Prefer 2-point bridges, but a few of the project Strats have 6-screw. I float my bridges pretty well at this point and they're pretty stable, so mostly I want to start getting into replacing just the block for extra sustain and better feel! I especially want to do this on the Starcaster "Strat" that has 5mm threads on the bar, which makes them all the more bendable than the 6mm ones!
All you gotta do is back out the 4 middle screws. I do this on all cheapish starts,.as it isn't the bridge that the problem.on one bullet strat I have, two of the 6 screws are just crooked. Saving time means being sloppy. So to anyone with a cheap strat, take the strings off, undo all the 6 screws, than set the 2 outter most screws, and than screw the inner 4 inward, until they move the bridge, than back em out a half turn or whatever. If you do that, and address the nut, as well as sus out the need or irrelevance of string tree/trees you can.get any cheao strat to absolutely stay in tune. My stock bullet starts(2) and one squier "strat" all can be hammered on and they stay in tune perfect.of.course they slip over time, but even the best standard style strat in the world.doesnt hold tune 100%. There's simply no need, whatsoever, to upgrade the bridge and saddles and block. You might need more springs, I've found to prefer more of them,but at a less tension so the the vibrato is more spongey.and ive also floated them and have had great success of bending uo and down withoit going out of pitch, and ppl are impressed cuz they see a squier, amd they're like "oh great" amd i tell them to hammer away and telk me.its out of tune. And they do,and than they look at me like it's magic or I just got a good one. It's all about mechanics and very simple understanding.its why I love leo genders designs. They're simply brilliant,and dumb,and so simple, yet elegant but stupid and very well thought out.and he wasn't a guitar player which makes it even cooler. Tho we have Floyd's and such today,from an operational standpoint, there's no need to go any further than where Leon left it when the50s closed out, as he perfected it
You can also get a set of replacement screws from mannmade who makes prs bridges, the screws replace original fender screws but have a slit point on them that the bridge cut outs ride on basically like knife edge points on a floyd
I install the same way. I also prefer the vintage narrow version to avoid the E strings from falling off the fretboards. I know Callaham has their own saddles but I reinstall the fender to keep the look.
Never broke a trem arm. I use 9 gauge and 2 springs floating so there is,little tension to overcome. People that break them often use 100 springs screwed all the way in. I exaggerate but it makes my point.😊
I'm gonna get that bridge now. I see the Callaham vintage bridge set comes with a set of springs and screws. Let's see if those springs are better than the originals. I heard about Raw "Vintage Springs" being the ultimate replacement to go with. Anyone heard about that?
I was unlucky to have my arm break in the block so I’m going to replace it or the whole bridge/trem. What do you think of the Vegatrem? I was thinking of getting this Callahan but it just seems so similar to the one I already have besides the block and the screw holes. I’m probably wrong but I’m wondering if the vegatrem is worth the extra 100.
The vegatrem definitely has its own tone going on, you're either going to love it or really dislike it. I definitely prefer the Callaham unit to it but functionally both are great
@@AudiomoMusic that makes sense that the tone would change. I guess I might have to try both out and decide from there. I really do like the Callaham block design though and its solution tot he arms breaking.
I love after market parts. The little differences that add up to big changes for the better. Injave thr atock on my strat. Its an american ultra and has a pop-in arm. I dont mind it at all. Its a 2 point trem as well.
The pivot point/ bevel being on the center of the screw holes helps but not for friction it prevents the plate from sliding up and down. Physics wants your bridge to pivot in the center of the hole and a traditional Fender wants to pivot behind the screws as well as the center which creates instability hence the sliding motion. PRS bridges are same as Callahan and realistically you don’t need the PRS screws as the bridge won’t slide due to inherent stability of the design?
