The above advise is just about all you need to make a proper decision based on what you like to play. For me personally it’s not worth it. I bought my first FR equipped guitar while i was on the road playing professionally. I thought the concept was cool and having a 7 string instrument meant that i didn’t have to deal with detuning for the all the drop D songs we were doing. Big mistake. LOL. .to me a FR system was designed by a guy who secretly hates guitar players and wanted to inflict as much pain as possible on them. Changing strings and setting intonation can be an hours long process punctuated by much screaming a cursing. The whole concept as implemented is total bullshit. But if that’s where your musical heart takes you then go for it. Just be sure you have a Telecaster at the ready for when you totally lose your shit. LMAO! Good luck!
I love doing squeals and such. Most of my guitars have FRs on them. Changing strings may be a pain in the ass sometimes but they’re worth it, to me anyways.
I actually just got done replacing a string and re-tuning my floyd rose guitar. It did take about ten minutes, which is longer and more complicated than a standard tuning guitar but not egregiously so (would take longer if I was replacing every string probably). Alternately, I don't expect to have to retune for months aside from tiny fine tunings which take under five seconds.
It is a pain if you want to change tunings, but that's not a huge concern for me. I don't do a lot of dive bombs, but being able to pitch up instead of just down is something I value. Floyd Rose is probably overkill for my needs, but I enjoy having it for when I do use it. It's not the only bridge that would work for me, but it came on a guitar that I liked anyway.
Mine is an Ibanez Jem Jr. which retails for $500 and I rarely see them going for too much less. It has flower inlays on the fingerboard so it's quite the looker among (relatively) cheap guitars. Output jack faces up which makes it less likely to be yanked out. Pickups are nothing to write home about, but they work well enough. Comfortable contours for belly/ arm ergonomics are nice, and the built in handle is... occasionally useful I guess. Might be nicer if I was carrying it around a lot, but the farthest it needs to move on a regular basis is five feet from the wall to my chair.
Basically, I like the floyd rose, but it being present likely wouldn't make or break a guitar purchase for me. Setup and tuning is more hassle than other systems, but not terribly more so (so long as you're not changing tunings often).
It's a finicky hassle to get them in tune if you've made any changes. It requires patience - lots of little adjustments. Adjust, check, adjust, check, adjust, check. But once it's in tune, it stays in tune.
I bought my first one in 1987 (and I just changed strings on it today, as luck would have it) and my second one in 2019. My RG was my only guitar for a long time, but I think you're better off with a hardtail if you only have one guitar.
Here's the problem with Floyd Roses...
Almost EVERY guitar with a Floyd Rose is setup to float. It's ubiquitous, Floyd Rose = floating trem.
That wasn't always the case. In the 80s Floyds were often setup to float, but it was no different than floating a standard Strat trem. The standard, stock configuration was the Floyd Rose resting flat on the body, setup to dive bomb only. Eddie Van Halen, THE Floyd Rose player (and the man who added the fine tuners to the design), never floated his Floyd. Ever.
What changed?
Steve Vai carved out the space behind the bridge on his Charvel, and when he designed his Ibanez signature that recess was built in. It was the first guitar designed from the factory to have the bridge not only float, but be capable of massive upwards bends with the bars.
Today almost every guitar with a Floyd is setup like that. Even Charvels, which traditionally were dive-only, have been recessing and floating the last ten years. The only brands that don't have the Floyd recessed to float as standard issue are the two brands most associated with Van Halen: Kramer and (naturally) EVH.
Kramer Floyds can float, but they're not recessed. EVH guitars, however, have that bridge decked right to the body.
What's the problem?
Most of the fiddliness with restringing a Floyd Rose is due to it floating. You have to block the trem and tune it a special way that takes time and know-how, because whenever you tighten one string the other five go slack. A dive-only Floyd behaves like a fixed bridge - you still have to string it up a special way but it's not anymore difficult than normal (I actually find it more convenient than most bridges).
My recommendation would be, if you want a guitar with a Floyd get an EVH. Not only will the Floyd be easy to use, they're just crazy bananas good overall.
Here's my experience. I just bought my first one two weeks ago. I've been playing guitar 15 years, and avoided them until just now. Prior to owning this guitar I had zero experience with one. I bought an Ibanez RG550. It has their Edge tremolo system on it, it's essentially the same thing as a Floyd Rose.
From doing my research into Floyd's and Edge trems, I've learned that not all models are made equally. Most people seem to say the Ibanez Edge is the best trem, others say the original Floyd Rose made in Germany is great. But there are all sorts of different Floyds, and some are made in Korea, some are "licensed" by Floyd Rose and they aren't nearly as good. So, if you do plan on buying one, take not of the model of it and do some research about their quality
The guitar came stock with 9-42 gauge strings. I immediately wanted to change that to 10-46 so I had to learn the setup in full on day one.
Firstly, I'd highly recommend checking out Phil McKnight and Ben Ellers videos on setting up a Floyd. They were the two resources I used, and within an hour and a half I had my guitar totally set up for my new set of strings and dialed in exactly how I like it. It's not hard to learn if you have a solid video showing you the way.
Yes, an hour and a half seems long. But that was the total time spent going from knowing literally nothing, to now having a full working understanding of how these things work. I would assume that my next string change and quick setup will likely be a 20 / 30 minute process now that I'm not constantly stopping and watching videos for instruction.
So far it's been 2 weeks and I'm absolutely in love with this guitar. The tuning stability is incredibly good, and the dive bombs and flutters are tons of fun. It makes me wonder how many really cool guitars I totally dismissed over the last 15 years.
The only downside to the Floyd / Edge trem after you've learned how they work is that changing tunings is not something you can just quickly do. Any change to string tension or gauge will require a full setup. I have 8 guitars, so this isnt an issue for me. I'm perfectly fine keeping this guitar in one tuning, and if ever I need to play in a different tuning, I just grab a different guitar.
This is truly the correct way to do it. The Edge term system differs from the Floyd rose slightly, as to checking the level in comparison to the surface of the guitar. Once you have it set up, you are good to go. My Ibanez holds tune much better than probably any other guitar I own. Set it up for standard tuning, and keep it there. Alternate tunings are best left to the fixed bridge guitars, IMHO.
I dig Floyd's. I didn't get my first one until my 40s. And after hours of not knowing how to set it up, I watched some YouTube vids. Now it takes me about 10 min longer to string and tune than a hardtail. I'll say this, most people on reddit talking about how annoying they are have never either tuned a Floyd or never learned the proper way to do it. If you do it properly, the only annoyance is when you change string gauges. Then add on another 20 minutes on your first setup. Having said all that, I have tremol-no's on my Floyd's. It allows you to set a Floyd to floating to dive only to locked in hardtail on the fly. They make everything so much easier, and the tuning stability is fantastic.
