The Floyd Rose bridge and tremolo setup, also known as the Locking Tremolo, is a system used on some guitars (especially 80′s metal-era guitars) with a lock on the nut. This holds the strings in place so that if pressure is applied, the tuning heads wont slip. The “floating bridge,” which is the easiest give away for spotting a locking tremolo, is just what you would think it is. The bridge “floats” above a cut in the body and can be wiggled using the whammy.
This all sounds great… except for the fact that its a huge pain in the ass! Not only will the Floyd Rose tremolo throw your guitar out of tune all of the time, but it’s also very easy to break strings with the Floyd Rose installed. For the most part, you can get the same effects of a Floyd Rose using a few effect pedals. Not to mention how long it takes to change the strings on a locking tremolo guitar (hint: call in sick to work).
I highly recommend that you avoid any guitars that utilize the Floyd Rose get up. The only reasons to go for one is if A) You love dive-bombs or B) You collect guitars. If you don’t fall into either of these categories, the locking tremolo is only going to cause you more trouble.
There are my 2 cents. What do you think about the Floyd Rose?
I actually disagree, I used to own an Ibanez RG550 with a licensed floyd rose (lo-pro edge I think) and it never went out of tune even when I was doing some ridiculous whammy gymnastics. I rarely broke strings as long as I changed them regularly and it felt very comfortable to me. On my current guitar I have a Wilkinson floating trem with locking tuners instead of a locking nut and it is nowhere near as stable, I’m constantly tuning the damn thing!
Same for me. There’s no way it’s going out of tune fast, and although I do break lots of strings, never on that guitar (which is a japanese strat, not really with the looks of a heavy metal band).
Your right about the string changing though.
And it’s funnny when you lend it out and your friend tries to retune it on the headstock tuners (HINT: they don’t change the string tension as long as the nut is locked; the finetuners on the bridge change the tuning).
Personally I’ll always stick with a stop bar tail. Tremolo systems are ok but unless your into the whole shred thing I think they are unnecessary and can be like you say a “pain in the ass”.
If you listen to most of the best guitar solos you’ll actually hear very little tremolo work.
Ya like everyone else said, unless you are into shredding its’ not worth the trouble. Although if you have a few guitars it wouldn’t hurt to have one with a floyd rose in your arsenal.
And lending guitars to your friends?! hah I would never!
I disagree. While there are obviously flawed Floyds that might not can hold tune, Floyds have far better tuning stability than fixed bridge guitars. That’s why i think they’re worth the trouble. I’d rather spend an hour working on a floyd and have it stay in tune for a week-2 weeks (or more) than have to check my tuner pedal every 5-10 minutes on a stop tail.
Sorry dude but your so far from being right!
If you take your time setting up a floyd correctly they serve really well. I’ve had no tuning issues and i’ve NEVER broken a string on my Washburn N4, equipped with a Schaller Floyd Rose.
I can have my strings changed, stretched and tuned in about 15 minutes. Its more than easy if you know what you are doing, and if you don’t you only have to ask
i’m happy to tell you how 
Floyds provide a whole new level to your playing, more than just dive bombs as you’ve suggested. theres so much to do with a floyd, it really is a great invention.
If you think you can recreate all the little Floaing Trem tricks with pedals, you are either an electronics genius, or painfully misguided by Digitech and Boss salesmen.
I think its relatively unfair to warn people away from guitars equipped with these bridges, embrace technology!
Open your mind to it, you might learn something new about them.
I use a Floyd. I also use guitars with Tune-o-matics and wrap over bridges. they’re all easy to play, but i know which one has more scope for sonic variation.
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i personally love the feeling of floyd rose’s on peaveys and shecters.
Embrace technology? What a joke. In case you lost track of time, the Floyd Rose trem has been out for 25 years! I’ll admit that they are able to perform their function reasonably well, but overall they are a huge pain in the ass!
I’d much rather have a hard tail with a great set of tuners than that Floyd garbage. The ability to quickly change tunings and restring in a flash is well worth the sacrifice of not being able to do vibrato effects. Aside from that, it will help build your natural vibrato technique! Great playing is in the hands, not the trem!
