I Broke Down...

[lreese]

Bought a Callaham block for my Ash/Ebony Strat.

I've been a bit turned off by the brand due to all the Callaham evangelists. I do have a vintage unit repro that wound up thinning out the sound - but according to WahWah on the SD forum its the saddles that contribute to that.

We'll see what happens. Its got a weird them with a super thick bar so I'm having to replace the plate too with an American Standard.

I've got a KGC aluminum block that sounded pretty thin. I know of no one else that made a milled steel block for those posts without going to a Gotoh 510 at twice the price.

I also have a hipshot bridge as well - supposedly you can use the stock posts but it would not stay in tune. It did sound good though.

[Agileguy]

Cool beans! Let us know what you think of it.

[lreese]

I know its going to be well machined no doubt - its just how well it jells with that guitar.

The bushing is hella great - wished there was a retrofit for Fender blocks.

I do have a workaround idea for that tho' It is reversible - and a pain in the ass to remove.



For cheap, easy and reversible Plumber's tape worked well for stopping slop.

[lreese]

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Also this bit of handiwork:

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1/4" length on the E's and 5/16" on the others.

[LesStrat]

It is nice to see you finally bridging the gap of gear bigotry!

[lreese]

Its GEARrrrreeeeaaaaTTTT!



Its not on yet but had to do it for pun. ;)

[LesStrat]

No need to bust your nut for it. I won't be saddled with guilt if you injure youself.

[lreese]

Didn't want to string you along waiting for an initial review. Figured the wait might wind you up.

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Ok - Its installed, set up and initial tested, a/b ing with a Cunetto Era Relic whose only mod is Suhr type wiring on a superswitch. That's Tone on neck and middle pickups, no tone on the combos and a tone on bridge.

The test subject is a 1990 Custom Shop, stock wiring setup with Suhr V54 pickups. Its Ash with ebony fingerboard and a little on the heavier side of average. Stainless frets. We're certainly comparing apples to oranges. I'm on an American Standard bridge plate vs whatever they were installing in the Custom Shop in 1990. Its some form of Deluxe trem.

I'm going straight into a PTP wired Princeton RI with aftermarket transformer.

Have to say - WahWah might have something with the saddles statement. Its a subtle thing. There's a little something there vs the stock bridge. Its bright and clear as you would expect with that wood combo but still not overly shrill - unlike my last excursion into Callaham land.

Compared to the old Cunetto, the 90 CS Strat is definitely more clear as you would expect but its one of those breath of fresh air things. No huge difference - its all in the realm of a good Strat tone, just subtly different.

The action is as you would expect, arm (I used an Fender from a '55RI) is tight, and feel is pretty darned precise. Let me say for the record, I'm not a fan of the short Gilmour style arm.

[GoldenVulture]

That is a wooden scratch plate ?

[lreese]

Yeah - My repair guy gave it to me.

He had a stack of them made up to sell.

It just works with that guitar. That guitar came to me with a Mother of Toilet Seat guard. Ewww...