New tremolo for strat

[Deleted]

Hello,
this is for this guitar.

Finally i sold the GFS block and reverted back to the original cheapo one, i am right now looking to replace, 52.5mm E-E.

I have in mind the whole GFS MIM tremolo , which is going to have better saddles, plate, than the ones the guitar has now.

Also i have the Fender upgraded MIM in mind.

Until i noticed two interesting new entries here :

Axesrus Steel trem 52.5mm : seems very well built.

Might mite bridge : also seems interesting.

Constraint here is the 52.5mm spacing, no option for the many 56mm or 54mm quality bridges out there.

What you guys think?

[cynical1]

First off, let me make it clear I have no direct experience with anything you've mentioned below. Any opinions will be based on whatever pertinent marketing copy the seller in question chose to include.

Based on the prices of the units you asked about, I assume your budget puts you below anything I would recommend...such as Babicz, Callaham or Super-Vee to name just a few... Callaham offers two different narrow models, but they're in the 125 Euro neighborhood.

Based on that, the Axesrus Steel trem 52.5mm would be the first one I would experiment with.

Again, I have never installed, played or seen this unit. Best guess.

If possible, you might want to scour the Net and look for any reviews or comments on these units. You may not find much favorable copy, but a high volume of negative commentary would be enough of a red flag to stay away.

HTC1

[Deleted]

Thanx Cyn1, while waiting for the locking nut to come from Japan, i have to try and find alternative methods to kill my patience and *not* actually put my hands on the Carvin, so i am planning, in the meantime, the next upgrade on the partscaster.

I am aware of Babicz, Callaham, Super-vee, but i think a simple plain old good heavy tremolo made of steel or brass components would do. I have smth similar in my other strat (Aria strat), i bought ages ago, and performs really good. Great sustain. I am also inclined towards the axesrus one, judging also from the price of it. OTOH lots of folks are happy with the GFS. While i had the GFS block, it felt good, heavy, etc... but having the same plate/saddles, i can't say i felt improvement in tone. I think the current cheapo cast saddles might be responsible for poor sustain. I might give a shot to the axesrus one. I've bought things from them, (saddles for the other strat) and 5-way switch, and both were excellent.

[cynical1]

If you pull the trigger let us know how it went. And remember, measure twice, cut once.

HTC1

[Deleted]

Sure, most probably it will be early next month.

[b4nj0]

Are those Axesrus vibratos really Wilkinsons? The Wilkinsons do have the name engraved or stamped on the saddles. I have a Wilkinson on a 1973 Stratocaster and for around €30 I highly recommend it. At the end of the day though, it's only there until I get around to stumping up for a Callaham or whatever. At the price point of those Axesrus ones, I'd plump for a Wilkinson (probably also available from Axesrus? I got mine from them. BTW- decent outfit to deal with.)
I became so hacked off with the string spacing of the hideous cast mazac Fender poo that a 52.5mm string spacing was the primary objective.
Check out "Wudtone" on eBay for a different take on the Strat vibrato. I haven't tried one, but it looks to be really well made and conceived. I think it's around half the price of a Callaham (No connection etc).

[Deleted]

^^^ thanx,
almost literally swept the whole Gotoh site when i was searching for locking nuts last month, guess what. Nothing that looks like a tremolo for strat and has a 52.5 mm spacing. I have been searching for this for a long time. Nothing Gotoh, nothing wilkinson. Heck, even the axesrus one (which i doubt has any stamp of any sort on it) didn't appear until recently. I am sure it was not there the month before. Its no surprise that most reviews out there are about GFS vs Callaham vs KGC. Do have any link for a 52.5mm wilkinson?
Checked wudone @ebay : www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Musical-Instruments-/619/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Wudtone&LH_PrefLoc=2 nothing close to 52.5 mm, the very few results seem to refer to USA vintage.

