!!!

hello im new to this forum!
im from brooklyn and
im currently trying to install a kahler on a jackson kelly bass

and im also looking for an ironbird bass so if u have one for contact me!

welcome..one of the members here has a kellyUSA C/S with a kahler

welcome.

you need any specs, measurements or tips ... we're the guys to ask. kahler inc. isnt too forthcoming with info ... but we're happy to help.

Welcome to BTF!

sick bass on sig madmike
and if i get stuck trying to install it ill post it up on here

Welcome!

Good luck with the trem installation. If you have even half the fun I've had with a Kahler on your bass, you're gonna love it! ;-)

madmike wrote:

welcome.

you need any specs, measurements or tips ... we're the guys to ask. kahler inc. isnt too forthcoming with info ... but we're happy to help.

Have you had bad experiences with Kahler's Customer service??

I emailed them last week with a question concerning their trem arm design and I'm waiting for a response. Should I not hold my breath?

i remember having someone from kahler on the phone.

i dont remember if they were able to answer my questions or not ... but i do remember it took several weeks for them to call me back ... so no, dont hold your breath.

and i do remember getting more information here from eric, mike and boots than from kahler .... and the rest i figured out on my own and make available here. it is way more information than kahler makes available (like pocket depth, roller adjustment range and overall positioning of the kahler).

PM me with the question you had for kahler sly and i'll see if i can give you an answer.

I'll make it open to all... Here's an exerpt from the email I sent...


"I've had to make some adjustements because of the design of your tremolo, more specifically the way the tremolo arm is attached to the bridge. Because of the threading, the tremolo arm cannot simultaneously be tightly attached to the bridge and maintain a usable rotation for position changes when attacking different strings with the tremolo arm in hand.

In developping my approach, I've had to keep the trem arm slightly loose, to be able to have a few degrees of rotation, which in turn has lead to premature wear of the threading.

I've been using Locktite 242 and a guitar parts lubricant to achieve the desired feel, but must reapply the products to the threading every 2 to 4 days depending on my practice schedule.

I'm writing in the hope that in the future you might consider this problem for future design - or to upgrade your present design, or if you have any suggestions or tips that might help..."

Any thoughts??

they should have gone to a locking collar like floyed trems 20 years ago

Don't some of their guitar trem models have something similar?? I'm lazy I know...I'll go check...

well you could thread a nut on the arm and it would hold it in place at any angle you wanted as well and not screw the thing in all the way. that worked on a friend's guitar trem that just threaded into the hole. couldn't even tell it was there unless you were 6" away from it.

Sly,

Im feelin you. I think this is one of the design limitations of the kahler system. I don't know how they set the rotation of the threads, but mine, the arm screwed in just before" all the way", is just before the arm hanging straight up and down. Im wondering if I got lucky with mine. I had noticed if its not threaded all the way and just hanging loose, there is play in the arm and the pickups pick up the play on the arm and it comes thru the amp.

Is there a better way? Probably. I've seen guitars with a graphite press fit arm (floyd rose?) and I do think that's a better design in that regard.

And also the option of threading a nut on the arm that can be tightened down on the cam face to hold the arm stationary in the position you want.

I actually got a response from Gary Kahler...I'll be sure to pass along your suggestions. Thanks.

Sorry I didn't get back around to this thread sooner...

I passed along your (amimbari) suggestion for a nut on the trem arm and was pleasently surprised when 2 trem arms with a nut and rubber tensioners arrived in the mail.

Works great for my experimental thumbpicking stuff.

Only downside is that the rubber tensioners wear out pretty quick because of the friction with the roundwound strings...

In the process I've made a good relationship with Gary Kahler, who is one of the sponsors of my Solo bass for suicide prevention EP project coming this fall...

Sly wrote:

Sorry I didn't get back around to this thread sooner...

I passed along your (amimbari) suggestion for a nut on the trem arm and was pleasently surprised when 2 trem arms with a nut and rubber tensioners arrived in the mail.

Works great for my experimental thumbpicking stuff.

Only downside is that the rubber tensioners wear out pretty quick because of the friction with the roundwound strings...

In the process I've made a good relationship with Gary Kahler, who is one of the sponsors of my Solo bass for suicide prevention EP project coming this fall...

Be sure to let us know when it is available

ya BD said it

but he didn't finish the sentence....

what is available the arm-mods or your CD...lol