Callaham's mission is to make tremolo blocks and bridges using the same quality materials and manufacturing employed in the original Strat bridges in the 1950s and 1960s.

To lower costs Fender started using cast saddles in 1971 rather than the original bent steel saddles, and in the early '80s the newer guitar designs used blocks made of sintered steel (powdered metal that is fused under pressure and high current). Some cheaper Fender products even had blocks of cast Zamac (zinc alloy), because it cost less to cast parts than to machine them.

You might surmise that the people making these manufacturing decisions valued reduced costs over tone. It's likely that some of them were not musicians and simply didn't hear tonal differences, and reduced costs meant more profit. But it's surely the case that there were also people involved in these decisions who had every desire to make the best products they could. In any case, the fact is that the Fender products that have ultimately risen to the top in terms of desirability are the original guitars from the '50s & '60s - they’re widely considered to have the best tone, and are iconic.

Callaham makes reproduction parts using the same materials and same high manufacturing standards as these original guitars. Callaham's blocks are milled from cold-rolled steel like the originals. And the saddles are bent steel like the originals, and they include stainless height screws and intonation screws/springs so they don't corrode.

Callaham has improved the arm function as well. The original bridges had play in the arms, because they couldn't function if the threads fit too tightly. Callaham puts a Delrin sleeve into the arm hole, and their specially-designed stainless steel arm fits tightly enough into this sleeve that there is no play in the arm at all, for maximum touch sensitivity.

Made in USA, this is the highest quality, jewel-like bridge available for your guitar. Be sure to measure to make sure you order the right one!

Callaham Tremolo for Stratocaster®, VINTAGE NARROW, retrofits Fender® vintage trem. Mounting screw spacing: 2-7/32" (E-to-E). String Spacing: 2-1/16" (E-to-E). See FITMENT image to confirm fit.

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