Thanks a lot, Callaham

[elicross]

So I sent the following E-mail to callaham@callaham.com:

I’ve got a Mexican-made Fender Deluxe Player’s Strat whose trem block I’d like to replace with a steel Callaham block. My guitar’s serial number starts with “MZ6,” so I assume it’s a 2006 or 2007 model.

Does Callaham make a trem block to replace the one that came with my Strat? If so, which model would I need to order? Would the Vintage Repro Enhanced be the correct one?

If I switch to a Callaham block, will I be able to use my stock tremolo arm with it? If not, does Callaham sell a gold-plated arm that will match the gold-plated stock hardware on my Strat?

Thanks in advance for any information you can offer.

And this is the reply I get two days later:

Sorry we don't offer any gold plated parts. Any of the Mex. Std. Upgrade kits will work with your bridge.

That's it. First off, it doesn't answer my question about whether or not I can use my stock tremolo arm with a new Callaham block. (That's important, because if I can't, then Callaham is out, because they don't make gold parts and I'm not going to have a chrome tremolo arm sticking out of my gold-plated bridge.)

Second, I'm not sure the answer they did give me is right. They say any Mexican Standard parts will work with my bridge -- but I made it clear I have an MIM Deluxe, not an MIM Standard, and their site makes a distinction between MIM Standard and MIM Deluxe, specifying different model trem blocks for those series.

I get the sense that whoever answered my E-mail skimmed it, saw "MIM" and dashed off a reply. This happens roughly nine times out of ten when I E-mail any kind of customer service; I write a carefully worded question that's as complete as I can manage, and I get a reply that makes it clear my E-mail wasn't even read completely.

So at this point, I have no more idea what trem block I should order than I had before I e-mailed Callaham -- and I'm not sure I should even order from Callaham, because of the unanswered trem-arm question.

Can anyone recommend another good source for a real, stainless steel trem block that will fit my MIM Deluxe Player?

[Don]

The Callaham block will fit a #10-32 threaded arm. If your's is metric, you can buy a regular gold plated Strat arm and it will work.

If you measure your string spacing you'll know more about what you need.

At the end of you post you mentioned that you want a stainless steel trem block. Callaham's blocks are not stainless steel.

[elicross]

Oh. I thought I'd read something about stainless steel on the Callaham site. But I guess that's just the other bridge parts they sell, which makes sense.

I'd like to go with Callaham, because I've read good things about their parts here and elsewhere. But here's what specifically confuses me about the Callaham site and the E-mail answer I got: Their Tremolo Block Chart on the site says I need to order the Vintage Repro Block Enhanced for a "Mexican Gold Plated Deluxe." But whoever replied to my E-mail about my MIM Deluxe Player said I should order the Mexican Standard block.

Who's right? I'm inclined to think the guy who answered my E-mail got it wrong, since he contradicts the Callaham site and didn't appear to be paying very close attention.

[Don]

What's your string spacing?

[elicross]

I don't know for sure yet. I was trying to find the string spacing for a Deluxe Player via Google, 'cause I'm lazy and have poor eyesight when it comes to 32nds of an inch.

How do I measure it? From E to E right at the bridge?

Looks like 2 7/32. Actually looks to me like 2 6/32, but it's definitely much closer to that than 2 1/16 -- which means the guy at Callaham who told me to go with the Mexican Standard part told me wrong. It's got to be the Vintage Repro block that I need.

So much for asking the manufacturer, huh? Next time, I'll just ask here.

[Don]

The bridge is probably similar to the one used on the MIM Classic guitars.

In that case, you'd probably need the Vintage Repro Block.

I'd be careful ordering it though.

It's a shame they don't make the whole bridge in gold. Callaham's saddles and all of the screws are vastly superior to what's comes from Fender on that Bridge.

[elicross]

Yeah, it's kind of weird that they don't make any gold-plated parts. I guess gold hardware is less common on Strats, but it's not unheard of.

Thanks for your help on this, Don. I don't know how much more careful I can be in ordering from them. I tried to get an answer from them, and failing that I got an answer here and measured my string spacing to be (relatively) sure of what I need....

I assume if I did end up ordering the wrong block, they'd exchange it for the right one. Anybody here have experience with returning something to Callaham for an exchange?

[Don]

I've never exchanged anything with Callaham.

I have his bridge on my Strat. It's pretty fantastic. I also had his compensated saddles on my Tele. They were great too, but I prefer regular Fender straight saddles.

Their service has been great.

I would read the site carefully for return information before ordering.

[Gravity Jim]

I'm pretty sure they would exchange it for the right one if you got the wrong one.

I have a Callaham block on my guitar and it is awesome, and the service was great... I can only assume that they are a small company and are currently swamped or something. This story doesn't mirror my experience.

[pc]

Me too Jim. I ordered a Callaham bridge for one of my American Teles and their service was fantastic. All questions answered immediately and rocket-fast shipment of my bridge.

