Opinions - Floyd Rose

[DLM]

It's a licensed (or non-licensed) Floyd that's badly made and the strings go 'ping' when you use it. Most are cheap alloy and wear out very quickly.

Ha! Thanks for explaining, I'd no idea that was an established term, but of course I've heard exactly what you're talking about many times with cheaper Floyd copies over the years.

[guitarfishbay]

I also find the actual sound of the bend very soulless and uninteresting, compared to even a Strat trem, let alone something like a Jaguar or a Bigsby. It's too precise and has no "rock 'n' roll" to it.

I don't see this commented on very often but I agree that there is an operational difference, which can in effect make an end result difference, with how a floyd responds to light trem work compared to a standard strat trem.

My RG570 has a tremol-no pretty much permanently locked, and my strat is set flush with 5 springs. However, when I used to use them both floating I much preferred the strat for anything subtle. I think the friction and stiffness overall are the main reason for this.

Or maybe I just suck at using trems. I came to the conclusion that not one single piece I've ever written needed a trem for the rhythm parts so I just stopped using them altogether last year. I appreciate the tremol-no can be fiddly but it is ideal for someone like me who wanted to fit the part myself, and mostly just use the guitar as a hardtail once it was installed. The option to unlock and not have to re-set up is very nice for the odd occasion I want to use the trem at home.

[evilmags]

If you want a Floyd to sound more vintage like it is a fairly easy technique. Loosly hold the bar so your hand moves a lot more than the bar itself and wiggle.

[guitarfishbay]

If you want a Floyd to sound more vintage like it is a fairly easy technique. Loosly hold the bar so your hand moves a lot more than the bar itself and wiggle.

I think it is a set up thing as well as a feel thing.

My floyd was always set as light as possible, so as few springs as necessary relative to string gauge, whereas my strat has almost always had 4 or 5 springs on it.

When there is more friction and a stiffer feel I find it easier to control the trem in the subtle range. I appreciate it is possible to do the same on a floyd set up lightly using hand control.

You could set up a floyd to be stiffer but then it would lose its advantage for the more extreme stuff for which nothing else touches it. I only ever really use small dips or warbles when I use a trem to be honest, I don't really divebomb or do the flutter thing. Which reminds me I'd fogotten I'd recorded this evidence of me actually using a trem years ago, and also evidence of owning and wearing a hoodie indoors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhq4jkV2X9g That is the extent of trem use I'm talking about, and to me it feels better on a stiff strat trem than on a Floyd. Looking at the date though I think that was 3 springs rather than 4, as it wasn't long after I bought the guitar.

[flanging_fred]

A lot of Floyds can be really improved by using a heavy replacement trem block. I've added better blocks to both my guitars with Schaller Floyd Rose 2's on and it made a huge improvement in tone and sustain.

I certainly agree that you need to use a decent Floyd (OFR, Schaller, Gotoh etc) and know how to set it up properly.

One small benefit of Floyds is that you can pop the springs off the back and take take the whole thing off without re-stringing if you want to swap pick-ups. whack it back on afterwards put the spings back on and Voila it's still in tune

[Dave_Mc]

Not something I've experienced really other than music journalists,but I subscribe to Stuart Maconie's view that music journalists are generally failed musicians who were good at words which is why they kiss Dylan's arse, but despise Zeppelin.

what was it david lee roth said? "Music journalists like elvis costello because music journalists look like elvis costello!"



Just to point out- I look a lot closer to elvis costello than I look to david lee roth. But there probably is something in that.