Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

[malymal86]

Hey all you stratocaster lovers i am going to be modding my strat bridge and all that good stuff, my strat is a 2010 squier bullet strat and i've already done a lot to her and soon its time to swap out that stock bridge and springs so my question is what is the best bridge and parts for a strat guitar?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

vintage style or two point?

my favorite vintage style is callaham but its more expensive than your guitar

http://www.callahamguitars.com/bridges.htm

 

[malymal86]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

Its a vintage.

 

[wolf5150]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

Wilkinson Vintage trem.
Very good value for money

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Wilkinson-Vintage-Tremolo-Pop-In-Arm-with-Block_p_897.html

 

[malymal86]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

I just got my new bridge, it's a fender mexican bridge feels like a damn tank! I can't wait to get all of my parts to start and finish modding this strat .

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

You might still think about upgrading the block and saddles. The Mexican trems are usually pretty questionable pot metal stuff. Killer guitar parts has nice brass blocks and you can buy a steel block and nice saddles from Callaham too. You'll spend less than a whole Callaham bridge and get better sound out of your axe.

 

[JordanM82]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

+1 for Callaham, got em on both my Strats worth EVERY penny...

 

[Dr.K]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

http://mannmadeusa.com/

 

[malymal86]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

the block looks like it's a steal one and the saddles say fender on both sides witch I thought was kinda funny haha. But the saddles don't have the string littile carve out for the string to gide alonge the neck to the nut? Is this something that fender does now to there saddles??

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

It sounds more like waste of money....
Why not save up for a guitar that is good from the get go??

 

[malymal86]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

because modding is fun! You get to make your dream guitar way not, cheap or not.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

Well....
Know alot about that part!!
And that it is mostly a futile effort after some time!
After loads of modded guitars....and close to 20 years of messing around....
I think I'm done

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

Doesn't matter what saddles come on my axes, as I always replace them with Graph Tech String Savers within a week or two of getting a new guitar. I've probably bought a couple dozen sets over the years. They are just invaluable to me -- especially for peace-of-mind during gigs.

 

[Wonker]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

Doesn't matter what saddles come on my axes, as I always replace them with Graph Tech String Savers within a week or two of getting a new guitar. I've probably bought a couple dozen sets over the years. They are just invaluable to me -- especially for peace-of-mind during gigs.

+1

I don't know about the claims that Graph Tech makes about the String Savers making the guitar sound better. But I do know for a fact that they reduce string breakage and are corrosion resistant.

I have them on all my Gibsons.

 

[malymal86]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

the fender bridge fit my squier great!!!! Funny huh?

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

the block looks like it's a steal one and the saddles say fender on both sides witch I thought was kinda funny haha. But the saddles don't have the string littile carve out for the string to gide alonge the neck to the nut? Is this something that fender does now to there saddles??

It looks like you have a better quality Mexi bridge with the traditional bent steel saddles. The block can be checked with a magnet to confirm it's steel.

You don't need the string guide groove at all since the tension and nut keep the string's path straight. Besides, the fatter wound strings don't even sit inside the grooves anyway, which is why I find them silly. I'm probably going to get some Callaham old school saddles to replace the modern ones on my bridge. I prefer their tonal properties and note decay.

The Mexican bridges are usually the same size as Squiers, 2 1/16". Only the American bridges have the 2 1/8" spacing, so a Mexi bridge should be a direct fit on a Squier.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

I personally have never had a reason to change my stock vintage trems on all my Strats (I have 5). On most of them I have changed the saddles to either string saver graphite or the Ferraglides. I really prefer these saddles due to the fact that without them I break a lot of strings. With them..... hardly ever.

I think it also depends on how you setup the trems. If you allow the bridge to float well you are going to loose somne sustain. I usually set my bridge to rest on the body. This allows me to drop the pitch but not raise it. Works fine for what I do & it sounds great!

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

I like the newer Hwy 1 bridges myself. You get the vintage screw spacing, but the more modern (MIM) string spacing.

All steel including the block, and you can find them new on ebay for about $50.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

+1

I don't know about the claims that Graph Tech makes about the String Savers making the guitar sound better. But I do know for a fact that they reduce string breakage and are corrosion resistant.

I have them on all my Gibsons.

I got a new set of them last Fall when I bought my last Ltd EC series guitar, and they were twice as thick as the old ones. The old ones were too thin -- not that any ever broke on me. Anyways... I got a set last week for my new [to me] ESP Eclipse, and they were thin again! But instead of buying them direct from Graph Tech this time, I bought them from an Ebay seller. So I must've gotten NOS saddles. I definitely prefer the newer, thicker ones.

 

[malymal86]

Re: Whats the best bridge trem and saddles for a strat??

i play puck rock bad religion stuff and the new mexi bridge has made my cheap squier play like my old fender strat that i use to have. man i am a happy camper that's for sure. now the next mod is the pickguard and pickups.