Has anybody ever put a Callaham block in a Korean-made Special Edition Lite Ash Strat, and had to widen the body cavity to make it possible? And if I have the work done by a good shop, is there any reason why this is a bad idea? And if it’s not a bad idea, how much should I expect to pay?

The stock block looks about 2 27/32" wide, and the Callaham Lite Ash Block looks about 3" wide. The string spacing looks correct, it fits the bridge plate fine, and the 5/32" width difference looks evenly distributed on both sides of the strings. Resale value is not really a concern, but this is turning out to be a little more invasive than I had in mind for my first modification. I’m hopeful that the plastic cover can still completely hide the cavity. Also, the cavity is painted with the same finish as the body exterior, so bare wood from the additional routing will be pretty obvious whenever the cover is removed.

Thanks for any advice.

I thought they made a block specifically for the Korean Ash Stratocaster and the only thing was you could not use the trem arm that come with the guitar. It needed a American trem arm which make me think they are the same.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

If I were you I would e-mail them or call and see if they have a direct replacement. I bet they do.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

You're correct. Callaham does make one specifically for the Korean Ash, and that's what I ordered, and that's what the invoice and label said when it arrived along with an arm that fits nicely. Maybe the "Lite Ash" label was on the wrong block when it shipped.

WOW thats strange they do say on there site you would think it's a direct replacement. I would give them a ring just to ask before doing any mod work. I have not done any blocks on these Korean ash guitars so what they say would be of interest.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Bill Callaham got back to me today, and responded that all of their blocks are 3" wide, and that size was ok in the past when tested. He did offer to narrow the block for me, and I'm leaning towards taking him up on his offer, rather than transmuting part of my guitar into sawdust. Even with a bit ground down off each end, the non-tapered Callaham steel block would still be more substantial than the tapered stock zinc block.

(He also speculated that Fender had changed the routing pattern, which to me sounds weird but plausible. I don't think it's just a matter of paint thickness.)

They are very helpful there. I recently installed their premium upgrade block & saddles kit and I really like it.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

Thats some good service! I would take them up on the offer and see how it go's instead of doing anything to your guitar like you said best leave that alone. Thanks for sharing the information and keep updated on what you decide and how it works out. This is the kind of stuff that keeps others informed down the line who may run into the same issue.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson