The Callaham Machine Shop

What separates us from other boutique and major manufacturers is our machine shop. Many of the so called "boutique" hardware companies do not own a single piece of equipment and rely on a friend who is a machinist to make the parts in their spare time. This is why they never have anything in stock. The worst are the guys who maybe have some equipment but take your money and never send you parts.

Our shop is dedicated to the string instrument industry. We do everything from custom prototypes, small production runs, specialized tooling and one off parts. Most "custom items" are simple enough to make that we can generally turn them around in a few days. These items include special studs for ABR-1's, Tele control plates with custom hole locations, and custom number neck plates. Naturally, we make custom blocks. However, they are expensive; A one-off custom block will cost $150-$180. Parts that will need plating will take longer. We generally send plating every two weeks, so these parts take four weeks.

Face view of a custom PRS styled bridge that has vintage strat mounting, but with 2 1/8 string spacing.

Rear view of a custom PRS styled bridge that has vintage strat mounting, but with 2 1/8 string spacing.

The machine shop charge is $35.00, and labor can range from $70.00 - $100.00 per hour. We prefer to have mechanical drawings; otherwise you will be charged an engineering fee which will vary based on difficulty.

Inquiries should be sent via e-mail.

Close up view of a custom offset ABR-1 stud with a custom spherical thumbwheel. Offset studs allow installation on guitars with stud spacing different from stock Gibson stud spacing, or allow proper bridge location for intonation. Spherical thumbwheels are used in conjunction with BIGSBY equipped instruments.

This is a cut down American Standard Tele and allows for multiple uses with Humbuckers, P-90's, etc. Most body makers offer the American Standard Tele mounting as an option. This was a great idea from one of our custom builders.

The easier you make our job, the better the price. But remember that it is hard to do just about anything in less than an hour. Machines have to be set up, and once the part is made, the machines need to be cleaned. Most parts will also require cleaning of their own, and also polishing. So even very simple parts will typically take a minimum of one hour of work.

A close up view of a custom engraving done for Beard Guitars.

Side view of a custom slide for Beard Guitars.

We are happy to try to quote just about anything, but there are jobs that are not economical. A one off 7-string ABR-1 is do-able, but will cost over $1000.00 for us to just break even. So don't be offended if I tell you that it is not economical.