Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

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DotNetTim

New member
Hey guys.. I'm an 80's blues rocker.. I've had Kramers in the past and other guitars that had orginal floyd rose trems, but they were used so I'm not sure how a good new one works.. I mean that the older guitars that I had, which had a floyd on them, the arm would be wiggling when I'd use it to do a dive or pull up.. Now, I have had a couple Ibanez guitars which have had a wonderful trem that had a bar that had a sleeve / plastic sleeve on them. They were much smoother it seemed and there was no play.. That said, I don't want to buy an Ibanez, but would like to build a Strat with a Floyd.. I have a neck, just need the floyd and the body.. Can someone tell me if the Floyd Pro or just the real Floyd can be made not to rattle and wiggle when using the bar? How? I'm also thinking of buying say a Carvin with a Floyd attached since they are making the Flying V again and that killer Z looking guitar I used to love that Jefferson Starship's guitar player used.. ALthough I didnh't think much of that band.. hehe..

Thanks
Tim
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

Unless I'm wrong, which I may be the OFRs back in the day actually had thread on the bar so the bar screwed into the trem itself. Most OFRs I've seen over the last 10 years, if not all, have a collar that spins around the bar and screws down on the trem to hold it in place. Not much if any squeaking and other noises on the two that I have and both have that design.
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

h8red442 said:
Unless I'm wrong, which I may be the OFRs back in the day actually had thread on the bar so the bar screwed into the trem itself. Most OFRs I've seen over the last 10 years, if not all, have a collar that spins around the bar and screws down on the trem to hold it in place. Not much if any squeaking and other noises on the two that I have and both have that design.
Click to expand...

You're spot on. Totally different arm assembly now. Some prefer the old design versus the collar. I don't mind the collar. Works for me.
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

Sorry guys.. I didn't know this.. So does the new design not wiggle? The arm not have slop I mean when you use it ? That's what I want.. Where can one buy all of the versions of the Real Floyds?

Thanks
Tim
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

It has a little wiggle but nothing like the old assembly. The tighter the collar is on it, the less the arm moves and the less play. Even with the arm being able to swing, there's very little play. You can get an OFR from Warmoth. They've got about the best price out there. The lowest I've been able to find anyway.
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

Yeah the arm fits pretty snuggly but with enough air to move freely. The collar screws down to tighten it an restrict movement.

I think the collars are pretty standard. Guitarpartsdepot.com has them.
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

Another solution is to wrap a bit of dental floss around the thread of the arm, that keeps it tighter in the hole.
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

Or buy a Gotoh floyd:)
They also made the Edge floyds for Ibanez...their arms are very nice!
I dislike the collar ones a great deal, use the old system on my own.
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

The Ibanez arm "pops" in and works well. I think you can retro fit the OFR with the Ibanez assembly, but getting just the Ibanez socket is the problem. I don't know if it can be ordered separate.
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

I'd like to try one of the Satch Ibanez guitars with the Trem he uses on his model.. That guitar seems like it's a take off of the S models which I liked.. but that said, I'm thinking I'll get a used Ibanez if possible, unless I can find a good Japanese neck thru with the trem at a good price, otherwise it's a Gibson Menace I do believe.. I like it more and more.. Im' hoping I can find a good used beat up Gibson special or studio on ebay and have a Floyd put on it.. for whammy tricks.. that would be cool..
Tim
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

I like the Ibanez Edge the best. My problem is the collar, or whatever the bar pops into on the bridge, kept coming loos and giving me alot of play. Not to mention those nylon bushings wear out and can be hard to get.

I have no play on original or floyd rose pros if the collar is tightened correctly.
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

You can order the bushings direct from Ibanez for $2.00. However, most just use the nail polish trick. remove the old bushing, and "paint" some nail polish in the bushing track. Once dry, re-install the old bushing and viola!
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

I have a receint Shaller FR on my Strat and it has the collar. There is no play in the trem arm when I use it. I know exactly what you are talking about and it bothers me when there is play in the trem arm.

My RG550 has play like that. I hadn't thought about using nail polish to shim out the bushings. I'll have to try that!
 
Re: Floyd Rose question for you old guys like me..hehe

I prefer the old-school collar and thread in arm for the OFR, you can tighted the arm into the socket and then adjust the thension of the collar for the right amount of swing.

The Ibanez is my absolute favourite though... if they get a bit loose, you ust need to thighten the top of the arm support assembly with a large slot screwdriver and then carefully thighten the retaining nut underneath, that'll keep the play in the unit in check. The bushings are easy to change and not very expensive.
 
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