Rebuilt a kahler….

[jack butler]

There's a set screw under the fine tuners. I just set one up for a guy where it's blocked out.

That screw makes it a fixed bridge, not dive only. Not sure why you would want it dive only though. My Kahler guitars don't detune the other strings when bending notes, and I thought that was the only reason to make a Floyd dive only?

 

[vultures]

That screw makes it a fixed bridge, not dive only. Not sure why you would want it dive only though. My Kahler guitars don't detune the other strings when bending notes, and I thought that was the only reason to make a Floyd dive only?

You can dive a little bit, but the screw gets in the way so yes it's essentially blocked. I did it at his request because he complained about:

• Tuning Stability
• Locking nut being unusable and getting in the way of the truss rod
• Roller saddles rusted in place
• Saddles themselves rusted to that swing-arm so that when he did dive bomb they would get stuck in the up position.

I hate that the intonation screw is directly under the string, the same as Floyds, but the action height is also under the string. From a tech/luthier experience, there are infinitely more things that frustrate me about a Kahler than any other trem out there.

 

[cardinal]

That screw makes it a fixed bridge, not dive only. Not sure why you would want it dive only though. My Kahler guitars don't detune the other strings when bending notes, and I thought that was the only reason to make a Floyd dive only?

Dive only lets you drop tune with the fine tuners but still be able to dive bomb.

 

[jack butler]

Dive only lets you drop tune with the fine tuners but still be able to dive bomb.

Kahlers can drop "D" with just the bridge tuner and the other strings aren't affected without locking the bridge.

 

[cardinal]

Kahlers can drop "D" with just the bridge tuner and the other strings aren't affected without locking the bridge.

I don't see how that's possible. It's a floating bridge?

 

[BeZo]

I don't see how that's possible. It's a floating bridge?

It doesn't float. It a roller bridge that changes the pitch by moving the anchor point behind the bridge. It's kinda more like a Bigsby, but more precisely tuned. Where a Floyd moves the whole bridge up and down from a balance point, a Kahler just tightens and loosens the strings behind the bridge. That's why you don't have to worry about a "balance point" like you do on a floating bridge.

 

[JackBootedThug]

Even my counterfeit kahler from Japan is solid as fuck….

 

[jack butler]

Also any guitar with a Kahler, unless it has been recessed (which is very rare) the neck has to be angled like a Gibson. Almost all Floyd Rose guitars don't have any neck angle as far as I know. The only Floyd guitar I've played with any neck angle is the early Washburn Dime 333. The neck being angled makes so much much difference to me for some reason.

 

[cardinal]

It doesn't float. It a roller bridge that changes the pitch by moving the anchor point behind the bridge. It's kinda more like a Bigsby, but more precisely tuned. Where a Floyd moves the whole bridge up and down from a balance point, a Kahler just tightens and loosens the strings behind the bridge. That's why you don't have to worry about a "balance point" like you do on a floating bridge.

It does balance. There are springs underneath it and you set the point by adjusting the cam set screw in the center of the cam that Kahler calls the Spring Tension Adjuster (just like adjusting the spring claw on a Floyd).

 

[BeZo]

It does balance. There are springs underneath it and you set the point by adjusting the cam set screw in the center of the cam that Kahler calls the Spring Tension Adjuster (just like adjusting the spring claw on a Floyd).

Yes, but that only disrupts the cam and doesn't alter the sting hight and position like it does on a Floyd. With a floating bridge, breaking a string causes the whole bridge to change position. With the bridge in a fixed position makes a broken string less noticeable. This means enough tolerance to detune a string to drop tuning and have enough wiggle room to correct pitch with the fine tuners. On a Floyd, dropping a string throws the setup off a lot more. It's really right in between a Floyd and a Bigsby as far as tremolos go.

 

[cardinal]

Yes, but that only disrupts the cam and doesn't alter the sting hight and position like it does on a Floyd. With a floating bridge, breaking a string causes the whole bridge to change position. With the bridge in a fixed position makes a broken string less noticeable. This means enough tolerance to detune a string to drop tuning and have enough wiggle room to correct pitch with the fine tuners. On a Floyd, dropping a string throws the setup off a lot more. It's really right in between a Floyd and a Bigsby as far as tremolos go.

I'm not sure going back and forth on this is helpful. You seem to be confused: the Kahler saddles do not move, but the strings are anchored in the cam that does float and is balanced by the strings tension on top and the spring tension on the bottom. If tension on one string changes, the rest of the strings go out of tune because the balance is upset.

This article explains it and shows how it is possible to rig a Kahler to dive only but it's a wonky fix
https://www.whammyparts.com/faq/183-kahler-installation-and-setup-of-the-cam-stop-bolt

Here's an excerpt:

"But first an educational primer...

"String pull above, offset by spring pull below, is equalized over a pivot point thus keeping everything equally floating. If you subtract any of these two forces like break a string, an equalizing reaction take place where all the forces will seek out and find their equal balance point again."

What just happened here? Answer: You broke a string and everything went out of tune. But guess what? The same thing happens when you drop tune too."

Edit: rereading your post, I guess you're acknowledging that drop tuning one string does change the pitch of the others but say that you can correct with all the other fine tuners. Which, I guess is true but takes a good bit of time. Drop-tuning a dive-only trem takes just a handful of seconds.