Help installing new Tremolo on Strat (Callaham)

[chillaxer]

Hi guys, i really need some help here  :o I have a 1988-1989 MIJ Standard Japanese Stratocaster. I really like it but the tremolo block is zinc, which i heard is greatly inferior to steel. So i decided i wanted to get a Callaham trem block for it (before some bkps), however the string spacing is 2 1/8 and they only have 2 7/32 (vintage spacing) and 2 1/16 (mim strat spacing.) So Callaham told me i'd have to buy one of the bridge sets/assembly, which isn't that big of a deal cause i'm sure the saddles will help anyways. However the predicament i'm in is that if i change the string spacing, i'm afraid that the E strings will be too far away from the frets. I was wondering if there was anyway to measure where my E strings will reside with the new bridge and trem block w/o buying it first and having to send it back. The guy from callaham said he wouldn't be able to tell for sure unless he saw the guitar.

[AndyR]

Hi, welcome to the forum :D

I can't actually help on this one - but I am very interested in the replies to it. One day I might be looking at replacement strat bridge assemblies, and I've noticed things are different sizes. The same issues you're talking about are the ones that have stopped me investigating too far yet... I "get" the different spacings like you do - but I'm left thinking "what if my neck ain't wide enough?"

[Philly Q]

It shouldn't be too much of an issue, because the one thing that is pretty constant between American, Japanese and Mexican Strats is the size of the neck pocket and the width of the neck (at the body end). 

If you go for vintage spacing, the E strings will be very close to the edges of the neck - as they are on any vintage Strat.  If you go for the narrower spacing, it'll be easier to grab the strings and there's no danger of them slipping off the edge of the board.

The one thing you want to be even more careful about is the spacing of the mounting screws at the front of the bridge.  If they don't match up you'll have to fill and re-drill the existing screw holes, which is really difficult to get right!!

[chillaxer]

Oh alright, that makes sense. As the strat does have the vintage frets and vintage radius (7.25 or is it 7.5?) and the neck widths on most strats like that should be the same, me getting a vintage tremolo system would make the E strings as far from the fret on any other vintage like strat? I do personally like this 2 1/8, so i'd probably go with the 2 1/16 spacing, albeit more expensive callaham upgrade. Yeah the mounting screws are ok though thankfully. The ends of the mounting/6 pivot screws from center to center measured out to 2 7/32, so i can buy a whole bridge assembly from callaham and not worry about that, but if the neck width should be the same on all strats that are 7.25, than i guess I'm ok. I just wanted to upgrade the strat to more vintage accessories and stuff as i just swapped out the plastic nut for a bone nut and than i wanted to do this bridge upgrade. Next will be vintage like tuners maybe and than some BKPs  :lol:

[WezV]

do you know BKP do a vintage strat trem?  just though i would mention it :)

[chillaxer]

Whoah really? you just blew my mind dude. Hum, is this advertised somewhere? i must've looked past it. So i guess i'm in a predicament now hahaha, well umm, where i can find more info on this bkp trem, and is it as amazing as the pickups (perhaps a rhetorical question)  :P

[WezV]

use the search on the forum, its been discussed a few times.  I have one here at the moment and can vouch for its quality