[batfish]

I was reading up on the forum and noticed that a lot of people on here love the Floyd Rose system.

My question is, why?

I'll be the first to admit that doing dive bombs and going off on the whammy bar is fun, but to me, the negatives seem to outweigh the negatives.

I don't know maybe I'm just jealous because I don't have one :icon_frow

 

[Goport]

If you like fixed bridges then fine. If you want a trem that stays in tune well there really is no sensible alternative to a floyd these days. It is a standard and has been for about 20 years and it saw off any competition years ago.

And what is not to like? If you have a trem that stays in tune and can stand almost inhumane levels of abuse, then what are the negatives? Even the licenced ones that come as standard on guitars are pretty good. they may need replacing after a few years but they do the business.

 

[Stiglar]

I think what batfish was trying to say is unless you really abuse the whammy bar you may as well get a standard kinda tremelo they can be set up to stay in tune fairly well and can with stand vibrato and small whammy works like that ...

personally i really like the floyd rose ... i take the bar out for long periods of time as i hardly use it and it's great the thing is rock solid with tuning .. thats why i like it .. i know i can pick it up pretty much any time of any day and it will be close if not perfectly in tune .. i love that !

Stig

 

[guitarwizard2003]

im probably gonna piss some people off but i dont like em..i think there more trouble then they are worth.. my esp has lockin tuners and it stays in tune just fine when i whammy, just ask TopJimmy78 he heard me whammy the hell out of it and it didnt go out... and i dont have all the other hassles.. now im not sayin floyds are shit so dont go jumpin me guys.. im just sayin there are other things out there in my opinion that are just as good and easier.. but its like anything else its a personal preference to what ya like

 

[Stiglar]

too true wiz ! >.

i must admit there are aspects of the floyd rose that gripe me .. one being that you bend a string and the others go out of tune .. so playing a bent double stop sounds weird compared to a normal strat or whatever .. .

string changing is a bit of a bitch too! .. but i'm sitll into em hehe

 

[guitarwizard2003]

too true wiz ! >.

i must admit there are aspects of the floyd rose that gripe me .. one being that you bend a string and the others go out of tune .. so playing a bent double stop sounds weird compared to a normal strat or whatever .. .

string changing is a bit of a bitch too! .. but i'm sitll into em hehe

well to be honest string changin is the thing i hated the most, but your right, bend one string and 2 others go out of tune.. just seemed to me like when ya change your strings it takes you twice as long to get them set in to where they stay in tune.. but you are right once they are in they pretty much stay in for a long time..maybe i just didnt know what i was doin and was doin sumthin wrong that could be the case but im spoiled now with this esp and i dont think i will ever go back to a floyd.. i mean unless your gonna play like vai and use the whammy 90% of the time i truely think theres better options

 

[Stiglar]

well to be honest string changin is the thing i hated the most, but your right, bend one string and 2 others go out of tune.. just seemed to me like when ya change your strings it takes you twice as long to get them set in to where they stay in tune.. but you are right once they are in they pretty much stay in for a long time..maybe i just didnt know what i was doin and was doin sumthin wrong that could be the case but im spoiled now with this esp and i dont think i will ever go back to a floyd.. i mean unless your gonna play like vai and use the whammy 90% of the time i truely think theres better options

Nah your spot on wiz it does take twice as long to replace strings especially if your replacing all of them it's hell getting them all in tune and staying that way . :thumb:

 

[MattM]

i agree with guitarwizard here...ive always felt like it was too much unnecessary junk to have on a guitar. kinda reminds me of computer operated fuel injection on newer cars haha....
my ibanez has locking tuners, lubricated ivory nut, and a standard trem bridge...i can dive bomb it and beat the thing to death with the bar and still consistently stays in tune. i like to keep it simple. and even if you have a locking nut steel will still stretch no matter what...no guitar will perfectly stay in tune constantly whatever setup you have.

 

[mab8485]

It all depends on playing styles. I hardly ever whammy the hell out of my ibanez, so i dont really have much use for the edge tremolo system. But for someone who divebombs all the time, theres really no alternative except for the kahler.

 

[Riff Addict]

I have a licensed Floyd on my Jackson jsx-94 and I always change 1 string at a time and I never have any tuning problems. I can string it up in 10 minutes, fine tune and stretch em for a few minutes, lock em down and I'm rockin'. That thing stays in tune like a champ! I hardly ever have to touch the fine tuners so my answer to your question is I love it. My other guitars have fixed bridges and I have to tune them way more often.

