Post by mward on Feb 8, 2007 18:38:56 GMT -7
I like being the doubting thomas and devil's advocate so it was with great skepticism that I ordered the Callaham trem block and arm for my strat. I generally believe most of what my friend would call 1% mods are placebo effect and willful self-deception to avoid cognitive dissonance so.... I eat my words on this one.
I ordered the callaham trem block from specialty guitars because they have an online order form. Callaham requires you to fax in a sheet and I'm an online guy. It arrived about a week later. Installation was dead straightforward, remove old block, install new block. Some observations:
Callaham block weighs 281 grams, stock fender weighs 254 grams. (I am a former bicycle racer, so yeah, I have a gram scale. All the grams count when you race bicycles. No freelance pharmacist jokes please. ) The Callaham block responds to a magnet, the fender stock block doesn't (which doesn't mean it's zinc, but it's something non-ferrous). The callaham block is slightly narrower neck to bridge and wider, and the spots where the string ends fit is right on the end of the block instead of deep inside. They're inset, but only a little bit. Finish is nicer, mounting surface is machined square.
I used the same strings, same gauge. The strings I took off were only a week old and were still nice and bright. I strung it up and tuned it without putting it through an amp so I could get a fresh listen. Right away even while tuning it I noticed the guitar was more resonant without amplification.
I play through this little fender harvard reverb II I got from my grandfather when I'm testing new things because it's so unbelievably clean that you hear every little thing the guitar is doing. At first strum I said to myself ah okay this is baloney. But after playing a bit I noticed some subtleties that I hadn't noticed before. The sound was rounder, if that makes any sense. ROUND. Very round. The lows were a bit softer and highs clearer, not louder, just clearer, so it sounds a bit more balanced. Definitely a difference there. Also I notice the sustain is insane compared to the stock block. It really really rings out for a long time. You can't lazily let a string ring knowing it'll die down, you have to actively mute the things you want to kill because it'll just keep going. Energizer sustain. Through my Dr Z route 66 it sounds great. A bit more clarity to the single notes. Chords blend better and of course the sustain is gonzo.
Is it worth 55$? I don't know. Probably. If it were stolen off this guitar I'd probably buy another one. It sounds good enough to make playing more enjoyable. Definitely buy another one.
I ordered the callaham trem block from specialty guitars because they have an online order form. Callaham requires you to fax in a sheet and I'm an online guy. It arrived about a week later. Installation was dead straightforward, remove old block, install new block. Some observations:
Callaham block weighs 281 grams, stock fender weighs 254 grams. (I am a former bicycle racer, so yeah, I have a gram scale. All the grams count when you race bicycles. No freelance pharmacist jokes please. ) The Callaham block responds to a magnet, the fender stock block doesn't (which doesn't mean it's zinc, but it's something non-ferrous). The callaham block is slightly narrower neck to bridge and wider, and the spots where the string ends fit is right on the end of the block instead of deep inside. They're inset, but only a little bit. Finish is nicer, mounting surface is machined square.
I used the same strings, same gauge. The strings I took off were only a week old and were still nice and bright. I strung it up and tuned it without putting it through an amp so I could get a fresh listen. Right away even while tuning it I noticed the guitar was more resonant without amplification.
I play through this little fender harvard reverb II I got from my grandfather when I'm testing new things because it's so unbelievably clean that you hear every little thing the guitar is doing. At first strum I said to myself ah okay this is baloney. But after playing a bit I noticed some subtleties that I hadn't noticed before. The sound was rounder, if that makes any sense. ROUND. Very round. The lows were a bit softer and highs clearer, not louder, just clearer, so it sounds a bit more balanced. Definitely a difference there. Also I notice the sustain is insane compared to the stock block. It really really rings out for a long time. You can't lazily let a string ring knowing it'll die down, you have to actively mute the things you want to kill because it'll just keep going. Energizer sustain. Through my Dr Z route 66 it sounds great. A bit more clarity to the single notes. Chords blend better and of course the sustain is gonzo.
Is it worth 55$? I don't know. Probably. If it were stolen off this guitar I'd probably buy another one. It sounds good enough to make playing more enjoyable. Definitely buy another one.