paulyc":34rxq7q6 said:
I’ve made my own big brass blocks, a steel block and an aluminum block, the brass sounds the best to my ears, followed by steel, aluminum last. I’ve never tried the stone block, and tungsten is expensive and super heavy. It’s funny, these theories about weight go back and forth every few years. I don’t think it ever gets settled. Lol
LOL! Yeah, it doesn't ever seem to get settled. I've seen really light guitars that are extraordinarily resonant and others that are deader than a coffin nail. I've seen the same with heavy guitars, too. Both apply to fixed bridges as well as all types of tremolos. LOL! Not sure it ever will be settled.
I agree that brass sounds best to my ears, at least most of the time. I have a few fixed bridges made out of aluminum but with brass saddles that sound really good. Steel sounds good, too, kind of a common ground between fast attack and good sustain.
Anyway... I wanted to add a couple of things here in relation to my experiences with Kahlers, just as general comments and not in response to anything in particular. I'm not the de facto Kahler expert, rather just wanting to share my experiences in case anyone might find this useful (which is also debatable).
Just for clarity, I've been talking about the original Kahler top-mounted tremolos and not the Floyd-like Kahlers. As for the latter, I like the original Floyds, but I like the former, original Kahlers, too. So much of it depends on the guitar, and so much of it is just subjective preference. Top mount Kahlers certainly have a lot of mass and don't require as much wood removal as an Original Floyd, but I don't think that makes a ton of difference. Either way, it's the old weight/mass equals better sustain argument, and either way, there certainly seems to be more to sustain than just weight/mass.
I think that Kahlers are more expensive to manufacture than Floyds because there are more parts. I think that's part of the reason there haven't been as many Kahlers featured as standard equipment on more guitars. I also think that Kahlers don't hold their value as well as Floyds do, possibly because most people aren't as familiar with them due to the aforementioned reason. I don't think that's a result of any inherent flaws in the design of the original Kahlers, but more a function of the marketplace.
As for setup, I've run across two areas that weren't immediately obvious, at least not to me. One is that the strings need to pass over the saddles at an angle steep enough to maintain tension. This isn't any different than setting a proper angle on a TOM bridge. This might be related to one of the reasons top-wrapping stop tailpieces can be a good idea. With the stop bar all the way down and the strings coming off the top, the angle the strings pass over the bridge is very close to ideal for most Gibsons and other necks set at the same angle. Same idea with Kahlers, and I've seen many Kahlers that didn't maintain this angle. That can lead to a loss of tone, sustain, and the ability to keep the strings in the saddles, all of which are common complaints with Kahlers.
The other thing that wasn't immediately obvious is ensuring that the string ends are properly seated in the claws. With vintage Fenders, you just run the string through the block and don't worry about how the ball is oriented. With Floyds, you either cut the ball off (EEK!! String castration!!) or run the string through the tuners first. Again, there's no reason to be concerned with how the ball is oriented. With Kahlers, that's not the case. The ball has to be perpendicular to the string with both sides of the ball firmly against both sides of the claw. If it's not, there's a good chance that it will pop out during heavy use, another common complaint.
Other than that, Kahlers need maintenance just like any other tremolo. They are less forgiving, though, if not maintained as the bearings in the saddles and cam can freeze or get gummed up, which can lead to tuning and stability problems. Maintenance really isn't anything other than keeping them cleaned and oiled (occassionally).
This all comes down to what works for the individual player. Some people like Floyds, some Kahlers, some TOMs, some Evertunes, some Bigsby, some vintage Fender, and some people don't like any of those. Nothing wrong with that at all, no matter what side of which fence you're on. With a Bigsby, you won't be getting any huge divebombs, but nothing else really gets that subtle vibrato that a Bigsby can provide, at least IMHO. It's just about having the right tool that works best for you.
