Kahler vs. Floyd Rose - Part 2 of 4 - Tremolo Comparison

Goods, Bads & Myths - Kahler vs. Floyd Rose (Continued from Part 1) (5) DIVE BOMB & PULL-UP RANGE Kahler: You can reach extremely high pull-ups with the tremolo bar because the cam doesn't touch the guitar's surface. The movement is blocked only by the mounting plate. There's enough room for the cam to rotate a substantial amount both ways. Floyd Rose: You can reach full dive bombs with a Floyd Rose to the point where you turn the strings into "spaghetti noodles." No other tremolo system goes that deep. You can also achieve very high pull-ups with a Floyd Rose, but this depends on how much routing there is. Some Floyd-equipped guitars have a shallower opening in the back, limiting the pull-up range. (6) ACTION Kahler: Because the saddles don't move when you use the tremolo bar, the action stays the same with pull-ups or dive bombs. Floyd Rose: Although not a very common problem, on some Floyd Rose-equipped guitars high pull-ups can make the strings fade out because the entire bridge moves and the strings touch the frets. This happens usually because the frets are uneven and/or the truss is excessively tightened, making the neck too straight. (7) STRING BREAKAGE Kahler: Strings might break easily because their windings cannot withhold the pressure created by the tremolo movement. The most common solution for the problem is to bend the windings by 45 degrees and cover them with melted solder. This procedure increases the string resistance substantially. Floyd Rose: String breakage doesn't happen as often with a Floyd Rose because the strings are fully locked inside the bridge without the windings. Plus, you can easily reuse a string after it breaks as long as you have enough string left surrounding the machine heads. (8) LOCKING NUT Kahler: In theory, Kahler's behind-the-nut locking is nicely engineered because it allows you to tweak the nut any way you like. Also, it requires no routing. You just need to drill four small holes for the screws. But in reality, Kahler's behind-the-nut locking nut has various problems that directly affect/diminish the bridge's tuning stability: a. The internal walls can easily get grooved as you tighten the locking plates. The strings might slip as you use the tremolo bar, and they substantially go out of tune. A good solution is to cut small metal shims and place them between the locking plates and the main block. I did that on my Charvel guitar, and I've never had any groove or slippage problems ever since. b. Depending on the location of the machine heads on the headstock, the strings might sit inside the locking nut diagonally, making it difficult for the locking plates to lock them. In this situation, it's recommended to install string retainers to make sure the strings sit parallel to one another inside the locking nut. Another option is to reverse the string rotation in the machine heads to reposition the string(s) in relation to the locking nut. c. The heads of the four small screws that hold the locking nut against the neck sit outside (The cavities are not wide enough for them to fully rest inside and add extra strength to hold the nut against the neck..) Even if the screws are really tightened, it's still possible for the entire locking nut to bounce back and forth slightly when you use the tremolo bar, affecting tuning stability. You can usually hear a "click" when using the tremolo bar with a loose locking nut. d. The strings rub against the nut before entering the locking nut. The extra friction point may affect tuning stability. Nut sauce is not recommended because it might enter the locking nut as you stretch the strings, making the strings slip even with tight locking screws. e. Kahler's locking nut is difficult to inspect. Because the strings are enclosed inside the block, you have to remove all the strings and the locking nut itself in case you need to troubleshoot any issue. Some companies like B.C. Rich and ESP actually use Floyd Rose's locking nut on their Kahler-equipped guitars. Floyd Rose: Floyd Rose's locking nut is far superior compared to Kahler's because: a. It acts as the nut itself without any extra friction point. b. It's really strong, and it locks the strings a lot better. c. The strings always stay on a straight line inside the nut because they pass through dividers before reaching the machine heads. d. It's a lot easier to inspect. There's no need to remove the strings or locking nut to see if anything is wrong. Although not Floyd Rose's fault, a loose locking nut is a common problem I see on many guitars. Because of the huge tension coming from the strings as you dive or pull-up, the locking nut must be tightly atttached to the neck. If the two screws that attach it to the neck are spinning because of bad drilling, the entire locking nut will bounce back and forth as you use the bar and throw off tuning stability. (Continued on Part 3)

Channel: Music
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: dmometalguitar

Length: 09:52
Rating: 4.86
Views: 32092

Tags: bar  bc  bombs  bridge  dive  floyd  jackson  kahler  king  locking  nut  rich  rose  stability  tremolo  tuning  vibrato  whammy  

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