would imagine this would help a thin sounding superstrat a ton. Sounds like a good investment!

 

[Anonymous]

Been swamped, just getting a chance to check 'em out
I hear a slight difference in the clip, the ti block seems to have a little more emphasis on certain strings, where the st block sounds more "even" if that makes any sense? Almost a similar effect of compression without being compressed (what?)
I like what I'm hearing out of it, I would imagine if I played it and it resonates much better through the body as you described I would really like that as well.
So is it better? I dont hear the difference that was discribed by the st guy, but I do hear one. The difference in feel would be an added bonus for me, but does not translate in the clip.
Thanks for doing this Steve I appreciate your willingness to put in the effort to cut through the bullshit and serve up some pudding
I love pudding..

Cool and I agree with your assessment... The volume difference I had to adjust for was major though...

Steve

Are we talking guitar volume as in output to the amp? I may not be following you here, please clarify
If so, that would possibly account for the difference in gain when I thought he had changed the amp settings. I may owe him an apoligy?
I would certainly give him one if owed, but is that what we're talking about?

The guitar is louder in two ways:

1.) Acoustcally. Sitting in the room, the guitar is way louder with this block than the Ti block when it is not plugged in. It is louder than my guitar that has the big brass block as well.
2.) Electrically. When the guitar is plugged in, with the amp settings the same, the output of the amp is louder. When I mic'd the tracks into my DAW, you could see the waveforms were larger and the tracks hit higher on the meter with the Stone block and NO changes to the amp settings or anything else at all. When I was mixing, in order to match the output volume of the previous clip, I had to bring the faders down a significant amount on the newly recorded tracks with the Stone block.

So, because the guitar is louder acoustically with the Stone block, the pickups are generating more output, driving the amp harder (more input to the amp), resulting in more volume output from the amp for the same settings. More input to the mic, mic pre and tracks with no changes to the settings on the amp. So, yeah, more guitar volume output to the amp...

Does that make sense?

Steve

I would imagine this would help a thin sounding superstrat a ton. Sounds like a good investment!

Certainly could help that depending on the issue causing the thin sound...

Steve

 

[JTyson]

Been swamped, just getting a chance to check 'em out
I hear a slight difference in the clip, the ti block seems to have a little more emphasis on certain strings, where the st block sounds more "even" if that makes any sense? Almost a similar effect of compression without being compressed (what?)
I like what I'm hearing out of it, I would imagine if I played it and it resonates much better through the body as you described I would really like that as well.
So is it better? I dont hear the difference that was discribed by the st guy, but I do hear one. The difference in feel would be an added bonus for me, but does not translate in the clip.
Thanks for doing this Steve I appreciate your willingness to put in the effort to cut through the bullshit and serve up some pudding
I love pudding..

Cool and I agree with your assessment... The volume difference I had to adjust for was major though...

Steve

Are we talking guitar volume as in output to the amp? I may not be following you here, please clarify
If so, that would possibly account for the difference in gain when I thought he had changed the amp settings. I may owe him an apoligy?
I would certainly give him one if owed, but is that what we're talking about?

The guitar is louder in two ways:

1.) Acoustcally. Sitting in the room, the guitar is way louder with this block than the Ti block when it is not plugged in. It is louder than my guitar that has the big brass block as well.
2.) Electrically. When the guitar is plugged in, with the amp settings the same, the output of the amp is louder. When I mic'd the tracks into my DAW, you could see the waveforms were larger and the tracks hit higher on the meter with the Stone block and NO changes to the amp settings or anything else at all. When I was mixing, in order to match the output volume of the previous clip, I had to bring the faders down a significant amount on the newly recorded tracks with the Stone block.

So, because the guitar is louder acoustically with the Stone block, the pickups are generating more output, driving the amp harder (more input to the amp), resulting in more volume output from the amp for the same settings. More input to the mic, mic pre and tracks with no changes to the settings on the amp. So, yeah, more guitar volume output to the amp...

Does that make sense?

Steve

It does, I've noticed that my high gainers will get more overall volume from more input volume if things are not pushed into so much saturation that it just compresses more. Although I dont notice much of a gain difference in the clip, what your saying makes perfect sense. I just remember one of the clips presented as everything being the same had a ridiculous amount more gain and it made me very suspicious.
Thank you Steve
If I have unjustly called Mr ST a liar, then I, with all due respect, humbly apologize. Sometimes pudding is very hot right out of the pot, and it burns the roof of your mouth

 

[rupe]

Thanks for taking this bullet Steve...you are a gentleman and a scholar.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for taking this bullet Steve...you are a gentleman and a scholar.

Thanks man!

Steve

 

[Stone Tone Products]

Excellent review Steve, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to give these folks a thorough credible take on the products performance..

JTyson, it's all good, and at least all you guys got what you we're looking for or not..
Reading some of these recent posts that some of you purchased a rock block and not commented would more so suggest it works for you or not?
Any how, come see us @ Winter Namm 2016 @ the Floyd Rose Booth. I'd like meet each and every one of you.

 

[Stone Tone Products]

Where ya at boys? cat got your tongue?..................