I'm German and honestly, while I love the German made Floyd Rose, I'd recommend the Gotoh 1996T double locking Tremolo. IMO, German and Japanese steel are just unbeatable when it comes to trems, but the Gotoh is incredibly well thought out.
Yep. I've replaced both the floyd special on my Charvel and the 1500 on my Schecter with Gotoh 1996T's and it was a noticeable improvement on each of them.
Their super expensive. A lot of musicians don't have the privilege to spend $150 to $200 on a tremelo. I love gotohs though. Had one on the dime razor V and it had the best squeals.
@@nikaxeguitar I like how you broke everything down. And you are correct, all of the original Floyd Rose tremolos are made in Germany. And yes, all of the other tremolos are made in South Korea. You did not mention, who makes them. Gotoh manufactures all of Floyd rose Korean tremolos in their Korean factory. They also manufacture some Ibanez tremolos in Korea and they manufacture the Ibanez edge series tremolos in Japan along with their 1996t, which I feel is just as good as the original Floyd rose in terms of quality. And I prefer the saddles on the 1996t because they are contoured. They feel better when I’m playing. I’m an old lady, but I’ve been a metal chick since I’ve been a teenager. Been building and working on and playing Guitars for over 40 years. Oh, and I am German. ☮️💜😊 you can see the go to tremolo in four or five of my videos on my channel. Here is a link to my channel. m.youtube.com/@TarynnElizabeth619/featured
Got myself a Charvel Custom shop recently which has the 1984-series FR. Not only it plays really well, i also did a little nerdy deepdive into all the different floyd specs.Interesting fact: The 1984-series comes - unlike the other OFR - with a factory-installed shim under the center saddles for a better playability regarding the 10" radius.
Ive been waiting for a video like this. There is so many different types of FR its honestly pretty daunting to pick one for your guitar especially for beginners.
Great video dude, I always take for granted how much i know about these trems and i casually mention floyd rose all the time and people look at me like i'm from space. Anyway I built a Frankie replica with an 84 reissue and i'm so greatful for my timing now that the german made 84 reissues are gone its value just shot up.
I am so happy with my Wilkenson locking trems on my guitars that do divebombs and all the tricks you know, that this is the proof you do not need a Floyd rose anymore! Thanx for posting! ♨️🎸♨️
@@nikaxeguitar Will do. Any idea why they were OOS pretty much everywhere for so long? I'm guessing supply issues, but it's just steel so I dunno why that would be hard to acquire.
@@RottenRotny I had a saddle strip on a Special and wanted to replace it with an Original but they we're out of stock everywhere. Looked at a Schaller Lock Meister instead but they are $450+ in the UK. Ended up replacing it with a Gotoh 1996T for less than half the price! I already had a 1996T on a MIJ Jackson Dinky DKR that I have, every bit as good as an Original.
@@aynakotalaga ? The Schaller Floyd Rose is around the £300+ mark in the UK, the Schaller Lockmeister is +/- £200, depending on retailer. You have to pay the Floyd Rose brand tax on the original, whereas the Lockmeister is available for a lot less due to not having to pay Floyd their cut. But yes, the GE1996 is a superb unit that undercuts the Schaller units in terms of cost.
Nice! I have a Dinky of a similar vintage and replaced the JT-580 with an FR Special. Terrible mistake. It will not stay in tune at all. I regret not going with the OFR.
My recommendation for the best replacement bridge for most 90s-00s MIJ and other import Jackson/Charvel/ESP LTD/BC Rich guitars is the *Schaller 1302* (non-Lockmeister). The reason is it has a smaller footprint, allowing you to put it in recessed trem cavities. If you use an OFR in a recessed trem cavity the saddle screws may be too long and there will be a side gap along the baseplate. If you detune, the Schaller 1302 will allow you to intonate the guitar with the saddles fully out and do full pullups on the bar. The Lockmeister is essentially an OFR copy and is longer front to back than the 1302. And the Schallers come with the benefit of replaceable knife edges. There's really no need to buy any of the bridges over the Schaller. It costs about $150-200 USD directly from Schaller. If you need to replace your import locking nut because it is not staying in tune due to the soft zinc clamps, know that usually the import nuts are not as tall as an R2-R3 nut, so you have to buy a Floyd Rose R8 nut. Schaller does not make R8 nuts, but Schaller 1302 bridges will work with Floyd Rose R8 nuts. Most of the time my import nuts kept the guitar in tune with a Schaller bridge except for a locking nut from a 1994 BC Rich Mockingbird NJ that was worn out after 30 years. The main issue is Schaller 1302 bridges are designed for 10"-16" compound radius guitars, whereas Jacksons are usually 12-16" compound. Unless you shim the high and low E string saddles, you will notice a slight amount of curvature on the Schallers vs. import bridges. I actually grew to like it because it made barre chords a little easier and I could tell where I was without looking at my hands based on string height, but players who want a flatter radius down low will need to do a bit of shimming. I never redrill post holes for the larger Schaller studs and posts. It is too much trouble and the bridge is fine on the import posts even though they are slightly thinner. You can also leave the import claw and springs in the back of the guitar and they will work fine. *In reality, when you replace an import licensed bridge with a better bridge, all you need to change is the baseplate, saddles, and saddle blocks along with possibly the locking nut. These are the parts that are crucial to make the guitar flutter and stay in tune. If you have a guitar with a headstock string retainer, tightening it will help the guitar stay in tune better. More springs may also help tuning stability/flutter at the cost of smooth movement and a heavier feel.* It is easier just to buy an entire bridge than trying to buy parts individually, as you won't save much money. But you will end up with a lot of unused spare parts. *Companies selling you expensive parts/big blocks made out of titanium, tungsten, stone, etc., are making you pay out the nose for minimal improvements in tone.* "Tone wood" is paying a lot of money for a marginal improvement in tone. So is "tone metal." And metal is a genre that requires a brighter sound and tighter low end anyway, so all heavier metals will do is make the bridge less smooth and the guitar slightly bassier in tone. These frequencies will likely be rolled off with a high pass/low shelf EQ in mixing, anyway. My iron/zinc sustain blocks on my import bridges would not flutter, but I liked their tight low end and light, smooth movement. Brass blocks are a good enough upgrade because they are heavy enough to flutter and are reasonably priced. Most of my MIJ guitars have shallow bodies anyway, and so I go with 32mm blocks because they would not have enough room to move in the body if they were larger. I did use a 42mm block on a Bb tuned LTD F Type guitar (similar to an Ibanez Joe Satriani model) with 12 gauge strings. The only difference with the bigger block was I could not put the spring claw cover back on because the sustain block stuck out the back slightly. I didn't notice a big difference in tone since the guitar is fairly light, bright, and has a bolt on neck. *If you can find them, Charvel Desolation guitars from the late 00s are a very good deal. The upper end models were 100% neck thru mahogany, Floyd Rose 1000 bridge, 25.5" scale length for Les Paul copies, and Seymour Duncan Blackout pickups, which had just come out then. Kramer Assault 220 FR guitars are also a great value being set neck 25.5" Les Pauls with EMG pickups and OFR bridges.* Hope this helps.
I recently had a charvel model 6 rebuilt and restored. Had a Floyd OFR put in (not a drop in replacement for the JT6 , a little luthier work was required) and it is fantastic. Bright, loads of sustain and smooth as silk. Rock solid tuning stability and intonation is absolutely bang on all over the neck. Had the new seymours in it too. Awesome.
Might have been good to flush out what you mean by quality. Certainly the durability is better with the original, but at the end of the day, Floyd users primary metric for quality is how well it stays in tune. The brass block may help with sustain and higher quality steel gives you a longer lasting edge, but ultimately usability for Floyds is how well they stay in tune.
A lot of the aftermarket floyd rose stuff is extreme snake oil. I am not doubting the integrity of good metals used in trems, but if you think titanium nut screws are going to give you "infinity sustain", the super secret "brown sound", or better brightness or clarity, these sellers are taking you for a ride
Idk about sustain but the titanium 7 string Floyd I have is by far the best one I own. Even over that OFR. Less wear and tear and is better with bends. But only because it’s 7 strings not 6. Will a normal OFR last as long? Idk but my special broke within 9 months from new to broken.
@@robertdouble559 mental illness the post,TDS sufferer who has to bring up trump on a floyd rose vid lmao nobody can afford a new trem under "bidenomics" lmao,maybe kamala can force floyd rose company to lower the prices like she promised to do with price freezing that the soviets tried xD xD
TY i'll watch this when i get back, I have the German PRO from the 90s But I've never really understood the different categories or tier levels of Floyds
Picked up a special for my baritone build, mostly because the OG floyds were out of stock. They can be finicky to get good intonation but once you do it stays in tune. Can't speak for the longevity but one year and counting and still good
I'm just now finding out about the colored floyds. i always knew gold chrome and black were options but never imagined those new colors were available.
Years ago, I had a 1988 Hamer Chaparral Custom that came with a licensed Floyd Rose. The guitar listed for $2,500 in 1989 when I bought it. It was a one of kind hand made Super Strat Hamer. The Trem was gold plated, and it was mad in USA by Hamer. That guitar was "the one that got away." Back around 2007, I picked up a 2004 made in Korea Fender Special Edition Stratocaster Lite Ash. The Koreans did a great job, but the American Fender Tremolo sucks. I've tried everything, a roller nut, Graphtek saddles, and string trees, locking Fender tuners. The guitar still doesn't have a usable tremolo. What I miss is the Floyd Rose that I had on my Hamer. This video inspired me to rethink my issues with my Stratocaster. Unlike the Hamer, I picked up the Stratocaster for $275 from a friend who needed cash. I am now going to consider putting a Floyd Rose on the Stratocaster.
