upgrading my MIM strat tremolo

[vasudeva55]

i really want something more versatile and better sounding than the stock MIM bridge. im really interested in a double-locking, but anything better than what i have now would be great. im really not afraid to route the body, as long as its not TOO excessive (the body is painted an orange psycedelic swirl, and i dont want to ruin it. im not afraid of some routing though.

there are a few different directions ive been looking into.

originally i was thinking about going for an original floyd rose model, but i know how much of a pain in the *** it can be. plus, part of my playing style is using double stops quite a bit, so i dont want this to be comprimised.

then someone reccomended the ibanez zr ball bearing trem to me. i posted on here about it couple days ago, and i was told it was very expensive and there would be alot of routing to be done. would it be cheaper if i were to contact ibanez about it instead of a middle-man? also, exactly how much routing would be required?

ive also been looking at the callaham MIM upgrade. check it out here (http://www.callahamguitars.com). i was gonna get the premium package, which includes everything except the base plate. this would be good because i wouldnt have to worry about 1. everything lining up, 2. any routing, and 3. messing with the paintjob. im not sure if it will be as versitile as i would like, double-locking really appeals to me.

kahler is another one ive been looking at. still not sure.

any reccomendations? comments? warnings? anything at all would be fantastic.

[vasudeva55]

btw, i tried to set up a link to callaham's website. it didnt work, so here it is.

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

also, i forgot to mention. my guitar has steinberger gearless locking tuners. check it out here.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Steinberger_Gearless_Tuners.html

would these tuners eliminate the need for installing a new locking nut?

[FortePenance]

Ok. Well, a ZR tremolo is almost completely differently routed than normal Floyd Roses or Strat-style bridges and will be a massive bollocker to do. Floyd and Kahler's are a bit simpler to convert but IMO are still real b*tches to work with. IMO, you best go for the Callaham.

As for Steinberger tuners, no, that wouldn't work as well I think. Nowhere near as secure as a locking nut.

[vasudeva55]

are there no alternatives to a locking nut? thats not really the make-or-break for me, i'm just interested in a simpler solution.

at this point ive narrowed it down to the callaham mexican strat upgrade or the floyd rose.

on the floyd rose website, there is the original floyd rose and the floyd rose pro. whats the difference? is one better?

[Strat Kid]

Yeah I want to know this too.

Would a luthier install a locking trem and nut on my Strat?

[FortePenance]

I remember mjshailes(?) linked to a after-market locking nut designed especially for strats. Ofc, a luthier would remove the nut and install a locking for you (likewise for the bridge), it's just a bit of a hassle innit.

@Vasudeva: Chris Broderick's custom Ibanez has a floating tremolo but just a graphite nut. Maybe it'd work like that? I dunno, I once did a full divebomb on my guitar with the nut unlocked and it came back to perfect pitch. :)