Callaham Strat Hardware

[stelligan]

Also, the Raw Vintage Saddles (better screws and springs too) and Springs( fatter, lower tension) are a nice improvement in tone as well. And don't forget to leave your back plate off, sounds better. Do use all 5 springs for the best tone.

+1 on Raw Vintage saddles. Very marked improvement over many alternatives for me.

[billyz]

With the back plate on you have a resonate cavity . sounds a little more congested to me. The raw vintage springs are fatter yet softer tension, you might be able to use 4. I have no problem using all 5 though. It floats very nicely and stays in tune as well as any strat trem can. Running 3 needs a lot more tension on each to balance for me using 10's or 9.5's .

[Mark]

As with the Callaham bridge it took me years to sort out snake oil from the truth.

Have you compared the Callaham saddles and springs to the Raw Vintage stuff?

I've included a link where Callaham talks about his saddles, this is where we get to the point where my choice is based at an emotional level (lets face it this is a factor, we do have to make some sort of leap of faith with these products), from the advertised material Callaham talks about the hardness of his saddles which appeals to me while the Raw Vintage stuff is pretty pictures and words from people I don't know. My emotions/gut instinct trusts the guy who gives me details of construction, this is of course my personal bias.

Needless to say, I'm very happy with the Callaham bridge. It works very well with my (alder) guitar, I use the original pickups which were rewound with enamel wire (as the original 82 pickups were,it's a long story about pickups.)

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s69/ ... ups012.jpg

http://www.callahamguitars.com/bridges.htm

I recently was comparing different types or caps in my Champ and I found it many of the differences I was hearing was in fact subtle differences in my playing, I dare say the pros have a better control over those subtle differences.

[vibratoking]

Thanks for the Callaham link. I agree with you, Callaham offers some 'real' information regarding their design approach and shows that they have done some careful consideration of the mechanics.

I was more or less in agreement with Callaham until I read this:

...Sorry no pull ups with a vintage bridge, unless you can live with pitch problems.

[Mark]

I think the no pull ups is a general comment about vintage bridges. I've long heard people adjusting the bridge was it lies against the body. This was done so the bridge comes back to a fixed/known point.

Check this You Tube tutorial on keeping your Strat in tune. It is one of several videos on the subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Oyc6sl ... 8973F3FE7E

[Structo]

I think that is called CYA.

For floating trems I usually prefer the two point system.

On my Fender Talon (read Ibanez) which has a genuine Floyd Rose on it, I use a Trem-Setter.
It really helps.

I would like to also try a Tremol-no.

http://www.tremol-no.com/

[Mark]

http://www.super-vee.com/products.html

Super Vee has similar products, the Mag-lok.

The Super Glide goo looking easy to use, but a quick fix for the nut is to use (Singer) light oil mixed with graphite or ground lead from a 2B pencil, the disclaimer here is, don't use it if you have a maple neck as the oil will run into the wood possibly making refinishing after a refret difficult.

The other item to use is vasoline on the screws where the pivot point is.

You will need tissues in your guitar case to stop the graphite soiling your case. (I learnt the hard way unfortunately.)

I use to do all this and then I simply stopped using the trem to any great extent.

[Jana]

Mixing powdered graphite with beeswax can help with the running/bleeding problems.

[billyz]

One of the better trem designs is the G&L tremolo if you like them to pull up and down smoothly. At that point you really need locking tuners and a graphite nut. But for vintage style the Callaham is in beatable.

[Mark]

Billy what is your take on Raw Vintage versus Callaham saddles and springs?

Do you have any experience with both items?

[billyz]

From what I see they are very comparable in terms of quality. The Raw vintage are supposed to be a vintage correct metal. The Callaham make no claims to be vintage . I would be happy with either. They both feature an extended slot for better string clearance. But that is just the saddles. The Callaham has a superior plate with precise bevels at the fulcrum screw holes, which keeps the tremolo action smooth and returns to pitch better, could also make for better tone and sustain.
I am lucky to see these different bridges everyday at the Austin Guitar House. We do a lot of critical testing and comparison of everything that comes thru the door. The Wilkenson is another good vintage trem, I would rate it one notch below the Callaham though.

[Mark]

[IMG:633:1024]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s69/ ... _Plate.gif[/img][IMG:572:1024]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s69/ ... _Block.gif[/img][IMG766]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s69/ ... CN0965.jpg[/img]

Here are some pictures of an original 64 bridge and my old bridge per Greg Fryer's mods. As you can see the drilled bearing edge is the norm and this is used on Callaham bridges. I remember Fryer telling they would work better if they built them as they did originally. My bridge originally looked like the Fender bridge on Callaham's site, If I did a 1 tone dive bomb it went out of tune, after the work Fryer did it performed much better.

I saw a Fender video where the block looked more like the original blocks, I dare say Fender have Gotoh made their bridges it would be an economic solution.

[jestaudio]

Pity in old Blighty we don't get a huge amount of upgrade parts but one i can recocomend haveing used it on a number of guitars is Wilkinson trems, there are cheap versions but i usually pay around £70 for the genuine article, a good upgrade for almost any 2 pivot trem.

[Structo]

The problem I have had with Wilkinson bridges is that you are never quite sure what you will get since they are strictly a licensed part.

IOW, Wilkinson does not manufacture anything.

The first Wilki two point trem I got was supposed to have stainless steel saddles.
When I got it I could tell they were alloy (pot metal?).

Then I ordered another one but a higher level of quality.
Same deal, the specs said it had stainless saddles and they were alloy.

The problem with having a soft metal for the saddles is that over time the strings wear a groove in the saddles.
Particularly on the wound string saddles.

I still have that better Wilki trem on a strat but I don't think I will buy anymore.

So what are other choices?
I really like Gotoh and Hipshot hardware a lot.

I put a set of Gotoh Kluson type tuners on a tele build I did.
They have staggered posts so more angle on the strings which eliminate the need for string trees.
Part # TK-7880-001

When looking at them you would swear they are Klusons.
They have the split top post which securely hold the strings.

WD bought Kluson a while back.

You have to search around but this is about the cheapest price I have seen.


http://guitar-hardware.com/index.php?ma ... cts_id=165

[Mark]

For those of you on Facebook here is a reply from RS Guitarworks.

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?s ... 5100295821

This the reply.

I don't think you can get any better tone that we get from the Raw Vintage saddles and springs. The Callaham stuff is very nice, but the Raw Vintage is just richer and fuller sounding.