Kahler vs. Floyd Rose – Part 1 of 3 – Tremolo Comparison

I hope you enjoy my Kahler vs.Floyd Rose comparison. If you think my videos are helpful, consider making a small donation through my website: http://www.dmometalguitar.com.

It’s hard to cover every single aspect regarding the differences between Kahler and Floyd Rose on YouTube. This document covers most aspects regarding both tremolo systems. The issues below cover all cam-based Kahler models (such as Hybrid and 2300) and the original Floyd Rose made by Schaller.

(1) TUNING STABILITY

Kahler: Kahlers stay in tune very well with dive bombs, but the strings go out of tune after bends, which is a big disadvantage compared to a Floyd Rose. For example, if you play a bend on the 3rd string, the 3rd string itself will go flat after the bend. One way to bring it back to pitch is to move the tremolo bar downward (as if you were playing a regular dive bomb). This creates a noticeable limitation because the player has to worry about the tremolo bar if he/she plays a lot of bends and vibratos. The higher the bend, the more the string goes out of tune. The lighter the bend, the less it goes out of tune. So, if you play very light bends, this problem is not that serious — but it’s still a problem. Other than that, assuming there’s nothing wrong with the locking nut, Kahler has excellent tuning stability.

Kahlers normally go out of tune with pull-ups, but I was able to solve the problem with a simple and inexpensive solution: A small portion of lip balm ChapStick should be applied underneath each string where it touches the cam. ChapStick reduces the friction against the cam and makes the string slide back to its default position after a pull-up (assuming nothing is wrong with the locking nut).

Floyd Rose: Because of its double-locking system, no other tremolo system beats a Floyd Rose in terms of tuning stability. You can dive, pull up and play extremely high bends, and your guitar will stay in perfect pitch — as long as there are no problems with the locking nut and knife edges. Some Floyds go out of tune will pull-ups because of flat knife edges (see explanation below). A portion of ChapStick between the mounting studs and knife edges usually solves the problem.

(2) SET UP

Kahler: Because the saddles are adjustable in all six directions (up, down, left, right, front and back), Kahler has unlimited setup possibilities. Most notably, like Fender’s tremolo system, you can adjust the action of each string individually. Some players don’t necessarily set up string action following the fretboard radius. This is a huge advantage if, for example, the player wants to raise only the 5th and 6th strings as they’re the ones most likely to buzz. With most bridges, like Gibson’s Tune-O-Matic, if players want to adjust the action of a single string, they end up raising the action of almost all other strings because the entire bridge moves from the side of each of the two adjustable studs.

Floyd Rose: It’s possible to adjust string action individually on a Floyd Rose by inserting shim(s) underneath the saddle, but Kahler makes this adjustment a lot easier. You have to unlock the string, loosen the string, loosen the saddle, insert the shim(s) and tighten the saddle again. You have to go through a similar process to adjust intonation. It takes more work, but because set-up is not something you’ll constantly change, the extra steps are not that big of a deal (except if you’re a luthier and have tons of guitars to set up on a deadline).

Any person setting up a Floyd Rose should be very careful with the knife edges — the two rounded edges on the bridge that sit against the two mounting studs. To adjust action, you should never rotate the mounting studs under friction. The best way is to loosen all strings first and apply ChapStick before rotating the studs. More experienced players might also consider removing the entire bridge before rotating the studs. It’s tedious to do this a few times until getting the action right but it’s safe.

(3) FEEL

Kahler: When the player moves the tremolo bar, only the cam (or cylindrical base) rotates. Because of that, Kahler has an incredible soft feel. No other tremolo system has such a butter-like feel like the Kahler system.

Floyd Rose: Because the entire bridge moves when you use the tremolo bar, Floyd Rose has a stiffer feel. Yet, some players prefer Floyd Rose’s stiffer feel than Kahler’s soft feel.

(4) FIXED BRIDGE

Kahler: Some Kahler models, such as the Hybrid one, have a small allen screw that can turn the bridge into a fixed one. Players can use the Hybrid model either as a tremolo or fixed bridge.

Floyd Rose: It’s possible to turn a Floyd Rose into a fixed bridge by:

a. Installing a device called Tremol-no;
b. Blocking the back of the bridge with a piece of wood or something;
c. Installing stoppers in the spring area.

(Continued on Part 2)

Duration : 0:7:53

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