The Floyd rose pro was the original low profile and was made in USA by Kahler. The 1000 pro has a different spring spacing and is different and made in Korea.
As someone who designs and builds equipment for the audio industry, I discovered that many of these parts are easily accessible, even from FR. I decided to build my own system from parts and ended up with a great setup that works really well for me. Ordered the basics of the "Special" system from FR and then took a stab at the titanium parts available from ebay. Ended up with a very capable trem for about 250.00 which gives me a complete titanium locking nut (including screws) and a complete titanium saddle kit (also including screws. It also gave me titanium fine tuners. I ordered the original whammy bar from FR too. Since I still have a guitar with an original 84 era system, I was able to easily compare the two and the one I made from parts is everything that the original is.
I bought all the 1000 series parts from floyd rose and just built them to replace Floyd rose specials. Super easy to do and you can re-use the FRSpecial mounting studs and inserts, block shim, tuner spring plate, string lock blocks, string lock screws and keep the locking nut and trem claw as they are all the same parts for both models. Buy the 1000 base, saddles, trem block, tremolo mounting screws and trem arm and you''ve got a brand new 1000 series Floyd rose.
My first (and, only), Floyd Rose, was a 'Special' series, that came with my 2018 EVH Wolfgang Standard. I call this, the 'self-destructing', version, of a Floyd Rose. Over, time, I had to change out almost all of the parts, which - starting, with the saddle insert blocks - which, were made from, zinc - to, titanium. After, the saddle insert blocks, 'mushrooming', event, I changed the saddles, themselves. I replaced those with the Series 1000. I'm perfectly happy with the 1,000s. Next, I went to my local hardware store and bought steel versions of the saddle lock screws. Next, I changed out the original string-lock screws, for hardened-steel. I'm not sure what material the originals were made from, but I didn't want to take any chances. Now, as I understand it - all, Floyd Rose, base-plates, are made from hardened-steel (according, to Floyd Rose's, receptionist). I haven't had any problems with that, so, it is still the original plate. Next, came the tremolo arm! It was the screw-on, type, with bushing. Over, time (about 7 months), I couldn't keep it in place, anymore. I have gone through several different versions of that trem-arm, style. The best, was the Schaller (made in Germany). That arm lasted me a couple of years. After considering making my own modifications to the arm, I finally ended up with the newer, push-in type, arm. Nightmare - over! I can tell, just, by looking at the connector collar, and set screw, using, common, physics sense, that this one is a keeper. Just, to ensure, that - I added a split-ring, brass, washer, just under the lock-nut, to provide back pressure on the arm. With the set screw tension adjustment - I don't see this arm ever giving me any problems. I believe it's the best arm Floyd Rose has come up with!
Hello all.. So all but 2 of my guitars are hard tails, I have a Fernandes that still has its original head crusher full floating term, but I’ve had a lot of trouble with the old string through from the end of the pins that go over the saddles, it just will not stay tuned properly and every time I use it the only way to get it close to tune is by pulling the trem arm and watching the tuner, I bought a EVH Wolfgang standard ( amber ) which is just beautiful and definitely my no.1 now, but having no experience with Floyd’s and the Wolfgang standard having a Floyd special on it, It’s been a bit of a learning experience, after about a year now the saddles have worn to a point that the strings now slip out of the saddles because they have have creased the metal in front of the chick, I did research on the Floyd special before I bought the Wolfgang so it’s not a complete surprise that this has happened as it’s well documented that the Floyd special has soft steel saddles, I have already upgraded to stainless saddles but the fact that I love the Wolfgang so much and my OCD when it comes to my collection, I looked at the Gotoh 1996 and very nearly bought it as a full replacement until I saw a full titanium kit for $90 more, the kit has everything, posts, claw, arm, locking nut, Springs, chicks, and everything but the springs and block is machined titanium, manufactured in Japan with seriously brilliant quality, so I know this because I’m also a motorcycle nut, but the thing I don’t know is how titanium will perform as a guitar tremolo/bridge, I like the way the Wolfgang is blocked from pulling the term back but the Fernandes I think would be cool to have as a full floating. Sorry for the essay but as I said I’m not real familiar with Floyd and if anyone has some thoughts on the titanium vs the Gotoh and weather I should just stick with the head crusher base plate and stainless saddles for the fernandes or should I stick the Floyd off the Wolfgang with the stainless saddles instead. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks.
Great vid man, personally i have a floyd rose special, which always worked great, but when i got a guitar with an ibanez edge i realized that the special isnt as great as i thought it was. I also had the problem with the stripped saddle when i first got it (second hand).
@@nikaxeguitar '98 ibanez rg520qs, original edge neck, plays like a dream. The main difference between the trems that ive noticed is that i have to fine tune the floyd rose special once a day, and the edge more like 1 a week.
Just ordered 2 FR 1984 trems for my Jackson soloist and LTD M1000. Excited to see how they perform compared to the 1000 series. If anyone’s looking for a 1984 series, Stewmac has a bunch in stock for both chrome and black.
I have two ORG Floyd Roses which is on my 1987 Hammer SS model and on my Peavey Wolfgang guitar that i upgraded with the ORF. And i also have three Ibanez RG models that have the Ibanez Edge trems on them. And two Schecter guitars with FR 1500 series on them. Everyone of these trems are outstanding! No issues what so ever!
From my understanding, Floyd Rose trems were made by Schaller in their factory. But everyone agrees the Schaller FR is better than the OFR. It's be curious to know what the differences between the Schaller and the Gotoh are.
Good rundown. I see a lot of trash talking about 1000 series trems and it always makes me 🤦♂️. I think a lot of this comes down to people just not knowing this information, and not completely understanding how they function, how to maintain and operate them. I have 2 originals, and 3 1000 series, and all of them are amazing. The only difference I notice is it seems the fine tuners on the original are machined a little better, they turn slightly smoother, but in no way is it a deal breaker for the 1000. Even the special is a great trem, they just don’t last if you use them a lot, and like you said, the saddles are prone to breaking if you’re not super gentle with them.
I loved Floyds for years on my Jacksons but then I got an early 2000's Ibanez Jem with the ebony fretboard, and the Ibanez Edge low pro blows them all away !
Great info! I have an '85 Jackson with an early original Floyd, still going after almost 40 years! Funny thing, when the original, super high quality German ones first came out, everyone was complaining about the "thin tone" (including EVH)! Also, don't bother getting a Floyd Special - they are really junky.
The Schaller Lockmeister is the original Floyd Rose, it is the same, comes from the same factory. The Titanium is the only one made in the USA as I know until today. Personally I prefer the Ibanez Edge/LoPro Edge and Gotoh 1996T over the original Floyd Rose. The fine tuners working smoother and on the Edge Trem you have an additional stud fixation screw inside the two main studs. That is to prevent the screw from wobbling inside the thread!
I have a floyd rose special that came on an evh Wolfgang. I replaced every component on it except the base plate with original Floyd rose parts and I must say it’s dramatic how much better it feels.
The most important part IS the baseplate, the worst part of the special is that it has a soft baseplate that will degrade at an accelerated rate while the higher end models have hardened steel plates or inserts
@@BryanMiranda96 The Floyd Rose special has a hardened steel baseplate. It's just as hard as the baseplate of an original floyd. Licensed floyd's are the ones with the softer base plates.
@@brandonthompson8413 no, Floyd rose themselves say it is spot hardened, which means the knife edges were heated and cooled, no where near the hardness of the hardened steel baseplates, and that's only for the newest specials as of the last year and a half, earlier ones are completely untreated
I have had the problem with threads stripping in the Special saddles multiple times. You have to be aware that you can't sinch the screw as tight as the original Floyd.
Good content. I've had almost every version since the 80s, and to be honest, I've never had a bad one. I think my favorite though is the 1500 series that came on my Schecter Banshee 7 strings. I have a Charvel with an original one, and a cheap Jackson made in China, that was around 300 bucks, and has the cheapest one..that never goes out of tune..
I bought a Dean with a Floyd Rose Special about 10-15 years ago, and I thought it was junk. I replaced it with the 1984 Reissue - much better! Not only does it stay in tune as intended, but one unintended benefit is the heavier block helped balance the guitar and remove the neck dive.
Had a guitar with a Floyd Rose Special and honestly tuning stability was alright but whenever I used the tremolo my g string would slip out of the saddle. Guy at a shop told me I needed to bend the end of the string into a v shape in order to fix it. That helped but then the locks stripped on 2 of the saddles as well. My current go to guitar has a Floyd 1500 and the difference is night and day
I have a Schecter Banshee Mach 7 with a Floyd Rose 1500. I absolutely love it. I had an Ibanez back in the day that had an Edge III tremolo. I prefer the Floyd Rose 1500. I definitely want another Ibanez, though. Maybe with the Lo-Pro Edge instead of the Edge III.
Lo -Pro Edge and Edge Original are better than FR 1000 1500 and original in my opinion and the Gotoh 1996T for the money is the best you can get for a little more than a FR special and the Gotoh is up there with the Edge and FR original. If I were upgrading a from a FR special or putting a double locking tremolo on something that didn’t have it , I’d be using the 1996t . Kahler has reissued their fulcrum based double locking tremolos too if you want the ultimate bad ass tremolo and got the extra cash.
