Low-end Floyds have gotten really good!

[Top-L]

Most of my 20+ year career as a player I have used high-end Ibanez shred sticks (lo pro).

Last week on a whim I picked up a sub-$300 Dean with a Floyd Special (Chinese). Amazingly, this guitar stays in tune really well and has a great bar action. The guitar is a Custom 350 which is like a rounded and contoured Basswood RG. It sounds like an RG, and has a nice flame maple top so it looks the part. It also has GREAT pickups which are similar to the Full Shred. (Fairly hot trebly alnico shredder with tons of harmonics.) And the neck is fast, with gradual relief, a responsive truss rod, and low action. I did have to sand and polish the neck tho to get it silky.

Anyway, I checked around and it seems that the FLoyd Special is the entry trem on every guitar line except Ibanez. Dean, ESP, Jackson, etc are all using the Special. And the special is on most sub-1K guitars. The days of "liscensed" Floyds seem to be over.

The only issue with the Special is that it doesn't have the mass of the lo-pro, so I have ordered an oversized brass block to hopefully fatten it up and make it resonate more. I know its not an OFR, but if this represents the worst trem you can buy in 2014, guitars have come a long way!

For years I would scoff at low end guitars, mostly because of the trems, but now I am picking up this guitar over my Ibanez. After 20 years in the Ibanez camp, I'm now firmly in the Floyd camp. The fact that all the parts are interchangeable and that they come in so many colors is awesome.

 

[Top-L]

Re: Low-end Floyds have gotten really good!

I installed a big brass block on the Special, and the guitar sounds much richer. The tinniness is gone, and the bottom completely filled out. Sounds like a high-end RG now.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Low-end Floyds have gotten really good!

The FRS isn't bad, the crapper block has to go, but other than that completely useable.

 

[DarkMatter]

Re: Low-end Floyds have gotten really good!

I also have a special with a larger brass block. Sounds rich and full. Works great and returns to pitch really well. My only complaint is that the arm isn't tight enough, I have to tighten the nut down till the arm hardly rotates to keep it from wobbling in use. Anyone know if the OFR arm will work with the special?

 

[Top-L]

Re: Low-end Floyds have gotten really good!

My Specials arm is solid. Tightening it decides if the bar will stay in place or rotate. However, the guitar I got before this one that was damaged had a loose arm holder, so I know what youre talking about. Probably there is a way to tighten the assembly on the base plate. I know on my ibanez trems I wouild use blue loctite on that nut so it would not work loose. Probably something similar on the FRS.

 

[DarkMatter]

Re: Low-end Floyds have gotten really good!

On mine the sleeve bolted to the baseplate is solid. I think the plastic bushing in the arm is damaged.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Low-end Floyds have gotten really good!

No, they havent. Better, yes... good? nah.The Specials leave a lot to be desired, aside form the block.
OFR is still the way to fly.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Low-end Floyds have gotten really good!

There's also the FRT1000, which is a China-made OFR. No "Special" no "licensed under". This is an OFR, according to Floyd Rose. They have been used on the USA Charvel ProMods that came out in 2008, were used on them when they moved production to Japan, and AFAIK are in current use on the Charvel ProMods being made in Mexico.

They haven't had the 20 year history of Schaller-made OFRs, so there's no definitive data on their durability as compared to the German units, but so far most people say they're the same unit.

I don't think they're available as new, though, only OEM and used, but so many people panic-dumped theirs for German units that Ebay generally has plenty to choose from.


As for the arm, I do believe a Schaller arm/socket set will drop right in, and offer a better fit.