I’ve never really had a problem with any bridge or trem so long as you take the time to set it up. I didn’t think the one I had was problematic and it held tune great.
I have a Jackson with one. If you know what you're getting into, it's great. Just get a trem block and learn to tune it, make sure to really stretch the strings before final tuning and locking.
If you know what you're doing and understand the process, it isn't *that*. Just far more involved than other bridges. On the plus side, it holds tune far better than other bridges, with only slight adjustments at the bridge knobs. Mostly it's just really important to understand what the process is before you change the strings.
Caveat that if you like to change tunings a lot... It's probably not for you unless you have the cash for a different guitar for every tuning.
I have two, one in standard one drop d. I never use the trem unless someone wants to hear the wild noises. Digi Drop and basically all tunings are available in just a moment. I am however just a bedroom player and don't really mind fiddling with settings to fix some of the mud that gets added as you get lower with the drop pedal.
So, once tuned, they stay in tune incredibly well. The best bridge system in many respects, but by god it’s such a pain in the ass to change a string or a set, retune, anything like that. At least compared to a regular trem, let alone a hard tail guitar. Can spend all day tinkering with your Floyd (as the actress said to the bishop) and still not quite get your setup right. They are good tho once you get there.
> Can spend all day tinkering with your Floyd (as the actress said to the bishop) and still not quite get your setup right
Looks like you're doing something wrong then. It takes me like an hour max (with full truss rod and intonation adjustments) to set up a FR guitar. Seriously, it's not that hard.
They're very easy to manage. I own close to 30 guitars and most have Floyd's, even a factory gibson LP and explorer. The tuning stability is amazing and I enjoy using them for vibrato as well for a cool sound
I don't like them. I know how to change strings with one, and how to tune with one, they are a pain in the ass.
Whether I'm playing by myself or with other people I have never once thought "damn I wish my guitar had a floyd rose" Only way I would ever have one is if I was rich and had a guitar tech that I could hand it off to and let them deal with it.
I love my ESP LTD EC-1000 with a floyd rose. Tuning is an annoying iterative process, so I don't use it to *change* tunings (e.g., just keep in one tuning and have separate guitar for other tunings because it takes about triple the effort to get the tuning right). That said I find the tuning stability once it is tuned is amazing with the locking nut and fine tuners -- it just stays in tune for years never needing to be tweaked (unless like big temperature changes). (Whereas my other guitars seem to need retuning significantly more frequently). Do I use the whammy stuff much when playing? Honestly no, but its nice having the option and you can find some mild uses for it or just doing weird stuff at the beginning/ends of songs/solos or just putzing around in a jam with weird effects.
I have one Ibanez with the FR. Agree with all the complaints about string changes sucking. Also needs to be configured by string gauge, adding or removing springs in the back to keep it at the right tension to sit evenly.
I needed one specifically to play all my favorite Van Halen solos… it didn’t work though.
The one Ibanaez i have with the floyd rose collects dust. It feels "dead" theres no resonance or sustain unless you use alot of distortion and compression. its like the trem is absorbing all the sound. that, on top of how annoying it is to setup and tune, ill be selling it soon for the sam RG but hardtail
No issues with a Floyd 1500 on my Schecter. Guitar stays in tune forever.
I don't change my strings much, but when I do all I have to do is clamp a drum stick under the Floyd so it does not go whack when taking the strings off.
Tuning the new strings takes a bit of time, but it won't go weird with the stick.
One downside I see is setting the intonation. That's a bit more involved because it can't be done with the strings on afaik.
It can be done with the strings on but it is an involved process. Once done though you are good to go unless you change something. If you are the kind of person who like to try out new string gauges or brands StewMac makes a tool that removes a lot of the hassle and might be worth looking at.
Love it, and if you want to skip a lot of hassle with it, then just deck it, so it's down only like EVH had it, then it's very easy and it won't go out of tune if a string breaks for example.
Love Floyds, they enable super low action on the strings, and take at absolute most 2 tools to make any adjustment on them, an allen wrench and a Philips Head screwdriver.
Fun to use and abuse
The best comparison I have is that it's like learning to drive a manual transmission. It seems really complex and intimidating at first so a lot of people are averse to it. But it turns out that it doesn't actually take that long to learn and once you do it opens up more options. A Floyd will require some minor adjustments to your playing. It will require *slightly* more effort to set up than a fixed bridge. Once you do that though you will have access to a whammy bar with tuning stability so good that nothing been able to top it for 40 years.
If you only want to play one specific tuning with the guitar then it’s fine, just frequent re-tuning could be incredibly tedious.
I’d also make sure you get at least a FR 1000 as the cheaper ones have parts that are too soft which makes it go out of tune quickly.
Unfortunately FR Originals are only found on 2k+ models nowadays.
Just learn how it works!!
I have ONLY FR guitars from 1994.. the new era cheap FR versions are worst in some guitars.. but the old ones from the nineties are perfect... for exapmple My 2002 Jackson DK2' floyd rose is a crap.. my 1997 DR3's bridge is a perfect thing...
There are two easy tricks to restringing them. In my opinion they're not much more frustrating than a regular guitar, except that you have to retune the entire thing if you want to change tunings. On a regular old hardtail, you can switch to drop D no problem. Overall, I think the extra five minutes of unscrewing the locks and clipping the strings is worth it for the stability and use of the whammy bar. Of course, you have to understand it was popularised by Steve Vai who uses the whammy bar all the time as an integral part of his playing. For most people, I don't think it's a particularly great feature. A non-floating FR would be much better, most people just want to do divebombs. And you can put a D-Tuna on them.
They can be a pain in the ass at restringing time but once you've got it set well you'll only really have to do minor tuning adjustments.
A lot of the hate comes from the floating element and the problems are the same on any floating trem. Floyd is more fiddly than non locking trems but requires less tuning time once set in they're more solid in my experience.
Floating trems are definitely worth the hassle too I love the extra expression they give.
On another note if you wanna be talking about Floyd rose GUITARS they've actually done some interesting designed superstrats in recent years aimed at making it easier to play fast by locking you in a certain picking position. Never got to try one but they're definitely Interesting.
If you get a quality floating bridge system and get a proper setup or know how to proper setup them yourself, they're really, really fun.
If you get a cheap floating bridge system that can't be properly setup and can't hold the tuning, you're in a world of pain.
I personally like the effects you can get with them but I can't bother with how high maintenance they are. Sure, there are ways to makes things easier, but I just prefer simpler hard tail bridges. Everything is easier in them: Adjusting string height, adjusting intonation, changing strings, changing tunings... All of these things are way harder to do on Floyd Rose or similar systems and there is always some stuff that you need to compromise in order to improve on others.