I swapped my Ibanez Jems over to gotoh1996 systems and haven't looked back,the Ibanez Japan made 1987-93 guitars are masterpieces,wish they still were made there..Rg550s,Jem's, universe my others have the non floating low tremelo edge system and no issues yet, the original Japan made Ibanez vais jem777 going strong,I bought all 4 Jem jrs ( pawnshop deal $500 all,yellow SP,pinkSP,white and current black)and customized them to look as my originals,even the rare loch ness green w pyramid inlays maple neck,and gotoh1996 was the way to go,upgraded small studs to large,many upgrade these but don't change the studs? What's the point of your buying a Corvette and put a 4 cylinder in it?💥💥💥🎸😂
I'm glad I found this video. I was curious of the differences. The 1000 series pro is available after market from floyd rose. Looking at it right now at floyd rose. The original series is also available from floyd rose. Again, I'm at the floyd rose site. 7 different models from $231.99 to a high end of $408.99. So not ridiculosly expensive in my book.
@@nikaxeguitar Tuners primarily. I have several project guitars, all Jacksons or Charvel. I have the burnt chrome Schaller for one ready to go together. The Gotoh tuners look darker anywhere I find them and I'm not a hug fan of the shape. Thought about having pup rings made and tuners plated but that process is more than I want to spend.
My issue was always the locking nut getting wallowed-out on the bass string side. Not sure how that would always happen, but I'd strip one out every other month or so. I love Floyd's, I still have a couple Floyd's Rose equipped guitars to this day, but back then I was really running through a bunch of em (to the point of ridiculousness) so I stopped using them for gigging.
Most likely due to the fact that the strings are thicker and keeping the screw from engaging in as many threads as the other 2 are. These are m4×.7 or m5×.8 and 10mm long I forget exactly, either way go to the hardware store and get a screw that is at least 2mm longer, remove the nut and clamp 2 of the same gauge strings in it and see how much of the screw sticks out of the underside. Measure it. Disassemble and grind this amount off of the threaded end so nothing protrudes from the bottom when you reassemble it. Don't forget to lightly deburr the end of the threads so it screws into the nut easily.
Next maybe discuss the various specs to look for like post spacing, route cavities for various styles and what to look for or how to properly measure so people don't order the wrong product while trying to upgrade
The new saddles with various radiuses are made in a new facility in the US, but the OFR is still German made as far as I'm aware. The German OFR no longer has "Made In Germany" stamped under the baseplate, but the two identifying factors as pointed out on the Floyd Rose website were rounded corners on the saddles and on the arm housing assembly, which can be removed from the baseplate, which itself has no other distinguishable features, which looks a bit sus and leads me to believe they may be intent on making the whole unit in the US and eventually ditching Schaller as a manufacturer, which would make sense because of import costs from Germany. The OFR may very well be just as good if made in the US, but the German ones are tried and true, so I'm sticking with them. The Schaller Lockmeister is virtually identical and 100% interchangeable with the OFR. I contacted Schaller for that info, and I got a reply of confirmation from Dr Lars Bünning, the owner.
I've heard many people claim the knife edges on the 1000 series wear out quickly. My guess is that if it is made from the same metals as they claim, the metal is not tempered to the same specs as the German made Floyd, so therefore softer. I found that making a partscaster on Warmoth is the cheapest way to get a German Floyd, and using a Schaller Lockmeister, which a Schaller rep confirmed was 99.5% identical to the the OFR apart from a thicker baseplate. Plus the Lockmeister was about £100 cheaper to buy in UK than the branded version.
Are you sure the Original Floyd Rose is still made in Germany? On Floyd Rose's Amazon store, their Original Floyd Rose now has a part number FRT100K instead of FRT100. That K on the end makes me believe they are made in Korea now like their Floyd Rose Pro 1000 is. As far as their American Factory in NC goes, from what I've read, they are only making saddle sets with radius options there.
I bought my Floyd Rose in 1984. I used it for 35 years. When I wore out the frets on my 1976 Stratocaster, I bought a new neck. I went back to the original Fender tremolo, that came with the guitar and replaced the block with a brass one. I didn't want to route the neck again. I balanced it and got a set of Fender locking tuners. I got it to stay in tune but, it can't do what the Floyd Rose could do.
You also can buy a cheaper FR and then buy SS parts VERY CHEAP and upgrade the nut too and turn it into a mid grade tremelo as you mentioned . You didn't mention the FR 2 which came with string through as opposed to cutting and clamping which alot of 80s Kramers / ESP had .
I have an original FR on my custom ESP gtr built in 86. Had to replace some screws, saddles due to wear, mostly sweat. Trem is still working perfectly. And when testing against a 1000 on my charvel, there is a difference in the gtr staying in perfect tune while playing. The 1000 does (as a whole) stay sharp or flat after your final touch, where as the original goes rt back to perfect tune. It is not noticeable to the ear, just on the tuner and is not at all an issue. But when splitting hairs, that's what I noticed. I'd like to put an original on my Charvel and will when I get a chance.
I've been playing and installing Floyd Rose trems for over 12 years. A Lot of Special series but I buy the fat brass block....also. Titanium saddle blocks are really a worthwhile upgrade and original saddles. Or even 1000 series saddles. Which are available at Floyd Rose website. I agree Original Floyd Rose are the best. Also. The hollow points intonation system available at Floyd Rose website. And the "Tone Claw" also at the website. Are definitely useful upgrades. For me especially the tone claw. Not for any tonal reasons. But because it locks the springs in .. and I get Wild with my trem arm. In the past I would have to be f the fingers just slightly more on the stock claw. But the tone claw is 96% better
My LTD kh-602 purple sparkle came with the 1000. It plays perfect. That guitar is just so flawless. The Koreans made guitars seem to be challenging the Japanese made guitars seriously.
Licenced FRs eventually fall apart if you sweat on them gig after gig. I've replaced most of the parts on my Ibanez RG470's since the 90s, and a lot of pieces I overpaid for because it was pre-internet sales. Some even came in the wrong size and I had to manually mill or sand them down. Avoid the headaches, get a good trem or invest in sweatbands.
As to my previous comment and question, the Fernandez is a 1986 MIJ STJ 75 superstrat that has been fully customised, the bolt on neck has been set and carved for full access, fretboard refretted, repainted with a sustainiack mini humbucker in the neck, SD mini sh2 middle and a SD Jb in the bridge, it’s become a very expensive and hair pulling operation rebuilding it and the stupid thing is, the whole time I was basically turning a 86 superstrat that was badly neglected and worn into everything a Wolfgang already is, In Newcastle NSW Australia we didn’t have any Wolfgang’s until a year ago, if I’d have only had access to one I’d have probably never bought anything else 😆
I have 2 floyds "OEM" FRT200 they are labelled made in germany, basically like an original but not made in the US. they came with nickel coated brass block, I believe they are in between the FRT2000 and the Original FRT100 but I don't see any difference. I also have 2 floyds 1000 and they are good tremolo too, juste more prone to wear on the knife edge. and finally I have also 2 floyds special and a licensed jackson one, they are awful and the reason why people have bad feelings about floyds, knife edge wears by looking at them and the saddle screws are ripped on all of them... The only way they perform okay is by locking them in dive only ! As a big floyd rose guy, I found out that most of the tuning stability came from a loose nut ! so before changing your tremolo you should try gluing your locking nut like a traditional nut, nothing more than 2 dabs of superglue. And as always, DON'T DO YOUR SETUP UNDER TENSION ! just remove your springs in the back without touching the screws, and when you're done, put them back and your guitar should be in tune ! Rock on ! \m/
I've got a Schecter with a Special on it. As an upgrade, I swapped the saddles for OFR saddles and chucked a big block on it. They just dropped straight in. Hopefully, I've only got the baseplate to worry about it.
I was around 12 years old when my parents bought me my first guitar. This was around 1987 and the guitar was a explorer shaped Harmony with a Floyd rose. I didn't know anything about Floyd's and it was a nightmare trying to keep it in tune and I was constantly breaking strings. I don't know what kind of Floyd it was but I should have started out with a hardtail lol. I currently don't have a Floyd guitar but I've got my eyes on a green charvel with a Floyd! 🤩
Kahler and Floyd had a big law suit back in the days.. I have both the Kahler was better in the 80's since the intonation had alien screws which made it really easy to do a setup. The Floyd special is zinc metal that alone will give less sustain and softer and not last. Really easy for the strings to cut into the saddles.
Hey, you should discuss the original Floyd without fine tuners. Brad Gillis still uses it, and I think Guthrie uses one with locking tuners no locking nut. Tho originally it had a locking nut, Eddie used it on tour and complained because it would go sharp when you tightened the locking nut
I own some of each. On EVERY Special barring ESP's version I replace the saddles, the bridge base plate blade screws and the saddle screws. If the blades bend or wear I file them sharp once more. I also ALWAYS no matter what type the vibro may be put a spring stabilizer behind the bridge and Tone Vise top nut locks. No allen screws needed to tune now and super reliable stable tune each time! I also use canning wax melted on everything then re-assemble it and oil. This makes them SUPER FUCKING SMOOTH AND QUIET! I even do the springs claw and block like that. Anyone who has issues keeping things in tune just doesn't know how to set them up correctly. The top nut has to be very low to 1st fret and I set up less than 1mm string height. This done correctly with no buzzing puts less resistance on the strings, springs, neck etc and is not only easier to play but stays in tune longer. I had dust on 3 or so guitars last week I had not played in over a month. Picked 'em up and checked perfect tuning still!! Just wiped off and played. When the weather changes you have to give truss rod a slight turn in fall and then opposite way spring but you will know because your action will be off. I like the original and the 1000s best. I also like Gotoh they make a fine working product but you have to widen the hole a bit around the edges and corner in some spots. I use a dremel but I am very skilled with one and even then tape things off in case I slip or something. I can barely stand to play most guitar stores products because my guitars just work better, sound better and honestly are un-fair advantages for a skilled or even un-skilled player. Floating bridges ROCK! I even have a Kahler and it is also a fine system.
Never had any issues with a Floyd rose special. The only downside is just having to replace the blocks every 6 months. No wear and tear on the Floyd itself. Never understood the hate for those.