For me, with vintage tremolos going beyond a certain point is like putting money e.g. on a already modified and tuned naturally aspired car engine. After you reach a certain point (early), then any future investments won't give any of the much anticipated boost in horsepower. I bought the parts for this guitar about 250 Euro. And at points i could say it performed very well, maybe the scalloped maple neck nature has *this*sound, this loud attack and this short sustain (if we accept the theory that loud attack is reversely proportional to the sustain). So an investment of a Callaham (and they surely make some very nice 52.5mm tremolos) cannot make sense until i see an improvement of something cheaper than that.

[cynical1]

May 1, 2013 23:10:22 GMT -5 @pyrros said:

...So an investment of a Callaham (and they surely make some very nice 52.5mm tremolos) cannot make sense until i see an improvement of something cheaper than that.

Buy it right, buy it once. Buy it wrong, buy it again...and again...and again...

If you want to go to the moon, don't buy a Cessna.

From my experience, buying several cheap parts in the hopes of finding a "gem in the rough" usually totals up to what a quality unit would cost in the end. Hang on to a few coins now and settle, or do it full bore and never have to buy another one. There is always a trade-off somewhere.

HTC1

[Deleted]

Maybe you are right, i'll try to contact Callaham as well. BTW if you listen to GFS vs Callaham vs KGC demos and reviews, the differences are hardly audible. For me to give 50 euros and gain 1 second in sustain, means a lot. To give another 100 euros to gain an additional 0.5 second, not so much, especially for a guitar worth 250 euros in the first place. Wouldn't you agree?

[sumgai]

May 2, 2013 2:14:59 GMT -5 @pyrros said:

BTW if you listen to GFS vs Callaham vs KGC demos and reviews, the differences are hardly audible.

Now you know why I hold in high disdain any audio/video clips to be found on the Internet - the total experience (recording facilities, web, computer capabilities, speakers or headphones, etc.) is simply and completely out of control - there's no way to ensure that what I heard during recording it is what you'll hear upon playback. Depending on such samples for buying decisions is tantamount to flying to the moon in a Cessna - attempting such will bring one to a rude awakening!

For me to give 50 euros and gain 1 second in sustain, means a lot. To give another 100 euros to gain an additional 0.5 second, not so much, especially for a guitar worth 250 euros in the first place. Wouldn't you agree?

Nope, I don't agree. You have gone so far beyond the monetary value of the guitar that it's no longer even ridiculous. What you are doing now is chasing after a dream, and there's no way to pin a drachma value on that. IOW, the chances of you being able to sell the axe for all the money you put into it is virtually null and void. If you were to sell, you'd have to market the guitar as "A Dream Come True", or some such. But then again, if you've realized your dreams, then it's not likely you're going to sell it anyway, right?

Then why worry about the cost of things? (Yes, you have other obligations that depend on your wallet, but I'm assuming that you aren't robbing from those obligations in the first place, that the portion of your budget dedicated to your dreams/guitars is large enough to get the job done.) Above all, no matter what something costs, and no matter how many people say that it's the best thing since sliced women, it's your dream, and you'll have to decide what your dreams are worth to you.

In short, it's time to re-assess your priorities, and plan accordingly.

HTH





sumgai

[Deleted]

SG, momentarily i acted as a receiver to your wavelength. I fully get your point. I already emailed Callaham, waiting for a quotation. Point is, if i dont like their trem, i am gonna feel like a complete idiot. They are not the most eager seller around, to answer questions, to promptly accept a return, etc... Its not any dream actually. just an ordinary alder body strat, with an ordinary scalloped chinese neck, which i was lucky enough to fit together (after almost ruining my other strat). reverted most of the changes. No more GFS block, no more HSS pickguard, no more dimarzio superdistorion, just an HS-3 in the bridge, in the same old cheapo SSS configuration, with the cheapo zinc bridge. Given the recipe, anyone can do it. Nothing special. I almost was ready to scrap it back in September, and buy one proper Gibson LP (finally got the ibanez LP-style) and one strat deluxe (which i never got). So, in the lack of proper fender, i sent the two strats to the home boy for refret. Finally he refretted only the Aria strat (and now it is very very good), while he just dressed the scalloped partscaster. And both were , well, decent. Its not any piece of art, nothing like e.g. what Candyflipper did. Nothing to brag about. Anyway, lets see, all this obsession looks like an exageration, today i got home by 16:00 (first time in a year or so), spent some time home, and felt like certain obsessions would be absent in the case of a more normal life-style.

