I am almost certainly going to put a trem on my old Ibanez SB70 as it doesn't get enough use without one, and I've been playing it through some big fuzz this week and it sounds awesome with the full-fat P90s in it, so it needs to start coming out with me again.
(this old thing here)
I don't want to go bigsby as I am overly fond of a divebomb, and I don't want to get it routed for a Floyd/Strat type, so my choices seem to be Kahler or Stetsbar.
Anybody got enough experience with them to recommend or warn about either?
I normally play a strat with a 2-point trem and another early 80s Ibanez Roadstar with a Floydalike on it, so that's the kind of trem I'm used to. All suggestions happily taken.
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But... they don't feel anything like a Floyd or any other fulcrum-type trem, they noticeably affect the tone and sustain - even with the saddles set as high as possible, which will usually need the neck shimming a fair bit - and the mounting is irreversible unless you want to faff around trying to neatly fill a big hole in the guitar.
On the other hand that type of bridge is not renowned for its tone and sustain anyway, so you may have less to lose than with most other guitars.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Spare parts are available, but it's worth keeping an eye open for a spare unit to pillage
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You do need those saddles high... Above the 10:30 point on a clock, when looking down at the trem from a playing position.
I like khalers. You do lose a bit of sustain on the dive-bombs compared to a Floyd... But it's still a fun unit and very usable
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I would worry that cutting a cavity for the vibrato system might alter the sound of the guitar as it currently stands. Perhaps, a non-invasive B/G Bender device would suffice?
Definitely. I still like them too - I just probably wouldn't mod a favourite guitar with one.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
To be honest the routing and recessing is a bit worrying, as me and that Ibanez have a long history together (including my chiselling the pickup cavities to get those P90s in).
No love for the Stetsbar? It seems to be (a tiny bit) cheaper and more easily reversed.
I did have a Tele with a Kahler back in the 90s, and it never ever came back to tune (I suspect that might have been the nut though).
Leave the poor thing be, you can get loads of guitars with trems.
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I am shocked that nobody on this forum has suggested the inevitable Bigsby. You could even do the HarrySeven Jazzmaster/Jaguar tailpiece modification.
Back on topic I am kind of with @octatonic on this it may be better to get a guitar with a factory fitted trem if you really want to play at being a Stuka pilot.
Some mods to guitars are great improvements but some we regret.