I have three guitars with the 1500 series. The fine tuners are an issue for me. The knurlingly on the fine tuners are sharp to touch, the threads seem course, and the bottom on the screw is not uniform in it’s profile area that contacts the pivoting/locking screw, thus causing the fine tuning to be unpredictable. I will wear it out and replace it with the Gotoh. Gotoh now makes 7 string versions too.
Does anybody else notice these kind corners I guess that stick out on the the tier 2 Floyd Roses? It's on the side of the base plate near the fine tuners. It's perfectly smooth on the originals, but there's a little part that sticks out at the bend on a 1000 series.
Great info man. I have a Question that is slightly off topic but can a FR special baseplate be upgraded to the Original FR baseplate and will everything bolt up?
My 1998 Vigier Excalibur has a Vigier rebranded Schaller Floyd Rose style trem that has been modified to have roller bearing fulcrums and hardened steel inserts in the baseplate screw holes. It's the smoothest trem that I've ever played. It also stays in tune, once the string have finished stretching, virtually forever even after going nuts with it. I tried to buy one from Vigier to put on my 1986 Hamer Chaparral, but Vigier doesn't sell them separately.
I worked for a Korean that had came to the US, after saving money he made at Mercedes. If a Korean can make a German car and maintain the standards, I don't see a guitar bridge being difficult. its the US vs the world BS, but substitute US with Germany. Either way, Floyd has always outsourced his product. I can't see a real differce between the top 2 tiers.
@MrSteney When I called a few months ago, they couldn't give me a price yet... I knew it was gonna be jacked but Jesus Christ. WTF, Gary? Priced himself out of his own comeback!
@@lsu1992 All but one of my guitars were under $1000. There's no way I'm paying $1000 for a bridge and nut. I don't care where it's made, or if it includes fairy dust and unicorn tears.
@MrSteney TBH, My 87 Charvel Model 5 still has the JT6 Jackson bridge and nut. I had to sand the string grooves out of the 3 plates that compress the strings in the nut, and adjust the bridge spring spread and tension to match string tension with the bridge blocked level. If the nut doesn't string-slip, intonation is correct, and the springs are good, any floating bridge can be kept in tune no matter how nuts you go on the whammy.
The 1000 series is available from Stew Mac but it’s more expensive than the Original and 1984 series. It’s not by much, only about $50 difference but it’s worth noting.
Good video ,,good information ....question ? Do you know about the quality of a Peavey Floyd that came on the original Wolfgangs ?? And I assure not all trem arms are universal ,there must be spec differences...
my very first floyd rose guitar was an esp ltd f350 with a special on it, and I stripped one of the saddles on the first string change. I've since put an original on that guitar but yeah lol.
Way cool vid, I would have to actually check all my gtrs. But not knowing which is which I was still able to make all of them pop in bars for $20-25. While changing strings pop out the springs and flip over trem. Grab wrench loosen nut holding the bar and pop in the new one, takes 5-10 minutes.
Errr...as of this post date, the official Floyd Rose site is indeed selling Floyd Rose 1000 trem as well as the 1000 Pro. So, not sure what you mean, or I am confused... :)
@@nikaxeguitar I did. I think I did, at least almost all of the way...lol If you did mention the correct info about FR official site selling FR1000 trems, sorry XD
How would you compare the original Floyd to high quality licensed trems, like the Gotoh and the Ibanez Edge/Lo-Pro Edge? I hear nothing but good things about the Gotoh, and my Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge is awesome as well. I've had it since 2000 and never a problem with it.
I've got an old ESP I am pretty sure is from the 80s. I've had it since 94 and it came from a friend who has it years before that. Besides the point, just an idea of age. Because there is some mystery about the Floyd rose on it. I've had some people who know their bussines tell me the base plate looks custom made. And that is what ESP started out as. Making custom made guitar stuff, before they started making their own guitars. It's pitted so you can it is old. It has all the brass screws on it and brass block. Nowhere on it does it say Floyd rose. I tried to take the block off one day to look at the plate when doing some cleaning. It is on there, so I left it alone so I didn't destroy the screws. Anyway, I was wondering if you knew anything about this. It is heavy duty. Brass block, brass screws. It is 80s. Don't know if late or early. But doesn't have Floyd rose anywhere on it. You anything about those? Is it a Floyd or an OEM or custom made ESP trem. Like I said, several people who know their bussines said the baseplate looked custom made. Just personally curious about it. I'd like to know when people ask me about it. Lol
It might have been an OEM design manufactured by Gotoh or Takeuchi, similar to how Gotoh made the original Edge units for Ibanez. The Japanese tried all sorts of tricks to get around patent issues with Floyd Rose and Kahler designs. Mostly unsuccessful, but they were very cheeky.
You don't have to hear it. Look at the angled part of the floyd where the fine tuners are mounted. In originals it's a clean and sharp angle. In 1000s and Specials, you can see the metal being distorted on the edges. OFRs are milled to shape from a solid block of hardened steel. Other (depending on the material) are heated and creased from a sheet of metal rather than a full block. Apart from this, OFRs have a narrower screw thread in their fine tuners compared to a 1000 or Special allowing for a finer and more accurate adjustment.
@@SeanAttardMetal I can confirm the "creased" look on my FR 1000 series in the area you described. I'm not complaining though, it was a $1200 dollar guitar I got on clearance for $750 so I feel it was a good deal, the guitar plays great.
@@BingeV not saying it's bad, but bending a hardened steel sheet is much cost effective than milling a block, hence why the price is significantly lower
The FR Special is a case of paying extra for the Floyd branding. For just a little bit more (retail, OEM is a different story) the Gotoh GE1996 is far superior. By the time you've got the Special up to a similar level, you might have just gone and bought a Schaller Lockmeister, or if you're in the US, possibly even a German (Schaller made) Floyd Rose Original. If the baseplate on the Special is up to scratch (properly hardened and the knife edges machined correctly) then that's not so bad. But there are a LOT of complaints that indicate quality is very patchy on the Korean OEM supply Floyd's and the zinc alloy saddles on the Special will wear out in a fraction of the time that the steel of the Schaller and Gotoh versions will and the zinc alloy spring block doesn't offer the sustain of the brass of the pricier models. Now that the Floyd Rose patents have expired, Gotoh and Schaller can now make their own locking fulcrum units without having to pay for the licence (or branding and extra distribution costs that the Floyd Rose Original incurs in the case of the Schaller made OFR), therefore able to offer very high quality bridges for lower cost.
Excellent video, super detailed and well put. cheers!
Thanks a bunch my friend!
I'm German and honestly, while I love the German made Floyd Rose, I'd recommend the Gotoh 1996T double locking Tremolo. IMO, German and Japanese steel are just unbeatable when it comes to trems, but the Gotoh is incredibly well thought out.
@jdturner
I agree with you 100% and I have 7 Guitars with the Gotoh 1996t
Only 2 with Original Floyd Rose.
I also agree, the gotoh ibanez edge is also fantastic
What abou schaller?
Schaller is great. I have one also made in Germany that is killer on my 91 Charvel.
Good things happen when the Germans and Japanese team up 🙋🏼♂️
When in doubt, get a Gotoh
Incredibly underrated trem.
Best Floyd replacement bar none.
Guaranteed better trem bar stability too.
Always a good choice.
Yep. I've replaced both the floyd special on my Charvel and the 1500 on my Schecter with Gotoh 1996T's and it was a noticeable improvement on each of them.
I own a Gotoh Floyd rose-absolute best!!
Their super expensive. A lot of musicians don't have the privilege to spend $150 to $200 on a tremelo. I love gotohs though. Had one on the dime razor V and it had the best squeals.
Bro ur so underrated for how much work you put in ur vids
Dude. I really appreciate that! Get the word out by sharing. That’ll help the channel grow. Thanks so much for stopping by!
@@nikaxeguitar definitely will. Every video of yours I see is extremely high quality and super informative and somehow you only have 25k subs ?!??!
@@nikaxeguitar I like how you broke everything down. And you are correct, all of the original Floyd Rose tremolos are made in Germany. And yes, all of the other tremolos are made in South Korea. You did not mention, who makes them. Gotoh manufactures all of Floyd rose Korean tremolos in their Korean factory. They also manufacture some Ibanez tremolos in Korea and they manufacture the Ibanez edge series tremolos in Japan along with their 1996t, which I feel is just as good as the original Floyd rose in terms of quality. And I prefer the saddles on the 1996t because they are contoured. They feel better when I’m playing. I’m an old lady, but I’ve been a metal chick since I’ve been a teenager. Been building and working on and playing Guitars for over 40 years. Oh, and I am German. ☮️💜😊 you can see the go to tremolo in four or five of my videos on my channel. Here is a link to my channel.
m.youtube.com/@TarynnElizabeth619/featured
Got myself a Charvel Custom shop recently which has the 1984-series FR. Not only it plays really well, i also did a little nerdy deepdive into all the different floyd specs.Interesting fact: The 1984-series comes - unlike the other OFR - with a factory-installed shim under the center saddles for a better playability regarding the 10" radius.
I have a 20 year old Ibanez with a Low-Pro Edge which is as good as the first day. This is the same version the Ibanez Petrucci had. Love it
Ive been waiting for a video like this. There is so many different types of FR its honestly pretty daunting to pick one for your guitar especially for beginners.
What an amazing channel man
Great video dude, I always take for granted how much i know about these trems and i casually mention floyd rose all the time and people look at me like i'm from space. Anyway I built a Frankie replica with an 84 reissue and i'm so greatful for my timing now that the german made 84 reissues are gone its value just shot up.