I don't understand why elicross just doesn't email back and say, politely, "Sorry, I got a bit confused..." and ask to clear it up. I think it's clear from the text of this thread that he didn't read the info on the site as clearly as he could have before sending his email, but I also don't think the Callaham person was being intentionally rude or unhelpful. I bet eli is right in that they saw one question that they answer extremely frequently and missed the other questions. That's life sometimes, especially during the holiday season.

Why not just politely ask for clarification instead of dissing them here?

[elicross]

I don't understand why elicross just doesn't email back and say, politely, "Sorry, I got a bit confused..." and ask to clear it up.

I did. Yesterday. Haven't heard back yet.

I did read the info on the site clearly, which is why I said in my original E-mail that I thought the Vintage Repro was the one for my Strat. I was pretty sure I had it right, but I E-mailed because I wanted to make absolutely sure I was right before ordering -- and the reply I got made me less sure than before I E-mailed.

It wasn't my intention to "dis" them. I simply relayed my experience here, figuring someone could answer the questions the reply to my E-mail did not. I did find the reply very annoying, though, because it was so typical of the kind of reply you often get when E-mailing a customer support address -- incomplete, and showing a distinct lack of attention to or understanding of the question.

I'm glad you guys have had better service from Callaham. That makes me feel more confident about ordering from them. If I can be 90 percent sure I'm ordering the right block -- and 100 percent sure I can exchange it if it's wrong -- then I'll happily order from them.

[NeoFauve]

I had a pleasant exp with them too.

They were out of the tiny screws for the front corners of my Tele bridge when they shipped it.
They appologized and said they'd be on the way as soon as they had them in stock.
When they sent them, they sent me 4 extras.

[melody]

Yup great service from them as well.

[pc]

I did. Yesterday. Haven't heard back yet.

I'd of probably waited until you heard back from them the second time before starting this thread.

I did read the info on the site clearly...

Oh. I thought I'd read something about stainless steel on the Callaham site. But I guess that's just the other bridge parts they sell, which makes sense.

???

It wasn't my intention to "dis" them. I simply relayed my experience here, figuring someone could answer the questions the reply to my E-mail did not.

So much for asking the manufacturer, huh?

Come on. A thread called "Thanks a lot, Callaham." is clearly a meant disparagingly, as evidenced from your other posts in the thread. I'm not saying your right or wrong about your feelings, just that you can't seriously be trying to backpedal from that.

I did find the reply very annoying, though, because it was so typical of the kind of reply you often get when E-mailing a customer support address -- incomplete, and showing a distinct lack of attention to or understanding of the question.

I'm just not seeing that in the reply.

[NeoFauve]

I think construing a partial response to an email (somewhat rambling) as poor service is a little much.

Being a major holiday week, and Callaham not being and very big operation, I wouldn't be too surprised if the person reading email is getting back into the swing of things and may have other duties.

[elicross]

I'd of probably waited until you heard back from them the second time before starting this thread.

Again: I really didn't start this thread just to bitch about Callaham. If that had been my intention, I'd have put it in the Whammy bar. But I started it for the reason 90 percent of the threads on this board (and especially in this forum) get started: I had a question I thought people here could help answer while I waited for someone at Callaham to take a second shot at it.

Yes, I did express my opinion of the response I got from my E-mail. This is something else I see people do on this board all the time. Threads about Craigslist, Paypal, Weber, and even Fender would be examples from the past year.

As I said in the first post, I want to order from Callaham because I've heard so many good things about their products. Had I known my criticism of one frustrating E-mail would be construed as an attack on the entire company -- and had I known that so many members here feel such loyalty and protectiveness toward Callaham -- I might not have posted at all.

Or maybe I would've titled the thread "Thanks a lot, guy at Callaham who responded to my E-mail."

At any rate, I apologize for any feathers this thread may have ruffled. It wasn't my intention to piss anyone off.

???

Other bridge parts are described on the site as being stainless steel. The bridge blocks themselves are described as coming with stainless steel screws for the bridge plate. Having read those descriptions weeks ago, I conflated those statements about stainless steel with the material their bridge blocks are made of. This does not constitute evidence of a careless reading of the entire Callaham web site.

I'm just not seeing that in the reply.

You're seriously not seeing a lack of completeness or comprehension in the reply I got?

Look again at the first post. I gave the make and model of Strat I have and said it was from the MIM Deluxe series. I mentioned that it has gold-plated parts. I even gave the first few digits of the serial number to show the year of its manufacture. I asked what block I should order. I asked if my stock tremolo arm would fit the new block, and I asked if they sold a gold-plated arm in case it didn't. (I knew they no longer made gold-plated parts; it says so on the site, but I figured they might still have some gold parts in stock.)

The entire answer I got back was essentially "No, we don't make gold parts, and anything for a Mexican Standard will fit your guitar."

No answer to my question about the tremolo arm, and the answer I did get is possibly incorrect because they assumed I had an MIM Standard even though I gave a considerable amount of information about my MIM Deluxe Series Strat.

