Callahamed my first Strat

[Zoso]

I have an early '90s MIM Strat that I bought in a pawn shop as a teenager, and it is one of the most comfortable players I've ever had. Even now, as my collection has grown to over a dozen guitars, it's still my default choice most of the time when I want to grab something and play.

But for as comfortable it is to play, owning some really high quality guitars has shown the warts on this one over the years. It started with the pickups, which were the typical dual bar magnet jobs that sound shrill and lifeless to me. Those got ripped out and replaced with the SCn pickups with the S1 switching system several years ago. It was a huge improvement, but there was still something lacking.

The biggest problem is that this guitar really lacked sustain unless I just cranked the overdrive and was particularly poor on the low end. Hitting the open E string sounded more like a thud than the crisp low end I wanted. On several occasions I had to check to see if the string was even in full contact with the saddle, because it just had no attack at all. Finally, I bought the full Callaham upgrade kit and installed it about two weeks ago.

Frankly, I'm shocked by the difference. It sounds like hyperbole to say that it is a completely different instrument, but it really is. The low strings now have that piano like clarity and crisp attack. The sustain is there, even when playing clean. The sound is so much more...substantial. I'm not sure how else to describe it. This is truly a high quality product, and I can't envision having a vintage-bridge Strat that I don't upgrade. I just wish he made a replacement for the two-pivot Deluxe bridge, which I guess I'll have to live with for now.

[Gravity Jim]

Agreed. The Callaham block in my partscaster (formerly with a sintered metal import block) is one of the best purchases I ever made.

[Kap'n]

I like my Callaham block on my AmSeries. I've written a bit about it before. It makes it sound a bit more what I think a Strat should sound like. YMMV, etc.

[phantomman]

Ya done good!

[Zoso]

I like my Callaham block on my AmSeries. I've written a bit about it before. It makes it sound a bit more what I think a Strat should sound like. YMMV, etc.

I'm hesitating on that for two reasons:

1. The block won't take my existing arm, which means I'd have to get one of Callaham's vintage arms for it. I have gold hardware, and it would look odd. I know, aesthetics, but still.

2. The Am. Deluxe sounds great as is. Of course, I would definitely upgrade the bridge if Callaham offered a gold two-pointer, but that's just because I'm compelled to replace things if there's a chance it might be better.

[Kap'n]

I thought my strat sounded good before. It did, actually, but it sounds better to me now. I like the Callaham arm too - no spring to lose track of. He must do one in gold...although it's probably a $15 upcharge or something.

[stratcat62]

Both my modern strats, a California Series and an American Deluxe, have both the block and bridge saddles from Callaham. Agree with all the positive comments. Zoso, if it were up to me I would either live with the contrast of a non-gold tremelo arm or switch all my hardware to nickle. The difference is that great. My California series came to me used with gold hardware which due to the experience I had with my Am. Deluxe got switched out for nickle and the Callaham bridge assembly was installed. An added benefit is the arm I chose was a bit shorter than stock which for me proved to be more comfortable. Just my 2 cents.

[Don]

I put a Callaham bridge on my Hwy1 Strat. It was a nice improvement. Boy, the price has gone up since I bought mine!

As far as the Callaham arm is concerned- won't his block accept a regular Fender arm? I believe it would fit.

I just looked on the Callaham site- a regular arm will fit.

[Gravity Jim]

I use a generic screw-in arm with my Callaham and it works fine.

[Don]

Does your block have the "virtual pop-in arm" Delrin bushing on the hole in the bridge?

[Gravity Jim]

Yep. Callaham told me that I could just screw the arm in (I guess there are thread in the bottom under the bushing), and it works fine. I use an arm from an unknown import Strat copy that I found in a grab bag at a guitar show... it just happened to be exactly the length, bend and appearance (no white tip) that I'd been looking for... but it screws into the Callaham block snugly.

[Don]

The metric arms tha look like inch arms (not the thick ones on the cheapest guitars) usually have M5 x 0.8 threads which are very close to the 10-32 UNF threads that are used on an inch arm. Close enough, if the tremolo block is steel (though Callaham would not approve of this). If it's die-cast zinc, the slight difference in thread size eventually wears out the threads in the block. I know this through experience.

[pkrider]

plus one on Callaham strat bridge. Try his wired PG (Fralin wound pups)! :)

PK