The Floyd Rose Special is a Piece of SH*T
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- Опубліковано 22 лип 2024
- I am in utter disbelief about how BAD the Floyd Rose Special is. This is a brand new unit and absolutely sh*ts the bed in every way. DO NOT BUY THIS.
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GOTOH Floyd Rose. The best ones I know. Use them since 30 years!
And for about the same money as a FR Special. I LOVE these! But one should not buy one of these and think it is a straight swap.
For only a few bucks more you can get a Superior made GOTOH 1996T!
IMHO the GOTOH 1996T is every bit as good as the OFR! I also like the Schaller "Lockmeister"
which is the same exact thing as a OFR! Remember Schaller is the one that made the OFR's!
I've had nothing but bad experiences with any Floyd Rose I've ever used, since around 1998 I made the permanent switch to Kahler. A good Kahler with a Floyd Rose lock nut is the perfect combo for me. Since going with Kahler I've never looked back, every Kahler I've ever had has been amazing.
Kahler? Thanks for the idea . .
They're hard to find parts for.
I have a Floyd Rose Special on my Jackson SLX Soloist, and it always stays in tune....I haven't had to tune it in weeks, it never goes out of tune on me.
As I said in the video, I had pretty good experiences with Floyd Specials that came stock on guitars(Jackson, ESP/LTD, etc.). My gripes in this video are specifically with the Floyd Specials you can buy separately, and my research online tells me I am not alone in my negative experience :(
OK, interesting @@BigJakeMusic
I think you’ll find tuning isn’t going to be your issue, it’s durability and longevity, both not strong points in the FR special, in time you’ll fine everything beginning to rust ect depends on how you play, how often, but the reality is it’ll ware out a lot quicker then the harden steel original,
I learned this lesson back in 2007 when my friend and I upgraded our guitars. I got an LTD MH-400 with a regular Floyd Rose and he got a dimebag razorback with a Floyd rose special and immediately within 24 hours we went with his parents to return the guitar because it was so trash
Gotoh 1996t 140 dollars, I don’t know why anyone messes with specials or 1000s gotoh!
Get yourself a Gotoh from Philadelphia luthier exchange and if you want put SS string locking blocks in it, but you won’t need it. Get a Gotoh dude seriously 1996 T are in my opinion as good or better than an actual FR original but some people have to have the FR name on it. Gotoh made Ibanez edge trems. Seriously you know about gotoh and are still F’n with specials and Chinese licensed come on man Gotoh MIJ comes with post anchors and threaded inserts and a better saddle design.
I’m in agreement with you there, based on everything I’ve heard. I actually have two or three guitars that need a new trem, and the Gotoh is definitely going on at least one of them!
@@BigJakeMusic , Make sure to use the gotoh studs. Do not reuse the floyd stud with the Gotoh trem since the gotohs are rounded . If installed correctly the Gotoh is head and shoulders above the Floyd rose special . IMO better than the floyd rose orignal. No trem flutters as well as a Gotoh 1996T. And that's because of the rounded fulcrum on the gotoh studs / trem
Thanks for the info! I'm looking at buying an EVH WG Special which comes with an EVH Floyd and R2 nut
I had the same issues with the saddles, not resetting to zero etc with a FRX. The guitar became virtually unplayable but in my case removing it was easy since it was a top mount.
I went out on a limb and put a $260 original floyd rose on one of my old Ibanez RGs and it was awesome! It was heavier than two of my other tremolos put together. It is very very stable even after heavy abuse. I have a brand new dean razorback with a floyd special on it and it is NOT good. It's light as a feather. Obviously zinc alloy. I have been through the checklist several times now. Everything is setup up perfectly, so i'm convinced that it is the zinc alloy vs. the steel. Steel is harder and has much more strength. Ive been told you can get titanium posts as well and that makes things even more stable.