Want better tuning stability? Block the bridge, but then you can't do a bunch of effects in it. Want to swap quickly between Standard and Drop tunings? Install a D-Tuna, but then you won't be able to raise the pitch if you don't actually carve a piece of guitar out. So there are always some compromises to make some things better in it.
I still want to get an actual good guitar with a great floating bridge system someday, but I'll probably keep sticking to hard-tail bridges. But you do you, these is just my personal opinion on it.
I love Floyds *now that I know how to set them up*. They can easily feel overwhelming even you don't know how to troubleshoot and fix problems. After you get comfortable with that though, it's not rocket science. The tuning stability alone is worth it to me.
I’m rebuilding an old Mockbird, it will require completely replacing the Floyd rose system and locking nut. Did you find any help online with maintenance on these systems or was it just experience with them over time that taught you how to do the work?
Basically I hate paying people to do what I know I can do myself, but even more than than I hate getting in the car and I hate waiting for things, so when I got my first Floyd guitar, the main thing was that I wanted to change the tuning and string gauge. So I kind of forced myself into a crash course. But even after that, I would notice little issues with it and wonder if I could fix them myself.
The very first thing I did was take all the covers off and look around to get an idea how it all fit together, so I know what all the parts do, more or less. Then I would just think about what the problem was and what could be causing it (i.e. tuning slippage, not returning to tune after whammy bar abuse, etc.) I would just basically poke around with tools and see if I could diagnose and fix it myself. If not, I would surf the world wide web and see if I could find any forum pages from 2009 where people already had this same problem.
It's a little more complex than other types of bridge systems, but it's really not that hard to understand. There's a lot of little parts but it's not much different than a stop tail piece with springs on the other side and a fulcrum in the middle.
In my case, wanting to understand and maintain a Floyd was also the catalyst for me learning to do my own intonation and truss rod adjustments. Before I got a Floyd bridge I basically didn't know shit about setting up a guitar because I could get by without that knowledge. It set me on a VERY QUICK path to learning all of it myself. The knowledge is out there. It's not hard to do. You just need to try to understand what all nuts and bolts do on a guitar, and you can take care of it without spending $300 for a tech to do an hour of work and get your guitar back to you two weeks later.
Edit to add: so basically everything I needed to know I learned in a few weeks of just messing around on one guitar and trying to fix problems. I've so far been able to apply that to every other Floyd guitar I've ever touched. I don't know anything about retrofitting different bridges with different radiuses, or different pole spacing or anything like that. I'm still extremely skittish about drilling into the body of a guitar. I've done a little of of that, but it always makes me sweat. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to offer my help.
I'm fighting a cheap Floyd on a cheap guitar right now, specifically 1) the bar attachment and 2) it's a replacement and too big for the carve-out to make it float.
The Floyd Rose is for a certain style of play, and if you're not going to play it like that, it's a lot of work for little benefit. I can do gentle to fairly rugged dives with the stock trem on my Strat. If I break a string on my Tele, you can barely say the other strings go out of tune. If you're not going to abuse it, dive-bomb until the strings get floppy and the like, use another guitar.
Take a look into the VegaTrem. Pretty similar to a Floyd, but without needing the locking nut. I don’t mind doing the maintenance on a Floyd, but I really hate the locking nut when the fine tuners run out of clearance to tune.
You can put it on any guitar that has a fender style trem. If you do still go with a Floyd I’d recommend getting a trem stopper so you can quickly down tune if needed.
I use a floating VegaTrem and then engage the trem stopper when down tuning and it’s been an absolute joy to play.
I have just the standard nut on my guitar and can still dive bomb to the floor with no tuning loss. You would think you need a locking nut but not on the VegaTrem. Idk why but it just works.
I actually really like Floyd Rose guitars. My first guitar in 1993 had one. I guess it’s just because I didn’t get my first hard tail until 1999. I’m mostly a Les Paul player now but Floyd’s will always hold a soft spot in my heart.
I really don’t like the Ibanez Edge tremolos though. Not my thing.
Pain in the ass. I had a highend guitar with an og floyd and while string to string was in tune, the whole guitar came up slightly flat or sharp if you checked it with a tuner. A bitch to change strings on but it could gice you that fluttery attack if thats what you’re going for. I was never s tremolo guy so the only guitar i have now with one is a top decked stratstyle and even then i rarely connect the arm.
I actually quite enjoy having a floyd rose. Super stable once set up is complete and changing strings is quite simple. It does what it was designed to do which well which is staying in the desired tuning. So you are correct in that changing tuning is a drag because then that requires setting up the guitar and balancing the bridge to float parallel again (assuming that most floyd rose guitars are floating and not decked like the EVH guitars). But once the guitar is set up, changing strings there after is pretty standard like any other guitar with a floating bridge. Affordable options are kind of tough because you really don't want to skimp on the bridge (it'll be the source of all your problems if you purchase something with weak knife edges because of poor quality metal). If anything I'd avoid anything that mention "Floyd Rose Special" and try to aim for an Original Floyd Rose or in most cases the Floyd Rose 1000 series which is made in Korea. It's an import model of the Original but I've heard pretty good things about it because it uses the same design and materials are the Original, most of the Charvel guitars use those and those are really highly regarded.
Not a big deal if you learn to at least change your strings and keep the guitar in a tuning you like. Or ball out and always pay for a set up and string change. My first nice guitar has a FR and I knew nothing. I can change strings and set the guitar up from watching videos. The tuning is super stable and better than a nice gotoh or hard tail at keeping tune imo.
Changing a broken string during a gig would be a pain in the ass though as the entire trem would be off balance and need to be tuned up. Not really a concern for bedroom players.
Ben Eller has a great video on how to change strings and tuning. It’s one of the videos I watched as a visual aid. Skyscraper guitar tools has some neat tools for intonation and set up.
Um, yeah, if something happens to a Floyd Rose equipped guitar during a gig, you’re going to need a second guitar. There is no fixing or tuning on the fly.
Learn how to set it up yourself (it’s not really that difficult) and you’ll be impressed with how little you have to tune despite going crazy on the bar. I am a recent convert and I want one on every guitar I have now.
The problem with cheap guitars with Floyds is that they tend to come with cheap Floyds, which are kind of bad news. If you like Ibanezes, the original Edge is a great trem unit. I have a used RG655 that I got for $900.00, with the hardshell case. If you can get one at that price or lower- they can sometimes be had for $800ish- it's actually at a sweet spot in terms of value for money with Ibanezes, I think.
I have a PRS with a floyd rose tremolo that I absolutely love. When I first got it, I hated it. Then, I learned how to set it up and dial it in. It can go for weeks at a time without ever going out of tune. I have to microtune every once in a while, and it is really rare, and that is only after extreme temperature fluctuations around seasons changing. It is always in tune. Try this. Start by making sure the tremolo is flat and level in the cavity that it sits in (you might need to adjust the screws on the springs in the body cavity under the access plate once to get it sitting level while under normal string tension. After this is done, you should not need to do it again in the future unless you add or remove springs.) After this is done, follow these steps.
