Kahler Tremolo System
The
Kahler Tremolo System is
bridge with a
cam operated
tremolo arm system for
electric guitar. It was invented in 1979 by
Gary Kahler and
Dave Story. They went out of business for a while in the 1990s (mostly due to legal fees fending off counterfeiters, but there is another reason that nobody at Kahler will reveal beyond its existence), but are now back in business, as of April 2005.
Cams and saddles are available in several different types, including
brass and
stainless steel. Stainless steel models were introduced in 1985. Brass cams and saddles have a warmer, more full tone, whereas steel produces a brighter tone with enhanced harmonics.
Aluminum cams, announced in 2004 and released in 2005, have what is described as a "bright, growling midrange with super clean
harmonics." The
2310, their current OEM model, is the only tremolo to offer the aluminum cam - though parts are interchangeable - and offers brass rollers. Steel rollers can also be used, but, due to increased sustain and harmonics, they are primarily for
metal and not prefered for other purposes.
Kahler also produces one of the only bass tremolo systems currently available (
Hipshot produces a fulcrum-based unit not unlike the two-point system used on
Fender Stratocasters currently built in the United States), and it is perhaps the most well-known of all of them. Famous users, such as
Les Claypool and
Victor Wooten, have made them a popular (albeit rare) commodity on
eBay. The first two bridges Kahler sold after their return in April, 2005 were
2410 bass tremolos, and they remain among the more popular bridges Kahler offers.
Guitars that have carved tops (as opposed to flat, like the Fender Stratocaster), such as the
Gibson Les Paul, cannot properly mount the 2300 series of Kahler tremolo, and instead have to use a stud-mounted
2200 series. All cams, rollers and other parts, save the mounting plate, are completely interchangeable with the flat-mounted 2300 series.
For a period spanning from the mid-1980s to the time when Kahler went out of business in the early 1990s, Kahler also produced fulcrum-based systems similar to the
Floyd Rose brand of tremolos. In fact, the
2600 "Steeler" tremolo was licensed by Floyd Rose during the late-1980's. The
2500 and
2520 (the former having steel rollers; the latter brass), were designed as an alternative to the stock Fender trem, and were offered on several Fenders during the 1980's. Today, Kahler no longer produces fulcrum-based tremolos, opting instead to focus solely on the cam-based models for which they became famous.
That said, it must be pointed out that Kahler produces fixed bridges for both guitar and bass as well as cam-based tremolos. The
3300 and
3310 (guitar) and the
2440,
2450, and
2460 (bass) bridges are built to the same standards as the tremolo bridges.
Kahler bridges are machined from very high quality metals in
Oceanside, California. As a result, they are considerably more expensive than others.
Neal Moser offers Kahler bridges on many models, and the
ESP Custom Shop currently offers Kahlers as a custom option.
Kahlers were most popular in the
1980s, with users such as
Steve Vai,
Earl Slick,
Jeff Loven,
Adrian Belew and
Jerry Peek and bands such as
Judas Priest,
Def Leppard and
Mötley Crüe.
Jeff Hanneman and
Kerry King of
Slayer still use Kahlers today, and they swear by them. They won't use any other bridge type unless they are forced to: for example, Kerry King's 7-string guitar work on the album 'God Hates Us All', in which his 7-string guitar has a 7-string low profile Floyd Rose, as there were no 7-string Kahlers at that time. In the summer of 2005, Kahler announced it would hand-build custom bridges, though at an increased cost. It is not known whether or not King, Hanneman or their respective guitar technicians know of this offer.
Guitarist
Jerry Cantrell, formerly of the
1990s band
Alice In Chains, was oft to be seen with the
G&L Rampage model, a guitar that had the Kahler tremolo unit fitted as standard equipment.
Kahler has become one of the most popular tremolo systems in today's market, following Floyd Rose, and there is often a difficult choice to be made between the two companies for guitarists wanting a quality tremolo system.
Floyd Rose tremolos have the advantage of being cheaper and easier to find (separate or pre-installed), and also have more support available to them. However, Floyd Roses can be notoriously difficult to set up properly and will have stability problems if they are not. Also,
licensed Floyd Roses are usually lower quality and subject to problems.
Kahler tremolos are more expensive and are sold in significant less places. However, they are much easier to set up and maintain than Floyd Roses. Kahler tremolos also require much less routing in the guitar body, which perserves more of the guitars tone. Kahlers are also said to have a "smoother" feel when used. They also better maintain constant string height and sound when diving due to differences in design.
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Official website