I am so happy with my Wilkenson locking trems on my guitars that do divebombs and all the tricks you know, that this is the proof you do not need a Floyd rose anymore! Thanx for posting! ♨️🎸♨️
That’s so good to know!
Months ago I ordered a OFR 1984 for my '94 Jackson DInky and they just came in stock this week. Kinda stoked.
Dude that’s awesome!!! Let me know how it rides!
@@nikaxeguitar Will do. Any idea why they were OOS pretty much everywhere for so long? I'm guessing supply issues, but it's just steel so I dunno why that would be hard to acquire.
@@RottenRotny I had a saddle strip on a Special and wanted to replace it with an Original but they we're out of stock everywhere. Looked at a Schaller Lock Meister instead but they are $450+ in the UK. Ended up replacing it with a Gotoh 1996T for less than half the price! I already had a 1996T on a MIJ Jackson Dinky DKR that I have, every bit as good as an Original.
@@aynakotalaga
?
The Schaller Floyd Rose is around the £300+ mark in the UK, the Schaller Lockmeister is +/- £200, depending on retailer.
You have to pay the Floyd Rose brand tax on the original, whereas the Lockmeister is available for a lot less due to not having to pay Floyd their cut.
But yes, the GE1996 is a superb unit that undercuts the Schaller units in terms of cost.
Nice! I have a Dinky of a similar vintage and replaced the JT-580 with an FR Special. Terrible mistake. It will not stay in tune at all. I regret not going with the OFR.
My recommendation for the best replacement bridge for most 90s-00s MIJ and other import Jackson/Charvel/ESP LTD/BC Rich guitars is the *Schaller 1302* (non-Lockmeister). The reason is it has a smaller footprint, allowing you to put it in recessed trem cavities. If you use an OFR in a recessed trem cavity the saddle screws may be too long and there will be a side gap along the baseplate.
If you detune, the Schaller 1302 will allow you to intonate the guitar with the saddles fully out and do full pullups on the bar. The Lockmeister is essentially an OFR copy and is longer front to back than the 1302. And the Schallers come with the benefit of replaceable knife edges. There's really no need to buy any of the bridges over the Schaller. It costs about $150-200 USD directly from Schaller.
If you need to replace your import locking nut because it is not staying in tune due to the soft zinc clamps, know that usually the import nuts are not as tall as an R2-R3 nut, so you have to buy a Floyd Rose R8 nut. Schaller does not make R8 nuts, but Schaller 1302 bridges will work with Floyd Rose R8 nuts. Most of the time my import nuts kept the guitar in tune with a Schaller bridge except for a locking nut from a 1994 BC Rich Mockingbird NJ that was worn out after 30 years.
The main issue is Schaller 1302 bridges are designed for 10"-16" compound radius guitars, whereas Jacksons are usually 12-16" compound. Unless you shim the high and low E string saddles, you will notice a slight amount of curvature on the Schallers vs. import bridges. I actually grew to like it because it made barre chords a little easier and I could tell where I was without looking at my hands based on string height, but players who want a flatter radius down low will need to do a bit of shimming.
I never redrill post holes for the larger Schaller studs and posts. It is too much trouble and the bridge is fine on the import posts even though they are slightly thinner.
You can also leave the import claw and springs in the back of the guitar and they will work fine.
*In reality, when you replace an import licensed bridge with a better bridge, all you need to change is the baseplate, saddles, and saddle blocks along with possibly the locking nut. These are the parts that are crucial to make the guitar flutter and stay in tune. If you have a guitar with a headstock string retainer, tightening it will help the guitar stay in tune better. More springs may also help tuning stability/flutter at the cost of smooth movement and a heavier feel.* It is easier just to buy an entire bridge than trying to buy parts individually, as you won't save much money. But you will end up with a lot of unused spare parts.
*Companies selling you expensive parts/big blocks made out of titanium, tungsten, stone, etc., are making you pay out the nose for minimal improvements in tone.* "Tone wood" is paying a lot of money for a marginal improvement in tone. So is "tone metal."
And metal is a genre that requires a brighter sound and tighter low end anyway, so all heavier metals will do is make the bridge less smooth and the guitar slightly bassier in tone. These frequencies will likely be rolled off with a high pass/low shelf EQ in mixing, anyway. My iron/zinc sustain blocks on my import bridges would not flutter, but I liked their tight low end and light, smooth movement. Brass blocks are a good enough upgrade because they are heavy enough to flutter and are reasonably priced.
Most of my MIJ guitars have shallow bodies anyway, and so I go with 32mm blocks because they would not have enough room to move in the body if they were larger. I did use a 42mm block on a Bb tuned LTD F Type guitar (similar to an Ibanez Joe Satriani model) with 12 gauge strings.
The only difference with the bigger block was I could not put the spring claw cover back on because the sustain block stuck out the back slightly. I didn't notice a big difference in tone since the guitar is fairly light, bright, and has a bolt on neck.
*If you can find them, Charvel Desolation guitars from the late 00s are a very good deal. The upper end models were 100% neck thru mahogany, Floyd Rose 1000 bridge, 25.5" scale length for Les Paul copies, and Seymour Duncan Blackout pickups, which had just come out then. Kramer Assault 220 FR guitars are also a great value being set neck 25.5" Les Pauls with EMG pickups and OFR bridges.*
Hope this helps.
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to write this. This is really great and important info!
I recently had a charvel model 6 rebuilt and restored. Had a Floyd OFR put in (not a drop in replacement for the JT6 , a little luthier work was required) and it is fantastic. Bright, loads of sustain and smooth as silk. Rock solid tuning stability and intonation is absolutely bang on all over the neck. Had the new seymours in it too. Awesome.
That’s awesome dude!
@@nikaxeguitar I have to add, I didn’t do the work myself. I payed an extremely talented guitar luthier to do it.
@@philknight6844 that’s still awesome
Might have been good to flush out what you mean by quality. Certainly the durability is better with the original, but at the end of the day, Floyd users primary metric for quality is how well it stays in tune. The brass block may help with sustain and higher quality steel gives you a longer lasting edge, but ultimately usability for Floyds is how well they stay in tune.
A lot of the aftermarket floyd rose stuff is extreme snake oil. I am not doubting the integrity of good metals used in trems, but if you think titanium nut screws are going to give you "infinity sustain", the super secret "brown sound", or better brightness or clarity, these sellers are taking you for a ride
Idk about sustain but the titanium 7 string Floyd I have is by far the best one I own. Even over that OFR. Less wear and tear and is better with bends. But only because it’s 7 strings not 6. Will a normal OFR last as long? Idk but my special broke within 9 months from new to broken.
They're about as useful as Trump Steaks.
@@robertdouble559 mental illness the post,TDS sufferer who has to bring up trump on a floyd rose vid lmao
nobody can afford a new trem under "bidenomics" lmao,maybe kamala can force floyd rose company to lower the prices like she promised to do with price freezing that the soviets tried xD xD
Titanium is just a very durable metal.
Why would a trump steak be "useful" i smell some TDS @@robertdouble559
TY i'll watch this when i get back, I have the German PRO from the 90s
But I've never really understood the different categories or tier levels of Floyds
Sounds good!
I have the Edge on my 2021 RG 565 reissue. Love it compared to my other trems 1000on my Jackson, 1500 on my Schecter. Hipshot 2pt on my Kiesel ...
Picked up a special for my baritone build, mostly because the OG floyds were out of stock. They can be finicky to get good intonation but once you do it stays in tune. Can't speak for the longevity but one year and counting and still good
I'm just now finding out about the colored floyds. i always knew gold chrome and black were options but never imagined those new colors were available.
Me neither until I did some research!
Years ago, I had a 1988 Hamer Chaparral Custom that came with a licensed Floyd Rose. The guitar listed for $2,500 in 1989 when I bought it. It was a one of kind hand made Super Strat Hamer. The Trem was gold plated, and it was mad in USA by Hamer. That guitar was "the one that got away." Back around 2007, I picked up a 2004 made in Korea Fender Special Edition Stratocaster Lite Ash. The Koreans did a great job, but the American Fender Tremolo sucks. I've tried everything, a roller nut, Graphtek saddles, and string trees, locking Fender tuners. The guitar still doesn't have a usable tremolo. What I miss is the Floyd Rose that I had on my Hamer. This video inspired me to rethink my issues with my Stratocaster. Unlike the Hamer, I picked up the Stratocaster for $275 from a friend who needed cash. I am now going to consider putting a Floyd Rose on the Stratocaster.
The Floyd rose pro was the original low profile and was made in USA by Kahler. The 1000 pro has a different spring spacing and is different and made in Korea.
As someone who designs and builds equipment for the audio industry, I discovered that many of these parts are easily accessible, even from FR. I decided to build my own system from parts and ended up with a great setup that works really well for me. Ordered the basics of the "Special" system from FR and then took a stab at the titanium parts available from ebay. Ended up with a very capable trem for about 250.00 which gives me a complete titanium locking nut (including screws) and a complete titanium saddle kit (also including screws. It also gave me titanium fine tuners. I ordered the original whammy bar from FR too. Since I still have a guitar with an original 84 era system, I was able to easily compare the two and the one I made from parts is everything that the original is.
I bought all the 1000 series parts from floyd rose and just built them to replace Floyd rose specials. Super easy to do and you can re-use the FRSpecial mounting studs and inserts, block shim, tuner spring plate, string lock blocks, string lock screws and keep the locking nut and trem claw as they are all the same parts for both models. Buy the 1000 base, saddles, trem block, tremolo mounting screws and trem arm and you''ve got a brand new 1000 series Floyd rose.
My first (and, only), Floyd Rose, was a 'Special' series, that came with my 2018 EVH Wolfgang Standard. I call this, the 'self-destructing', version, of a Floyd Rose.
