Floyd Rose Saddles

[AdrianSD]

Nothing wrong with the quality it's just not the rout I would take. The Gotoh is not always an exact swap especially on recessed Floyd's since the dimensions very a little from a real Floyd. Some people have issues with the string lock bolts not having enough room in the body rout. The rout can very in size from guitar brand to brand even if they all came with real Floyd's. From what I heard you have to use their studs to not void their warrantee. IMHO that's bull crap if that's true. Not all guitars can accommodate their larger anchors since they are both longer and wider. Depending on the guitar you may not have enough wood to accommodate the bigger studs. Plus it's a permanent modification. So it's a rout that has its risks. It may be an upgrade for some guitars and work great for them. But lets face it TS's guitar is already setup to accommodate an OFR and doesn't need any modifications to do so.

Once he upgrades the saddles and trem block his Special will be top notch and no modifications or hope that it will work out in the end. IMHO real Floyds are still the king of the hill. The only time I would go for the Gotoh is if a guitar comes with a generic Floyd and has an odd stud spacing that won't accommodate an actual Floyd Rose. The only other time would be on a top mount non recessed Floyd guitar that a recessed rout isn't an issue. I'd still be inclined to use the original Floyd studs and not permanently modify the guitar.

Some very good points here. From my experience with 1996T, FR 1000 and special series, if you already have a 1000 series there's little reason to upgrade to a Gotoh (still an upgrade, mind you!). The Gotoh fine tuners feel nicer, the trem arm doesn't wobble or grind like the Floyd one does (some thread seal tape can fix this), the saddles are smoother and the studs are locking into the body with those teeny tiny little screws for extra stability. Some bits are just designed and executed better by the Gotoh folks. In saying that, the 1000 series Floyd holds it's own, stays in tune just as well as the Gotoh. If otoh you have a FR special showing signs of fatigue, upgrading to a Gotoh after doing some due diligence is well worth, but changing the tremolo arm, saddles & the block is another option which may lead to regrets down the track - "why didn't I just put in that 1996T when I had the chance?"

 

[Ashurbanipal]

As has been noted, the studs and bushings for the Gotoh are longer and have a slightly bigger diameter than Floyd, and the studs themselves are locking too, which can be a plus on some guitars. That said, you can still use the stock Floyd posts just fine if you don't feel like pulling them and redrilling for the Gotoh ones. The groove on Floyd type studs is fairly open, so Gotoh should work ok. Not necessary to do, but in the interest of giving full info here.

Gotoh bushing: 30mm x 11.3mm
Floyd bushing: 19.8mm x 10mm

Anyway, if you go on the Gotoh website, they have technical drawings with the measurements of all the parts, so it's useful to compare them to the FR 1k and the routes on your guitar if you decide to go down this route.

 

[Mr. 80's]

Some very good points here. From my experience with 1996T, FR 1000 and special series, if you already have a 1000 series there's little reason to upgrade to a Gotoh (still an upgrade, mind you!). The Gotoh fine tuners feel nicer, the trem arm doesn't wobble or grind like the Floyd one does (some thread seal tape can fix this), the saddles are smoother and the studs are locking into the body with those teeny tiny little screws for extra stability. Some bits are just designed and executed better by the Gotoh folks. In saying that, the 1000 series Floyd holds it's own, stays in tune just as well as the Gotoh. If otoh you have a FR special showing signs of fatigue, upgrading to a Gotoh after doing some due diligence is well worth, but changing the tremolo arm, saddles & the block is another option which may lead to regrets down the track - "why didn't I just put in that 1996T when I had the chance?"

The 1,000 series fine tuners work great and smooth out after a few uses. Nothing to scoff at at all on that point and does not affect performance at all and the fine tune like they should. You can pop in an OFR arm that uses the typical nylon bushing instead of pin and arm problem is gone. I've never felt the need to replace the typical 1,000 series arms though, works just fine as is. I like the feel of Floyd saddles over the Gotoh ones, the sloped ones just feel strange under my hands IMHO. That's all personal preference anyways not an "upgrade". Locking studs IMHO are totally unnecessary. Once you set the post/action height on a Floyd they are not going anywhere, they are basically set and forget. They can be set and not move for decades. IMHO the Original design Floyd is the best design and if a guitar is already made to accommodate one then there is no reason to change brands. The Gotoh's are of great quality but I would never say they are better than a FR 1,000, OFR or an upgraded FR Special. They are just different and you may like some of its differences more or less.