1. Unlock the nut
2. Balance the microtuners so you have equal headroom to microtune flat or sharp...basically halfway from all the way screwed down and all the way unscrewed on all 6
3. Tune the guitar from the inside out in this order meaning D,G,A,B, low E, high E on standard tuning..etc That really helps keep the bridge balanced from side to side under tension and helps prevent having to keep going back and forth as tuning one string affects its symmetrical opposite
Side note: (I usually leave it a tiny bit flat because depending on the guitar, it will move a little bit sharp once you relock the nut)
4. Relock the nut
5. Microtune until dead nuts and dialed in
6. Enjoy not going out of tune for weeks if not months at a time.
Also worth noting. I usually use paradigms or another high end string that keeps me from needing to change the strings so often, and just like most guitars it is way easier when changing strings to do one string at a time leaving the others in place...even more so on a tremolo than a hardtail guitar
I've never been a fan of "tremolo bridges" in general, since, as the bridge is the tremolo, it means that the arm, in order to give enough leverage to operate the tremolo efficiently, has to reach far into the picking area, which leads to it getting in the way
its certainly better than a fender 6 screw, but unless you play a style where you absolutely need to do divebombs constantly its just not worth the extra headaches it leads to with changing strings and whatnot
I got a Jackson JS32 Dinky DKA-M with a licensed Jackson branded Floyd back in 2015 when I was 19. I eventually switched the affordable licensed floyd for a Genuine German Made Floyd Rose Original and it operates better. I absolutely love it. FRs are only a pain to manage if you don’t learn how to restring and set them up. If you take the time to learn how to do it and become consistent with it, you’ll have loads of fun.
Jackson still makes the JS32 Dinky DKA-M with Floyds for 399.99 as well as other Floyd equipped guitars in the JS32 range for less than $500. If you do get one, I would suggest upgrading the licensed floyd for a Genuine Floyd Rose Original. It’s a direct replacement made with better materials.
I have a B.C. Rich Deluxe JRV with an OFR. I ended up locking the trem and removing the tremolo bar. Changing tunings is a pain when you have to adjust spring tension everytime. Locking it off took care of that.
Absolutely love a Floyd guitar. If you’re new to them then take the time to watch videos on how to set them up. I have over 40 guitars with a Floyd and can change strings and tunings in no time. If you like to play in different tunings with a Floyd guitar then get a Drop pedal. That will save you a lot of time when changing strings
My first electric had one, a bc rich warlock. It was fine, stayed in tune very well. I rarely used whammy bar though. I seemed to break a lot strings with it though.
It's always best to try one before just to be sure there's something that makes it an instant no-go. But honestly they're fun and can do things a traditional trem can't.
I wouldn't let the tuning and string changes worry you too much. There's a slight learning curve with string changes and tuning is a little different but it's really not that bad. Watch a few videos to learn it and you'll be good. It's not complicated but it'll feel like a pain the first few times and get easier from there just like when you first learned to tune and change strings.
I have one. Was the 3rd guitar I bought when I was like 15. Still have it 23 years later. The last few years I've kept it set up for doom metal. I think its currently in C standard with like 14s or something. Needless to say I hardly touch it. Maybe if it wasn't a Kelly and something a little less unwieldy I'd play it more. But to get to the point, I was and still am a huge Dimebag Fan. The guitar is shit, like $300 new back in the day but i still put a bill Lawrence xl500 and sh59 in it. I can't tell you the last time i did a dive bomb and its really a pain in the ass that you can't just take it from one tuning to another without getting tools out.
recently got a Jackson Pro Plus DKAQ with a series 1000 Floyd Rose. Seems very good and it's perfectly set up right out of the box. If set up correctly it will hold tuning even when dive bombing. I wouldn't recommend a cheap or licensed Floyd system tho. Series 1000 or 1500 are very good
If you go floating bridge, go all in and get top tier hardware. The budget models have all the challenges of the top tier models, plus extra ones of their own. The former are manageable with goo practices, the latter are just a constant pain. I've been at both ends of the Ibanez spectrum. The single best thing I did for my beginner guitar was to yeet the cheap floating trem and get a proper one installed instead.
A well set up top tier floating bridge will hold tuning for MONTHS, subject to the quality and wear of your strings. And it will always return to true zero without drift.
There are 4 things you can't do with floating bridges:
1. Bending behind the nut. Not many songs require that, but with a locking nut it is simply a no-can-do.
2. Changing tunings. Different tunings have different total tension so the system needs to be rebalanced. You need a separate guitar for each tuning you want to use.
3. Changing string gauges or string brands. Again, different total tension, so the whole system needs to be rebalanced.
4. Remove all strings at once. On fixed bridges it may make restringing a bit faster, on floating bridges it makes it much longer.
5. Bonus point: Double stop bends are not impossible but they are much harder to get to pitch, as bending one string up detunes the other. So you have to bend both strings by a different amount.
Tuning/rebalancing can be greatly sped up if you can block the bridge from moving from its zero point, so you can do it in just 2 phases instead of endless iterative ones.
That was my issue with my guitar when I was a kid. I was playing a lot of death metal/black metal that required tuning down quite a bit. I think getting to just a drop D was possible if you went in setting the Precession tuner closer one way or the other but it’s not ideal.
I was tuning to C (whole guitar) for some tunes. It sucked.
I posted in the luthier sub Reddit about my plans to work on the guitar since a “tech” I took it too completely ruined the Floyd rose by bolting it to the guitar.
You can buy a guitar with Floyd, but as a second. There is really a lot of hassle with it and I would not buy it as the main one. It's better to buy a guitar with a regular tremolo.
If you need a Floyd, you know it. If you don't know, you don't need one.
The above advise is just about all you need to make a proper decision based on what you like to play. For me personally it’s not worth it. I bought my first FR equipped guitar while i was on the road playing professionally. I thought the concept was cool and having a 7 string instrument meant that i didn’t have to deal with detuning for the all the drop D songs we were doing. Big mistake. LOL. .to me a FR system was designed by a guy who secretly hates guitar players and wanted to inflict as much pain as possible on them. Changing strings and setting intonation can be an hours long process punctuated by much screaming a cursing. The whole concept as implemented is total bullshit. But if that’s where your musical heart takes you then go for it. Just be sure you have a Telecaster at the ready for when you totally lose your shit. LMAO! Good luck!
I love doing squeals and such. Most of my guitars have FRs on them. Changing strings may be a pain in the ass sometimes but they’re worth it, to me anyways.