 

[El_jalepeno]

too true wiz ! >.

i must admit there are aspects of the floyd rose that gripe me .. one being that you bend a string and the others go out of tune .. so playing a bent double stop sounds weird compared to a normal strat or whatever .. .

string changing is a bit of a bitch too! .. but i'm sitll into em hehe

This is a balance issue and can be fixed with patience. The setup does take a long time but once it is setup, it will last a mighty long time.

 

[batfish]

This is a balance issue and can be fixed with patience. The setup does take a long time but once it is setup, it will last a mighty long time.

I heard that you have to put a piece of cardboard behind and under the bridge to keep it from floating down. That's what I heard anyway.

Everyone here does have convincing points on the good of the Floyd, I still think it's more trouble than it's worth. I honestly think the Floyd is ONLY good for dive bombs. In my opinon it's overkill for simple vibrato. But that's just my opinion, no on hate me please :sssh: :lol:

 

[Mondy]

I remember Ej before saying that you can set up a Floyd so that the other strings stay in tune when you bend a string. I can't understand how, but I've no doubt that he is right. I haven't got that patience though ! :lol:

To be honest, I don't use the whammy bar that often at all. I just hit it and take it down when I do. Pretty cheesy. I can't use it with the same effect that a lot of players on here can.

Only reason that every guitar I have has one on there is because I liked the guitar. Ibanez, Peavey, Kramer. Just came with the Floyds.

But I know my next guitar would be a Les Paul or an SG. Again, cuz I like the guitar.

I'm not fussed what the bridge is so long as it stays in tune and I have a tuner if it does go out.

:thumb:

 

[jacob5150]

i wanna try those shaller locking tuners, like the john petrucci ernie balls signature guitars have...looks really nice:thumbup:

 

[Rid]

I have used Floyds for about 20 years now...nothing will make your guitar stay this well in tune if you use it alot....well that said I also use the old trad Fender trem as well, I have set that thing up to work..it has it quirks but I know how to get around them.
Changing string and such does not take very much time on the floyd, my Wolfgang does not float, so there it takes even less time, my Kramer floats, but I use a small shim when I restring that one, so it is just a matter of tuning up and stretching those suckers....
Plus I religiously only use OFR's or Gotoh's when I have with Floyds to do.
Nicest tone is from the old trad trem, but the Floyds have their own goodies sound wise as well.
Basicly I just see them as two tools that works mighty fine for me.
:mix:

 

[HeReSy]

yes i agree the floyd is a top notch trem for people that would need it and deserve it. well i aint got one now but ive used one and there sweet. i got a floating trem and the best way to keep it from sloping down is have something that wont damage the guitar but will fit snugley in the gap. and replace one string at a time. it works best for me. i was chattin to some dude it took him 6 hours no joke to re string a floyd i couldn't believe it. but yer i say the floyd r sick. u either hate em or luv em.

 

[Guest]

I have a ibanez jem 7v they use thier licensed version of a floyd, they call it the low-pro...I love that system except for the way the bar goes into the bridge. It "clicks" in the hole and if you examine the end of the bar it uses two plastic washers that eventually wear down and the bar is actually loose and effects the usage...other than that......are the floyds and better or diffrent????? :notme:

 

[Rid]

The OFR and the Gotoh plus the highend Ibanez Edge are good Floyds, the Schaller(who also makes the OFR) is a nice alternative to those who wants a less steely snappy sound.

 

[Guest]

I LOVE the Floyds...but it really depends on what kind of music you play...if you're playing blues stay away from it until you learn how to compensate when doing double stop bends...but if you think a floyd is only for divebombing....watch how Steve Vai uses it in the London Astoria DVD, you'll be amazed.

But it all boils down to preference, some people like it, some people don't.

And set up and restringing is not hard if you know what to do.

Although having said these i would still get another guitar with a fixed bridge just so that i could still play tunes in alternate tunings.

 

[Plstrcast]

I LOVE the Floyds...but it really depends on what kind of music you play...if you're playing blues stay away from it until you learn how to compensate when doing double stop bends...but if you think a floyd is only for divebombing....watch how Steve Vai uses it in the London Astoria DVD, you'll be amazed.

But it all boils down to preference, some people like it, some people don't.

And set up and restringing is not hard if you know what to do.

Although having said these i would still get another guitar with a fixed bridge just so that i could still play tunes in alternate tunings.

With the way the Wolfgang is set up, string sway, as someone i play with calls it, is not an issue. I used to have an Ibanez back in the day & I hated the damn thing because of the Floyd. Now, it's cake.