Check out the wudtone bridge thats similar and adds a support plate to ride on and if you want to get crazy you should check out rock rabbit bridge thats made of titanium
I tried super vee, Callaham, Wilkinson. Super vee had very extreme effect on sound that I hated but it stay in tune great. Wilkinson was good for money and did not have this change of sound very solid, but the Callaham is the one that feels best to use and doesn't completely ruin the sound ( super vee ). so yes agree
Man good to see you I was thinking about you the other day, trying to plan a trip back out to Japan. I love the XS, they feel incredible and last so long
Looking on the Callaham website for the American Standard bridge upgrade kit, they offer the option of either Right Hand Center or Right Hand Offset. What is that they are talking about? Also, do you still need the spring in the arm hole to make the arm float?
No spring needed in the hole, different design. You'd want the right hand center, but really i'd spend the extra 15 dollars or so and get the full Callaham Vintage S Model Strat Bridge set that also comes with the plate. It will make the install a little easier too, just remove the stock bridge and drop in the callaham.
All you gotta do is back out the 4 middle screws. I do this on all cheapish starts,.as it isn't the bridge that the problem.on one bullet strat I have, two of the 6 screws are just crooked. Saving time means being sloppy. So to anyone with a cheap strat, take the strings off, undo all the 6 screws, than set the 2 outter most screws, and than screw the inner 4 inward, until they move the bridge, than back em out a half turn or whatever. If you do that, and address the nut, as well as sus out the need or irrelevance of string tree/trees you can.get any cheao strat to absolutely stay in tune. My stock bullet starts(2) and one squier "strat" all can be hammered on and they stay in tune perfect.of.course they slip over time, but even the best standard style strat in the world.doesnt hold tune 100%. There's simply no need, whatsoever, to upgrade the bridge and saddles and block. You might need more springs, I've found to prefer more of them,but at a less tension so the the vibrato is more spongey.and ive also floated them and have had great success of bending uo and down withoit going out of pitch, and ppl are impressed cuz they see a squier, amd they're like "oh great" amd i tell them to hammer away and telk me.its out of tune. And they do,and than they look at me like it's magic or I just got a good one. It's all about mechanics and very simple understanding.its why I love leo genders designs. They're simply brilliant,and dumb,and so simple, yet elegant but stupid and very well thought out.and he wasn't a guitar player which makes it even cooler. Tho we have Floyd's and such today,from an operational standpoint, there's no need to go any further than where Leon left it when the50s closed out, as he perfected it
Once I tried a two-point Gotoh 510 I can’t go back to a vintage 6-screw style. I find the vintage bridges simply don’t stay in tune nearly as well as a two-point despite the endless advice on how to set them up properly. It’s funny how people have these long detailed lists of how to get 6-screw bridges to stay in tune and with two-point bridges the list basically consists of ‘just use it and make sure the nut is cut properly’
I never have tuning issues with the vintage bridge, it's not all that hard and takes about 2 minutes of work to get the screws right. It's not exactly a painstaking experience to me at least and if you get that part right you're 99% of the way there. the other stuff is just common advice that all guitars with a vibrato benefit from when it comes to stretching strings and checking the nut. Two point is good stuff and lots of people like it. The 510 is one of the best versions of it - I just prefer the vintage stuff on a strat and if I need more I'll use a guitar with a vibrato superior to both the 2 point or 6 screw - the jazzmasters/jaguars.
Never heard about the Callaham bridge before, you also just sent me down in the rabbit hole about “ cold rolled steel “ . Love these videos, thanks!
it's an interesting rabbit hole to go down for sure
Guitar mod videos are my ASMR! ❤
Prefer 2-point bridges, but a few of the project Strats have 6-screw. I float my bridges pretty well at this point and they're pretty stable, so mostly I want to start getting into replacing just the block for extra sustain and better feel! I especially want to do this on the Starcaster "Strat" that has 5mm threads on the bar, which makes them all the more bendable than the 6mm ones!