Over, time, I had to change out almost all of the parts, which - starting, with the saddle insert blocks - which, were made from, zinc - to, titanium.
After, the saddle insert blocks, 'mushrooming', event, I changed the saddles, themselves. I replaced those with the Series 1000. I'm perfectly happy with the 1,000s.
Next, I went to my local hardware store and bought steel versions of the saddle lock screws. Next, I changed out the original string-lock screws, for hardened-steel. I'm not sure what material the originals were made from, but I didn't want to take any chances. Now, as I understand it - all, Floyd Rose, base-plates, are made from hardened-steel (according, to Floyd Rose's, receptionist). I haven't had any problems with that, so, it is still the original plate.
Next, came the tremolo arm! It was the screw-on, type, with bushing. Over, time (about 7 months), I couldn't keep it in place, anymore. I have gone through several different versions of that trem-arm, style. The best, was the Schaller (made in Germany). That arm lasted me a couple of years.
After considering making my own modifications to the arm, I finally ended up with the newer, push-in type, arm. Nightmare - over! I can tell, just, by looking at the connector collar, and set screw, using, common, physics sense, that this one is a keeper. Just, to ensure, that - I added a split-ring, brass, washer, just under the lock-nut, to provide back pressure on the arm. With the set screw tension adjustment - I don't see this arm ever giving me any problems. I believe it's the best arm Floyd Rose has come up with!
I have made in japan 1988 Ibanez rg750 with a Floyd rose. It's an amazing setup.
Another difference between an OFR and a FR1000 is that base plate is bent, not machined.
The baseplate of the German made OFR was originally lost wax cast and is currently metal injection molded.
Actually they are all bent, except for cast and potted ones, originals are bent then machined so they are more uniform looking and don't appear bent.
Hello all.. So all but 2 of my guitars are hard tails, I have a Fernandes that still has its original head crusher full floating term, but I’ve had a lot of trouble with the old string through from the end of the pins that go over the saddles, it just will not stay tuned properly and every time I use it the only way to get it close to tune is by pulling the trem arm and watching the tuner, I bought a EVH Wolfgang standard ( amber ) which is just beautiful and definitely my no.1 now, but having no experience with Floyd’s and the Wolfgang standard having a Floyd special on it, It’s been a bit of a learning experience, after about a year now the saddles have worn to a point that the strings now slip out of the saddles because they have have creased the metal in front of the chick, I did research on the Floyd special before I bought the Wolfgang so it’s not a complete surprise that this has happened as it’s well documented that the Floyd special has soft steel saddles, I have already upgraded to stainless saddles but the fact that I love the Wolfgang so much and my OCD when it comes to my collection, I looked at the Gotoh 1996 and very nearly bought it as a full replacement until I saw a full titanium kit for $90 more, the kit has everything, posts, claw, arm, locking nut, Springs, chicks, and everything but the springs and block is machined titanium, manufactured in Japan with seriously brilliant quality, so I know this because I’m also a motorcycle nut, but the thing I don’t know is how titanium will perform as a guitar tremolo/bridge, I like the way the Wolfgang is blocked from pulling the term back but the Fernandes I think would be cool to have as a full floating.
Sorry for the essay but as I said I’m not real familiar with Floyd and if anyone has some thoughts on the titanium vs the Gotoh and weather I should just stick with the head crusher base plate and stainless saddles for the fernandes or should I stick the Floyd off the Wolfgang with the stainless saddles instead.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks.
Great vid man, personally i have a floyd rose special, which always worked great, but when i got a guitar with an ibanez edge i realized that the special isnt as great as i thought it was. I also had the problem with the stripped saddle when i first got it (second hand).
Ahhhh Dangit. What guitar is your Ibanez edge in?
@@nikaxeguitar '98 ibanez rg520qs, original edge neck, plays like a dream. The main difference between the trems that ive noticed is that i have to fine tune the floyd rose special once a day, and the edge more like 1 a week.
Just ordered 2 FR 1984 trems for my Jackson soloist and LTD M1000. Excited to see how they perform compared to the 1000 series. If anyone’s looking for a 1984 series, Stewmac has a bunch in stock for both chrome and black.
Minty video my friend.
Much appreciated 👍👍👍
Thanks brother!!
My 2007 ESP Horizon FRII has an original Floyd and I love it. Never had any problems with it, been almost 20 years.
I have two ORG Floyd Roses which is on my 1987 Hammer SS model and on my Peavey Wolfgang guitar that i upgraded with the ORF. And i also have three Ibanez RG models that have the Ibanez Edge trems on them. And two Schecter guitars with FR 1500 series on them. Everyone of these trems are outstanding! No issues what so ever!
From my understanding, Floyd Rose trems were made by Schaller in their factory. But everyone agrees the Schaller FR is better than the OFR. It's be curious to know what the differences between the Schaller and the Gotoh are.
Good rundown. I see a lot of trash talking about 1000 series trems and it always makes me 🤦♂️. I think a lot of this comes down to people just not knowing this information, and not completely understanding how they function, how to maintain and operate them. I have 2 originals, and 3 1000 series, and all of them are amazing. The only difference I notice is it seems the fine tuners on the original are machined a little better, they turn slightly smoother, but in no way is it a deal breaker for the 1000. Even the special is a great trem, they just don’t last if you use them a lot, and like you said, the saddles are prone to breaking if you’re not super gentle with them.
Exactly!!
Got couple 1984-85 Kramers with the real Floyds. Nothing comes even close IMO. 🤘🏻🤘🏻. Great video
Holy crap! That’s amazing!
@@nikaxeguitarglad to know my 1000 and 1500 series on my newer ESP and Schecters are up to speed . I could tell they were good once playing them.
I loved Floyds for years on my Jacksons but then I got an early 2000's Ibanez Jem with the ebony fretboard, and the Ibanez Edge low pro blows them all away !
My Dimebag Razorback has a Floyd Rose special. I only paid 500 for it but this video was very informative. Thank you my friend
Great info! I have an '85 Jackson with an early original Floyd, still going after almost 40 years! Funny thing, when the original, super high quality German ones first came out, everyone was complaining about the "thin tone" (including EVH)! Also, don't bother getting a Floyd Special - they are really junky.
The Schaller Lockmeister is the original Floyd Rose, it is the same, comes from the same factory. The Titanium is the only one made in the USA as I know until today. Personally I prefer the Ibanez Edge/LoPro Edge and Gotoh 1996T over the original Floyd Rose. The fine tuners working smoother and on the Edge Trem you have an additional stud fixation screw inside the two main studs. That is to prevent the screw from wobbling inside the thread!
I have a floyd rose special that came on an evh Wolfgang. I replaced every component on it except the base plate with original Floyd rose parts and I must say it’s dramatic how much better it feels.
The most important part IS the baseplate, the worst part of the special is that it has a soft baseplate that will degrade at an accelerated rate while the higher end models have hardened steel plates or inserts
@@BryanMiranda96 The Floyd Rose special has a hardened steel baseplate. It's just as hard as the baseplate of an original floyd. Licensed floyd's are the ones with the softer base plates.
@@brandonthompson8413 no, Floyd rose themselves say it is spot hardened, which means the knife edges were heated and cooled, no where near the hardness of the hardened steel baseplates, and that's only for the newest specials as of the last year and a half, earlier ones are completely untreated
I have had the problem with threads stripping in the Special saddles multiple times. You have to be aware that you can't sinch the screw as tight as the original Floyd.
Good content. I've had almost every version since the 80s, and to be honest, I've never had a bad one. I think my favorite though is the 1500 series that came on my Schecter Banshee 7 strings. I have a Charvel with an original one, and a cheap Jackson made in China, that was around 300 bucks, and has the cheapest one..that never goes out of tune..
I currently think Gotoh is much better than Floyd Rose
they, like Schaller, make their own product.
I bought a Dean with a Floyd Rose Special about 10-15 years ago, and I thought it was junk. I replaced it with the 1984 Reissue - much better! Not only does it stay in tune as intended, but one unintended benefit is the heavier block helped balance the guitar and remove the neck dive.
Had a guitar with a Floyd Rose Special and honestly tuning stability was alright but whenever I used the tremolo my g string would slip out of the saddle. Guy at a shop told me I needed to bend the end of the string into a v shape in order to fix it. That helped but then the locks stripped on 2 of the saddles as well. My current go to guitar has a Floyd 1500 and the difference is night and day
I have a Schecter Banshee Mach 7 with a Floyd Rose 1500. I absolutely love it. I had an Ibanez back in the day that had an Edge III tremolo. I prefer the Floyd Rose 1500. I definitely want another Ibanez, though. Maybe with the Lo-Pro Edge instead of the Edge III.
Love that. The FR 1500, I feel, is underrated
Lo -Pro Edge and Edge Original are better than FR 1000 1500 and original in my opinion and the Gotoh 1996T for the money is the best you can get for a little more than a FR special and the Gotoh is up there with the Edge and FR original. If I were upgrading a from a FR special or putting a double locking tremolo on something that didn’t have it , I’d be using the 1996t . Kahler has reissued their fulcrum based double locking tremolos too if you want the ultimate bad ass tremolo and got the extra cash.
