Would a Kahler 3300 fit in a jt580 place?

[Milchy]

Would a Kahler 3300 fit in a jt580(lp) place on a Jackson kelly? Did anyone try ? What other Kahler model options do I have?

[straycat]

The killer model would fit if you want a trem.The 3300 is a fixed bridge.
Just block the 580 LP if you don't use it.

[Frigo89]

a Steeler should fit. I was under the impression that the Killer had a narrower post spacing?

[Ron Burgundy]

You can use these, but it seems like an aesthetic no-no for some people. Personally, I like the industrial look:

http://www.wammiworld.com/Adaptor plates.php

Instead of blocking my JT580LP on my WRMG, I replaced it with a Kahler tremolo because I LOVE KAHLERS and I can't stand Floyds. It's just what I prefer.

Here's a picture of the plate placed on top of the JT580LP to give you an idea of how it works:



Sure, you'll be left behind with the 'Floyd void' but it would be completely unseen. Also, you'll get to use a 3300 with no fuss.

P.S. I have no 'after' pics because I'm going to collect my guitar from the luthier later today.

[Axegrinder87]

A buddy of mine replaces all of his Floyds with Kahlers. He has a local luthier plug everything with maple.

[slayer]

I prefer Kahler Pros over Floyds as well. Palm muting is better and just feels more solid and I prefer the cam action. That been said, I have a special affection for non-recessed original Floyds as well.

[84sups]

The steeler will be a direct replacement as well as OFRs. No mod or wood working need to be done to install them.

[HM Stratocaster]

Dude! Don't do it! I tried to replace my stock tremolo with a Kahler and it was a nightmare! I was thinking all the same things you're probably thinking now. Like "Man I just want to be able to rest my hand, and do pull ups without having to raise my action and yadda yadda." You WILL have to modify you guitar's body to install a Kahler. This will ruin the resale value of your guitar. I am a wood worker so this seemed like not a big deal to me, and it really wasn't. The problem was that their flat-mount vibratos don't have the ability to go low enough to get good action unless you countersink the entire vibrato. This inevitably is what Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains had to do on his G&L guitar. You can find pictures of it. Also if you get the saddle lowering kit it makes the saddles so low that the Kahler can't stay in tune because --for one-- the strings will flop out of the saddles when you dive bomb, the strings hit the intonation and height screws so it makes your guitar sound like sitar, and the rollers will rattle because there's not enough pressure on them!

If it's a tuning stability problem. Do yourself a favor. Not a lot of people know this, but you can google and call the "Floyd Rose Marketing Inc." number and buy a Floyd Rose Pro and locking-nut directly from Floyd Rose. They will give you a lower price than any place your can find their parts/vibratos retail and you'll know it's genuine because you bought it directly from them! It's a direct drop-in replacement for the JT580LP.

The Floyd Rose Pro puts the fine tuners out of the way and you can rest your hand on it and it won't go sharp as easily as the JT580LP. If you're really concerned about price get the Floyd Rose Special, but I will warn you it is only half the tremolo that the FR-Pro is. Google it, it's made cheaper.

Now I'm not knocking on the Kahler. I LOVE the Kahlers as well as FR-Pro. The Kahler is really nice, it's just that you're going to have to do some major routing/filling to your guitar to get it to work correctly.

Sorry that was so long of a post! I just wanted you to be well informed and not have to go through what I had to!

-HM

[Axegrinder87]

The problem was that their flat-mount vibratos don't have the ability to go low enough to get good action unless you countersink the entire vibrato.

Orrrrrr add some neck angle with an easy shim job?

[HM Stratocaster]

Orrrrrr add some neck angle with an easy shim job?

You could do that if you have a quality piece of wood, but then you have to worry about it cracking because of climate change. If you're a touring musician this is a bigger problem. I also don't like the way that it feels while I'm playing. It also makes it harder to play the higher frets, and regardless, it will ruin the resale value of the guitar if you don't like the results. You still have to rout the body of the guitar even if you buy a stacker plate because the Floyd pocket isn't deep enough for the cam to allow pull ups. Also the stacker plate requires you to drill screws into the face of your guitar. So sure you could buy a Kahler Pro for 300, buy a stacker plate for 30 then find a quality piece of wood to shim the neck for a few bucks or even pay a professional to install it on your guitar for 175 bucks, but by then you're $505 dollars in and you could have just bought a new guitar by selling your old one and using the money.

Not worth it.

-HM

[Axegrinder87]

You could do that if you have a quality piece of wood, but then you have to worry about it cracking because of climate change. If you're a touring musician this is a bigger problem

What the hell are you talking about? How does shimming a neck lead to climate induced cracking? And where does wood quality come into play? Am I seriously missing something here?

[84sups]

Lol my old USA Jackson had a shim in the neck and it was there for a very long time. Had a small ebony shim in there. May have been put in there from the factory or not. The body never cracked and it sustained better than my old Carvin DC400 neck through.

[HM Stratocaster]

What the hell are you talking about? How does shimming a neck lead to climate induced cracking? And where does wood quality come into play? Am I seriously missing something here?

Calm down guys hahaha, I mean the shim it self! If you put a cheap ass piece of plywood or whatever you can find to shim the neck it will be prone to shrinking/cracking/expanding. I repair guitars and I see this all the time. A nice Jackson/Rich/whatever else will come in and and at the neck joint the shim will have shrunk/cracked/expanded (mostly shrunk) and needs a replacement to play nice. I've seen a lot of factory indian rosewood shims do this over time.

@84sups Ebony qualifies as a quality shim. It's not a wonder that your guitar was fine. Ebony is probably the best thing to put in there. It's a very hard wood and temperature/moisture/climate change have almost no effect on it without being finished. This is also why it makes a great choice for a fretboard wood!

[Axegrinder87]

it sustained better than my old Carvin DC400 neck through.

I try to tell people all the time, but nobody wants to shut their mouths, open their minds, and listen. Bolt-on doesn't mean NO FUCKING SUSTAIN!

[HM Stratocaster]

I try to tell people all the time, but nobody wants to shut their mouths, open their minds, and listen. Bolt-on doesn't mean NO FUCKING SUSTAIN!

AGREED! My good friend!!!! Yet the misconception still remains.