Guitars with Floyd Rose

[Puddleglum]

I decided to try and get back into playing electric guitar a while back and ended up with one of those Ibanez shredder guitars with FR trem. It’s supposed to make sure the guitar stays in tune but that’s the last thing it did. I messed around with the guitar for a while and never managed to keep it in tune for five minutes at a time. I ended up selling the guitar.

What’s the deal with these things? Is it possible to grab a FR-fitted guitar off the rack and just play, or do they all have to be extensively setup? And does it take a Floyd Rose bachelors degree to operate them?

I’d love to get back to playing some electric, and I still like the Jackson/Ibanez et al designs, but most are outfitted with a FR. Until I figure those things out, that feature seems to be a deal-breaker for me.

Any thoughts?

[guitararmy]

I am not a shredder, but I have several guitars with Floyd Rose trems.
Fortunately mine came from the store perfectly set up.

I agree that if you don't need the extreme tuning stability that the Floyd Rose system offers, it's a potential headache you don't need.

[mr. beaumont]

Floyd's take some finessing and getting used to. I wouldn't recommend them to someone just starting out on electric-- string changing is totally different and more time consuming, and getting used to the idea of "fine tuning" at the bridge can be a big difference.

But if you do get a guitar with an FR set up well, no tremolo unit will keep you in tune better. It's not something I need for the music I play, but I'm still amazed at the technology--Floyds WORK.

[perttime]

I dont have a degree in FR either, so cannot say why yours wouldn't stay in tune.

I had a (Japanese?) Kramer with a FR back in the day (late 80s, early 90s, I recall). It stayed in tune very well. Getting a floated trem set up when changing to different strings was a bit fiddly, when doing it the first time.

[Puddleglum]

Maybe I got a dud, because I can’t imagine if most of the FR-equipped guitars performed like mine that so many would be on the market. But apparently there are different levels of FR bridges. Some are cheaper and apparently don’t work as well, while the ones on the higher-end guitars are better. Heck, I just want something that stays in tune. That’s my main issue when looking for a guitar. I had a Strat once that wouldn’t go out of tune no matter what. I never should have sold it.

[guitararmy]

I have blocked some of my FR guitars so that they won't go out of tune if I break a string.
I like the Yamaha variant of the FR because you don't cut the ball ends off of the strings...makes restringing easier and I don't have to worry about splitting the block that holds the string tight at the bridge end because I overtightened it to hold the plain strings in place.

[Puddleglum]

Here is what I keep thinking: There are tons of guitars that have these locking nuts and bridges sold annually. Does this mean that everyone who gets one has to figure all this stuff out before getting the guitar operational? These things are billed as making your life easier but it sounds like a lot of trouble to me.

[mr. beaumont]

I don't think the Floyd Rose was intended to make life easier-- it was intended to keep your guitar in tune even with heavy whammy bar antics...to that end, they work better than pretty much anything.

If using the whammy bar ain't your thing, the Floyd Rose holds no use for you.

[rmp]

In the 80s, if you were in a cover band and you didn't have a locking trem, you were an outcast...

So yea, we all had, and once you get em tweaked.... they work great...

till you break a string..

then,, you're pretty much in deep ---- you know what --

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by Puddleglum

Here is what I keep thinking: There are tons of guitars that have these locking nuts and bridges sold annually. Does this mean that everyone who gets one has to figure all this stuff out before getting the guitar operational? These things are billed as making your life easier but it sounds like a lot of trouble to me.

Like any piece of equipment, reading up on it before you buy it is a good idea. That's why I've never used one: more trouble than it'd be worth for me.

[stevecuss]

Originally Posted by Puddleglum

Here is what I keep thinking: There are tons of guitars that have these locking nuts and bridges sold annually. Does this mean that everyone who gets one has to figure all this stuff out before getting the guitar operational? These things are billed as making your life easier but it sounds like a lot of trouble to me.

FR equipment is actually only designed to make life easier for a dive bomb style metal players like EVH.

People like Jeff Beck just do fine with a factory Fender trem.

For the rest of us, FR trem bars are typically a royal pain.

[pieterh]

Originally Posted by stevecuss

FR equipment is actually only designed to make life easier for a dive bomb style metal players like EVH.

People like Jeff Beck just do fine with a factory Fender trem.

For the rest of us, FR trem bars are typically a royal pain.

I seem to remember reading that for the Amused To Death sessions he was using a Kahler (FR-licensed) equipped Strat.

I have a decent Ibanez RG350mdx (with the maple fretboard). It was pretty cheap but works very well. At the lower price range the whammys are Ibanez’s own designs (Edge) though very closely modelled on the FR idea. Mine works very well but there are two things I’ve learned the hard way:

1. Change strings one at a time. Cleaning off the gunk from the fretboard is all very well but it takes forever to bring all the strings up to pitch if I take them all off at once. This isn’t much better on the Strat or PRS…

2. Changing up from .009 to .010s meant I needed a fourth cavity spring. In the end I went back to .009s on that guitar (all the other electrics have .010s) with the regular three springs.

And as a small ps…

Remember to tune with the wheels at the bridge once the basic tuning is done… how many times have I forgotten and heard an embarrassing “ping” as the string snaps behind the locked nut…

[rmp]

Originally Posted by pieterh

I seem to remember reading that for the Amused To Death sessions he was using a Kahler (FR-licensed) equipped Strat.

I had both, wasn't much difference between the two when it came right down to it.

Would not buy a guitar with either of them these days. The stock fenders work fine, bigsby's are cool.

[stevecuss]

Originally Posted by pieterh

I seem to remember reading that for the Amused To Death sessions he was using a Kahler (FR-licensed) equipped Strat.

Lol, even as I posted I wondered if a proper Beck fan would correct me. I love his playing but my knowledge of him is pretty shallow

[pieterh]

Originally Posted by stevecuss

Lol, even as I posted I wondered if a proper Beck fan would correct me. I love his playing but my knowledge of him is pretty shallow

Ha ha ha I can’t claim to be a true fan but Amused to Death is one of my all time favourite albums…!