I put in a Callaham tremolo block into my 2000 MIM standard today. All I can say is HOLY $&!+. I am shocked at the difference in tone that this small upgrade has made. I had already swapped the stock pickups for a set of pickups out of an 04-05 MIM 60s series a few weeks ago.

I can't believe how dramatically different this guitar sounds now with the heavier trem block. It definitely increased the sustain (which was already pretty good by strat standards as I use 5 springs), but the before and after are a night and day difference. It feels like the overall output from the guitar is increased as well. Notes also seems to ring clearer and I believe it even makes my amp sound better. I play GHS 010 strings through a 75W Line6 SpiderJam.

My girlfriend who is not into guitars also says she can totally hear the improvement in the guitar's sound. I played a little bit before I made the switch to see if I'd be able to hear the difference.

I 100% recommend this upgrade to anyone with the wimpy MIM trem block. If you have an ear, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!

_________________

Sounds good!

Did you get the entire assembly or did you just replace the block? I'm considering changing the block on one of my 09's.

Congrats!

I swapped the block and arm from my 08 MIM and thought it was pretty much night and day.

I changed out the block and saddles on my '99 AmDlx Fat Strat (had one of those cheesy zinc half blocks) with the callaham and WOW! Great investment. I dunno why Fender is still being cheap on these (especially on deluxe's) when they make such a huge difference in tone.

I just got the block. It was $60 from Acme Guitar works. Best money I ever spent guitar-wise.


http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Callaham_Trem_Block_Mexican_S_P1847C209.cfm

_________________

My next purchase! Thanks for the link, Kong.

Ordered one.I might as well do all my guitar work in that area at once.

I just did the same thing to my American Vintage 62 which came with a steel block. But the thing is Fender does not use 100 percent steel with their steel blocks. I think there is another metal mixed in like maybe lead. Callaham uses only 100 percent cold rolled steel and the difference is astounding.

Any chance you could post a pic of the old block please

The first 2 pics are the old crappy block and the third pic is the Callaham.

_________________

Fender Cust rep told me that one of the improvements to the standard mim strat was the tremelo block.

One of the reasons I decided to buy the MIM strat on sale at MF for 299 on Friday.

Many thanks for that. I have bought this bridge assy and I can see now that it isn't a "crappy" tremolo block, just that it has the cutaway for bigger bends. It is cast but made of steel all the same and weighs a lot.

It's not just the weight of the block, but the density. Obviously a cast steel block will weigh more than a zinc block but still not be as dense a a forging. The forging costs more to produce due to the extra machining but will ring better than a casting (or even investment casting).

Hi. I'm also considering this upgrade. Is this a job a novice can handle or best left to a guitar tech ? Is there a video demo of how to do this or some easy to follow instructions somewhere ?
Thanks for any help.

_________________
"I like the way he puts Yngwie J. Malmsteen on his album covers. You know,....so you don't confuse him with all the other Yngwie Malmsteens in the business"


2008 Fender MIM Stratocaster
2010 Epiphone Masterbilt
2009 Fender Super Champ XD

I don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I am handy, and I thought this was a very simple job. I'll list the steps that I did and the experts can chime in where they see fit.

Remove the back spring cavity cover and the strings.

I made a note of how far the screw was into each saddle (so I could put them back in roughly the same position to ensure simple intonation adjustment.)

I removed the saddles and kept them in order so I could be sure to put them back in the same position.

I then removed the 3 screws from the old block and replaced it with the Callaham. I did not need to take out the whole bridge assembly to make the switch. I put the saddles back into the bridge and strung her up with new strings and re-checked and adjusted the intonation. I would say the whole operation took about 30 - 40 minutes (it takes me forever to re-string).

_________________

Are they only for thr 2 post trems?

_________________
http://www.myspace.com/far_beyond_driven_3