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Post subject: strat trems????
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 12:22 am
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ok im gonna buy a trem is buying lets say a callham trem really worth it. and one more thing does the wammy bar have play in a fender vintage 6 point trem??


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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 12:41 am
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The Callaham trem bridge is fabricated from stainless-steel and features some engineering improvements over the standard Fender vintage trem. Their trem arm uses a Delrin bushing installed within the trem block to prevent the arm from flexing just above the threaded portion. This provides more nuanced control when "tremming" and helps to prevent the arm from bending or snapping off altogether under severe use. As well, the Callaham saddles feature an elongated oval hole where the string passes through it. The enlarged portion of the orifice is situated closer to the saddle's "hump" to prevent the string from contacting any other portion of the saddle in order to increase sustain and prevent undesired harmonic resonances. The Callaham trem block itself is slightly heavier than the cold-rolled steel of the original Fender part.

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 10:28 am
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Location: Lee, MA
This is going to start another war of the worlds. I've used Callaham, installed them on many other guitars for others. IMO, yes they are well worth it. The do have more string sepration (tone wise, not actualy spacinge, though they have that too), I hear more resonance and sustain, unplugged or not. People say they're expensive, but they're really not. They're only $30 more than Fenders replacement tremolo system, and that doesnt have the same block; machined from cold rolled steel like the Callaham or Fender Custom Shop. I think the extra moneys worth it just to have a tremolo arm that doesnt flop around, and have saddles that have enough clearence so the string doesnt rest on the edge of the opening like on Fenders, it goes right to the saddle.

But, i recently installed one of KGP high mass brass block, and I love it. You'll see alot of comments saying the whole "Leo got it right the first time, etc." Well, even if he did, very few strats are made the way they did back then.
The brass is different sounding. It has more sustain than my callaham but the block weighs 1 1/2oz more. It's a bit warmer, with overdrive i hear more harmonics that i did with the traditional steel, or pot metal blocks. I also like it because I can play through my bridge pickup with the the tone control taken out of the signal path (no load tone control), and where it would be so shrill and tinny with the callaham, it sounds so nice with the brass. You still get the high frequencies, but it doesnt lay as heavily on the harsh ones. I played through it last weekend when we had an open house at the shop. It was awesome, last year only a few came in, this year we had the whole hallway packed with guitar players, even Gary Howie came in (lives in town and gets his guitars repaired and maintained at the shop). Everyone loved the sound the strat made, and I mean EVERYONE commented on it, and I was just plugged into a Blues JR, because everyone else were playing acoustics.

Guitar Fetish sell low priced blocks and such, steel and brass. They're based right here in MA, but I havent ever used, or tried them, so I cant give an opinion.

I can say if you go with the Callaham, you'll be happy. Most of the people who dont notice a difference are playing with a guitar that already has a similar trem and block, like a custom shops. But if you compare it to a MIM, its night and day


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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 10:34 am
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windwalker9649 wrote:
I played through it last weekend when we had an open house at the shop. It was awesome, last year only a few came in, this year we had the whole hallway packed with guitar players, even Gary Howie came in (lives in town and gets his guitars repaired and maintained at the shop). Everyone loved the sound the strat made, and I mean EVERYONE commented on it, and I was just plugged into a Blues JR, because everyone else were playing acoustics.

Guitar Fetish sell low priced blocks and such, steel and brass. They're based right here in MA, but I havent ever used, or tried them, so I cant give an opinion.


I *think* you mean Gary Hoey? Is your shop in Lowell?

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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 11:29 am
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Your right, Hoey. No, not Lowell, Lee. Though i know the guy in Lowell does alot of his stuff.


Last edited by windwalker9649 on Sun Aug 07, 2011 11:36 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 11:31 am
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And now that I think about it, it was a few weekends ago.


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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 11:32 am
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There's a theaterhouse thats run by Arlo Guthrie and some other throwbacks.


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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:29 am
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windwalker9649 wrote:
Your right, Hoey. No, not Lowell, Lee. Though i know the guy in Lowell does alot of his stuff.



Yep.

Ah...out near Alice's Restaurant. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:32 am
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You are correct, its where aged hippies go to die. I am a Lowell transplant, moved out here not too long ago. I know Bill, who owns the shop in Lowell, I learned a lot from him, he's a frigging artist when it comes to major repairs. I've seen him take a Gibson Hummingbird that looked like someone shot a hole in the side; fixed the hole, and the finish so the only way to see that it was fixed is to look inside it


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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:39 am
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Lee's a strange town; when you drive through the "downtown" area, it looks likevs Norman Rockwell painting of a "New England town". But the population isb made up of really wealthy, and dirt broke.


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Post subject: Re: strat trems????
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 8:12 am
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windwalker9649 wrote:
Lee's a strange town; when you drive through the "downtown" area, it looks likevs Norman Rockwell painting of a "New England town". But the population isb made up of really wealthy, and dirt broke.


I've only been by Lee (on the turnpike), but it doesn't surprise me. I do have
some friends that live out in North Adams that I haven't seen in years.

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