Kahler vs Floyd

[Jeff_H]

Re: Kahler vs Floyd

Uggghhh... this thread is taking me back to the 80s when all my axes had trems. Only have one that's got one now (my strats don't count as I block the trems). The frankenstrat that I still have has a Floyd on it. Cause if I'm gonna use a trem, the Floyd is the way to go. The Kahler has been in a parts box somewhere for 20 years. And there it'll stay...

Me too. I only have one Floyd guitar and that is enough. I blocked the trem on my double fat strat copy because it is some sort of 80' giant metal beast. On my strat's I always use 5 springs and adjust it so the trem just sits on the body and won't pull up when I bend 1 to 1 1/2 steps. I can still down trem for a little vibrato, but that's it. For me this works better than blocking, and it's what Bill Callaham suggested when I bought his hardware.

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: Kahler vs Floyd

Talking vintage strat trems, I find a strat much warmer with a floating bridge vs flush on the body. I have just been tinkering in the past couple weeks with the concept.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Kahler vs Floyd

Talking vintage strat trems, I find a strat much warmer with a floating bridge vs flush on the body. I have just been tinkering in the past couple weeks with the concept.

Really? Noticeably warmer I assume? How many springs to you use? I would be up for trying something new, just to keep myself busy. Do you leave about 1/8" clearance above the body or a little more?

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: Kahler vs Floyd

3 or 4 springs depending on the guitar. A bit more than an 1/8th, the difference in warmth really surprised me, esp with the bridge position. The sound is more open, with a bit looser attack on the note, which I really like.

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Kahler vs Floyd

Love this guy! Every once in a while i look him up on youtube just for his playing, but his tips are very helpful as well.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Kahler vs Floyd

Owned a bunch of guitars with both and quite a few in Vintage Carvins.
The 1 issue with the Kahler is not with the bar system but the lock. If you use a locking nut with a Kahler instead of the behind the nut lock the tuning is much more stable. A couple of my vintage Carvins were ordered with the nut lock instead of the standard behind the nut lock. Made a BIG difference in tuning stability.

The Kahler was a superior product in materials and workmanship to the original Floyd. That accounted for the big price difference.
In function it's apples to oranges.
The Kahler is more complicated to set up but once it is set up properly if you maintain it with a little oil from time to time you never touch it again.
The Floyd simpler to set up but much more prone to wear and needs frequent tweeks if you are a heavy bar user.
Tone wise they are different the Kahler seems a little lighter on sustatain but beefier in tone. The Floyd sustains a little better but is much thinner sounding.
The feel is where they are really different with the Kahler being much more articulate and smoother.
I like both but if I had to use a guitar with only 1 it would be the Kahler.