The edge 3 is dead. The edge zero ii is used nowadays. It's a much more stable bridge
Try the edge zero II, it's absolutely perfect even after weeks of big hits, dive bombs, and high squeals 👌
I swapped my Ibanez Jems over to gotoh1996 systems and haven't looked back,the Ibanez Japan made 1987-93 guitars are masterpieces,wish they still were made there..Rg550s,Jem's, universe my others have the non floating low tremelo edge system and no issues yet, the original Japan made Ibanez vais jem777 going strong,I bought all 4 Jem jrs ( pawnshop deal $500 all,yellow SP,pinkSP,white and current black)and customized them to look as my originals,even the rare loch ness green w pyramid inlays maple neck,and gotoh1996 was the way to go,upgraded small studs to large,many upgrade these but don't change the studs? What's the point of your buying a Corvette and put a 4 cylinder in it?💥💥💥🎸😂
I'm glad I found this video. I was curious of the differences. The 1000 series pro is available after market from floyd rose. Looking at it right now at floyd rose. The original series is also available from floyd rose. Again, I'm at the floyd rose site. 7 different models from $231.99 to a high end of $408.99. So not ridiculosly expensive in my book.
cool video honestly, I could never tell what was what with these
Glad you liked it my friend!
My girl bought me a burnt chrome Schaller FR. The biggest problem I have with it is finding matching hardware to go with it.
What kind of hardware? Like the screws?
@@nikaxeguitar
Tuners primarily. I have several project guitars, all Jacksons or Charvel. I have the burnt chrome Schaller for one ready to go together. The Gotoh tuners look darker anywhere I find them and I'm not a hug fan of the shape. Thought about having pup rings made and tuners plated but that process is more than I want to spend.
My issue was always the locking nut getting wallowed-out on the bass string side. Not sure how that would always happen, but I'd strip one out every other month or so. I love Floyd's, I still have a couple Floyd's Rose equipped guitars to this day, but back then I was really running through a bunch of em (to the point of ridiculousness) so I stopped using them for gigging.
For real? What type of Floyd you using? That’s never happened to me?
Most likely due to the fact that the strings are thicker and keeping the screw from engaging in as many threads as the other 2 are. These are m4×.7 or m5×.8 and 10mm long I forget exactly, either way go to the hardware store and get a screw that is at least 2mm longer, remove the nut and clamp 2 of the same gauge strings in it and see how much of the screw sticks out of the underside. Measure it. Disassemble and grind this amount off of the threaded end so nothing protrudes from the bottom when you reassemble it. Don't forget to lightly deburr the end of the threads so it screws into the nut easily.
Next maybe discuss the various specs to look for like post spacing, route cavities for various styles and what to look for or how to properly measure so people don't order the wrong product while trying to upgrade
The new saddles with various radiuses are made in a new facility in the US, but the OFR is still German made as far as I'm aware. The German OFR no longer has "Made In Germany" stamped under the baseplate, but the two identifying factors as pointed out on the Floyd Rose website were rounded corners on the saddles and on the arm housing assembly, which can be removed from the baseplate, which itself has no other distinguishable features, which looks a bit sus and leads me to believe they may be intent on making the whole unit in the US and eventually ditching Schaller as a manufacturer, which would make sense because of import costs from Germany.
The OFR may very well be just as good if made in the US, but the German ones are tried and true, so I'm sticking with them. The Schaller Lockmeister is virtually identical and 100% interchangeable with the OFR. I contacted Schaller for that info, and I got a reply of confirmation from Dr Lars Bünning, the owner.
I've heard many people claim the knife edges on the 1000 series wear out quickly. My guess is that if it is made from the same metals as they claim, the metal is not tempered to the same specs as the German made Floyd, so therefore softer. I found that making a partscaster on Warmoth is the cheapest way to get a German Floyd, and using a Schaller Lockmeister, which a Schaller rep confirmed was 99.5% identical to the the OFR apart from a thicker baseplate. Plus the Lockmeister was about £100 cheaper to buy in UK than the branded version.
The 1000 series is heated up and bent. Whereas the OFR is milled. When you heat metal up it becomes more brittle as do most things. Hope that helps.
Are you sure the Original Floyd Rose is still made in Germany? On Floyd Rose's Amazon store, their Original Floyd Rose now has a part number FRT100K instead of FRT100. That K on the end makes me believe they are made in Korea now like their Floyd Rose Pro 1000 is. As far as their American Factory in NC goes, from what I've read, they are only making saddle sets with radius options there.
Interesting!
I bought my Floyd Rose in 1984. I used it for 35 years. When I wore out the frets on my 1976 Stratocaster, I bought a new neck. I went back to the original Fender tremolo, that came with the guitar and replaced the block with a brass one. I didn't want to route the neck again. I balanced it and got a set of Fender locking tuners. I got it to stay in tune but, it can't do what the Floyd Rose could do.
You also can buy a cheaper FR and then buy SS parts VERY CHEAP and upgrade the nut too and turn it into a mid grade tremelo as you mentioned .
You didn't mention the FR 2 which came with string through as opposed to cutting and clamping which alot of 80s Kramers / ESP had .
There are at least 2 versions of the FR2. One is string-through but the other still clamps the strings with the usual little blocks.
@@steveo3582 Yes. Correct .
I have an original FR on my custom ESP gtr built in 86. Had to replace some screws, saddles due to wear, mostly sweat. Trem is still working perfectly. And when testing against a 1000 on my charvel, there is a difference in the gtr staying in perfect tune while playing. The 1000 does (as a whole) stay sharp or flat after your final touch, where as the original goes rt back to perfect tune. It is not noticeable to the ear, just on the tuner and is not at all an issue. But when splitting hairs, that's what I noticed.
I'd like to put an original on my Charvel and will when I get a chance.
That’s super interesting. Thanks for that comment my friend!
I've been playing and installing Floyd Rose trems for over 12 years. A Lot of Special series but I buy the fat brass block....also. Titanium saddle blocks are really a worthwhile upgrade and original saddles. Or even 1000 series saddles. Which are available at Floyd Rose website. I agree Original Floyd Rose are the best. Also. The hollow points intonation system available at Floyd Rose website. And the "Tone Claw" also at the website. Are definitely useful upgrades. For me especially the tone claw. Not for any tonal reasons. But because it locks the springs in .. and I get Wild with my trem arm. In the past I would have to be f the fingers just slightly more on the stock claw. But the tone claw is 96% better
My LTD kh-602 purple sparkle came with the 1000. It plays perfect. That guitar is just so flawless. The Koreans made guitars seem to be challenging the Japanese made guitars seriously.
Licenced FRs eventually fall apart if you sweat on them gig after gig. I've replaced most of the parts on my Ibanez RG470's since the 90s, and a lot of pieces I overpaid for because it was pre-internet sales. Some even came in the wrong size and I had to manually mill or sand them down.
Avoid the headaches, get a good trem or invest in sweatbands.
As to my previous comment and question, the Fernandez is a 1986 MIJ STJ 75 superstrat that has been fully customised, the bolt on neck has been set and carved for full access, fretboard refretted, repainted with a sustainiack mini humbucker in the neck, SD mini sh2 middle and a SD Jb in the bridge, it’s become a very expensive and hair pulling operation rebuilding it and the stupid thing is, the whole time I was basically turning a 86 superstrat that was badly neglected and worn into everything a Wolfgang already is, In Newcastle NSW Australia we didn’t have any Wolfgang’s until a year ago, if I’d have only had access to one I’d have probably never bought anything else 😆
My 1983 Kramer Focus 4000 V which I purchased new 41 years ago came with a non fine tuner OFR made in Germany. Still have it
I have 2 floyds "OEM" FRT200 they are labelled made in germany, basically like an original but not made in the US. they came with nickel coated brass block, I believe they are in between the FRT2000 and the Original FRT100 but I don't see any difference.
I also have 2 floyds 1000 and they are good tremolo too, juste more prone to wear on the knife edge.
and finally I have also 2 floyds special and a licensed jackson one, they are awful and the reason why people have bad feelings about floyds, knife edge wears by looking at them and the saddle screws are ripped on all of them... The only way they perform okay is by locking them in dive only !
As a big floyd rose guy, I found out that most of the tuning stability came from a loose nut ! so before changing your tremolo you should try gluing your locking nut like a traditional nut, nothing more than 2 dabs of superglue.
And as always, DON'T DO YOUR SETUP UNDER TENSION ! just remove your springs in the back without touching the screws, and when you're done, put them back and your guitar should be in tune !
Rock on ! \m/
I've got a Schecter with a Special on it. As an upgrade, I swapped the saddles for OFR saddles and chucked a big block on it. They just dropped straight in. Hopefully, I've only got the baseplate to worry about it.
I was around 12 years old when my parents bought me my first guitar. This was around 1987 and the guitar was a explorer shaped Harmony with a Floyd rose. I didn't know anything about Floyd's and it was a nightmare trying to keep it in tune and I was constantly breaking strings. I don't know what kind of Floyd it was but I should have started out with a hardtail lol. I currently don't have a Floyd guitar but I've got my eyes on a green charvel with a Floyd! 🤩
Great explanation! 👍
Thanks my friend!
Kahler and Floyd had a big law suit back in the days.. I have both the Kahler was better in the 80's since the intonation had alien screws which made it really easy to do a setup.
The Floyd special is zinc metal that alone will give less sustain and softer and not last. Really easy for the strings to cut into the saddles.