Any way, since the Easter is right near, tomorrow is the Big Friday (Christ's crucifixion), i wanna wish everybody happy Easter!

BTW, the tune of the orthodox easter would become a very big dark-black metal hit!! It is so mean!!



See you guys next week.

[Deleted]

Just checked out super-vee again, after Cyn1's post in Lutherie section, and i must say, its very nicely designed. I was blown away by their design being adaptable to every possible strat screw spacing. Definitely worth checking out.
Also the 2.1 inches spacing sounds just right.
www.super-vee.com/products.html

[Deleted]

Cyn1,
just a question about super-vee's tremolo arm. I saw it acts as a cylinder to house a special rod which is then tightened with a screw on the bottom of the tremolo block.




Since i use to bring a guitar out of its case, play for a while and then store it back immediately, is this possible to do with the super-vee? Can i attach and detach the trem arm (excluding the tightening of the bottom block screw) fast enough? Or do i have to work on the block screw every time i wanna play/store the guitar?

[cynical1]

May 16, 2013 3:55:12 GMT -5 @pyrros said:

Cyn1,
just a question about super-vee's tremolo arm. I saw it acts as a cylinder to house a special rod which is then tightened with a screw on the bottom of the tremolo block.



Since i use to bring a guitar out of its case, play for a while and then store it back immediately, is this possible to do with the super-vee? Can i attach and detach the trem arm (excluding the tightening of the bottom block screw) fast enough? Or do i have to work on the block screw every time i wanna play/store the guitar?

What you're looking at is the tensioner adjusting screw for the bar. It does just what it says, it allows you to set the desired tension on the bar from floppy to firm. What you don't see in that picture is the tensioner ring lock screw



It's a 5/32" allen socket screw that keeps the tension adjusting screw from going out of adjustment if you take the arm out frequently.

Once the tension is set and the lock ring is in place all you should have to do is screw the arm in and out. No need to open the back of the guitar to do it.

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[Deleted]

Brilliant idea. Very well explained by Cyn1. Thanx.

[Deleted]

Hello, I was almost a breath away from clicking the "Buy" button for the Super-vee bladerunner, which from most reviews seems to be a very good tremolo bridge, when in stumped upon : www.wudtone.com/ , and especially : www.wudtone.com/category/hardware/ . Anyone had any experience with those? Block + plate + hardware + Callaham saddles will cost me about 145 GBP (170 Euros) = (224 USD). Same final price as the super-vee bladerunner. Any thoughts?

PS

Ooopss now i noticed Banjo had mentioned wudtone before

[cynical1]

Final thoughts...hmmmm Where to begin...

Over the past few decades I've installed a lot of stuff on a lot of guitars and basses. Some were good, some were not so good. Some companies went out of business...and some should have... Having seen my share of things, I have my own standards and parts I use on my personal instruments.

You already know my proclivity towards Schaller.

As to Fender aftermarket trems... I've seen a lot of them. Some show slight improvements, others make you scratch your head. While I've never installed the Super-Vee trem it hits me as the most logical and brilliant fix to the original Leo device's inherent known issues. The Callaham is a nice unit and would be my first choice if I was happy with the Leo design. Babicz makes a nice "full contact" unit as well. But again, if it were my guitar, I'd opt for the Super-Vee.

