Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

[jmh151]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

If you're looking at saving money on a Floyd, look at the Floyd Rose Special.

http://www.gpdusa.com/Tremolos-Floyd_Rose_Special.html

It's made under the direction of Floyd Rose. It has a zinc sustain block which can be upgraded later on

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

Buying a cheap Floyd Rose Tremolo is like buying a cheap helicopter.

It's complex, it's a miracle that any of them work, etc.

Not something I would cheap out on.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

The gotoh floyds are really really good. So good, that Suhr uses them. that'd be a great choice. but I thought you said you couldn't afford $120?

Like I said, I've got a surplus of drum gear I don't use anymore, so I very well might make the switcheroo.

The Gotoh seems to be the choice. It's got the push-in bar, which is one thing I love about my Wilkinson and the flat blade on one side, so I can be less-than-perfect with my stud placement.

But the Agile already has a Floyd, so won't have to do any modding and routing to put the Gotoh on there. Oh... the decisions!

 

[uOpt]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

Don't buy junk. It's just a money sink. The cash is gone. Cash spent on quality gear comes back like a good dog.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

For $15 bucks it's not gonna break the bank to try it, you could turn around and sell it for more if it sucks. The main thing is if the baseplate is hardened steel and the block. Zinc saddles will sustain less, but will be warmer than steel, I think some people even like them better.

I just bought an old Kahler Killer for $90 just to avoid all the hassle of a floyd conversion from a 2 point fender trem.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

For $15 bucks it's not gonna break the bank to try it, you could turn around and sell it for more if it sucks. The main thing is if the baseplate is hardened steel and the block. Zinc saddles will sustain less, but will be warmer than steel, I think some people even like them better.

I just bought an old Kahler Killer for $90 just to avoid all the hassle of a floyd conversion from a 2 point fender trem.

Yeah. There is also the Super-Vee trem which has everything I want including fine-tuners and doesn't require any routing. It also sports a locking nut that doesn't require modding the nut area... although it's kinda ugly. BUT, apparently it's under a "re-design" and isn't available now and costs a stupid amount of money.

There are also people selling used Floyds that are good from time to time, but it's sometimes hard to tell if it's a real one or a re-branded Chinese junker like the $15 jobby I linked to.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

My hope is that I won't have to back rout my Heartfield, but I can't shim the neck (set neck), so I might have to. If the Killer works as good and goes in as easy as the dude from Kahler says then it might work for you too. You'd just have to use the 2 outside holes like you would to change to a 2 point trem. I'll let you know how it goes once I get it.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

My hope is that I won't have to back rout my Heartfield, but I can't shim the neck (set neck), so I might have to. If the Killer works as good and goes in as easy as the dude from Kahler says then it might work for you too. You'd just have to use the 2 outside holes like you would to change to a 2 point trem. I'll let you know how it goes once I get it.

That's another issue with Floyd and why I've avoided them thus far, is that you can't set the saddles for different radii and it's kinda tricky changing the saddle height where you really want it, aside from messing with the mounting posts. My current 9.5" and even the 12" MightyMite might be a little too round, since the Floyd is set at 14" or so. This is why I might just wait and get a guitar with an existing Floyd like the Agile. I think EVH had a helluva time at first with the Floyds, used a quarter to shim the backplate, etc. Kahlers are intriguing and more adjustable but way out of my price range.

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

Ian, go with the Gotoh.

I like the idea of getting a used Focus and grabbing the Floyd. Some of those old Kramers and Charvels are dirt cheap and can ROCK.

Be careful about the condition of the Floyd if you do this. I've seen cracked saddles, fine tuners with the threads messed up, and damaged/worn knife edges on older guitars.

 

[MattPete]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

http://cgi.ebay.com/Floyd-Rose-Pats...ccessories&hash=item2560dabc19#ht_2896wt_1139

These things are stupidly cheap ...

Personally, I can not ethically buy something that costs less than shipping costs. Really, the thing is priced at $9.99 -- there is no way it costs less than that to ship from China. That is completely ****ed up, and I will not play that game.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/21/AR2010062104755.html

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Thinking of getting a Cheap-O Floyd "temporarily"

Personally, I can not ethically buy something that costs less than shipping costs. Really, the thing is priced at $9.99 -- there is no way it costs less than that to ship from China. That is completely ****ed up, and I will not play that game.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/21/AR2010062104755.html

A couple things. These are probably direct-from-manufacturer sellers, labor is next-to-slavery cheap and steel/potmetal/copper is practically free in China, they produce so much of it. US sellers sell the same trems for $40 or $50 which means THEY got them for $10 if you consider typical profit upcharges. I would NOT be surprised if these things are the same ones you see on LTD's, Agiles, Epiphones, etc. The fact that they are so crazy cheap, doesn't mean they are any worse than the entry-level Floyds you see out there. Again, I was wondering if anybody here has bought or tried one. I mean, just type in "Floyd Rose" into eBay and a million of these show up, so I'm surprised so many of you guys were shocked to see these so cheap. I'm likely not going to get one. Once again, my all-Steel Wilkinson Modern Vintage trem was $25 with FREE shipping (in a plastic baggy within an envelope so shipping is the minimum) direct from China, but I've seen the same ones on fairly expensive boutique guitars, so the price sometimes is not indicative of what it would be here, if it were sold here... not by a long-shot. This is a disturbing condition of the wacky economic conditions of the world today. I agree that one should have a degree of moral dissonance about buying these things, as I did the Wilky... but then again, that should also prevent you from buying an LTD that uses the same exact Floyd... right?