Fender Strats and the wabbly/clicky trem arm, are customs any better?

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Im on the hunt for an awesome Fender Strat, but one of my main gripes about my old one was the click I used to get when I started to use the trem bar/vibrato bar/whatever you call it. It also never felt as snug as my Suhr or PRS does. 

So the idea was that I buy one and fit a Callaham as they’ve got good rep for feeling sturdy, but now I’m thinking that the specs I want may warrant a Custom Shop build, so my question is...are the custom shop bridges any better than those you get on a standard strat? Are they any more sturdy and are they nicer feeling? I’m hoping so!
Read my guitar/gear blog at medium.com/redchairriffs

View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
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Comments

  • simonksimonk Frets: 1467
    edited February 2018
    Nope. You can use wood glue or PTFE tape as a fix though.

    You may get a better block in a CS instrument, they all, as far as I’ve come across, suffer from wobbly arm syndrome though.
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  • Get a steel tremolo block with a nylon insert. That stops any movement, depending on how tight you screw it in.
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4159
    If it’s a solid block pick up one of those handy spring inserts, stops the slop completely
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  • tone1tone1 Frets: 5112
    I PTFE Mine... works a treat   :)
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  • Bloody 'ell, wish I'd talked to you lot before jumping the gun and selling mine last year. That said, at least I know what I want from a new instrument now and hopefully I can find something that suits me better!

    Thanks all for the input. Looks like a CS strat may be the way to go and those spring things or tape could well be the fix! :-)
    Read my guitar/gear blog at medium.com/redchairriffs

    View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4159
    CS Strats come with the arm slop spring in the pocket with the spare trem springs 
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4159
    Back in the day they used to be fitted with a coloured sticker over the hole to stop them falling out when the guitars were hung up in shops
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  • I remember my strat having a green sticker on the bridge! So that's weird. Interesting!
    Read my guitar/gear blog at medium.com/redchairriffs

    View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
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  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Frets: 13929
    edited February 2018
    As mentioned above, the CS Strats I've owned have all had been a bit clicky with the little spring inserted. PTFE tape on the trem arm tread is a better solution but I screw the bastard trem down and tighten it with all 5 springs on board. Don't click no more!


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  • simonksimonk Frets: 1467
    I’ve never found the tiny spring very effective at eliminating arm wobble.
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  • I put a Callaham block and the matching arm on a US lonestar and it was no trouble after that.
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