Review my Warmoth GK-caster specs, please?

Started by thefsb, March 29, 2022, 09:26:18 AM

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thefsb

I'm finally ready to try building my first partscaster. The unusual features are

- Roland GK-KIT-GT3
- 1.75 inch 44.45mm nut width
- Kahler 2300 temolo bridge
- Floyd R5 locking nut
- 10" - 16" compound radius
- space for a Sustainiac Stealth PRO (a later project)


Here's the selections I made on Warmoth's web forms. I welcome any comments or questions.

Warmoth Stratocaster® Replacement Guitar Body

- SKU: GB-S
- Construction: Solid
- Core Wood: Basswood
- Lam Top Wood: None
- Right / Left Handed: Right
- Control Cavity: Top rout
- Multi Pickup Top Rout: Universal
- Jack Rout: ** Strat flat-mount top jack *AND* 7/8" side hole jack **
- Bridge Rout Type: ** Route and drill for Kahler 2300-CX tremolo bridge **
- Mounting Holes: Standard 4-bolt
- Neck Pocket Shape: Strat
- Body Contours: Forearm Contour + Tummy Cut
- Battery Box: Double battery box
- Paint Category: Metallic
- Top Color: Cinder red
- Back Color: Cinder red
- Satin or Gloss: Gloss
- Special instructions
    1. I will be using a Roland GK-KIT-GT3 and would like BOTH a traditional Strat flat-mount top jack (to
       use for mag pickup output) AND a side hole jack that I will enlarge for the GK-13 output.
    2. Route and drill for Kahler 2300-CX tremolo bridge

Warhead Guitar Neck

- SKU: GN-WH
- Construction: Modern
- Shaft Wood: Maple
- Fretboard Wood: Maple
- Unique Choice: No
- Nut Width: 1.75" WIDE
- Right / Left Handed: Right
- Neck Back Profile: 59 Roundback
- Fretboard Radius: 10" - 16" compound ?
  10-16 is Warmoth standard. plain 10" costs $35. Floyd R5 nut is 10"
- Number of Frets: 22
- Scallops: No
- Binding: No
- Fret Size & Material: GD6150 wide and tall Jescar EVO gold
- Tuner Hole Size: Modern Fender 25/64"
- Inlay Shape: Standard dots
- Inlay Material: Black
- Side Dots: Black side dots
- String Nut: R5 Floyd prep w/ mounting holes
- Mounting Holes: Standard 4-bolt
- Neck Heel Shape: Strat shape
- Finish: Clear satin nitro

Warmoth Stratocaster® Pickguard

- SKU: PG-Strat
- Color / Material: Black/white/black
- Right / Left Orientation: Right
- Neck Pickup: Strat SC
- Middle Pickup: None
- Bridge Pickup: Trembucker uncovered
- Bridge Cut: standard
- Mounting Holes: 11
- SRV Countersink: SRV Countersink
- Controls: Volume 1 Delonge Mod (Replaces Volume 1) $15, Tone 1, Tone 2, Blade Switch

Other parts

- Kahler 2310 tremolo bridge, flat-mount, aluminium cam & brass rollers, bright chrome
- Floyd Rose R5 locking nut
- Fender locking Strat/Tele tuners 0990818100
- Seymour Duncan PATB-3b Parallel Axis Trembucker Blues Saraceno
- Seymour Duncan PA-STK1n Parallel Axis strat pseudo-single-coil
- Fender Super Switch
- Pots 500k? from?
- Knobs. idk
- What other hardware do I need, e.g. neck bolts, pickguard screws, strap buttons, etc?



admin

#1
Do you have prior experience with Kahler?

Before contemplating a new guitar build

Be sure you fully understand the bridge and tremolo system
Myself. A Kahler is a tone suck , can be prone to rattles

If you are handy with a wood router. Get a $140 Strat from Amazon and install the Kahler , to know what you are getting into 1st

Often improved using Ceramic Rollers from WammiWorld

Another tremolo is Trem King. Looks like Strat  but strings remain constant height above guitar face , best for GK-3
I know a few who prefer Trem King vs Kahler

I play surf , and building a Jazzmaster with the Fender Panorama tremolo , as it provides dive bomb performance

But I'm a Bigsby man, floating Strat  tremolo never work for me- as I palm mute a lot

whippinpost91850

I would only suggest 2 things
Order a Synth-Linx , 13 pin, jack from Gumbo, here on the forum.
It uses a way smaller footprint then the big old Roland jack

Second The Kahler is a tonesuck . You can change the saddles and it will help, but would recommend a Floyd or something like a Tone King

Also are you used to playing a 1 3/4 nutt neck? It's pretty wide a Les Paul and most Charvel type guitars are 1 11/16 in

thefsb

Quote from: admin on March 29, 2022, 12:26:20 PM
Do you have prior experience with Kahler?
Yes. I had a Kahler on my Roland G-303 from about 1985 until 2020. This one https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=29385.msg214497 It worked very well.

I had terrible experience with Bigsby. It wouldn't return to tune. I like the idea of having a length of string behind the saddle to pluck as a special effect, like on a Jazzmaster, but it can only cause tuning problems. Seems pretty clear why. Similarly I have tried to get standard strat trems to work and just can't. I want to be able to drop the pitch a whole tone and have it return to pitch, and then bend it up, without using the trem, a whole tone and have it return to pitch.

A bridge that sucks tone or buzzes is defective or incorrectly adjusted. My old Kahler didn't do that.

thefsb

Quote from: whippinpost91850 on March 29, 2022, 12:43:04 PM
I would only suggest 2 things
Order a Synth-Linx , 13 pin, jack from Gumbo, here on the forum.
It uses a way smaller footprint then the big old Roland jack

Second The Kahler is a tonesuck . You can change the saddles and it will help, but would recommend a Floyd or something like a Tone King

Also are you used to playing a 1 3/4 nutt neck? It's pretty wide a Les Paul and most Charvel type guitars are 1 11/16 in

Yes, I find my acoustics easier to play than anything else. I have a PRS with a Wide Fat neck which is pretty good. But my acoustics are easier to play despite having heavier strings.

Notta whole lotta love for the Kahler, eh. Mine was from the 80s. Maybe they were better then.

admin also mentioned "Tone King" bridge but I can't find it. All I got was this http://www.tremking.com/

Gumbo's connector is appealing of course but wiring it to a GK driver board doesn't look easy at all.

whippinpost91850

I've had a Kahler on my Les Paul and my custom synth guitar for 35+ yrs and it definitely affects the tone

whippinpost91850

Your PRS wide flat has a 1 11/16 nutt
Gumbo's synth-Linx jack plugs right into the GK board.  No wiring at all

thefsb

Ok. Point taken. I'll ditch the Kahler and use a Floyd 1000 Series Pro Wide and live with the limitations in conjunction with the GK pickup.