Official Luthiers Forum!

Question: both my '97 Parker Nitefly and my PDF 60 do a surprisingly good job of staying in tune when using the vibrato bar, despite the absence of a locking nut on either.

Anybody have any insight/thoughts/secrets as to how Parker (or any luthier, for that matter) went about doing this?

I ask because I have a Tokai Explorer equipped w/ a Kahler 2300 bridge and Sperzel locking tuners - I've removed the locking nut and am trying to figure out how to get this thing to stay in-tune without it.

Would love to hear anybody's thoughts on this...

I have a Parker P-38 with a Wilkinson trem and non locking tuners.

It never goes out of tune using the tremolo. I think it’s probably the shallow headstock angle and straight string pull over the nut. Plus the bridge is well designed. I’ve been planning on putting Sperzels on it, but so far haven’t needed them.


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I have built up three guitars with Kahlers but have always used locking nuts. However would a roller nut work?

@DavidSchwab - yeah, that's my guess, as well - especially the lack of a significant break angle from the nut to the pole tuning pegs(wheras there's a STEEP angle on an Explorer, with its hockey stick-style headstock!).

@Freeman - yeah, Wilkinson nuts are the first thing I thought of - unfortunately, they're spaced for Fenders and not Gibsons! I've been unable to find a suitable substitute.

Thanks both for your input; appreciate your offering up suggestions!

The key to keeping ANY vibrato system in tune is getting rid of friction between parts and strings, and minimal string tension. There are a multitude of methods to go about it, and no hard rules. This is true of stock Fender trems, Bigsby stuff, and anything new you can name. Locking systems have their own troubles, unlocked ones the same. I've been installing, maintaining, and playing them since the late 70's, and written extensively about them.

To the OP I say to look at the nut, and I ask if you've taken the Kahler apart and cleaned it lately? It does have parts that wear. More questions, please?

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Appreciate the input! I pulled apart, cleaned and oiled the Kahler recently, so that's not the source of the difficulty. The nut is definitely the weak point here - strings definitely get snagged there.