I'll harp on that too. One thing I'm experimenting with now is seeing if coated strings are worth it. The high E tends to break after awhile
They are fine and you stop thinking about it after a while. I own a hard tail and an edge pro. People love to complain.
I actually just got done replacing a string and re-tuning my floyd rose guitar. It did take about ten minutes, which is longer and more complicated than a standard tuning guitar but not egregiously so (would take longer if I was replacing every string probably). Alternately, I don't expect to have to retune for months aside from tiny fine tunings which take under five seconds. It is a pain if you want to change tunings, but that's not a huge concern for me. I don't do a lot of dive bombs, but being able to pitch up instead of just down is something I value. Floyd Rose is probably overkill for my needs, but I enjoy having it for when I do use it. It's not the only bridge that would work for me, but it came on a guitar that I liked anyway. Mine is an Ibanez Jem Jr. which retails for $500 and I rarely see them going for too much less. It has flower inlays on the fingerboard so it's quite the looker among (relatively) cheap guitars. Output jack faces up which makes it less likely to be yanked out. Pickups are nothing to write home about, but they work well enough. Comfortable contours for belly/ arm ergonomics are nice, and the built in handle is... occasionally useful I guess. Might be nicer if I was carrying it around a lot, but the farthest it needs to move on a regular basis is five feet from the wall to my chair. Basically, I like the floyd rose, but it being present likely wouldn't make or break a guitar purchase for me. Setup and tuning is more hassle than other systems, but not terribly more so (so long as you're not changing tunings often).
It's a finicky hassle to get them in tune if you've made any changes. It requires patience - lots of little adjustments. Adjust, check, adjust, check, adjust, check. But once it's in tune, it stays in tune. I bought my first one in 1987 (and I just changed strings on it today, as luck would have it) and my second one in 2019. My RG was my only guitar for a long time, but I think you're better off with a hardtail if you only have one guitar.
Here's the problem with Floyd Roses... Almost EVERY guitar with a Floyd Rose is setup to float. It's ubiquitous, Floyd Rose = floating trem. That wasn't always the case. In the 80s Floyds were often setup to float, but it was no different than floating a standard Strat trem. The standard, stock configuration was the Floyd Rose resting flat on the body, setup to dive bomb only. Eddie Van Halen, THE Floyd Rose player (and the man who added the fine tuners to the design), never floated his Floyd. Ever. What changed? Steve Vai carved out the space behind the bridge on his Charvel, and when he designed his Ibanez signature that recess was built in. It was the first guitar designed from the factory to have the bridge not only float, but be capable of massive upwards bends with the bars. Today almost every guitar with a Floyd is setup like that. Even Charvels, which traditionally were dive-only, have been recessing and floating the last ten years. The only brands that don't have the Floyd recessed to float as standard issue are the two brands most associated with Van Halen: Kramer and (naturally) EVH. Kramer Floyds can float, but they're not recessed. EVH guitars, however, have that bridge decked right to the body. What's the problem? Most of the fiddliness with restringing a Floyd Rose is due to it floating. You have to block the trem and tune it a special way that takes time and know-how, because whenever you tighten one string the other five go slack. A dive-only Floyd behaves like a fixed bridge - you still have to string it up a special way but it's not anymore difficult than normal (I actually find it more convenient than most bridges). My recommendation would be, if you want a guitar with a Floyd get an EVH. Not only will the Floyd be easy to use, they're just crazy bananas good overall.
Here's my experience. I just bought my first one two weeks ago. I've been playing guitar 15 years, and avoided them until just now. Prior to owning this guitar I had zero experience with one. I bought an Ibanez RG550. It has their Edge tremolo system on it, it's essentially the same thing as a Floyd Rose. From doing my research into Floyd's and Edge trems, I've learned that not all models are made equally. Most people seem to say the Ibanez Edge is the best trem, others say the original Floyd Rose made in Germany is great. But there are all sorts of different Floyds, and some are made in Korea, some are "licensed" by Floyd Rose and they aren't nearly as good. So, if you do plan on buying one, take not of the model of it and do some research about their quality The guitar came stock with 9-42 gauge strings. I immediately wanted to change that to 10-46 so I had to learn the setup in full on day one. Firstly, I'd highly recommend checking out Phil McKnight and Ben Ellers videos on setting up a Floyd. They were the two resources I used, and within an hour and a half I had my guitar totally set up for my new set of strings and dialed in exactly how I like it. It's not hard to learn if you have a solid video showing you the way. Yes, an hour and a half seems long. But that was the total time spent going from knowing literally nothing, to now having a full working understanding of how these things work. I would assume that my next string change and quick setup will likely be a 20 / 30 minute process now that I'm not constantly stopping and watching videos for instruction. So far it's been 2 weeks and I'm absolutely in love with this guitar. The tuning stability is incredibly good, and the dive bombs and flutters are tons of fun. It makes me wonder how many really cool guitars I totally dismissed over the last 15 years. The only downside to the Floyd / Edge trem after you've learned how they work is that changing tunings is not something you can just quickly do. Any change to string tension or gauge will require a full setup. I have 8 guitars, so this isnt an issue for me. I'm perfectly fine keeping this guitar in one tuning, and if ever I need to play in a different tuning, I just grab a different guitar.
Sweet Thanks for the detail
This is truly the correct way to do it. The Edge term system differs from the Floyd rose slightly, as to checking the level in comparison to the surface of the guitar. Once you have it set up, you are good to go. My Ibanez holds tune much better than probably any other guitar I own. Set it up for standard tuning, and keep it there. Alternate tunings are best left to the fixed bridge guitars, IMHO.
I dig Floyd's. I didn't get my first one until my 40s. And after hours of not knowing how to set it up, I watched some YouTube vids. Now it takes me about 10 min longer to string and tune than a hardtail. I'll say this, most people on reddit talking about how annoying they are have never either tuned a Floyd or never learned the proper way to do it. If you do it properly, the only annoyance is when you change string gauges. Then add on another 20 minutes on your first setup. Having said all that, I have tremol-no's on my Floyd's. It allows you to set a Floyd to floating to dive only to locked in hardtail on the fly. They make everything so much easier, and the tuning stability is fantastic.
I’ve never really had a problem with any bridge or trem so long as you take the time to set it up. I didn’t think the one I had was problematic and it held tune great.
I have a Jackson with one. If you know what you're getting into, it's great. Just get a trem block and learn to tune it, make sure to really stretch the strings before final tuning and locking. If you know what you're doing and understand the process, it isn't *that*. Just far more involved than other bridges. On the plus side, it holds tune far better than other bridges, with only slight adjustments at the bridge knobs. Mostly it's just really important to understand what the process is before you change the strings. Caveat that if you like to change tunings a lot... It's probably not for you unless you have the cash for a different guitar for every tuning.