I looked at the Wudtone device, and while it's an improvement on the Leo design, it doesn't impress me enough to buy one. you still have the same issue of a friction pivot point that will vary over time and use. I did like the idea of a steel block, and the hardened steel they used in the bridge.

Final thoughts are.

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[sumgai]

'dude,

I can safely say that this product is a solution looking for a problem. Or to be more blunt about it, it's all snake oil and feldergarb. All they really did was tranfer the pivot point from the screw-head's outer edge (the rim) to the shaft itself. No definitive improvement there.  In fact, the previously mentioned Points Tremolo does do it right in that regard, they just eliminate the screws entirely!

In point of fact, unless one screws down the bridge-to-body screws tightly, then the bridge plate itself rides up inder the rim of the screw heads. But such tightening reduces vibrato action, or even eliminates it entirely... so the screws are left loose. In turn, this means that if the screws aren't all tightened to the same distance above the wood (or to be more accurate, above the shiny side of the bridge plate), then only two of them are going to be doing the job of holding the bridge in place as it's wobbled about by the arm. We've discussed this before, I'm sure.

Loosening the screws enough to keep the bridge plate from contacting the rim at all, meaning that the knife edges contact only the screw shaft throughout the travel distance, definitely improves the plate-to-body energy transfer factor, which usually improves the tone, acoustically speaking. Not always the case, but more often than not. But loosening those screws can also let the bridge "get out of position" such that the strings don't remain in tune after being yanked up and down a few times.

It's a fine tuning kind of thing. Like 4real, I like a floating bridge, so I purposely leave my screws loose, compared to the standard setup. And even there, I can see that the screw heads are still making most of the contact with the bridge plate, though I can't determine how much of the total contact is the head and how much is the knife edge against the shaft.

I think it's going to boil down the quality of the materials more than anything else. You can do, and are doing, your own setups until they seem natural... quick and easy, and always correct - for your needs. That last is important - what you want/like may not be appropriate for another player, I know that you already know this little fact too. But as in anything else in NutzLand, beauty is in the art of compromise. If you want this, you may have to give up on that, and so it goes. I'm sure that you'll eventually hit on the right combination of parts and installtion specs, but in the meantime, it's not gonna be a walk in the park for your wallet.

If I had to caution you about one thing, it'd be this: Everyone hears things differently, and interprets them according to one's wishes, personal agenda, ego, etc. This holds especially true for guitars and the parts that go into them. No one else's ears are likely to perceive identically to you the tone/sounds given off by some particular piece of equipment, whether it be a pickup, a Tone Block, or whatever. Don't get overly excited every time you read "OMG, this is the shizznitz!", 'cause it ain't.

HTH





sumgai

[Deleted]

Guys thanx, after we return to our house and get back to the tools, first i gotta get done with the carvin locking nut project, after that, i gotta make that strat gain a little bit more sustain, by fitting a better trem. I will do reviews of everything. For now supervee takes the lead again.

Just checked, supervee bladerunner and callaham are both priced at 143 GBP. Arghhhh.... i dont know... which one will increase sustain better?

[sumgai]

Jun 22, 2013 0:11:33 GMT -5 @pyrros said:

... which one will increase sustain better?

Far be it from me to throw oil on a fire, but.... why is it that players who can pick a string 300 times per seceond want infinite sustain?


If I was to choose one over the other, I think I'd go with sustain. In which case, I'd bone up on how to use an E-Bow. That doesn't preclude the use of hammer-ons for dazzlilng runs, but it does make tapping a wee bit more challenging.

HTH




sumgai

[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2013 1:20:47 GMT -5 sumgai said:

Far be it from me to throw oil on a fire, but.... why is that players who can pick a string 300 times per seceond want infinite sustain?

I guess it must be some kind of assurance that the instrument is indeed worthy.


So??? Cyn1, SG, whats the verdict all steel vintage Callaham or modern-age Super-vee ? What's better for sustain, judging from your inner guts knowledge accumulated after 10(0)s years of experience?

