Question JP16: Aluminum Tremolo block?

[drimacdaddy]

Hi. I bought a gorgeous EBMM JP16 yesterday at Sam Ash (can't believe they had one on the wall).

Today, I switched out the 10s to 9s and set the guitar up accordingly. Odd thing i noticed, the tremolo block on the Floyd Rose 1000 Pro appears to be aluminum. I don't know if this is good or bad.

Most of my patches on the AX8 are set up for my Axis (Floyd). When I play the patches on the JP16, they are noticeably 'quieter', and I get lackluster sustain past the 12th fret, unless I turn on the +20db boost (which i'm assuming I don't need to have turned on all the time).

Is the aluminum trem block on the JP16 killing the tone, or am I just expecting too much from the Sonic Ecstasy pickups? The JP16 is so beautiful and comfortable, I really want to love it. (Btw...nearly all of my other guitars sound just fine with the Axis patches, just slightly different depending on the pups.)

Any advice, greatly appreciated

 

[BrickGlass]

Wow, I would’ve expected a brass bridge block. Let’s see if someone with more knowledge than me can give some insight. I do find brass gives better sustain.

 

[dibart77]

I don't think Floyd offers aluminum. Their site doesn't say which block comes stock with a Pro 1000, but their upgrades page lists a bunch of blocks and aluminum is not one of the options.

​

 

[DrKev]

Yeah I noticed that too. Of course it's entirely possible that JP wanted an aluminum block, and it wouldn't be an aluminum block on the guitar if he didn't specifically specify it (because that's how EBMM rolls - the production instrument is 100% the artist's own specification). But if that is the case, I am unable to find any mention of it in the product specs.

 

[Mariner-aaron]

Far stretch but could it be a titanium?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[drimacdaddy]

Thanks for all the responses. FR doesn't show much information about the FR 1000 Pro on their web site, but you get a wealth of info from StewMac (see link). It is silver. I was expecting steel and it failed the 'magnet' test, so I assumed aluminum. Apparently 'nickle plated brass'.

After 4 days with the guitar, I can tell you I was too quick to compare it to my Axis. True, it doesn't 'scream' with some of my VH targeted Axis patches but it's glorious with some of my others. In short, the problem is sitting directly behind the guitar.

The JP16 is spectacular.


Floyd Rose 1000 Series Pro (Low-profile) Tremolo System | stewmac.com

 

[tbonesullivan]

Aluminum didn't make sense. Most are plated brass. Some are plain brass. I have two G&L Legacies, and one has the "upgraded" bridge with the stainless steel saddles and block. They usually just have plated saddles and block.

Of course, my LIII has a plain brass block. Not sure they they feel the need to plate a tremolo block that will rarely be seen.

 

[7enderbender]

You might try swapping the block for a more massive brass block. It did have a measurable impact on the bass frequencies of my Washburn N4 with orignal Floyd Rose.
That being said I must admit that after having really taken to my JP15-7 I had fantasies about getting a 6 string JP16 also and then swap the 1000 series FR for a real one in chrome with a d-tuna - which would require some routing on the top and blocking the trem for the up-position (or installing a gizmo like the ESP arming adjuster).
Makes people cringe probably but then it all would actually make sense.

 

[dave1812]

I know it's not entirely related, but did anyone here try to install an Evertune Bridge on their EBMM? I was thinking about getting the JP16 and installing the Evertune instead of the Floyd. Should be relatively easy since there's no Piezo

 

[CaptNasty]

Hi. I bought a gorgeous EBMM JP16 yesterday at Sam Ash (can't believe they had one on the wall).

Today, I switched out the 10s to 9s and set the guitar up accordingly. Odd thing i noticed, the tremolo block on the Floyd Rose 1000 Pro appears to be aluminum. I don't know if this is good or bad.

Most of my patches on the AX8 are set up for my Axis (Floyd). When I play the patches on the JP16, they are noticeably 'quieter', and I get lackluster sustain past the 12th fret, unless I turn on the +20db boost (which i'm assuming I don't need to have turned on all the time).

Is the aluminum trem block on the JP16 killing the tone, or am I just expecting too much from the Sonic Ecstasy pickups? The JP16 is so beautiful and comfortable, I really want to love it. (Btw...nearly all of my other guitars sound just fine with the Axis patches, just slightly different depending on the pups.)

Any advice, greatly appreciated

The JP16 is a great guitar, and you are mostly correct about the tone block. It is not aluminum though, it is Zinc Alloy. This is the same sustain block used in the Floyd Rose Special.