Now, I don't believe that E-mail reply is an indictment of Callaham's products and service across the board -- and I never said it was -- but surely you can see how it was frustratingly incomplete and showed a lack of attention.

[pc]

but surely you can see how it was frustratingly incomplete and showed a lack of attention.

No I don't. I've said it three times now. Sorry, I don't agree with you. I'm never going to agree with you, and you're obviously never going to get my point (nor that of the others in the thread who have said the same thing).

So, since the original question was answered as near as I can tell, the original problem is solved anyway. The rest has become moot. Let's move on to the next topic.

[elicross]

Okay. No more griping about the E-mail.

[elicross]

A quick follow-up:

I just got this response from Bill Callaham himself:

You have a Deluxe Players Strat which is different from Mexican Std. Deluxe. The Std Deluxe is no longer made but they have vintage hardware. The Players Strat of today has a 2 1/16 2-pivot bridge and takes the Mexican Std. kits. Fender creates the confusion with the way they name their models. Measure your string spacing.

Thing is...I think that's wrong. So I sent this reply:

Hi, Bill -

Thanks very much for your quick response.

I think you're incorrect about the current Deluxe Player's Strat. The Classic Player's Strats, also made in Mexico, have a 2-pivot, 2 1/16 bridge. But the Deluxe Player's, like mine, has a six-pivot bridge -- and as I said in my last E-mail, I measured my guitar's string spacing at 2 7/32. Here's a link to the Deluxe Player's product page on the Fender web site; it has a picture of the Deluxe Player's Strat and its six-screw bridge, which matches the guitar I have.

http://www.fender.com/products//sear...tno=0133000367

Is the Mexican Standard block definitely the right replacement for that guitar? I just want to be 100 percent sure before I order. If I do get the wrong block, will I be able to exchange it for the correct one?

Thanks again

It'll be interesting to see what Bill has to say. It's hard to imagine the man himself would be wrong about which block fits which guitar, but he does seem to have the details of the Deluxe Player wrong, possibly confusing it with the Classic Players. That might explain why the first E-mail I got steered me toward the MIM Standard block instead of the Vintage Repro, although I doubt he wrote that first E-mail I got -- that first one wasn't signed with his name, and it was...shall we say...significantly less helpful.

[melody]

I'm sure he will take care of you if you get the wong block, He may just know a bit more abought what *his* parts fit what model guitar than you do..Fenders site is not that accurate at specking out the models they offer.

[NTBluesGuitar]

So, you finally got the string spacing measured; did you go back to the site to see what that number tells you?

I have a MIM Strat, and got the Callaham Steel Block in mine, also. I had no problems figuring out which one to order.

[elicross]

So, you finally got the string spacing measured; did you go back to the site to see what that number tells you?

Well, yeah. I thought that was pretty clear from my posts here. My problem is that I decided to double-check with Callaham before ordering, and I ended up being told something that contradicts what I'd gotten from the web site.

He may just know a bit more abought what *his* parts fit what model guitar than you do..

Of course he does, which is why I E-mailed Callaham in the first place. My concern is not that Bill Callaham knows less about his parts than I do, for crying out loud -- my concern is that he's incorrect about the specs of the Deluxe Player's Strat. Mine does not have 2 1/16 string spacing; it has 2 7/32 -- and mine does not have a two-point tremolo; like every Deluxe Player I've ever seen, it has a six-point tremolo.

I'm just trying to make sure I get the right block, guys. I don't want to spend $60 on a new trem block and have to eat the expense if it's wrong and I can't exchange it. The Callaham site doesn't say anything about returns or exchanges, so I'd really like to have it from someone at Callaham that if I end up with the wrong block, I can exchange it for the right one. (And, of course, I'd like to be as sure as possible I'm getting the right one in the first place, so I don't have to exchange it.)

[elicross]

Check this out -- the latest reply from Callaham:

You are absolutely correct. I'm trying to send you the wrong parts. The vintage block is correct. I can provide gold plate block mounting screws. And a Fender American made gold arm will work in the block, and your current arm should be correct. Sorry for the brain fart. I have answered questions about the Classic Player so often they are spilling over.

Bill Callaham

So Bill Callaham himself replies -- on a Saturday afternoon, no less -- and now I've not only got definitive answers to all my questions, I've got a bit of useful info I didn't even ask for: that I can get gold-plated screws with the block, to match my gold bridge.

I said something yesterday in another thread about getting the right person at the right time when you E-mail a company's customer service. Clearly, I got the right person the second time around.

Now I can order the block I wanted from the company I wanted to order it from and be 100 percent confident I'm getting the right stuff.

So: Thanks a lot, Callaham.

[boobtube21]

Well look at that.

A company like Callaham has such a good reputation they're allowed a brain fart now and again. It's a good thing you were persistent in your suspicions, otherwise you would have been paying shipping both ways and waiting forever for the return/exchange game. I hate playing that game.

[elicross]

Yeah, that game is the opposite of fun.

[Don]

I'm glad it worked out.

[elicross]

Just saw this, Don. Thanks -- I was just glad to know I wasn't losing my mind.