Callaham Replacement Bridge

I never had issue with Callaham stuff. LP abr-1 bridge, strat vintage bridge and Tele.

But Iam waiting to hear on PRS bridge.

I also want to upgrade the inserts of my Bernie Marsden Se bridge to steel or brass but don't know where to get them.

David
 
Try the vintage strat bridge with Fender mounting screws,springs and saddles djd35de.You will be suprised! :).
 
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I thought we'd hear the results by now. Iam dying to hear is it yay or nay?
 
That's easy enough, it just requires a small sacrifice. Sacrifice of a Paul's Guitar to be precise. I didn't say it was cheap. And no, you can't have mine.

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Is that also```````````````````````````````````` a Callaham bridge?
 
I got tired of waiting to see if this guy is going to report/review of the Callaham Prs bridge.

So I bit the bullet and bought one. Won't be here till next week but I won't flake on you guys.

I also think i found a source for the steel inserts for the bridge.
I'll report back, maybe start a new thread etc....

David
 
Finally installed the Callaham stopbar and went straight to a gig. Didn't do an A/B test, but will do later after my ears has adjusted to it. The weight difference is huge. The Prs stoptail is like air compared. The sound feels more polite, less aggressiv with rounded highs. Strings feel more even. It's not a huge difference, my Prs still sounds like my Prs. It's suppose to have more sustain which is hard to tell cause this PS has a pernambuco neck and already sustain for days. Maybe I hear all this wrong, and will eat my words later after an A/B test. The differences is what I hear from memory and don't take it as a review. So far I like it, but I'm not sure it will be on permanently.
 
Joern
I think the only way to really get the full benefit is to change out the ( cheap zinc inserts).

I've looked high and low but was'nt able to find a source.

Iam about to also do a review on my Bernie Marsden with Callaham + other mods.
 
I just ordered one today. It's going to go on the SAS that the PTC worked on for me. Also gonna put on TonePros locking studs.
 
Finally installed the Callaham stopbar and went straight to a gig. Didn't do an A/B test, but will do later after my ears has adjusted to it. The weight difference is huge. The Prs stoptail is like air compared. The sound feels more polite, less aggressiv with rounded highs. Strings feel more even. It's not a huge difference, my Prs still sounds like my Prs. It's suppose to have more sustain which is hard to tell cause this PS has a pernambuco neck and already sustain for days. Maybe I hear all this wrong, and will eat my words later after an A/B test. The differences is what I hear from memory and don't take it as a review. So far I like it, but I'm not sure it will be on permanently.

In general I feel any SS parts impart this quality. I also feel Paul got it right the with the brass inserts/aluminum bridge. SS parts sound exciting in the beginning because of the difference, but I find the original design to be more musical, YMMV.
 
No reason to assume that one has it all worked out. I think the stop tail is ok, but bright and doesn't add resonance on my guitar. And I trust my own judgement in most things, rather than listen to every word someone else says, you know?
That said too, I know enough about metals to know that stainless cold rolled is harder and heavier than aluminium*. It's more expensive too. Aluminium's main mode of usage it that's it's recyclable, but strong and light.

* Let's not pick at peoples correct use of English, shall we?

Uluminum and aluminium are both correct English.

In the UK we originally called it aluminum but changed it to go with the other 'iums' like sodium. The Americans decided to go with the original way of spelling.

The musical instrument world is full of overhyped claims and put downs of other manufacturers products, so this is no surprise. Be your own judge.
 
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Wow, what audacious marketing BULLS#!T........PRS stoptail needs no replacement unless you use alternative tunings, where then you would need an adjustable PRS stoptail. Wow, those claims aren't worth dignifying, ESPECIALLY without recorded clips of each to compare. In fact, My mahogany 98 custom 24 with stoptail has a very thick and rich tone that is anything but nasally. I find such marketing BS insulting. Paul has only been successfully building guitars for a lifetime, I guess they think he doesn't know s#it. How absurd. They need a lesson in humility, and to be frank ......class. Thats my 2 cents, keep the change.
 
