Lots of people here seem to upgrade the trem assy, or parts of it, when they mod MIM standard Strats. Are the trem assys one of the areas in which Fender saves some on costs for these models?

Are the GFS replacement trem assys equivalent or an improvement? (I guess that really depends on which GFS unit you select.) Callaham units get a lot of positive comments here but they're pricey..

If set up properly, is the trem assy on the MIM Std Strat stable enough? For what its worth, I don't gig but I do want a floating trem that is stable...

its not the mim stock assemblies don't work well its that they either have small zinc blocks ( Pre 2006) or full size zinc blocks. Strat trem blocks have traditionally been made of steel which is supposedly better for sustain and tone. I have used the GFS bridge in some Squiers with similar zinc blocks to MIMs and yes it is an improvement over stock. The Callaham though seem to be made of even better materials than the GFS, but the the GFS bridge would work fine in your situation however, but YMMV

The Git Fetish will be an improvement but not like the Callaham which is probably overkill though on a Mexican strat.Fender hasn't made a "magnetic" cold rolled steel block in 40/45 years.The current blocks used even on their $10,000(relics etc.)have non-magnetic copper and lead infused blocks.Machined steel parts are very expensive to use in mass production.There's a lot of good player additions made to the strat over the years as players styles changed but some changes have made them inferior instruments to the vintage ones and there's a lot of them(changes).

umm i just stuck a magnet to my the blocks of my John mayer and CS 65 bridge, they are most definitely steel so i don't know what you are talking about. Now the American Standard has a copper infused block.

I personally like the 6 point vintage tremolo with chrome plate saddles on the MIM and the only noticeable advantage of any changes would be to stronger 6 screws that hold the tremolo down, and replacing the composite block. I have worn and bent a few screws that mount the tremolo over the past few years and have since replaced them with stronger screws with no issues. The 6 screws are inexpensive and can be found at your local hardware store.

On the left is the original MIM block, and on the left is an upgrade Callaham with short arm.

+1

All my MIM's are re-issue types and the first thing I do with them is hook-shot the entire bridge assembly into the dumpster and replace it with Fender's MIA vintage-spec trem accessory set -- all steel construction.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY