I installed an old Lo Pro onto a new guitar that came with a Floyd Rose Special (basswood Dean 350f) The routes are very similar and the Lo Pro could be installed permanently, but looses most pull up because of a shallower cavity.
The FRS stayed in tune great and had a bright but "tinny" (unplugged) sound, so I upgraded it to a 32mm brass big block.
Unfortunately, while the brass block sounded bigger and the fundamental tones are stronger, the sound lost its harmonic content. Notes sounded simpler with less air on top. The sound of a big brass block has a big round mid character to it, and I would say for many players it could be better, but not for me.
So I wanted to find out how much of the lack of harmonics/ air was due to the bridge design, material, or overall mass.
I installed the Ibanez Lo Pro into the Dean and I suppose, not surprisingly, the guitar gained the character it was missing. The Lo Pro is actually a bit heavier than the Floyd Special with 32mm brass block. The Lo Pro has a wider overall presentation. It has as much bass (maybe more) than the floyd with big brass, but it doesnt have the round mid bump.
So what have I learned from this? The big round mid bump and lack of character/articulation most likely comes from the brass, not the additional mass.
The Floyd Rose absolutely needs more mass to compete with the Lo Pro, but doing it with brass reduces the air, articulation, and harmonic content. I suspect the brass is reasonable to work and its density make it a good/affordable choice, but it really takes the mojo out of the tone.
Now I understand that this is a Floyd Special and not an OFR. My understanding is that at the point the block has been replaced, the only material difference is the saddles. The OFR are steel, the Special's are cast zinc. That said, the Lo Pros saddles are also cast zinc, so that alone is not necessarily a detriment to the tone. I would like to hear an OFR with original block, it may have the mojo that is missing in the combination I tested. It may be that the Floyd needs the steel saddles to regain the air lost from the brass block.
Sorry, I dont have any tone clips. You'll just have to trust that the Lo Pro Edge is largely responsible for that high end Ibanez sound.
Now I am looking into ways to improve the mass of the Floyd while keeping the "live" character of steel. Maybe the Gotoh Floyd has that "ibanez" character. (they make the ibanez lo pro).
The FRS stayed in tune great and had a bright but "tinny" (unplugged) sound, so I upgraded it to a 32mm brass big block.
Unfortunately, while the brass block sounded bigger and the fundamental tones are stronger, the sound lost its harmonic content. Notes sounded simpler with less air on top. The sound of a big brass block has a big round mid character to it, and I would say for many players it could be better, but not for me.
So I wanted to find out how much of the lack of harmonics/ air was due to the bridge design, material, or overall mass.
I installed the Ibanez Lo Pro into the Dean and I suppose, not surprisingly, the guitar gained the character it was missing. The Lo Pro is actually a bit heavier than the Floyd Special with 32mm brass block. The Lo Pro has a wider overall presentation. It has as much bass (maybe more) than the floyd with big brass, but it doesnt have the round mid bump.
So what have I learned from this? The big round mid bump and lack of character/articulation most likely comes from the brass, not the additional mass.
The Floyd Rose absolutely needs more mass to compete with the Lo Pro, but doing it with brass reduces the air, articulation, and harmonic content. I suspect the brass is reasonable to work and its density make it a good/affordable choice, but it really takes the mojo out of the tone.
Now I understand that this is a Floyd Special and not an OFR. My understanding is that at the point the block has been replaced, the only material difference is the saddles. The OFR are steel, the Special's are cast zinc. That said, the Lo Pros saddles are also cast zinc, so that alone is not necessarily a detriment to the tone. I would like to hear an OFR with original block, it may have the mojo that is missing in the combination I tested. It may be that the Floyd needs the steel saddles to regain the air lost from the brass block.
Sorry, I dont have any tone clips. You'll just have to trust that the Lo Pro Edge is largely responsible for that high end Ibanez sound.
Now I am looking into ways to improve the mass of the Floyd while keeping the "live" character of steel. Maybe the Gotoh Floyd has that "ibanez" character. (they make the ibanez lo pro).
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