Kahlers?

[Executioner213]

Anyone got em? What do you think of em?

Thinking of, eventually, buying an RG7321 (the new one in Blackberry Burst, check Ibanez.com) and installing a Kahler 7 bridge, along with new pups (possibly EMG's...possibly Blackouts) and locking tuners.

Why? Newer Kahlers apparently have the ability to be locked or floating, so you can choose what you need it to do at the turn of a screw.

I want some opinions here though, too...

 

[zakky]

i got a Kahler on my 1981 fender strat all i can say is its very smooth very light spring action

 

[slashvanyoung]

I think Kahlers are a good alternative to Floyds for people who have tuning issues with their Floyds due to applying to much pressure to the bridge. Or in other words: some people are constantly going a bit sharp because they rest their hands on the back of the bridge... Kahler trems/bridges are IME less prone to this (and I think that's exactly the reason why Slayer uses them).

So Kahlers are IMO good systems but not a worthwhile Floyd replacement if you don't have problems with using a Floyd (or you're not having a crappy licensed Floyd).

 

[deanbailey]

Yeah, if you don't have any problems with a floyd then it's no big deal.

However...I believe in efficiency and perfection . So I got a 7 string Kahler Hybrid in my custom.
The Whammy section isn't attached to the saddles so you can palm mute as hard as you like and the bridge won't dive unintentionally. Also the springs attached to the rotating whammy cam is attached the bottom of the bridge, which means you don't have to carve out all that precious wood in the back "Spring cavity" where the Floyd rose would. My Kahler carves out about 2cm into the top of the body only.

The saddles are fully adjustable up, down, left, right, back, forward, and the string rests on a roller instead of a blunt edge that could damage strings after long whammy usage.
Being the Hybrid it's adjustable to be floating or fixed

 

[16S]

there is an excellent floyd vs. kahler test on YouTube. Check it out. I would never want a kahler in my guitars.

 

[deanbailey]

*on my way to see the video*

The only problem i have with the kahler is that the Whammy bar sticks out a bit farther than standard floyd bars and feels weird to dive etc.
other than that, there were no tuning issues (literally not one) I could use the fine tuners to drop the tuning and the bridge wouldn't lift and throw out every string.

 

[16S]

^ thats not entirely true - if you down tune to big strings you have to change the bloody springs ( i had to do it on my friends gtr). Plus i hate the bar with that blob on the end it looks so fenderish....
If you are used to Floyds then the Kahler takes some getting use to as there is equal pressure through an entire dive bomb.

 

[Metaltastic]

All I can really contribute to this is that I think Kahlers are butt-ugly - but I can also be a function-over-form kinda guy, so if they're good, I'd reconsider!

 

[deanbailey]

Found them

Video 1:


Video 2:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K350onEl1o&feature=related[/ame]

Video 3:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U41FjfnWLSQ&feature=related[/ame]

Video 4:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwtmkJeyUkk&feature=related[/ame]

Perhaps it's just me, but I haven't experienced some of the problems he rated Kahler being poorer at. And I'd still choose Kahler over FR because of my current experience being a good one.
My tech who put my guitar together said the manual says you have to solder the ends too lol and I thought that was weird when I saw it.

@ 16S: Maybe I just either have great luck or a great tech lol, but on my 7 string (in B standard) in floating mode, I de-tune the 6th string to D (drop D) for some session bands, and the other strings are perfectly in tune. (perhaps that's because it's a minor adjustment)

 

[16S]

yeah i think you would get away with that. i had to do the change on a 6 string moser with a .56 tuned to C std.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

Bumping this thread to report my findings...

I'm a huge fan of Floyd Rose systems, but I've recently aquired a Kahler 2315 equipped ESP VN STD.
the guitar (and trem) is three years old and in perfect condition, the trem is set up perfectly, all the moving parts are moving freely, I've soldered the windings etc....
But I've also experienced the string-bend issue, you can dive and pull like crazy and the trem is as stable as a FR, but bending the strings knocked it out of tune....a wee dive after the bend took care of the problem...but I don't wanna have to dive all the time just so I can bend a string and then keep playing after that.
So I began to become really frustrated with the guitar....
Reading around on the web revealed that apparently the springs should be replaced every couple of years....so I thought I'd try and replace the springs, I bought new HEAVY TENSION springs from Kahlerparts.com and replaced the old springs with the new heavy ones today...
and know what?
all the issues are solved now...the Kahler holds tune PERFECTLY with dives, pulls as well as bendings, I can abuse it like crazy and don't have any tuning issues...just like a good Floyd Rose!

yes, the bending thing shown in the above video seems to be a common issue and you can find reports of that problem all over the net...most of it just people repeating what other people said though.
my first experiences where paralleling the findings in the video, so I believed it was true....simply changing the springs fixed that problem.

the Kahler is as stable as the FR, also for bends


here's proof

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSRLd9Z0nbw&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

 

[John_C]

MAJOR EARFORCE and ESP GAS!!!!

 

[Boneman]

Your accent is so soothing.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

Your accent is so soothing.

yeah, I keep falling asleep all the time listening to myself talk
John: there's no better amp than the Earforce!
this was at bedroom levels (as you can hear the amp isn't really louder than my voice)

 

[Jind]

I have a Kahler Flyer Tremolo on my 1988 Epiphone S-500 that has operated great for the past 20+ years that I've had it. Like Lasse noted, I've replaced the springs probably 2 times in those twenty years, maybe 3, plus some minimal amount of other upkeep, but it's held up well. I've had this guitar so long it's one of those "I can't remember how I got it guitars", I just know that it was an odd-ball guitar as I had never seen a Gibson/Epiphone strat before I acquired it, and according to some research, it also was a special order with the Kahler tremolo. It's metallic black body with black pickguard, HSS setup, with Kahler trem and locking nut, and the Explorer style "hockeystick" headstock.