80's charvel bass with kahler tremolo?

[beverlyvista]

Do we need a bass Kahler?

Well, I do, because I'm a total wanker on bass, wanting to outdo all solos by Jaco, and Entwistle, and Larry Graham and Jack Bruce (none of whom as far as I know, ever used bass whammys). I just don't quite get how they fit in with the bass's professed purpose -- propelling rhythmically a combo in conjuction with percussion. Can we play leads? Yup, we sure can. Should we be doing it in competition with say, guitars? Yeah, no reason why not, in many situations (trios, for instance), absolutely. Should we be doing it where we risk going out of tune (as your posts seem to indicate is a pretty good risk)?... I think it's a pretty darn limited utility in most band situations on a bass (my guitarists over the last 35 years would be lining up to hammer me if I'd used one) , and outside of the collectibility of a Kahler-equipped instrument, IMO, I don't think it's really worth it

[Chowderboots]

Well, it might not be worth it to you, but every time I pick up my Hamer with a Kahler on it, it makes my day.

If you pay attention to what you're doing and keep your bass (as one should in any case) in proper condition, keeping it in tune is no problem. Sometimes, the strings can bind in the nut, but there are ways to flix/avoid such problems (monitoring the spring/string tension, rubbing graphite in the nut slots/using a graphtech nut, removing obstructions such as string trees, etc).

The range on a bass tremolo is fantastic, the sound and great sustain it produces are pure gold, and it's not just a wanky tool for showing off (although it is DAMN good at that!). It allows you to bend any note up or down however much you please--it adds the ability to create a different flavor any time you want. You can use it to accent rhythm as well as melody...and isn't that what bass is all about? Holding rhythm in place while playing different tones? To me, it fits.

It's not for everyone and I understand if you don't dig the idea. For me, it's another opportunity and another way to express myself. And I love it, man!

I know John Entwistle used bass tremolos. He owned a few basses with tremolo systems since the mid 70s onwards, most of them being Alembics with Bigsbys, but a couple being Ibanezes or Alembics with Kahler tremolos. You can hear him use it in the bridge of "905" on Who Are You and other stuff. He does a cool dive bomb in Success Story on The Who By Numbers near the middle of the song as well.

To me, it's open territory. You can do with it what you want and that's all that I ask for.