I plan on getting a Jackson dk1 dinky that also has a floyd rose tremolo system and I was wondering whether I should stick with this investment or switch to something without a floyd rose
There are arguments for and against the floyd. Its a matter of what you want and what comprimises your willing to make to get it. Ive owned both floating and non floating guitars.
The good of the Floyd: 1)Extreme whammyliciousness in both directions. 2)Tuning stability of a locking nut.
The Bad of the Floyd: 1)Cant change tunings on the fly. 2)Cant change strings on the fly. 3)Lots of “spring noise” 4)If you do bends with open strings ringing out, the open notes are pulled out of tune.
I’ve played Ibanez RG’s with Floyds for years, but I finally started blocking them. Blocking is a great way to keep most of the good of a floyd and get rid of all the bad. The only thing you lose is the “backward” direction tromolo action. I’m not a heavy whammy bar user so this is fine with me. You get to keep the stability of the locking nut and the coonvienince of fine tuners, but if you want to switch to drop tuning you can do so without unlocking the nut and spending 4 hours retuning the whole guitar.
If you dont use a whammy bar at all but want a locking setup, Ibanez now makes a fixed bridge with a locknut and fine tuners. Its called the “Fixed Edge III” or something like that. It comes on the MTM2 (Mick Thomson signiture model).
- word.
I play a Ibanez RG1570 with a Floyd Rose setup. I change my strings once every two weeks (which takes me about 20 – 30 min tops) and after these new strings have streched a little bit (happens with any guitar) they stay in tune for approx. 5 days or so till I need to make a fine adjustments. I did however find the locking nut to be a pain in the ass as I do like to drop tune occasionally and so I do without the locking nuts and I still get almost a week of my guitar staying in tune. It just a matter of having a good floyd rose that is setup properly. If anyone get a guitar with a Floyd Rose just make sure it is a quality guitar with a quality floyd rose. When you buy it make sure a professional adjusts anything that needs adjusting or once your good enough do it yourself.
I think your totally wrong about tuning issues i have an ibanez rg 370dx and it rarely goes out of tune and when it does it doesnt go out to bad, i do agree how ever that there a lot of people who buy these guitars and do have problems with them but if you take care of them you wont have trouble with them and strings wont break.
screw floyd roses… just get locking tuners and a really nice bridge like… a parker has locking tuners. floyd roses are easy to destroy and hard to clean… once i sell my floyd crap im never getting another!!!
I just purchased a 1985 ibanez pro rhandy rhoads 1660, and it has a pro rockr floating bridge…..the main reason i bought it was because it was old and because of the tremelo. I decided to change strings and i spent a while putting them on, but after that the FR was sticking up at the back which wasnt right ( and this commenly happens ive heard ) so i needed to adjust the springs and now theres a weird rattle in the system and i cant seem to find what it is
….to someone new to this it took about 3 hours, despite taking so long to do and experiencing problems whens its done right its great as ive played others before its alot of fun as well. I’d say stick with a good ol set neck, slash stick kicks ass with his les paul/ set neck 
The FR was cool for a while but I agree they can be a big hassle. I have a couple with FR and a couple without. In general I lean a little more towards hardtail/tune-o-matic/string thru style guitars because drop-tuning and alternate tunings are much easier, and the intonation seems a little sharper. However, the presence of a Floyd still isn’t enough to make me not love my ESP.
If you love the guitar but are sick of the Floyd, maybe check out installing a Tremel-No or blocking it.
I hate floyd roses’ on our biggest shows was ruined because of owning a floyd rose guitar. It is a pure gamble with tuning, breaking strings. If really get into your sets and wave your guitar over your head, upstrum and do alot of pick slides you are facing broken string city. I had better luck with my 80 dollar old wooden Montanya guitar.
The only good thing is I still have for recording purposes.
A Floyd Rose is like an tough old man who can put up a good fight but needs to nap often.