All you gotta do is back out the 4 middle screws. I do this on all cheapish starts,.as it isn't the bridge that the problem.on one bullet strat I have, two of the 6 screws are just crooked. Saving time means being sloppy. So to anyone with a cheap strat, take the strings off, undo all the 6 screws, than set the 2 outter most screws, and than screw the inner 4 inward, until they move the bridge, than back em out a half turn or whatever. If you do that, and address the nut, as well as sus out the need or irrelevance of string tree/trees you can.get any cheao strat to absolutely stay in tune. My stock bullet starts(2) and one squier "strat" all can be hammered on and they stay in tune perfect.of.course they slip over time, but even the best standard style strat in the world.doesnt hold tune 100%. There's simply no need, whatsoever, to upgrade the bridge and saddles and block. You might need more springs, I've found to prefer more of them,but at a less tension so the the vibrato is more spongey.and ive also floated them and have had great success of bending uo and down withoit going out of pitch, and ppl are impressed cuz they see a squier, amd they're like "oh great" amd i tell them to hammer away and telk me.its out of tune. And they do,and than they look at me like it's magic or I just got a good one. It's all about mechanics and very simple understanding.its why I love leo genders designs. They're simply brilliant,and dumb,and so simple, yet elegant but stupid and very well thought out.and he wasn't a guitar player which makes it even cooler. Tho we have Floyd's and such today,from an operational standpoint, there's no need to go any further than where Leon left it when the50s closed out, as he perfected it
Thanks for the tips , I've got try one of those
No problem 👍
Great to know about the Callaham.! You rock Jim!
It's the best man, love it to death
You can also get a set of replacement screws from mannmade who makes prs bridges, the screws replace original fender screws but have a slit point on them that the bridge cut outs ride on basically like knife edge points on a floyd
Thank you!!!!!!! Fellow Guitar Junkie
It never ends!
I just Modded a Leo Jaymz
I install the same way. I also prefer the vintage narrow version to avoid the E strings from falling off the fretboards. I know Callaham has their own saddles but I reinstall the fender to keep the look.
The V/N version is what I installed on this one for that very reason :) It's. a great bonus of the system
Never broke a trem arm. I use 9 gauge and 2 springs floating so there is,little tension to overcome. People that break them often use 100 springs screwed all the way in. I exaggerate but it makes my point.😊
I'm gonna get that bridge now. I see the Callaham vintage bridge set comes with a set of springs and screws. Let's see if those springs are better than the originals. I heard about Raw "Vintage Springs" being the ultimate replacement to go with. Anyone heard about that?
I was unlucky to have my arm break in the block so I’m going to replace it or the whole bridge/trem. What do you think of the Vegatrem? I was thinking of getting this Callahan but it just seems so similar to the one I already have besides the block and the screw holes. I’m probably wrong but I’m wondering if the vegatrem is worth the extra 100.
The vegatrem definitely has its own tone going on, you're either going to love it or really dislike it. I definitely prefer the Callaham unit to it but functionally both are great
@@AudiomoMusic that makes sense that the tone would change. I guess I might have to try both out and decide from there. I really do like the Callaham block design though and its solution tot he arms breaking.
I love after market parts. The little differences that add up to big changes for the better.
Injave thr atock on my strat. Its an american ultra and has a pop-in arm. I dont mind it at all. Its a 2 point trem as well.
The pivot point/ bevel being on the center of the screw holes helps but not for friction it prevents the plate from sliding up and down. Physics wants your bridge to pivot in the center of the hole and a traditional Fender wants to pivot behind the screws as well as the center which creates instability hence the sliding motion. PRS bridges are same as Callahan and realistically you don’t need the PRS screws as the bridge won’t slide due to inherent stability of the design?
Check out the wudtone bridge thats similar and adds a support plate to ride on and if you want to get crazy you should check out rock rabbit bridge thats made of titanium
I tried super vee, Callaham, Wilkinson. Super vee had very extreme effect on sound that I hated but it stay in tune great. Wilkinson was good for money and did not have this change of sound very solid, but the Callaham is the one that feels best to use and doesn't completely ruin the sound ( super vee ). so yes agree
I had the same experience with the super vee. It did what it said it would but I did not like the change in tone and feel.
