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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 12:22 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Location: Ontario, Canada
caleb wrote:
Just my two cents worth: -

I beleive that the Squire String company was bought by Fender some time ago.

They have since used the Squire name to market a range of lower priced guitars for those not fortunate enough to afford a real Fender.

I must say however that a well setup Squire will play better than a sloppy setup Fender.


:shock: Squire is a totally diffrent guitar (in feel) from Fender. They are not only cheap but very good guitars for their price range. By the way, DUH! Of course a Squire will sound better that a Fender if it is setup! Thats why people setup their guitarz! :roll:

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Post subject: 54 CS
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 8:38 am
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Location: Lower Alabama
I bought one in 2004. I believe it is a Todd Krause. I'm at work so I can't give you the serial number.

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:18 pm
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Why are you switching out the block?

ME


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:06 am
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Location: Cape Town South Africa
Yaknski, my heart skipped a beat when I read how many mods you were making to your guitar.

When you have finished with all the mods - you wont have a 1954 reissue any more so I am a bit puzzled why you bought it? ?

:? :? :? :? :?


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:43 pm
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Can't argue your rationale.

It is a fantastic feeling and soounding guitar.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:40 am
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Curious. Why do you believe the Callaham bridge is better?

ME


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 4:00 pm
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Yep. He's wrong. Snake Oil.
We make all our blocks from the same stuff we always have 1018 CRS.
Our bridges are made on the same machines as the originals, and hand drilled, and sanded.

ME


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:42 am
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yaknski wrote:
Mike Eldred - Fender wrote:
Yep. He's wrong. Snake Oil.
We make all our blocks from the same stuff we always have 1018 CRS.
Our bridges are made on the same machines as the originals, and hand drilled, and sanded.


ME


Mike,
I can't really comment on the composition of the blocks. But did you read everything? Like the pivot point location on the bridge plate, the tremolo counterbore and the string hole size of the saddles? From a physics point of view I think it's hard to argue with Callaham's rationale, although I have suspicions that you will.


The counterbore thing -
I've used Fenders sine I was 16. never broke an arm. Never had the 'problem" he's alluding to.

Saddles -
We extended the Pat Pend saddles on the 54. Still, I have not had the problem of string breakage, but i change my strings more often maybe.

Look, to each his own. I think the guy sells snake oil, and he sells it for a bunch of dough. First he says that we don't make the bridges out of CRS, then he changes that story around. He does very nice work. But don't try to say it's "better". When he does that, it's just bs.

Maybe we should make our bridges on a CNC? What do you think? Stop hand drilling, hand grinding, etc.

Sorry. That guy bugs me.

ME


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:41 pm
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Beautiful guitar that 54. I really like it. I´m not that much of a fan of maple fretboards but that is just me. I´m sure it plays lovely and with the modificaions you made the guitar is much more versatile than before.

About that Callaham stuff, well, my Dad used to play a Fender Strat ever since he was 12 years old. We played countless hours together and I canot recall a single time he ever broke a string so I guess there really isn´t anything you need to improve with the design. I kinda adopted the habit of changing my strings like he did every other week so string breakage is kinda unlikely with new strings like that anyway ( although they get at least 20 hours of play time in that week)

If you just like to mod your gear go ahead and get that callaham stuff - I don´t think it will really improve anything to a degree where you can actually feel the difference.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:55 pm
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More important: how does it sound when you use only the neck and the bridge? Never heard a strat with this combo. Neither with all pickups on at the same time. Can you describe it or do you have some audio samples?


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:32 pm
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Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:01 pm
Posts: 614
yaknski wrote:
Mike Eldred - Fender wrote:
yaknski wrote:
Mike Eldred - Fender wrote:
Yep. He's wrong. Snake Oil.
We make all our blocks from the same stuff we always have 1018 CRS.
Our bridges are made on the same machines as the originals, and hand drilled, and sanded.


ME


Mike,
I can't really comment on the composition of the blocks. But did you read everything? Like the pivot point location on the bridge plate, the tremolo counterbore and the string hole size of the saddles? From a physics point of view I think it's hard to argue with Callaham's rationale, although I have suspicions that you will.


The counterbore thing -
I've used Fenders sine I was 16. never broke an arm. Never had the 'problem" he's alluding to.

