JT6 to Khaler Trem Conversion

[jtr]

You mean the allen set screw in the middle of the cam?

[MadJack]

Saw on another thread only 300 M5fx's were made. Truth? BTW this modification is all hypothetical. I have an M5 neck thru, Khalered '86.I want 3 more...M5a, M5fx and a M6. I can buy an '86 M6 with a Khaler, right? The M5a...with a Khaler...maybe. The M5fx? I read in another post they only made 300 starting after the JT6 switch. Truth? Did they make M5a's in '86...M5fx's? How many are out there? Would I have to butcher an M5fx to have four khalered neck-thrus. If I wanted to, could it be done? How difficult would the mod. be? Would it be sinful to do that to a rare gem of a guitar? Would it be more logical to fit it with an original floyd? What are the odds of finding those three guitars...black like the one I have...with black brass Khalers. I saw the black M5fx that just sold for $450.00. Was that worth $450.00 with the holes and the headstock damage? The add called it a 9 or 9.5. If thats true, mine M5's an 11! I would have bought it if I knew they only came with JT6's and that there was only 299 other chanches to own one and it was black!
I could... !!! I know there are others out there without screw holes and mash marks. At four fifty BIN, I thought "get real". Try again next month and I'll buy it for $225.00. Looked like a major piece of shit to me. Oh well. should be 50 or 60 more out there somewhere. Where was I? Oh yeah, 4 black khalered neck-thrus...am I dreaming???

[straycat]

He lost me with that last post.Yes 300 5fxs is all they made.I personally would never hack up a 5fx for that matter hack up any neck thru model series Charvel.There are plenty of 86s with Kahlers out there just keep looking.
Kids these days have such short attention spans and want everything RIGHT NOW! Be patient you will find one.

[dg]

To answer the rest of your question, they only made the 5A & 5FX in '88, so there are none to be had with Kahlers.

[MadJack]

I wouldn't dream of hacking up a neck thru. I wanted to know if 5a's and/or 5fx's came with khalers. If they didn't, is the modification possible?
Thanks for answering most of my questions. I still want to know, if they're are only 300 fx's would I "ruin" 1 by modifying it for the better? If I owned one, should it even be played? BTW this is still theoretical. I'm looking for a '86 M6, to play the shit out of, not hang in a display case. The M5a and the M5fx would be nice if they fell into my lap but only as part of a neck thru collection. Honestly I'd rather have a king v.

[Sanctuary]

If you're so intent on this, then why not buy a few '86 Model Sixes and hack them up to create a M5A, M5FX clone etc...? Probably an easier option since you're only dealing with pickup routing rather than the swimming pool they call the JT6.

[RacerX]

...or just get a King V

[Sanctuary]

...or just get a King V

[MadJack]

Curiosity killed the cat...
I being the ozzy-esque veteran rope smoker that I am should have refrained from typing while semi-fried. I sincerely apologize for not expressing myself concisely. I was only curious about the modification.
There are a number of people here who would know better than anyone the extent one would have to go to actually do it.
I learned alot by asking the wrong question(s) though.

I know I'll never find an FX with an original Khaler and that there were only 300 made, at least in '88. Were they made any other years? If so, how many?

M5a's were not mentioned. How many years were they made and how many. Any made in '86?

As for butchering any neck thru...I wouldn't dare. If I am ever lucky enough to find the right M6 at the right price, I will cherish it with every fiber of my being changing nothing but strings.

I got very little feedback about the JT6 trems and am both surprised and disappointed. I guess I could start a new thread...

"JT6 trems: Dandy or Dogshit?"

As far as a King V...I'd prefer to have a pair as opposed to finding the 5a and 5fx.

I had a (cannibis induced) vision: 4 '86's w/khalers; M5 + M5a + M5fx + M6. Looks like the epitome of "the impossible dream"

[dg]

The 5A was only made in '88 as well. All 5 FXs started out as 5As and were actually routed for the neck pickup here in the states in Ft. Worth.

WRT to the JT-6, the design isn't that bad but it's made with inferior materials. IMO, life's too short to mess around with them when it's so easy to drop in an OFR and get better performance, not to mention better tone & sustain, to my ears anyway. The Model Series guitars can be had for cheap, but they are definitely worth the investment to upgrade the bridge & the pickups.

[Budman68]

The 5A was only made in '88 as well. All 5 FXs started out as 5As and were actually routed for the neck pickup here in the states in Ft. Worth.

WRT to the JT-6, the design isn't that bad but it's made with inferior materials. IMO, life's too short to mess around with them when it's so easy to drop in an OFR and get better performance, not to mention better tone & sustain, to my ears anyway. The Model Series guitars can be had for cheap, but they are definitely worth the investment to upgrade the bridge & the pickups.

well said, my friend -

[TommyD]

JT6 to Kahler Trem Conversion

> I agree with what DG said,the JT-6 would be an awesome trem,IF it was made with higher-quality materials. I'm a machinist student,and have taken a closer look at my JT-6 than most people care to,and the metals used are about 2 steps better than potmetal. If someone were to make the exact same parts out of 300 or 400 series stainless steel for example,it would weight about 4 ounces pound more,vibrate/sustain more,and kick serious ass. The biggest reason the original Floyd is so favored is because of the high quality tool steels used to make it,or at least what they were made with originally. I've even considered making a trem,combining the best feature of the JT-6,which is the saddle height compensated baseplate,the same tool steel body as the original Floyd,with the baseplate milled as thick as the Schaller appears to be on the sides,but isn't. If I only make one,I can beat the copyright/patent infringement problems. On Kahler setup,I can't figure out why they never started milling out the top so the Kahler baseplate was 1/8 or so below the surface,forcing you to jack the saddles up and create enough down-pressure for it to sound right. I had a G+L Rampage at one time,and it sounded like crap because of this. I made a maple cutout about .080 thick,and glued it to the bottom of the neck,and used it as a thick shim,jacked the saddles up about as high as they go,spent the money to upgrade the rollers to stainless,added the heavy spring and bar kit,and it sounded great. The only downside to it was the strings moved in the opposite direction than they do on a Floyd on divebombs,which is why Floyds sound so much better,because the pickups start trying to pull the strings in. Tommy D.

[MadJack]

very informative, thanks. I need my own bonghit gremlin

[Budman68]

I agree with what DG said,the JT-6 would be an awesome trem,IF it was made with higher-quality materials. I'm a machinist student,and have taken a closer look at my JT-6 than most people care to,and the metals used are about 2 steps better than potmetal. If someone were to make the exact same parts out of 300 or 400 series stainless steel for example,it would weight about 4 ounces pound more,vibrate/sustain more,and kick serious ass. The biggest reason the original Floyd is so favored is because of the high quality tool steels used to make it,or at least what they were made with originally. I've even considered making a trem,combining the best feature of the JT-6,which is the saddle height compensated baseplate,the same tool steel body as the original Floyd,with the baseplate milled as thick as the Schaller appears to be on the sides,but isn't. If I only make one,I can beat the copyright/patent infringement problems.

Interesting, you and I are on the same "path" in this area. I've also been playing around with this same idea as I like where the fine tuners are as well. A 316 SS (316L to be the ultimate) would be best since it's highly corrosive resistant.

MadJack, here you go:

[MadJack]

Killer! Can I save it somehow and use it?