Actually when i first got the floyd rose i did think it was a pain. It took me a half hour to almost 2 hours when i FIRST restrung it. After you get used to it and practice stringing it now it only takes me 5-10 minutes to get all 6 strings on there. I will agree that the strings break a good bit but they do not go out of tune without a fight. I can sit there all day and do dive-bombs and its still 100% intune. Maybe you have a different floyd rose series. The first one is THE best to get. I think mine is the second version because it does not say floyd rose on the side like the first series does. After the second series all the other floyd rose’s will get out of tune easily. Actually before you tune the guitar your suppose to give the strings some slack by pulling on them(I dont know but it seems to work) Would i buy another floyd rose guitar? Yes, and no. I already have a Dean from hell with the floyd rose so theres no sense in buying another one. But if somehow the dfh breaks or something then i will buy another one because they are awesome
I would never used a floyd rose because they are butt ugly. the only people that use them are those annoying guys in the guitar shops with mullets and bad facial hair wearing cut off shirts and jean shorts that sit and play some lame 80′s neoclassical shred licks on even more lame guitars like Jacksons Washburns Ibanez Peavey or god forbid the worst of all a BC Rich. please have respect for yourself and dont be one of these guys
The most ridiculous comment ever. Floyds are excellent if you know what the hell you are doing!
you are absolutely right
I hate floyd rose too it’s a giat pain in the ass
I mean, does every guitar player need the tremolo? are they all little steve vai’s ?
If you had a FR guitar that went out of tune all the time then you didnt have a real Floyd Rose. No way. Some of the “Licensed under” Floyd Rose tremolos are pretty bad, and it is said by many people that GOTOH and the Ibanez EDGEPRO tremolos are the best “licensed under” tremolos on the market. Original Floyds are made by SCHALLER and are Made in Germany. These tremolos are the best floating tremolos there are. You CANNOT create the effects you can create with a Floyd Rose with “a few pedals” That just tells me you are not a very accomplished guitarist. How do you create the “flutter” effect using pedals????
If it is a major hassle to change the strings then YUOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG. It is not the tremolo’s fault. It is YOU. It is not as “easy” as a regular guitar, sure, but if it ain’t happening, then you are do not know what you are doing and you need to study up on how to restring a Floyd Rose properly.
“A poor workman blames his tools.”
If you had a FR guitar that went out of tune all the time then you didn’t have a real Floyd Rose. No way. Some of the “Licensed under” Floyd Rose tremolos are pretty bad, and it is said by many people that GOTOH and the Ibanez EDGEPRO tremolos are the best “licensed under” tremolos on the market. Original Floyds are made by SCHALLER and are Made in Germany. These tremolos are the best floating tremolos there are. You CANNOT create the effects you can create with a Floyd Rose with “a few pedals” That just tells me you are not a very accomplished guitarist. How do you create the “flutter” effect using pedals????
If it is a major hassle to change the strings then YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG. It is not the tremolo’s fault. It is YOU. It is not as “easy” as a regular guitar, sure, but if it ain’t happening, then you do not know what you are doing and you need to study up on how to restring a Floyd Rose properly.
“A poor workman blames his tools.”