I spoke to staff at Floyd Rose regarding this and learned the following: the Tremolo used on the JP16 is the Floyd Rose 1000 Series Pro Wide. It is supposed to have Nickel coated brass sustain block. It does not. The 32 mm brass sustain block weighs 3 3/8 ounces whereas the sustain block in the JP16 weighs 1 1/8 ounce. Also the nickel coated brass block has a golden color to it, the one in the JP 16 is straight up silver. This was apparently an OEM adjustment to the Series 1000 Pro spec made by EBMM. There is no Pro tremolo with a Zinc alloy sustain block available for consumer purchase.

As for the block killing tone, I get what you are saying. Just remember, one mans tone sucker is another mans tonal sweet spot. That said, I agree and wanted more sustain, attack, clarity and a more aggressive “throaty” voice. You can upgrade the sustain block with a brass or tungsten block and the JP16 becomes an absolute tone beast.

You need to know this if you choose to upgrade the sustain block: even though this is a Floyd Rose Pro, you must use a sustain block for an Original Floyd Rose. The Pro sustain block will not fit. Ask me how I know. The reason for this that the 1000Series Pro is a “Wide” bridge, thus the stamp of the base plate uses the OFR spec instead of the Pro spec. Trust me, been there done that, and have the merit badge to prove it.

A brass block will give a boost in the low mids and high bass range and add sustain, attack and clarity. The Tungsten block is a beast. It breaths the life of a brass big block into a guitar without sacrificing the Floyd’s pull up. Tungsten also IMO adds a very nice aggression to overdriven sounds.

 

[jp16pilot]

The JP16 is a great guitar, and you are mostly correct about the tone block. It is not aluminum though, it is Zinc Alloy. This is the same sustain block used in the Floyd Rose Special.

I spoke to staff at Floyd Rose regarding this and learned the following: the Tremolo used on the JP16 is the Floyd Rose 1000 Series Pro Wide. It is supposed to have Nickel coated brass sustain block. It does not. The 32 mm brass sustain block weighs 3 3/8 ounces whereas the sustain block in the JP16 weighs 1 1/8 ounce. Also the nickel coated brass block has a golden color to it, the one in the JP 16 is straight up silver. This was apparently an OEM adjustment to the Series 1000 Pro spec made by EBMM. There is no Pro tremolo with a Zinc alloy sustain block available for consumer purchase.

As for the block killing tone, I get what you are saying. Just remember, one mans tone sucker is another mans tonal sweet spot. That said, I agree and wanted more sustain, attack, clarity and a more aggressive “throaty” voice. You can upgrade the sustain block with a brass or tungsten block and the JP16 becomes an absolute tone beast.

You need to know this if you choose to upgrade the sustain block: even though this is a Floyd Rose Pro, you must use a sustain block for an Original Floyd Rose. The Pro sustain block will not fit. Ask me how I know. The reason for this that the 1000Series Pro is a “Wide” bridge, thus the stamp of the base plate uses the OFR spec instead of the Pro spec. Trust me, been there done that, and have the merit badge to prove it.

A brass block will give a boost in the low mids and high bass range and add sustain, attack and clarity. The Tungsten block is a beast. It breaths the life of a brass big block into a guitar without sacrificing the Floyd’s pull up. Tungsten also IMO adds a very nice aggression to overdriven sounds.

Well, I was going to provide some clarity since we just encountered this with my JP16 but it looks like my father here beat me to the punch.

Slightly disappointed in Ernie Ball's choice to give us a downgraded Korean Floyd rose on a 25000$ guitar. I love this thing but man, it's hard to be all in on a company that doesn't even tell you that you're getting something that's generally regarded as lesser. I'm hoping they're not just taking us for a ride but when they don't have any explanation out there that I can find it's hard not to.

On the bright side, the brass block eliminated any of the complaints I had on the jp16. Can't wait to see the difference tungsten makes (if I can ever get my hands on a tungsten block that fits my FR, lol)

 

[DrKev]

Slightly disappointed in Ernie Ball's choice to give us a downgraded Korean Floyd rose on a 25000$ guitar. I love this thing but man, it's hard to be all in on a company that doesn't even tell you that you're getting something that's generally regarded as lesser. I'm hoping they're not just taking us for a ride but when they don't have any explanation out there that I can find it's hard not to.

No. Let me reiterate what I said above...

The guitar that EBMM make and ship is the exact spec JP himself signed off on. The bridge on the production JP16 is the one that he uses too. When the LIII first came out, the neck was all-rosewood. Two years later Lukather preferred roasted maple and production changed. There was even a time when if JP changed string gauge, the entire production line also changed to match.

Just remember, one mans tone sucker is another mans tonal sweet spot.

Exactly.