In the early ‘80s, I was basically living out
of my suitcase, eating Top Ramen twice a
day and being a rockstar at night. The band
was performing wherever there was a gig
to be had until at least one in the morning,
then we would tear down our equipment
and load out around three. My brother Bill
would drive the van along with the other
band members, and I would handle driving
the equipment truck. Then, a couple of
states later, while watching the sun coming
up over the horizon, I would realize I was in
for a long day.
Another ingrained memory from that
time is how this unique, wicked-looking
tremolo generated a frenzy among guitar
players. Every band that I ran into on the
road had at least one member using this
contraption. It was the one and only Kahler
tremolo by Kahler International, Inc. You
could truly say Kahler was taking the guitar
world by storm.
Sure, there were other off-the-wall innovations
being developed as there still are
today, but Kahler managed to break it all
down and ask a simple question: what are
guitarist’s problems, and what are solutions
to those problems? If you can provide that
solution, and do so with the best product
possible, you’ll win over players. Kahler
did that, and is still kicking after over two
decades of global change in the music
industry. The Kahler tremolo is still the first
and only choice for many guitar and bass
players alike.
Tremolo Profile
Kahler’s 2200 Professional stud-mount
series is designed to retrofit to most
stud-mount bridges and will work with
carved tops. But since the customer’s
guitar is a Strat-style design, his choice
was the Hybrid 7300 flat mount, made
out of 360HH brass. If he wanted the
option of having the tremolo left or right
handed, made out of 303 stainless or 7075
aircraft grade aluminum, he would have
chosen the 2300 Professional flat mount,
which offers a few extra options for a few
extra bucks. A critical component in all of
Kahler’s cam-operated tremolos is the use
of 2-R2ZZ precision ball bearings, which
create the ultra-smooth feel and allow the
tremolo to come back to intuneness.
Measuring Up
I used my Stew Mac precision straightedge,
laying it across both sides of the
fingerboard. As it extended out over the
body, I marked the straightedge lines
onto tape that I had previously placed on
the body. Measuring between these two
marked lines established the center and
the scale-length of 25-1/2” to position the
cardboard template Kahler provided. Note:
Do not mark the center line gauging by
the two front mounting holes of the cardboard
template as they are not on center.
I marked center by the inner cutout of the
template. This is used as a guide for locating
the area to be routed and locating the
four screw mounting holes; it’s not intended
to be used as a routing template.
For a routing template, I used our 3/16”
acrylic template which is designed to take
a leaner cut from a pre-finished guitar. To
keep the route tight I used a 3/8” diameter
ball-bearing router bit to follow the template,
routing out the cavity to a ¾” depth
We were then ready to mount the tremolo.
The chassis ground wire was channeled
through the body and was making contact
on the underside of the tremolo for passive
pickup compatibility. Kahler’s six-way
adjustable saddles made the setup and
intonation a breeze. Thanks to Robert
Buffalo for allowing me to use his guitar
for this article.
Please take a moment to check out
Kahler’s websites,
kahlerusa.com and
kahlerparts.com, where you will find more
info on products, maintenance, and Kahler’s
history.
John Brown
John Brown, of Brown's Guitar Factory, is the inventor of the
Fretted/Less bass. He owns and operates a full guitar manufacturing
and repair/restoration facility, which is staffed by
a team of talented luthiers. He is also the designer of guitar
making/repair tools and accessories that are used today by
instrument builders throughout the world.
www.brownsguitarfactory.com
info@brownsguitarfactory.com