Callaham bridges are'nt stainless steel. they are made of high carbon steel which is the best conductor of vibrations.
 
Has anyone tried pigtail's intonatable one? I'm thinking of getting one for my sc.

I haven't tried the pigtail, but I have a Schroeder. It is a drop in replacement and if you ask Jason, he will radius the saddle for you to whatever you like (e.g. 10"). It is made of brass and aluminum and is much lighter than the current PRS version. I still think the new one piece sounds the best, but the Schroeder or PRS adjustable version also sound good and are functional. The adjustable PRS bridge definitely brings a beefy tone if that's what you want. The Schroeder is somewhere in between the PRS adjustable and one piece to my ears. YMMV.
 
I haven't tried the pigtail, but I have a Schroeder. It is a drop in replacement and if you ask Jason, he will radius the saddle for you to whatever you like (e.g. 10"). It is made of brass and aluminum and is much lighter than the current PRS version. I still think the new one piece sounds the best, but the Schroeder or PRS adjustable version also sound good and are functional. The adjustable PRS bridge definitely brings a beefy tone if that's what you want. The Schroeder is somewhere in between the PRS adjustable and one piece to my ears. YMMV.

I guess i'm after the "airy" thing. Just take the compression out a little maybe. And of course being able to intonate. Pigtail says it's really light and it's not pricey. I thought i could try that one.
A review from a user would be helpful.
 
I did the swap on my PTC modded SAS tonight. I had the PTC install NF pickups in it similar to the 25th McCarty. The guitar had a nasal quality at times in certain settings and positions. I did a bunch of listening and playing tonight until I knew exactly what I was hearing. I installed the Callaham bridge and Tone Pros locking studs (I used the original inserts though). There is an unmistakable change in tone. Whether it's better or not is purely subjective of course. I actually like the tone better now. I went through all the same listening and playing steps and could not duplicate the sounds I heard before that I did not care for as much. The guitar sounded good before but now it really sounds great. This guitar was meant to be my PRS thick "Tele" like the SAS NF is my PRS thick "Strat" - I had a hunch that the steel tailpiece would deliver what I wanted more than the stock aluminum tailpiece and it turned out that I was right.

I had also ordered some Tone Pros locking studs for my Abraxas Santana SE (single cut, single P-90 which I had previously installed a Tom Anderson pickup in). So I went ahead and installed the US tailpiece from the SAS on the Santana. Prior to the install I did the same listening and playing exercise with the Santana and it was all pretty damn good. After the swap the Santana had a bit more clarity with more complex chords with some dirt (maj7, 9th, 11th, dim7) and it was a bit easier to coax some sustaining notes. This was a far less drastic change than the Callaham but it was still a nice little upgrade.

This is the guitar for reference purposes:
 
I was thinking the same exact thing. If it really sounded better, it wouldn't exist because PRS would be doing it already.

I noticed the other day that they changed the truss rod cover material. My new 2014 HB II has a cover that pings like a piece of brass when you tap on it. I think they're using the same material from the nuts now to make the cover. That's how much they think of the little things.

I quite agree, if we are talking about upgrading an SE stoptail to a USA aluminium one, then I could see the logic, but I would never change the stoptail on a USA PRS to a steel one, that would surely be undoing Paul's work and going backwards.

I have a McCarty, it has the standard stoptail, and that guitar just sings, the vibrations run through the entire structure, unplugged, it has good intonation, tone, sustain..... While I'm a mod fanatic, this guitar is so very close to perfect.... I would like to change the volume and tone knobs for lampshades...... That's it! The stoptail is aluminium, it's made of this for a reason, it's the best material for tone and sustain,. Perhaps there is an argument for adding locking nuts to improve string contact with the body........ ? I don't know.
 
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