hi, I’m sorry but I think you are wrong, Floyd Rose is probably the best tremolo system on the planet in terms of stability. But you may prefer the sound of a fender or a Bigsby. The Floyd makes the guitar stay in tune, and the others don’t. The problem is that there are a few things to know if you want to avoid problems. The Floyd Rose equipped guitars should go with an instructions manual. You must be careful when you tighten the screw when installing new strings, because you can crush them if there’s too much pressure, and so the strings can break easily. You have also to be careful if you have to adjust the bridge’s height, because you can damage the pivots with the knives of the bridge, so that it can get difficulties to return in place. And you have to make some minor adjustements, especially when changing string gauges, or use alternate tunings: in every case, the bridge has to remain floating on the same plan as the top of the guitar. If not, you must adjust the spring’s tension. When changing the strings, it’s always easier to use the same gauge and brand, to avoid making adjustment, and, unless you have to do a fretwork or neck-cleaning, you never should remove all the strings at the same time, because you’ll have to make the right balance beetwen strings tension and springs tension from the beginning, and this can be very long. But if you replace the strings using one by one method, it’s as easy as any other guitar on the market. As with any floating system, the things may become complicated if you break a string because this balance is lost and all the strings become out of tune. You can remedy this using a hipshot tremsetter system for example, some guitars don’t have the floating setting of the tremolo, the tremolo rests on the top and there’s no more problem. To get the same advantage, you can insert a piece of wood under the bridge, to avoid the bridge to be pulled backwards by the springs in case of a string’s breakage. That’s a good way to use this system if you want to remove the strings to clean your neck, for example. And, you have poor imitations of the Floyd rose tremolo on the market, sometimes these can cause problems, too…
ok you are %100 correct about this bridge. being an owner of one, i know the pain and frustration of changing the strings on this bridge. i have a laguna with a licensed locking tremolo, and its the biggest pain. every luthier i have talked to always told me how much of a pain in the ass these are for them. the main reason they are a pain is because the bridge is just a balancing act. there is no reason for this bridge unless you love using a wammy because you think you are cool, or because you are joe satriani and you can shred like nothing. so chances are you have no need for this bridge. i dont care how long it stays in tune for, tuning takes about 1 min for me. if you have ever tried to set up, intonate or change strings on this kind of bridge, you know what im talking about.
I have a 1990 Ibanez RG560. It is lighter feeling than the OFR’s, but it was only recently that I had any problem with tuning stability.
Maintenance is key to making these bridges last.
Instead of buying new pivot studs, I decided to try some of the dry lube teflon that’s sold in hardware stores and Home Depot. I just sprayed some on the bridge’s knife posts, and the pivot studs. I’ve had it on for about 3 months, and the tuning is solid. I only have to fine tune it about once a week. Of course, I still have to change the strings before any serious playing, but other than that, no issues for me.
I can change strings in 20-30 minutes. No big deal. I keep the ball ends on, too. That means no sharp ends sticking out of the tuners on the headstock. Oh yeah… if you keep enough string on the tuners, and one of them breaks, just pull some string out, take the broken part off the bridge saddle, tune and lock everything back up, and you’re good to go again. I don’t recommend that for important gigs, though. This works for floyds and some of the newer double locking hardtails from Ibanez.
I suppose someday, I will tire of using Floyds, but I haven’t come across anything that has the same tuning stability, and versatility. They aren’t just for Steve Vai devotees, either.
floyd roses dont get out of tune fyi. the floyds are more popular than kahlers cuz the kahlers suck!
Never once has my FR gone outta tune on my schecter hellraiser. so for that you are wrong. and are you sure you can get use an effects pedal for anything a floyd rose can do… i dont think so. Only problem i have with FR Trems is ONE, they are a pain in the ass to change strings with yes, tuning from higher tunings to lower tunings (and the other way around) like from E to C. that was confusing at first but i know how to do it now. i love my FR. =]
you really need to use more floyd roses before you talk about them the way you do. also, you say dive bombs like thats the only thing they can do too haha? no. people try it before you buy it. if you got the cash good. consider the fact if your going to be tuning from one tuning to another. if so might be a bad idea unless the tunins are only dropping one string like tuning from C standard to Drop C is no problem at all only takes 10 seconds if you can use your fine tuners on the back of the bride. On the contrary, E to C is harder taking up to a minimum of 10 minutes ( if your experienced ) which im not so great at either =P
Wah wah wah.
I’ve had a Floyd Rose for years. They are not that hard to change the strings for. Takes 20 minutes at most. Then I’m dive-bombing the rest of the night.
I also rarely break strings.
Floyd Rose is the best!
I’m using an Ibanez RGR-320EX, wich has an Edge III trem, and it works like a dream!
It might be hard in the beginning, but when you know what you are doing, it will stay in tune until you break a string.
It’s all about if you know what you are doing!