[ux4484]

I'm a no-vote on which trem to get, but I have bought and installed Super Vee, Wilkinson, and Callaham products. I (or the guys I installed them for) have never been dissapointed.
Of the bridges, there is something that strikes me about the Super Vee as more solid/sturdy. Their hard tail bridges are monuments.

[Deleted]

Thanx Ux. I think I am pulling the trigger for the super-vee. Why? Because if the sustain issue is solved then I am set. If not, then before looking to treat the system elsewhere, in its next bottleneck, at least I will know that I have a better tremolo system, more modern, more solid, and even if I throw this guitar away, i will still have the super-vee.

[Deleted]

I ordered super-vee bladerunner 6-screw. After i gain access to my house/tools/time again, i will first try to finish drilling/screwing the Carvin's locking nut first. After that I will deal with the super-vee for the blue partscaster (the one in the avatar), and i will also include detailed review. I will leave the pups upgrade for the partscaster (if i can resist that long) for next year.

[JFrankParnell]

Jun 22, 2013 1:20:47 GMT -5 sumgai said:

Far be it from me to throw oil on a fire, but....

well... not *that* far!

[jojoguitar]

Jun 29, 2013 2:33:11 GMT -5 jojoguitar said:

Jun 21, 2013 19:39:54 GMT -5 sumgai said:

'dude,

"I can safely say that this product is a solution looking for a problem. Or to be more blunt about it, it's all snake oil and feldergarb. All they really did was tranfer the pivot point from the screw-head's outer edge (the rim) to the shaft itself. No definitive improvement there.  In fact, the previously mentioned Points Tremolo does do it right in that regard, they just eliminate the screws entirely!

In point of fact, unless one screws down the bridge-to-body screws tightly, then the bridge plate itself rides up inder the rim of the screw heads.  "

HI Sumgai, not sure what you have been reading, but I don't think you have understood the Wudtone product, if that is what you are referring to. 

I looked at trem options ( to upgrade a mex strat) recently and I could only find two products which claimed to help tuning stability of a 6 screw. ( I really don't like the tone of two point trems ), the Supervee Bladerunner or Wudtone Constant Pivot Trem. Of course , I read lots about Callaham and looked at it. Although it is nicely engineered, it seems to be too similar to the original ( with plenty of forum posts about it having the same tuning issues).

Anyway, quite a few Bladerunner fans on forums. Not much found about the Wudtone product (some negative opinion without experience , small amount of good feedback from actual users) . So unsure I took the plunge and bought both, Supervee and a Wudtone ( with UK distance selling regs whichever I didn't like was going back anyway).

Both are great pieces of engineering. SuperVee ( from Madison and Fifth) cost £137.10, Wudtone Cost £94.70 .

Main, immediately noticeable difference is the weight, the Supervee Bladerunner weighed 233 grams, the Wudtone weighed 452grams (that is a big difference mainly due to the block)

Fitted the Wudtone first using existing screws, tightened to just touch the top surface when flat. A shim goes under the plate for it to sit on. Had to lower the saddles a little to get action back to correct height as the shim/plate combo is a little thicker but no big deal. Instant difference in acoustic volume, clarity , sustain, kinda enlarged the guitar sound but it still sounded like the same guitar. Big improvement in sustain. Felt very smooth and precise like a slightly damped 2 post. Kept tune no matter how much I abused it. Having seen it, I get why design stays in tune, clues in the "constant pivot" name.  

Then fitted the Supervee, the screws supplied with the Supervee are a bit undersize and so I had to plug the holes to get a tight fit but no big deal. Again noticeable improvement with no tuning problems. It did change the character of the guitars tone though ( I think this is down to the light alloy block and saddles). The Supervee felt stiffer to use than the Wudtone and it also had some of that really annoying slack in the arm. Having looked, the threads are right up to the top of the block,. there is a spring underneath ( in the hollow arm). There is always going to be ( like with fender blocks) some slack in threads when an arm is fitted this way. I think Supervee need to adopt some kind of bushing like in the Wudtone 1018 steel block. Anyway both are great products, buy both and see which you prefer because they are different in their approach/feel in use / look and also the way they affect the sound of the guitar.