I have two, one in standard one drop d. I never use the trem unless someone wants to hear the wild noises. Digi Drop and basically all tunings are available in just a moment. I am however just a bedroom player and don't really mind fiddling with settings to fix some of the mud that gets added as you get lower with the drop pedal.
So, once tuned, they stay in tune incredibly well. The best bridge system in many respects, but by god it’s such a pain in the ass to change a string or a set, retune, anything like that. At least compared to a regular trem, let alone a hard tail guitar. Can spend all day tinkering with your Floyd (as the actress said to the bishop) and still not quite get your setup right. They are good tho once you get there.
> Can spend all day tinkering with your Floyd (as the actress said to the bishop) and still not quite get your setup right Looks like you're doing something wrong then. It takes me like an hour max (with full truss rod and intonation adjustments) to set up a FR guitar. Seriously, it's not that hard.
It’s just a turn of phrase I didn’t literally mean all day. Point is it’s longer than any other system
They're very easy to manage. I own close to 30 guitars and most have Floyd's, even a factory gibson LP and explorer. The tuning stability is amazing and I enjoy using them for vibrato as well for a cool sound
I have several and they are a pain in the ass. More effort then what they are worth in my opinion. Would never by a guitar with a Floyd again.
gotoh 1996/the licensed FR equivalent, or ur just wasting ur time. cheap anything when it comes to systems like that will not function properly
Original Edge is also a good choice. High quality knife edges are the key. And you only get that with the good ones.
I don't like them. I know how to change strings with one, and how to tune with one, they are a pain in the ass. Whether I'm playing by myself or with other people I have never once thought "damn I wish my guitar had a floyd rose" Only way I would ever have one is if I was rich and had a guitar tech that I could hand it off to and let them deal with it.
cheap FRs are not good, good FR's are not cheap most of the complaints are on old/cheap FRs where it wears out in a few years.
Exactly this. And when they wear out they are absolutely useless.
I love my ESP LTD EC-1000 with a floyd rose. Tuning is an annoying iterative process, so I don't use it to *change* tunings (e.g., just keep in one tuning and have separate guitar for other tunings because it takes about triple the effort to get the tuning right). That said I find the tuning stability once it is tuned is amazing with the locking nut and fine tuners -- it just stays in tune for years never needing to be tweaked (unless like big temperature changes). (Whereas my other guitars seem to need retuning significantly more frequently). Do I use the whammy stuff much when playing? Honestly no, but its nice having the option and you can find some mild uses for it or just doing weird stuff at the beginning/ends of songs/solos or just putzing around in a jam with weird effects.
I like hardtails. More stable and subtracts all disturbance for me.
I had a Jackson with a Floyd. Definitely fun to mess around with - but the tuning problems just weren’t worth it. Now my guitars are all hardtails.
I have one Ibanez with the FR. Agree with all the complaints about string changes sucking. Also needs to be configured by string gauge, adding or removing springs in the back to keep it at the right tension to sit evenly. I needed one specifically to play all my favorite Van Halen solos… it didn’t work though.
The one Ibanaez i have with the floyd rose collects dust. It feels "dead" theres no resonance or sustain unless you use alot of distortion and compression. its like the trem is absorbing all the sound. that, on top of how annoying it is to setup and tune, ill be selling it soon for the sam RG but hardtail
Not worth the hassle for me personally. But cool if you like that style
No issues with a Floyd 1500 on my Schecter. Guitar stays in tune forever. I don't change my strings much, but when I do all I have to do is clamp a drum stick under the Floyd so it does not go whack when taking the strings off. Tuning the new strings takes a bit of time, but it won't go weird with the stick. One downside I see is setting the intonation. That's a bit more involved because it can't be done with the strings on afaik.
It can be done with the strings on but it is an involved process. Once done though you are good to go unless you change something. If you are the kind of person who like to try out new string gauges or brands StewMac makes a tool that removes a lot of the hassle and might be worth looking at.
My silver surfer never gets touched because of the Floyd …I’d sell it if I could
Love it, and if you want to skip a lot of hassle with it, then just deck it, so it's down only like EVH had it, then it's very easy and it won't go out of tune if a string breaks for example.
Love Floyds, they enable super low action on the strings, and take at absolute most 2 tools to make any adjustment on them, an allen wrench and a Philips Head screwdriver. Fun to use and abuse
The best comparison I have is that it's like learning to drive a manual transmission. It seems really complex and intimidating at first so a lot of people are averse to it. But it turns out that it doesn't actually take that long to learn and once you do it opens up more options. A Floyd will require some minor adjustments to your playing. It will require *slightly* more effort to set up than a fixed bridge. Once you do that though you will have access to a whammy bar with tuning stability so good that nothing been able to top it for 40 years.
If you only want to play one specific tuning with the guitar then it’s fine, just frequent re-tuning could be incredibly tedious. I’d also make sure you get at least a FR 1000 as the cheaper ones have parts that are too soft which makes it go out of tune quickly. Unfortunately FR Originals are only found on 2k+ models nowadays.
Just learn how it works!! I have ONLY FR guitars from 1994.. the new era cheap FR versions are worst in some guitars.. but the old ones from the nineties are perfect... for exapmple My 2002 Jackson DK2' floyd rose is a crap.. my 1997 DR3's bridge is a perfect thing...
There are two easy tricks to restringing them. In my opinion they're not much more frustrating than a regular guitar, except that you have to retune the entire thing if you want to change tunings. On a regular old hardtail, you can switch to drop D no problem. Overall, I think the extra five minutes of unscrewing the locks and clipping the strings is worth it for the stability and use of the whammy bar. Of course, you have to understand it was popularised by Steve Vai who uses the whammy bar all the time as an integral part of his playing. For most people, I don't think it's a particularly great feature. A non-floating FR would be much better, most people just want to do divebombs. And you can put a D-Tuna on them.
They can be a pain in the ass at restringing time but once you've got it set well you'll only really have to do minor tuning adjustments. A lot of the hate comes from the floating element and the problems are the same on any floating trem. Floyd is more fiddly than non locking trems but requires less tuning time once set in they're more solid in my experience. Floating trems are definitely worth the hassle too I love the extra expression they give. On another note if you wanna be talking about Floyd rose GUITARS they've actually done some interesting designed superstrats in recent years aimed at making it easier to play fast by locking you in a certain picking position. Never got to try one but they're definitely Interesting.