I see another XS convert! I'm running these over a year on some guitars.
Man good to see you I was thinking about you the other day, trying to plan a trip back out to Japan. I love the XS, they feel incredible and last so long
Looking on the Callaham website for the American Standard bridge upgrade kit, they offer the option of either Right Hand Center or Right Hand Offset. What is that they are talking about? Also, do you still need the spring in the arm hole to make the arm float?
No spring needed in the hole, different design. You'd want the right hand center, but really i'd spend the extra 15 dollars or so and get the full Callaham Vintage S Model Strat Bridge set that also comes with the plate. It will make the install a little easier too, just remove the stock bridge and drop in the callaham.
@@AudiomoMusic Thanks, Jim.
All you gotta do is back out the 4 middle screws. I do this on all cheapish starts,.as it isn't the bridge that the problem.on one bullet strat I have, two of the 6 screws are just crooked. Saving time means being sloppy. So to anyone with a cheap strat, take the strings off, undo all the 6 screws, than set the 2 outter most screws, and than screw the inner 4 inward, until they move the bridge, than back em out a half turn or whatever. If you do that, and address the nut, as well as sus out the need or irrelevance of string tree/trees you can.get any cheao strat to absolutely stay in tune. My stock bullet starts(2) and one squier "strat" all can be hammered on and they stay in tune perfect.of.course they slip over time, but even the best standard style strat in the world.doesnt hold tune 100%. There's simply no need, whatsoever, to upgrade the bridge and saddles and block. You might need more springs, I've found to prefer more of them,but at a less tension so the the vibrato is more spongey.and ive also floated them and have had great success of bending uo and down withoit going out of pitch, and ppl are impressed cuz they see a squier, amd they're like "oh great" amd i tell them to hammer away and telk me.its out of tune. And they do,and than they look at me like it's magic or I just got a good one. It's all about mechanics and very simple understanding.its why I love leo genders designs. They're simply brilliant,and dumb,and so simple, yet elegant but stupid and very well thought out.and he wasn't a guitar player which makes it even cooler. Tho we have Floyd's and such today,from an operational standpoint, there's no need to go any further than where Leon left it when the50s closed out, as he perfected it
So is that cory wong strat body slightly smaller from what i heard about it?
Yes, slightly smaller indeed. This only becomes a problem if you want to replace the pickguard - that is not a fun process.
Nice stuff.
Thanks James, hope you and the sons are doing well
Once I tried a two-point Gotoh 510 I can’t go back to a vintage 6-screw style.
I find the vintage bridges simply don’t stay in tune nearly as well as a two-point despite the endless advice on how to set them up properly.
It’s funny how people have these long detailed lists of how to get 6-screw bridges to stay in tune and with two-point bridges the list basically consists of ‘just use it and make sure the nut is cut properly’
I never have tuning issues with the vintage bridge, it's not all that hard and takes about 2 minutes of work to get the screws right. It's not exactly a painstaking experience to me at least and if you get that part right you're 99% of the way there. the other stuff is just common advice that all guitars with a vibrato benefit from when it comes to stretching strings and checking the nut.
Two point is good stuff and lots of people like it. The 510 is one of the best versions of it - I just prefer the vintage stuff on a strat and if I need more I'll use a guitar with a vibrato superior to both the 2 point or 6 screw - the jazzmasters/jaguars.
On my strats I shim the neck and replace the springs with a set of Raw Vintage.
Shim the neck HOW, and why? ,.,.. Tapered shim ?
I've never had this problem as I just block my bridge and make it into a hardtail.
If I'm gonna play a hard tail fender, i'll just pick up a tele :)
@@AudiomoMusic I love the tele as well... but the contours of the Strat body are so much more comfortable.
You used the trem, but the REAL test is to bend notes AFTER you use the trem, and then see what's flat