Hey fellow strat-heads,

Ive got a 2000 MIM strat and am going to upgrade to the callaham trem/bridge set.

I am excellent with woodwork and was wondering if the only difference is the cavity shape between the MIA and MIM strats. If so, would it be a better upgrade to do that and get the larger set? I dont mind putting in a bit of effort or a better end product.

I specifically wanted to fit in the vintage set.

The cavity should be fine. The spacing of the screws for the claw might be a bit different. The best tool I've found for drilling the claw screw holes is a dremel with the "snake" attachment.

I guess I need to know what the differences are and if the block size will make a difference in quality.

If I'm not mistaken, Callaham posts dimensions somewhere. I've never used them, I don't have first hand experience with them so I can't attest the the quality one way or the other.

It won't make a difference. They are nearly identical. Callaham makes great products by the way. Changed out my block and saddles (AmDlx) and although it sounded great before... it's flippin' amazing now!

That is what I was wondering... if Im investing the time and money to upgrade things I wont let a bit of woodwork stand in my way. If there is no verifiable difference then no need wasting time. (The mexi bridge is 40 bucks more btw)

What differences did you notice with the upgrade? You went from stock AmerDlxe to the callaham and could tell a serious difference? WOw, Im psyched about this upgrade!


I am also doing the vintage machineheads. As I understand I might need some bushings and have to drill a screw hole for each, sound doable?



By the by, just to let you guys know what Im doing, I began with an oly white mexi strat. Now, it has all aged accessories, tortoise shell guard, and CS 69 pups. The last leg of the rebuild is the trem/bridge and heads.

You will need to get some adapter bushings. The machines will come with bushings, but, since the holes in your headstock are larger than the bushings, they won't work. I believe WD sells adapter bushings, and AllParts might as well. You will need to drill 7 new holes for your tuners. The end 2 take one screw in the end piece, then there is a screw that straddles each of the middle tuners via a half round cutout. The bushings will need to be pressed in. I use a small vise that I have wrapped with cardboard and tape so as not to scratch up the headstock and bushings. I invert the headstock when I do it. If you have any more questions, let me know. Good luck with your project!

Hey, I put a Callaham bridge on my HWY1 strat last year and I love it! I have noticed an increas in sustain and it has seemed to improve the tone and feel of the guitar. I think the blocks are all the same size,just the hole spacing is different, so there would be no advantage in modifying, other than saving $40. I know I had to have one of there vintage modified because of the narrower string spacing on mine. I also have the short David Gilmour arm. Customer service was excellent with Callaham as well.
Good luck. I hope this was some help

Thanks Kemmery CS! You wouldnt have an idea on which size bushings to go with, would you?

and whats the difference between adapters and bushings?

http://www.wdmusic.com/tuning_machine_parts.html

Im guessing one of these two: (6mm vs 6.2..? Callaham says they need a 11/32 hole)

http://www.wdmusic.com/kluson_adapter_b ... mb65n.html

http://www.wdmusic.com/kluson_adapter_b ... les_6.html




Good to hear! Thanks!






Lastly, would you guys recommend getting them with the "distressed" look. Im kinda going for the vintage look, but I cant really decide between distressed vs normal.

I recently did a side by side test on my American Vintage 62. First with the stock Fender bridge and then the Callaham. No doubt about it. After I installed the Callaham bridge/block the tone was much improved especially on the treble strings.

You don't need to mess with replacing the tremolo claw. Nothing wrong with that. Just replace the bridge and block and your all set. It would be a good idea to call Callaham first and tell them what specific model of Mexican Strat you have so they can guide you to choosing the correct bridge.

Adapter bushings are just bushings designed to adapt the vintage tuners to the larger headstock holes. If I were you, I would measure the holes in your headstock, and then get dimensions of the tuners you plan to use to determine which ones to use. If you purchase Kluson tuners from WD, they should be able to point you in the right direction. If you do use the WD Klusons, I have found that I generally need to grind down the sides of the tuners where the 2 tuners come together, because it would seem that when they are manufactured, the bends buckle out there some and the tuners tend to bind up some when you install them. A small sharpening stone from a hardware store works well for this, or else a small fine file. For this reason, I tend to go with the Gotoh brand. I have my own "distressing" techniques that I'm not going to divulge on the forum ... but I would say that if you want that look, there are some places on the web such as Relic Deluxe that go in to a few methods. I don't use the one's described there. Many of the distressed tuners come out looking dull and grey ... which doesn't look real to me, at least not like any real vintage one's I have ever seen and probably is done using the acid techniques from Relic Deluxe, but I don't know. I would think that you could get a nice "patina" by using some fine steel wool and/or a coarse bristle toothbrush on them. Just try to get as random as possible of a pattern to the scratches. If you wanted a bit of surface rust, you might try sprinkling a bit of salt water on them and let them set for a few days. But that's just a suggestion.

Could you expand on this. Id really like to go with the Klusons.

Curious, what is the benefit of going from the stock tuners to the vintage tuners?
Is it just to keep the vintage theme going? On a mim strat?
I don`t follow the logic because I think function foremost.
An upgrade that makes sense would be Schaller locking tuners.

Quick question, I think I have read tht Fender put better trem blocks on the newer MIM models. I am considering making the swap on my 2008 MIM standard but want to be sure the upgrade will be worth doing. If my MIM has the better (bigger ?) block in it already, should I still upgrade ?

Thanks for the help in advance.

_________________
"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

Will a Callaham block fit an American Standard: I've noticec mine has a slightly tapered block?