I play a floyd rose and i never have to tune it… and the only time i ever broke a string was when my friend kicked the case closed on my guitar with the whammy still attached. i find myself totally disagreeing with everything you said. it does take longer to change the strings, but not ‘call in sick to work’ worthy. i can change my strings in abou 15 minutes with the floyd rose, and it takes about what, 10 minutes with a fixed bridge guitar? floyd rose trems are the shit!
The Gaskell Classic Mark III is a left handed Explorer guitar with a licensed Floyd Rose, made in Korea, so it is not a “Schaller” or “Gotoh” who are supposed to be the top of the line ones. The Gaskell tremolo stays in tune. And it is not hard to change strings, unlike the EdgePro tremolo used on Ibanez. The Gaskell Floyd Rose is good. How you consider the Floyd Rose is really how skilled you are with this system. It’s not for everyone, and it is definitely not for simpletons.
Hey folks, here’s some good news: Don’t sell your guitar or buy a new locking bridge system because
There’s a tool available to adjust Floyd Rose tremolos called the H.I.P.Tool. It’s not made or sold by Floyd Rose.
But it’s the only tool that fixes and adjusts the saddle block.
1. never, EVER have ONE guitar…of ANY kind as the only guitar in your arsenal for a live show. always have ONE back-up. even if it’s a $200 pawn shop special.
2. whammy bars are GREAT for surf style clean sounds and you can get a very subtle vibrato on a shimmery chord that you simply can’t get using a “whammy pedal”. so it’s NOT just for 80′s shredders.
3. string changing is easy IF you put the strings in “backwards” with the ball end by the tuning pegs. you just wrap that end into a circle ( gives you some emergency slack if you break a string at the bridge ) and it looks cool as well.
4. i have an ibanez jem and an ibanez s540 and i go months upon months without ever having to unlock the nut to tune it.
you’re an ass.
The main reason they invented the floyd for is to be able to do a radical pendeing while staying in tune.which is cant be done by a reguler one.!!
i disagree… floyd rose rules… maybe you hate it cause you dont know how to use it!!!
youre stupid…
hi all of u,-
yesterday I met a guy with a Fender playing in a bar….4 hours…..never tuned the guitar….unbelievable……a Schaller Floyd Rose-system……
I’m playing guitar for a year now, and i’m saving up to buy a new guitar (ESP LTD M100FM see thru black cherry)-
with a floyd rose. Am I doing the right thing now?
OK, Spoken like a true strummer! People that bitch about floating trems are:
A: LAZY
B: JUST LIKE TO STRUM 3 CHORDS ALL NIGHT
C: IS UNDER 35 YEARS OLD
D: SAY THAT STRUMMING CHORDS ARE “MY STYLE”
I’ve been using floating trems for 25 years. Mine NEVER goes out of tune. In fact I was just doing a recording with a buddy who had a standard bridge and he was tunning all night. Once you lock these in, they NEVER go out of tune! I have both Kahler and Floyd bridges and both are great. Using and playing a floating bridge is an artform and requires learning and patience. It really takes your playing to a whole new world. Hendrix was really the first guitarist to use a trem in this way. Of course it wasn’t double locking back then, but it sounded great!
@jamez: You are a real piece of work. I AM AN 80′S GUY AND PROUD OF IT. Your generation is a joke, bunch of simplton dumb asses that are a product of Nirvana. You make fun of a guy that actually knows scales? And can play circles around you! I’m so glad your generation is finaly done! Because you will never play again when technique comes back to mainstream music AND IT IS COMMING BACK! So climb back in your little hole there and we’ll see you in about 25 years!
Hey all – - Ok so there is some truth to both sides of this debate but I have to say that I am more on the side of being “Pro Floyd” than against. There are a couple keys points that have worked for me over the last 25 years of playing. #1 – Dont buy the shitty licenced floyds. Only use the German made version. #2 (My secret weapon) – Get yourself some Big Bends Nut Sauce and place a small amount on each of the string saddles where the strings slides as well as in the grooves of the nut. This will ensure that nothing binds and you will get much more stable tuning guaranteed. I use the Nut sauce on all my stop tails as well and it’s awesome! It’s particularily good on guitars with angled headstocks such as LP’s to ensure smooth stable tuning everytime.