Saddles -
We extended the Pat Pend saddles on the 54. Still, I have not had the problem of string breakage, but i change my strings more often maybe.

Look, to each his own. I think the guy sells snake oil, and he sells it for a bunch of dough. First he says that we don't make the bridges out of CRS, then he changes that story around. He does very nice work. But don't try to say it's "better". When he does that, it's just bs.

Maybe we should make our bridges on a CNC? What do you think? Stop hand drilling, hand grinding, etc.

Sorry. That guy bugs me.

ME


ME,

Just so you know where my loyalties lie, I love Fender .... I have a Fender bathroom, Fender stickers on my kayaking helmet and ski gear and am definitely a big fan. If there were a line in the sand, I'd be on Fender's side!

I have no loyalties at all to Callaham. I just think some of his products are an improvement over the original designs:

I think that Callaham's block design is an improvement over the original because of the delrin reinforcing the tremolo arm in the counterbore hole, there's also less play. I've only broken 1 arm in my time, so that's really not an issue for me but I think there's a significantly less chance of breaking one. To me this is an improved design over the original. I also like his shorter '64 trem. arm, fits me better. Fender offers several styles of trem arms but no specs are offered re; length.

I installed one of his top plates on an Am Std. that I couldn't keep in tune after myself and several others trying to get it setup. The tuning problem was fixed.

When I break strings on a strat with the older saddle design it's almost always where it contacts the saddle on the edge of the hole. If the string doesn't contact that area, that's a better design in my mind. I admit however, I say this without having used his saddles.


Talk about "snake oil and changing stories":

Quoting Fender's brochure for the MB 50th Ann. '54;

"every deep body contour, pickup magnet and screw is a replica of a 1954 Strat."

But you said "We extended the Pat Pend saddles on the 54."

And what about the block on the same guitar? There are deeper string end bores than the original '54 to accomodate Fender's Bullet strings.

As I understand it, quite a few of the early '54 ash bodies were a single piece.

Even though the marketing info says "replica" how do you explain these variations? Yep. He's wrong. Snake oil. Changing his story. Kettle ....BLACK!

What was your intent when you replied "Maybe we should make our bridges on a CNC? What do you think? Stop hand drilling, hand grinding, etc."? Were you mocking me, antagonizing me?

Seems like you've been looking "pick a fight" in this thread. That really surprises me being the Fender Custom Shop Sales and Marketing Director.

I can see and am empathetic that Callaham's claims "bugs you".

No disrespect to you Mike Eldred, but you're starting to bug me too.


Whoa!
Didn't mean to get you upset!
The saddles on the 54 were milled longer to be like the originals, and we drilled the string holes shallower on the 54's.

Not all or even most of the 54's were originally single piece. The one we used (Richard Smiths) was two piece (I've seen one 4 piece too!) with an offset center seam. To be honest, it would have been easier (and cheaper) to make the run out of single piece ash.

Once again, did not mean to offend or upset. Please forgive me!

Best,

ME


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:02 pm
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Posts: 614
She was in charge of the production of those, but she did not hand-wind them if that is what you are asking. They are machine wound pickups, and she ran the machine.

ME


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:49 pm
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Rock Star
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Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:56 pm
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Location: Great White North, EH!
Mike Eldred - Fender wrote:
She was in charge of the production of those, but she did not hand-wind them if that is what you are asking. They are machine wound pickups, and she ran the machine.

ME


Do you guys even let her sleep?

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 10:11 pm
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Amateur
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 12:11 am
Posts: 191
Location: Cape Town South Africa
My '54 is also built by Todd Krasuse - so we are related in a sense!

I hoipe to be able to tell Todd how impressed I am myself one day.

Without doubt the best feeling and sounding strat that I own.

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 12:00 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:18 pm
Posts: 426
Location: Seattle, WA
Hello again everyone,
Just a quick update - I have to move the "50th" site from zillinois.com to seangephardt.com and I'll be doing that over the next few weeks (when time allows).

If you'd like to add pictures of your guitar, please feel free to send them my way.

And I have to ask, Mike Eldred, is there anyway to confirm the exact number of these 50th Masterbuilts that were produced? :)

I had a house fire this spring and before I hit Ebay, is there anyway to replace the two cases directly from Fender at this point?

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