Why is the the Kahler tremolo system so frowned upon out there???

[Accept2]

SIT used to make Kahler specific strings, and they were great. They also made Floyd specific strings. Never got to use them, but they probably worked great too. The Kahler ones were soldered and wrapped to give a tight saddle fit. The Floyd ones had a flat piece at the end I believe which would allow a tight saddle lock........

[AdRock]

Out of all the guitars I've ever played the Mahler equipped guitars always had tuning stability problem and/or just didn't feel very comfortable to use.

It all come down to preference. However it just seems that the Floyd has proved to be the best all round floating trem. Not to fussy, not a million parts, easy to adjust, very stable, and able to take repeated beatings and hold up damn well.

[Nightbat]

Looking back, I won't choose for a Kahler today for the reason they'll run off to their golf buddies the moment they see too little profit in their trems


BTW:
I never met an openminded bassplayer (gearwise)

[Snoogans]

I think that a lot of the problems with Kahler, aside from the locknut, stem from poor installation. Although perceived as a flat-mount unit, in many cases this didn't allow enough break angle over the saddle rollers. This results in lousy sustain, and a tendency for strings to jump the slots. I don't recall playing any Kahlered Jacksons, but I imagine that they will have been put together properly, with the appropriate neck angle or bridge recess.

[j2379]

to me its all feel and tone. Ive had Kahlered and floyded guitars, Kahlers (flatmounts) are easier to setup,they allow for more adjustments and are easily adjustable on the fly. all these adjustments come at a price, many moving pieces, lots of small allen head screws lots of parts to break, buzz and rattle. floyd, much harder to work on not adjustable on the fly not many parts that can rattle or come loose.

a floyd feel is similar to a floating Vtrem where a kahler feels like a spongy hardtail IMO.

IMO kahlers kill the highs and have a very distinct sound and feel, they seem to dull the attack and smooth the tone out. Im not a fan of kahlers but i usually have at least one guitar with a kahler since there are things kahlers can do that floyds just cant.

[Axewielder]

I thought they were flimsy in my day as to keeping the guitar in tune. they had a unique tone to them when cranked through cabinets, and when you played acoustically the guitar sounded like a banjo.

That's kind of interesting. I always thought that acoustically there is a "cluck" sound going on. I think we're saying the same thing. It's definitely there. Through an amp though, I can't say that I hear the banjo effect.

You can adjust the crap out of them, but it can be overkill. Sometimes you just want to kick up the low E side a bit, or lower the high E. One quick turn, bang you're done (with a Floyd). With the Kahler, you've got to visit all 6 saddles, 2 hex screws each. If you are not precise, you can throw off the radius and have a mismatch with the board. Argh!

[lepard]

Here's a guitar with a Kahler setup that has the feel and spring tension of a real Floyd. This is the only way I will deal with a Kahler. This 1985 Guild X-88 has the Kahler heavy spring and heavy bar conversion. If you look at the last pic, you can see that I used the spring tension adjustment to angle the back part of the trem further down into the cavity. The tighter(harder) you adjust the spring tension, the more the back part of the trem drops into the cavity. So basically, you just adjust the spring tension as far back as you can to where you can still use the fine tuners. I wish you all could play and feel this one. It really does feel like a Floyd. That heavy Floyd-like bar makes a big difference too. Please excuse the poor quality quickie cell phone pics.

[lepard]

Did some checking and found that the heavy spring and arm kit is no longer sold as a kit. You can however still by the springs and arm seperately. This will make a world of difference with a Kahler.

Springs: http://www.wammiworld.com/p8413.php
Arm: http://www.wammiworld.com/p8539.php

[Bert]

I like both. I have a San Dimas charvel with OFR, and 3 Sam Dimas Jacksons with Kahlers. I did install the heavy springs in all of the Kahlers, and I also use the D'addario EKXL strings which are reinforced specifically for Kahler trems. They are better than (unblocked) floyds for things like double stop bends.

[mr426]

Dude. That X88 kicks ass. Too young to fall in love. Hell yes....Anyway. Kahlers seem to choke my sustain too. I just unlocked one I had on a guiatar about two weeks ago and I do not like it at all.

[xenophobe]

I hate Kahlers with their weak springs and poor tuning stability.

^ nailed it right there.

[straycat]

Heavy spring kit is the way to go IMO and I tend to rock the fine tuner section lower too it puts more downward pressure on the rollers.
This guitar has no tuning issues at all you can dive pull up all you want it stays in tune perfectly.

[roodyrocker]

There is nothing wrong with a properly set up Kahler. I have them on a few Jacksons including a 24 fret custom shop Rhoads as well as my Strat Elite. They work just fine. I'm talking about the Kahler Pro and their fixed Kahler (3300) here.