William Gerien

William Gerien is the industrial and mechanical engineer who invented the Kahler Tremolo Bridge System for the electric guitar. Gary Kahler hired William to follow his design on a new system to add a tremolo or whammy bar to the guitar’s bridge. William machined the very first prototype and created the process for manufacturing the now famous bridge system. He later established his own company, Merlin 5, and worked with several guitar builders such as Fender to machine parts for their electronic instruments, all the while keeping a close working relationship with Gary Kahler.