Talking Titanium

First of all, what is ‘billet’ titanium?  Billet material is ‘bulk’ material that is forged at the mill.  It is forged in large sizes, then drawn into various shapes and sizes for use.  Billet material is free from impurities.  But most importantly, it has a consistent grain structure that is closely aligned and densely formed.

When metals are cast, a few things happen: First, as the material is poured into the mold, it entraps air.  This reaction with the atmosphere creates impurities.  It also creates porosity - a spongelike structure.  Also, the grain of the material is not uniform.

The interior of castings have definite voids and holes.

At 1mm scale the random array casting material is clear.

When billet material is machined, material is removed but the grain structure is preserved. The structural integrity and ability to transfer acoustic energy is maintained.

Even at 20um magnification, Titanium still shows its uniform grain.

As you can see in this picture, titanium has a definite grain even at 200x greater magnification as the cast material shown above.

This grain structure is why Titanium has superior properties in musical instruments.  More string energy is transferred into the body of the instrument.

This provides the greater sustain and clarity that is the trademark of TiSonix products.

TiSonix: Simply Superior Sound!

There is ‘titanium’ and then there is ‘TITANIUM’.

There is a grade of titanium called ‘Commercially Pure’ (CP).  It is a malleable form that is used in stampings and can be formed into shapes.  It has the advantage of being corrosion free.  Its ability to transfer acoustic (vibrations) energy is superior to many other metals, but it is not optimal.  It has a Rockwell hardness around B90.  This hardness is compromised for the convenience of forming.

To improve these acoustic properties, titanium can also be cast.  These titanium alloys may be more rigid - perhaps Rockwell hardness of C25.  This will improve acoustic energy transfer, but cast titanium has its drawbacks.  While casting, titanium reacts with atmospheric gases and creates porosity within the casting.  Microscopic voids are inescapable in titanium.  These voids interrupt the grain of the material, providing a sponge-like structure which restricts its efficiency.

TiSonix machines their parts from a forged titanium billet.  This means that the material has an extremely tight grain structure without any voids.  It is also much harder.  Rockwell ratings are C35 to C45.  While it makes this material very hard to machine into a finished part for your guitar, the tightly uniform grain of the titanium molecules provides the greatest efficiency to transfer the sound of your strings into the music we hear.

TiSonix is committed to producing the finest sounding guitar component possible.  That is why we machine our parts from titanium billet instead of lesser materials.

TiSonix - Simply Superior Sound.

Titanium is an element in the Periodic Table.

It is as stong as steel, but 45% lighter.  It is used in alloys for many applications where performance and strength are more important than cost.

Its corrosion resistance and stability makes it suitable for surgical implants.

For music purposes, its micro-crystaline structure is highly efficient in transferring vibration.  This permits the string vibrations to be transferred to the soundboard with the least dampening and coloration by the guitar’s hardware.

TiSonix uses premium titanium materials and machines them from billet form (not cast) to preserve the greatest material properties.

We welcome your questions and comments about Titanium and how TiSonix manufactures its parts.