I'm several gigs into using this Wudtone constant pivot bridge. I don't think of it as a boutique upgrade more essential component to enable me to play the guitar as I want to. I know many folks think they can keep the original ones / Wilkinsons / Callahams in tune. I couldn't. I am using a bridge now where I don't have to worry / think about about tuning / set up etc or compromise my playing. That is to me is well worth the admission price, regardless of the value of the guitar.

So from experience now, I would say the Wudtone product offers an extraordinary improvement in tuning stability / tone and for a lot less money. Visually ( arm with tip) etc it all looks right to me aswell.

The Supervee is also a great product but it is relatively stiff to use, has a different tone ( lets face it the saddles / block are cheap ), looks more modern and so didn't visually fit on a re-issue mex strat.

A couple of other minor but relevant differences in the packages as supplied.

The Bladerunner included 3 springs
The Wudtone includes 4
The Bladerunner didn't include any claw mounting screws, the Wudtone included two stainless steel screws ( same thread as their neck screws but with smaller heads. 

The Wudtone gave me the tuning stability, tone enhancements I was looking for.

[Deleted]

nice review jojo! thanx. I was indeed worried about the weight of the super-vee and i read a lot of reviews on the matter. Most concluded that this specific block material worked for better sustain, and if you look at the price difference with the block upgrades steel/brass that super-vee provide as upgrade offers, it is only 20 USD cheaper. Most ppl claimed that the use of those saddles and block are not due to cost cuts but rather actual tone. But you know first hand, i am sure. Lets wait till i get mine and put it to do some work

[jojoguitar]

Jun 29, 2013 6:10:18 GMT -5 @pyrros said:

nice review jojo! thanx. I was indeed worried about the weight of the super-vee and i read a lot of reviews on the matter. Most concluded that this specific block material worked for better sustain, and if you look at the price difference with the block upgrades steel/brass that super-vee provide as upgrade offers, it is only 20 USD cheaper. Most ppl claimed that the use of those saddles and block are not due to cost cuts but rather actual tone. But you know first hand, i am sure. Lets wait till i get mine and put it to do some work

no worries, I suspect I was / still am less inclined to accept claims about, cheap light alloys. That is why I tried both to find out for myself. There was nothing to lose apart from a bit of time. I'm glad I took the time to know for sure.  The upcharge to customise with steel block and saddles for a Bladerunner appears to be $40 (block) $40 (Callaham saddles) The cynic in me thought that an $80 upcharge for steel suggested the saddles and the block supplied as standard, were more to do with cost/ price point than a sustain, tone product and the proof of the pudding was in the eating so to speak. 

[Deleted]

Jun 29, 2013 18:48:04 GMT -5 jojoguitar said:

Jun 29, 2013 6:10:18 GMT -5 @pyrros said:

nice review jojo! thanx. I was indeed worried about the weight of the super-vee and i read a lot of reviews on the matter. Most concluded that this specific block material worked for better sustain, and if you look at the price difference with the block upgrades steel/brass that super-vee provide as upgrade offers, it is only 20 USD cheaper. Most ppl claimed that the use of those saddles and block are not due to cost cuts but rather actual tone. But you know first hand, i am sure. Lets wait till i get mine and put it to do some work

no worries, I suspect I was / still am less inclined to accept claims about, cheap light alloys. That is why I tried both to find out for myself. There was nothing to lose apart from a bit of time. I'm glad I took the time to know for sure.  The upcharge to customise with steel block and saddles for a Bladerunner appears to be $40 (block) $40 (Callaham saddles) The cynic in me thought that an $80 upcharge for steel suggested the saddles and the block supplied as standard, were more to do with cost/ price point than a sustain, tone product and the proof of the pudding was in the eating so to speak. 