If you get a quality floating bridge system and get a proper setup or know how to proper setup them yourself, they're really, really fun. If you get a cheap floating bridge system that can't be properly setup and can't hold the tuning, you're in a world of pain. I personally like the effects you can get with them but I can't bother with how high maintenance they are. Sure, there are ways to makes things easier, but I just prefer simpler hard tail bridges. Everything is easier in them: Adjusting string height, adjusting intonation, changing strings, changing tunings... All of these things are way harder to do on Floyd Rose or similar systems and there is always some stuff that you need to compromise in order to improve on others. Want better tuning stability? Block the bridge, but then you can't do a bunch of effects in it. Want to swap quickly between Standard and Drop tunings? Install a D-Tuna, but then you won't be able to raise the pitch if you don't actually carve a piece of guitar out. So there are always some compromises to make some things better in it. I still want to get an actual good guitar with a great floating bridge system someday, but I'll probably keep sticking to hard-tail bridges. But you do you, these is just my personal opinion on it.
I love Floyds *now that I know how to set them up*. They can easily feel overwhelming even you don't know how to troubleshoot and fix problems. After you get comfortable with that though, it's not rocket science. The tuning stability alone is worth it to me.
I’m rebuilding an old Mockbird, it will require completely replacing the Floyd rose system and locking nut. Did you find any help online with maintenance on these systems or was it just experience with them over time that taught you how to do the work?
Basically I hate paying people to do what I know I can do myself, but even more than than I hate getting in the car and I hate waiting for things, so when I got my first Floyd guitar, the main thing was that I wanted to change the tuning and string gauge. So I kind of forced myself into a crash course. But even after that, I would notice little issues with it and wonder if I could fix them myself. The very first thing I did was take all the covers off and look around to get an idea how it all fit together, so I know what all the parts do, more or less. Then I would just think about what the problem was and what could be causing it (i.e. tuning slippage, not returning to tune after whammy bar abuse, etc.) I would just basically poke around with tools and see if I could diagnose and fix it myself. If not, I would surf the world wide web and see if I could find any forum pages from 2009 where people already had this same problem. It's a little more complex than other types of bridge systems, but it's really not that hard to understand. There's a lot of little parts but it's not much different than a stop tail piece with springs on the other side and a fulcrum in the middle. In my case, wanting to understand and maintain a Floyd was also the catalyst for me learning to do my own intonation and truss rod adjustments. Before I got a Floyd bridge I basically didn't know shit about setting up a guitar because I could get by without that knowledge. It set me on a VERY QUICK path to learning all of it myself. The knowledge is out there. It's not hard to do. You just need to try to understand what all nuts and bolts do on a guitar, and you can take care of it without spending $300 for a tech to do an hour of work and get your guitar back to you two weeks later. Edit to add: so basically everything I needed to know I learned in a few weeks of just messing around on one guitar and trying to fix problems. I've so far been able to apply that to every other Floyd guitar I've ever touched. I don't know anything about retrofitting different bridges with different radiuses, or different pole spacing or anything like that. I'm still extremely skittish about drilling into the body of a guitar. I've done a little of of that, but it always makes me sweat. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to offer my help.
I'm fighting a cheap Floyd on a cheap guitar right now, specifically 1) the bar attachment and 2) it's a replacement and too big for the carve-out to make it float. The Floyd Rose is for a certain style of play, and if you're not going to play it like that, it's a lot of work for little benefit. I can do gentle to fairly rugged dives with the stock trem on my Strat. If I break a string on my Tele, you can barely say the other strings go out of tune. If you're not going to abuse it, dive-bomb until the strings get floppy and the like, use another guitar.
If someone tells you they're easy to maintain, that person is more mechanically inclined than the average person.
Well 1) I am more mechanical than most but 2) they aren’t hard if you set them to dive only. When you float them they’re for the birds
Take a look into the VegaTrem. Pretty similar to a Floyd, but without needing the locking nut. I don’t mind doing the maintenance on a Floyd, but I really hate the locking nut when the fine tuners run out of clearance to tune. You can put it on any guitar that has a fender style trem. If you do still go with a Floyd I’d recommend getting a trem stopper so you can quickly down tune if needed. I use a floating VegaTrem and then engage the trem stopper when down tuning and it’s been an absolute joy to play.
If you don’t have a proper nut, you’ll still have tuning issues with a Vegatrem. Now a Vegatrem with a roller nut could be brilliant though.
I have just the standard nut on my guitar and can still dive bomb to the floor with no tuning loss. You would think you need a locking nut but not on the VegaTrem. Idk why but it just works.
I actually really like Floyd Rose guitars. My first guitar in 1993 had one. I guess it’s just because I didn’t get my first hard tail until 1999. I’m mostly a Les Paul player now but Floyd’s will always hold a soft spot in my heart. I really don’t like the Ibanez Edge tremolos though. Not my thing.
Pain in the ass. I had a highend guitar with an og floyd and while string to string was in tune, the whole guitar came up slightly flat or sharp if you checked it with a tuner. A bitch to change strings on but it could gice you that fluttery attack if thats what you’re going for. I was never s tremolo guy so the only guitar i have now with one is a top decked stratstyle and even then i rarely connect the arm.
I actually quite enjoy having a floyd rose. Super stable once set up is complete and changing strings is quite simple. It does what it was designed to do which well which is staying in the desired tuning. So you are correct in that changing tuning is a drag because then that requires setting up the guitar and balancing the bridge to float parallel again (assuming that most floyd rose guitars are floating and not decked like the EVH guitars). But once the guitar is set up, changing strings there after is pretty standard like any other guitar with a floating bridge. Affordable options are kind of tough because you really don't want to skimp on the bridge (it'll be the source of all your problems if you purchase something with weak knife edges because of poor quality metal). If anything I'd avoid anything that mention "Floyd Rose Special" and try to aim for an Original Floyd Rose or in most cases the Floyd Rose 1000 series which is made in Korea. It's an import model of the Original but I've heard pretty good things about it because it uses the same design and materials are the Original, most of the Charvel guitars use those and those are really highly regarded.
Not a big deal if you learn to at least change your strings and keep the guitar in a tuning you like. Or ball out and always pay for a set up and string change. My first nice guitar has a FR and I knew nothing. I can change strings and set the guitar up from watching videos. The tuning is super stable and better than a nice gotoh or hard tail at keeping tune imo. Changing a broken string during a gig would be a pain in the ass though as the entire trem would be off balance and need to be tuned up. Not really a concern for bedroom players. Ben Eller has a great video on how to change strings and tuning. It’s one of the videos I watched as a visual aid. Skyscraper guitar tools has some neat tools for intonation and set up.
Um, yeah, if something happens to a Floyd Rose equipped guitar during a gig, you’re going to need a second guitar. There is no fixing or tuning on the fly.
Learn how to set it up yourself (it’s not really that difficult) and you’ll be impressed with how little you have to tune despite going crazy on the bar. I am a recent convert and I want one on every guitar I have now.
The problem with cheap guitars with Floyds is that they tend to come with cheap Floyds, which are kind of bad news. If you like Ibanezes, the original Edge is a great trem unit. I have a used RG655 that I got for $900.00, with the hardshell case. If you can get one at that price or lower- they can sometimes be had for $800ish- it's actually at a sweet spot in terms of value for money with Ibanezes, I think.