Hey, you should discuss the original Floyd without fine tuners. Brad Gillis still uses it, and I think Guthrie uses one with locking tuners no locking nut. Tho originally it had a locking nut, Eddie used it on tour and complained because it would go sharp when you tightened the locking nut
I own some of each. On EVERY Special barring ESP's version I replace the saddles, the bridge base plate blade screws and the saddle screws. If the blades bend or wear I file them sharp once more. I also ALWAYS no matter what type the vibro may be put a spring stabilizer behind the bridge and Tone Vise top nut locks. No allen screws needed to tune now and super reliable stable tune each time! I also use canning wax melted on everything then re-assemble it and oil. This makes them SUPER FUCKING SMOOTH AND QUIET! I even do the springs claw and block like that. Anyone who has issues keeping things in tune just doesn't know how to set them up correctly. The top nut has to be very low to 1st fret and I set up less than 1mm string height. This done correctly with no buzzing puts less resistance on the strings, springs, neck etc and is not only easier to play but stays in tune longer. I had dust on 3 or so guitars last week I had not played in over a month. Picked 'em up and checked perfect tuning still!! Just wiped off and played. When the weather changes you have to give truss rod a slight turn in fall and then opposite way spring but you will know because your action will be off. I like the original and the 1000s best. I also like Gotoh they make a fine working product but you have to widen the hole a bit around the edges and corner in some spots. I use a dremel but I am very skilled with one and even then tape things off in case I slip or something. I can barely stand to play most guitar stores products because my guitars just work better, sound better and honestly are un-fair advantages for a skilled or even un-skilled player. Floating bridges ROCK! I even have a Kahler and it is also a fine system.
Never had any issues with a Floyd rose special. The only downside is just having to replace the blocks every 6 months. No wear and tear on the Floyd itself. Never understood the hate for those.
I have three guitars with the 1500 series. The fine tuners are an issue for me. The knurlingly on the fine tuners are sharp to touch, the threads seem course, and the bottom on the screw is not uniform in it’s profile area that contacts the pivoting/locking screw, thus causing the fine tuning to be unpredictable. I will wear it out and replace it with the Gotoh. Gotoh now makes 7 string versions too.
Thanks for the info!
Does anybody else notice these kind corners I guess that stick out on the the tier 2 Floyd Roses? It's on the side of the base plate near the fine tuners. It's perfectly smooth on the originals, but there's a little part that sticks out at the bend on a 1000 series.
True, thats how you can easily find out which one is which. Also the fine tuners work more smoothly on the original floyd rose.
Great info man. I have a Question that is slightly off topic but can a FR special baseplate be upgraded to the Original FR baseplate and will everything bolt up?
Generally yes. Depends on the year of Floyd. Buuutttt you have to watch out for mixing metals. Gotta make sure everything is the same metal
My 1998 Vigier Excalibur has a Vigier rebranded Schaller Floyd Rose style trem that has been modified to have roller bearing fulcrums and hardened steel inserts in the baseplate screw holes. It's the smoothest trem that I've ever played. It also stays in tune, once the string have finished stretching, virtually forever even after going nuts with it. I tried to buy one from Vigier to put on my 1986 Hamer Chaparral, but Vigier doesn't sell them separately.
Is that the same model shawn lane played?
@@tonybarber420 Yes
I think they mean "Special" like that'd be the model that would ride the short bus special. Very misleading...
Thanks for the vid!!
Yessir!
German quality isn't the same. All the migrants need jobs. Trust me I worked for mercedes
does the US need to invade again to break up AfD and stop the fascist shit again?
I worked for a Korean that had came to the US, after saving money he made at Mercedes. If a Korean can make a German car and maintain the standards, I don't see a guitar bridge being difficult.
its the US vs the world BS, but substitute US with Germany. Either way, Floyd has always outsourced his product. I can't see a real differce between the top 2 tiers.
I've been very impressed with my fr1000 , for the price it's unbeatable
That’s awesome! Glad it’s working for yiu
Kahler is back, baby.
I LOVE their new designs.
Priced the 2700 Steeler. $589. I don't believe that includes the nut. Their nuts are outrageous as well. Not an option for me.
@MrSteney When I called a few months ago, they couldn't give me a price yet... I knew it was gonna be jacked but Jesus Christ. WTF, Gary? Priced himself out of his own comeback!
@@lsu1992 All but one of my guitars were under $1000. There's no way I'm paying $1000 for a bridge and nut. I don't care where it's made, or if it includes fairy dust and unicorn tears.
@MrSteney TBH, My 87 Charvel Model 5 still has the JT6 Jackson bridge and nut. I had to sand the string grooves out of the 3 plates that compress the strings in the nut, and adjust the bridge spring spread and tension to match string tension with the bridge blocked level. If the nut doesn't string-slip, intonation is correct, and the springs are good, any floating bridge can be kept in tune no matter how nuts you go on the whammy.
Great discussion! Subscribed!
I have both OFR and 1000 series on my guitars . The 1000 series hold up well so far. Had a special on a guitar and the nut cracked
The 1000 series is available from Stew Mac but it’s more expensive than the Original and 1984 series. It’s not by much, only about $50 difference but it’s worth noting.
The 1000 series is absurd money here in the UK.
£400 for the low profile.
Good video ,,good information ....question ? Do you know about the quality of a Peavey Floyd that came on the original Wolfgangs ?? And I assure not all trem arms are universal ,there must be spec differences...
So the Floyd Rose Specials are to Original Floyd Roses like what Special Olympics compared to regular Olympics?
my very first floyd rose guitar was an esp ltd f350 with a special on it, and I stripped one of the saddles on the first string change. I've since put an original on that guitar but yeah lol.
Way cool vid, I would have to actually check all my gtrs. But not knowing which is which I was still able to make all of them pop in bars for $20-25. While changing strings pop out the springs and flip over trem. Grab wrench loosen nut holding the bar and pop in the new one, takes 5-10 minutes.
I've bought 1000's and 1500's alone several times.
From where?
Had to subscribe.. ❤
The original is great, but I love the Gotoh .. ❤
Errr...as of this post date, the official Floyd Rose site is indeed selling Floyd Rose 1000 trem as well as the 1000 Pro. So, not sure what you mean, or I am confused... :)
Did you watch the whole video? Lol
@@nikaxeguitar I did. I think I did, at least almost all of the way...lol If you did mention the correct info about FR official site selling FR1000 trems, sorry XD
Sounds good
The FRX on my Les Paul was made in Grandville MI. I assume this is where the OFR's are made as well.
I have a floyed rose special where the trem bar us to close to the saddle. So the saddle is blocking the trem bar from being srewed on properly....
The Ibanez Edge on my 90s Floral Jem is the best trem I have used for pure flat-out abuse.
Can you tell me if the original Floyd Rose arm fits the Floyd Rose 1000 series?
How would you compare the original Floyd to high quality licensed trems, like the Gotoh and the Ibanez Edge/Lo-Pro Edge? I hear nothing but good things about the Gotoh, and my Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge is awesome as well. I've had it since 2000 and never a problem with it.
Thanks for the clarification I have 3 fr specials they are great for us bedroom guitarists
I've got an old ESP I am pretty sure is from the 80s. I've had it since 94 and it came from a friend who has it years before that. Besides the point, just an idea of age. Because there is some mystery about the Floyd rose on it. I've had some people who know their bussines tell me the base plate looks custom made. And that is what ESP started out as. Making custom made guitar stuff, before they started making their own guitars. It's pitted so you can it is old. It has all the brass screws on it and brass block. Nowhere on it does it say Floyd rose. I tried to take the block off one day to look at the plate when doing some cleaning. It is on there, so I left it alone so I didn't destroy the screws. Anyway, I was wondering if you knew anything about this. It is heavy duty. Brass block, brass screws. It is 80s. Don't know if late or early. But doesn't have Floyd rose anywhere on it. You anything about those? Is it a Floyd or an OEM or custom made ESP trem. Like I said, several people who know their bussines said the baseplate looked custom made. Just personally curious about it. I'd like to know when people ask me about it. Lol
It might have been an OEM design manufactured by Gotoh or Takeuchi, similar to how Gotoh made the original Edge units for Ibanez.
The Japanese tried all sorts of tricks to get around patent issues with Floyd Rose and Kahler designs.
Mostly unsuccessful, but they were very cheeky.
One thing you missed! The German Floyd baseplates are milled and the 1000s and Specials are bent with heat
Ahhhh good to know!! Thank you
Where did you hear that
You don't have to hear it. Look at the angled part of the floyd where the fine tuners are mounted. In originals it's a clean and sharp angle. In 1000s and Specials, you can see the metal being distorted on the edges.
OFRs are milled to shape from a solid block of hardened steel. Other (depending on the material) are heated and creased from a sheet of metal rather than a full block.
Apart from this, OFRs have a narrower screw thread in their fine tuners compared to a 1000 or Special allowing for a finer and more accurate adjustment.
@@SeanAttardMetal I can confirm the "creased" look on my FR 1000 series in the area you described. I'm not complaining though, it was a $1200 dollar guitar I got on clearance for $750 so I feel it was a good deal, the guitar plays great.
@@BingeV not saying it's bad, but bending a hardened steel sheet is much cost effective than milling a block, hence why the price is significantly lower
My USA Jackson Kelly doesn't have the cheaper Korean OEM Floyd; it's stamped "Made in Germany". Guess I got lucky!
I own a FR special, it works. Will it last as long as an Original? Don't think so.
But, for me, it is the cheapest DECENT FR you can get out there.
The FR Special is a case of paying extra for the Floyd branding. For just a little bit more (retail, OEM is a different story) the Gotoh GE1996 is far superior.
By the time you've got the Special up to a similar level, you might have just gone and bought a Schaller Lockmeister, or if you're in the US, possibly even a German (Schaller made) Floyd Rose Original.
If the baseplate on the Special is up to scratch (properly hardened and the knife edges machined correctly) then that's not so bad.
But there are a LOT of complaints that indicate quality is very patchy on the Korean OEM supply Floyd's and the zinc alloy saddles on the Special will wear out in a fraction of the time that the steel of the Schaller and Gotoh versions will and the zinc alloy spring block doesn't offer the sustain of the brass of the pricier models.
Now that the Floyd Rose patents have expired, Gotoh and Schaller can now make their own locking fulcrum units without having to pay for the licence (or branding and extra distribution costs that the Floyd Rose Original incurs in the case of the Schaller made OFR), therefore able to offer very high quality bridges for lower cost.