i guess you got some issues with your arithmetic here:

lets go here : www.super-vee.com/order.php and scroll down to the brass/steel/Sustainium block section :

Shorty Super-Vee Sustainium
Tone Block
A short block to fit comfortably inside the thinner body Squiers and other thin body Strat clones : 50 USD
Made with the same amalgam material as our standard block

Brass Tone Block
A solid bell quality brass tone block for traditionalists: 60 USD

Carbon Steel Tone Block : 70 USD.

some notes, devided into two categories : a) lexicographical, b) purely arithmetic

a) lexicographical : Would super-vee tag a material as "sustainiac" if it was to have less sustain than ordinary steel?
b) the price difference between the shorty sustainiac and the steel version are 20 USD. Now, given that the "shorty" has actually less material to accommodate into smaller/thinner guitars also means that it has less mass in it, right? If we assume lets say 15% less depth in it, then it should have 15% less mass than the full size and if mass is analogous to price that would make the original block be priced at about 50 / 0.85 ~ 60 USD. So the difference in price between the original block and the super duper steel one would be the unreal amount of ... 10 USD. and not .... 40 as you try to present here. Something more. The price of the full size sustainiac amalgam would be on par with the brass block right? Guess what, brass is the most common FR tremolo block upgrade. Oooppsss, what seemed to be the "light-cheapo" thing, now seems to be rather an upgrade right? Funny those word-plays with buzz words and with some price cooking it makes for the absolute marketing weapon!, ain't it so?


Now about the callaham saddles trick. Wudtone charge +33 GBP for Callaham saddles, as well, which means this is not in the standard offering, and in case you paid 91 pound as you wrote, then the Callaham was not part of it. You presented it as if Wudtone came with "upgraded" saddles, or in any case with *better* saddles than the bladerunner. So, the pitfals here are two :
1) we dont know how much better are those callaham saddles with regard to the stock bladerunner,
and even if we did,
2) we dont know how much better are the wudtone saddles than the stock bladerunner's, since we know nothing about them (and certainly they are not callaham)

Finally, i see you try to attach the term "cheap" every time you try to spell the word "alloy" or the word "light". Heck, is always "light" and/or alloy expected to be cheap? I just dont take your whole logic. Would a company sell a product for a premium price, advertising it as improving sustain, and even have non-paid endorsers like Eric Johnson (who plays with the original block btw), and compromise quality in terms of cost? It does not make the slightest sense.

BTW,

Another point : Fender chose zinc block as well for several premium products in their product line. I have a rather big zinc (non magnetic) trem/block in the other strat and it sustains like hell... So the theory that Zinc == cheap == light == bad tone ... is just flawed.

PS

now seriously, you didn't do a proper feedback/harmonics test. One of the reasons i chose super-vee bladerunner was the reviews i read on the feedback. I hope it sustains well.

[jojoguitar]

no lets scroll down a bit to here  www.super-vee.com/CustomShop/BladeRunner/orderCustomBladeRunner.php  and you'll see I don't have a problem with my maths.  

I understand some folks are good at believing in believing but really , 

"re a) lexicographical : Would super-vee tag a material as "sustainiac" if it was to have less sustain than ordinary steel? "

don't ask me ask their marketeers. The answer will be equally biased, irrelevant and meaningless as the terms conjured up. I have / would choose to ask my own ears.  

re logic, the cost including of the Wudtone bridge with a 1018 cold steel block and Callaham saddles is less than the cost of the Bladerunner with standard ( yes having seen, tried I view them as cheap) light alloy block and saddles, regardless of the sustainic marketing bulls??t.  If you, like me, like the tone of steel, ( I know EJ does) , it seems it will cost you another $80 extra.
  
chrs