Dive Bomb away!
I understand that its a matter of preference reg trems, or bridges but People having troubles with their Floyd Rose units does’nt understand their capacities & DONT KNOW how to use them.
For me the main problem with a FL is being in a cover band…
Let me explain…
If you are in a wedding band or a cover band and you have to be versed in hundreds of different bands/artists and be fluent in many different styles DO NOT GET A FL.
BECAUSE…
When learning/rehersing at home you may have to change tunings 3-4 times a day and with a FL this will absolutley put you in a mental institution within a week.
Now… you can just buy/download the sheet music/tabs and keep your guitar in whatever tuning your band plays in but what the hell fun is that? When I’m rehersing covers at home I just like to put the song on and pick it up by ear and I would suspect most pro musicians do the same.
By the way by FL I meant Floyd Rose Locking I kept leaving out the R. : )
they rule
To me, it’s all a matter of what keeps me in tune the best, cuz I LOVE to do alot of Whammy tricks on my guitar, and being in a heavy metal band requires bar tricks to me. As far as my views go, if a Floyd Rose was good enough for my idol Eddie Van Halen, then it’s good for me and my style of music.
just got a new guitar as a gift from my wife its a bc rich warlock clone looks lovely couldn’t wait for it to come, i had it for 5 min and strings where snapped spent the best part of 2 hours dissembling it to fit new strings i had 2 strings snap while tuning not to mention that when i removed the old strings one of the string lock insert blocks fell to pieces fitted a 3rd set of stings and snap top e again when tuning
You my friend are wrong, The Floyd Rose actually helps keep it in tune longer, it doesnt throw it off. Yes I will admit it is a pain to change the strings. It is one of the best things you can put on a guitar (if you are a true 80′s rocker like myself). Learn your facts before you say something, your complaining because you have to actually do work on a guitar in order for it to sound right.
That is not the common outcome of a locking tremolo, I can play 1 hour of constant tremolo use and still stay in pretty good tune without breaking strings more than a normal bridge guitar. Is hard to learn, but after a while you get much quicker at changing strings and the fine tuners, and is not considered a problem.If you have the skill to do it, and it sounds great, there is no other answer than to use a tremolo. Set the tremolo up so it returns to the guitar body. In this way you can only push down, but have the stability of a normal bridge.
If you are good with winding the strings and figuring out how to adjust the springs when you string/initially tune it, Floyd Rose trems are just.. fantastic.
Lies.
Floyd rose is the greatest bridge ever. Haven’t you guys ever heard of the d-tuna?
Also, the tremel-no is shite. Get a trem blocker, you get loads of sustain out of it, and uprade your block if you’re concerned about the sustain you loose from using the floyd compared to the tune-o-matic.
Also, they have the best tuning stability no competition, Les Paul’s on tune-o-matic and all this other stuff has nothing on the floyd for tuning stability.
For you guys that are still having the frustration of strings breaking on your floyd rose, can i suggest you invest in some saddle singers (google them). they are a couple of bucks and really do work. Fewer string breaks and better tone. I heard about them in a guitar mag many moons ago, and haven’t looked back !
floyd rose trems are a great addition to micro bends, sitar like effects, copying the slide guitar effect, etc.. the list goes on.. Breaking strings, easy solution, make sure the trem is on a slight forward slope, this takes the tension away from the string on the edge of the lock block. problem solved and yes you do have to balance the trem with the tremolo springs, I guess if it takes brain power its a pain in the ass huh guys.. thats ok leave the floyds to me!!! floyds are great! end of story! any trem is great, hendrix was a prime example! Not you guys complaining…
Hey man! Floyds rock! I have 7 guitars with Floyd’s 6 are custom shop Charvel’s–they stay in tune and feel great! Yea, string changes suck, but when I am on stage look a dude in the eye–hit a harmonic on the 5th fret pull up–then follow up with a dive bomb and a chirp/squeal–his expression is PRICELESS! Key: You must have your floyd set up perfect!