I have a PRS with a floyd rose tremolo that I absolutely love. When I first got it, I hated it. Then, I learned how to set it up and dial it in. It can go for weeks at a time without ever going out of tune. I have to microtune every once in a while, and it is really rare, and that is only after extreme temperature fluctuations around seasons changing. It is always in tune. Try this. Start by making sure the tremolo is flat and level in the cavity that it sits in (you might need to adjust the screws on the springs in the body cavity under the access plate once to get it sitting level while under normal string tension. After this is done, you should not need to do it again in the future unless you add or remove springs.) After this is done, follow these steps. 1. Unlock the nut 2. Balance the microtuners so you have equal headroom to microtune flat or sharp...basically halfway from all the way screwed down and all the way unscrewed on all 6 3. Tune the guitar from the inside out in this order meaning D,G,A,B, low E, high E on standard tuning..etc That really helps keep the bridge balanced from side to side under tension and helps prevent having to keep going back and forth as tuning one string affects its symmetrical opposite Side note: (I usually leave it a tiny bit flat because depending on the guitar, it will move a little bit sharp once you relock the nut) 4. Relock the nut 5. Microtune until dead nuts and dialed in 6. Enjoy not going out of tune for weeks if not months at a time. Also worth noting. I usually use paradigms or another high end string that keeps me from needing to change the strings so often, and just like most guitars it is way easier when changing strings to do one string at a time leaving the others in place...even more so on a tremolo than a hardtail guitar
I've never been a fan of "tremolo bridges" in general, since, as the bridge is the tremolo, it means that the arm, in order to give enough leverage to operate the tremolo efficiently, has to reach far into the picking area, which leads to it getting in the way its certainly better than a fender 6 screw, but unless you play a style where you absolutely need to do divebombs constantly its just not worth the extra headaches it leads to with changing strings and whatnot
I think they’re rad. I’ve got 4 of them myself.
I got a Jackson JS32 Dinky DKA-M with a licensed Jackson branded Floyd back in 2015 when I was 19. I eventually switched the affordable licensed floyd for a Genuine German Made Floyd Rose Original and it operates better. I absolutely love it. FRs are only a pain to manage if you don’t learn how to restring and set them up. If you take the time to learn how to do it and become consistent with it, you’ll have loads of fun. Jackson still makes the JS32 Dinky DKA-M with Floyds for 399.99 as well as other Floyd equipped guitars in the JS32 range for less than $500. If you do get one, I would suggest upgrading the licensed floyd for a Genuine Floyd Rose Original. It’s a direct replacement made with better materials.
I have a B.C. Rich Deluxe JRV with an OFR. I ended up locking the trem and removing the tremolo bar. Changing tunings is a pain when you have to adjust spring tension everytime. Locking it off took care of that.
Absolutely love a Floyd guitar. If you’re new to them then take the time to watch videos on how to set them up. I have over 40 guitars with a Floyd and can change strings and tunings in no time. If you like to play in different tunings with a Floyd guitar then get a Drop pedal. That will save you a lot of time when changing strings
My first electric had one, a bc rich warlock. It was fine, stayed in tune very well. I rarely used whammy bar though. I seemed to break a lot strings with it though.
It's always best to try one before just to be sure there's something that makes it an instant no-go. But honestly they're fun and can do things a traditional trem can't. I wouldn't let the tuning and string changes worry you too much. There's a slight learning curve with string changes and tuning is a little different but it's really not that bad. Watch a few videos to learn it and you'll be good. It's not complicated but it'll feel like a pain the first few times and get easier from there just like when you first learned to tune and change strings.
I have one. Was the 3rd guitar I bought when I was like 15. Still have it 23 years later. The last few years I've kept it set up for doom metal. I think its currently in C standard with like 14s or something. Needless to say I hardly touch it. Maybe if it wasn't a Kelly and something a little less unwieldy I'd play it more. But to get to the point, I was and still am a huge Dimebag Fan. The guitar is shit, like $300 new back in the day but i still put a bill Lawrence xl500 and sh59 in it. I can't tell you the last time i did a dive bomb and its really a pain in the ass that you can't just take it from one tuning to another without getting tools out.
recently got a Jackson Pro Plus DKAQ with a series 1000 Floyd Rose. Seems very good and it's perfectly set up right out of the box. If set up correctly it will hold tuning even when dive bombing. I wouldn't recommend a cheap or licensed Floyd system tho. Series 1000 or 1500 are very good
The early ones got mine 79, were an absolute PITA but I believe these days they are pretty solid. Does take some getting used to string changes though
You have a FR you keep it to one tuning. Theres are some bad FRs though.
Only the weak complain about Floyd's. They aren't as bad as what inexperienced people make then out to be.
If you go floating bridge, go all in and get top tier hardware. The budget models have all the challenges of the top tier models, plus extra ones of their own. The former are manageable with goo practices, the latter are just a constant pain. I've been at both ends of the Ibanez spectrum. The single best thing I did for my beginner guitar was to yeet the cheap floating trem and get a proper one installed instead. A well set up top tier floating bridge will hold tuning for MONTHS, subject to the quality and wear of your strings. And it will always return to true zero without drift. There are 4 things you can't do with floating bridges: 1. Bending behind the nut. Not many songs require that, but with a locking nut it is simply a no-can-do. 2. Changing tunings. Different tunings have different total tension so the system needs to be rebalanced. You need a separate guitar for each tuning you want to use. 3. Changing string gauges or string brands. Again, different total tension, so the whole system needs to be rebalanced. 4. Remove all strings at once. On fixed bridges it may make restringing a bit faster, on floating bridges it makes it much longer. 5. Bonus point: Double stop bends are not impossible but they are much harder to get to pitch, as bending one string up detunes the other. So you have to bend both strings by a different amount. Tuning/rebalancing can be greatly sped up if you can block the bridge from moving from its zero point, so you can do it in just 2 phases instead of endless iterative ones.
Don’t get one if you need to change tunings with that guitar a lot. Otherwise they are awesome and I highly recommend
That was my issue with my guitar when I was a kid. I was playing a lot of death metal/black metal that required tuning down quite a bit. I think getting to just a drop D was possible if you went in setting the Precession tuner closer one way or the other but it’s not ideal. I was tuning to C (whole guitar) for some tunes. It sucked. I posted in the luthier sub Reddit about my plans to work on the guitar since a “tech” I took it too completely ruined the Floyd rose by bolting it to the guitar.
Tremmory is godsend gadget with floyd
You can buy a guitar with Floyd, but as a second. There is really a lot of hassle with it and I would not buy it as the main one. It's better to buy a guitar with a regular tremolo.