Hey, I’m not sure if you returned that trem yet, but I noticed you don’t have a string tree on the headstock. I know it sounds stupid but that’s really 98% of the problem😅. I had the same tuning issue on my FR special, but when I put the string tree on I haven’t had that issue since!!
I'm wondering if this is an era issue. My very early 2000's LTD KH-202 came with and still has a Floyd Rose Special, and I've never had issues with it. The only thing I ever had to do was replace the saddles, after a little over 10 years.
However, my 2018 Jackson RR's FR Special was trash out of the box, and had to be replaced. So I wonder if they've started using cheaper materials over the last few years, or if the QA is so poor that faulty ones are getting out in large numbers?
I have a Jackson RRXMG which came with "Floyd Rose Special 2000" so in theory its even better than 1000 series, but even without using the tremolo the guitar loses the tuning after playing anything. My OFR guitar still holds the tuning after years even if I use the whammy bar. I brought the RRXMG to a guitar luthier and he tried his best but even after his tweaking it didnt get better.
I wanted to order a MTB HT6 (Mick Tomson Soloist) bridge, because I use it on my other guitar and while technically it could fit, I would need to cut the guitar for it to actually fit.
So I ended up buying a lockmeister a few days ago and I can only hope its gonna resolve all my issues. I knew the FRS will bite me in the a-s-s, but ppl. on the internet (2013-2016) assured me
"no bro, FRS is just as good as OFR"
"you are paying for the "original" in title"
"Trust me it works for me"
The first and last of the FRS I have ever bought :).
Well pardner, I've only had one guitar with a Floyd Rose and it is a pain in the behind.
A good Floyd Rose is amazing and worth the trouble most of the time, but a bad one makes you want to jump in front of a train!
@BigJake Music Well Jake, there's a big difference between you and I. You actually are a musician. My goal in learning to play the guitar was to be able to hang out at the campfire and play my terrible rendition of house of the rising sun with a bunch of drunk cowboys who don't know the difference. I've surpassed my goal ☺️...
Thanks for the good, informative video!!
I hear you dude...that special was terrible on my N2. It just doesnt stay in tune. They should just dicontinue that model. Too bad some guitar brands still use it.
It would be cool if you did a review on the wilkinson m series floyd rose. I guess wilkinson is kinda like the epiphone of gotoh. I got one for my jackson warrior and It's as good as a 1500 or an original and I can't tell the difference between the 1996t and the wilkinson
The kind of reviews i live for.. I'll be replacing my Razorback that has a FRS with a stainless steel kahler. Been on the kahler train since '86 . Totally dig yer strap set up... c):~)
Bought a special, 2 stripped out saddles out of the box from the factory. It felt cheaper than the cheap LFR I was replacing. Got the gotoh 1996 it dropped in super easy. Very similar price compared to the special and it feels so much more solidly built. Steel not zinc. The posts are bigger for the gotoh.
Got Floyd Rose Special with my Adrian Smith SDX and by the suggestion from Adam from FU-Tone I replaced the saddles to GraphTech and damn, this thing DELIVERS! HIghly recommended. The only upgrade that it possibly needs, to be honest
You are not wrong sir, same flipping thing happened to me. I've set up more Floyd Rose's than I have played. When I first started my set ups sucked, but now I can do a really quality set up. The special sucks so bad, I could do nothing to fix it. I'm with you!
I was actually thinking about buying one of these till I saw this video, thanks for your honest opinion.
Bad news that Floyd Rose have gone down the cheapo route. I only buy FR made in Germany by Schaller. FR500. The rubbish Special and even the FR1000 are not the real deal. Big money but it will last. Otherwise steer clear of FR and buy the licensed brands you mentioned.
Floyd Rose Specials are LICENSED copies that vary WILDLY in quality depending on the manufacturer. The low-quality metals often used cause a LOT of issues. The nut slippage and saddle slippage you mentioned are what i see mentioned a lot, and they will eventually strip out, but there are 2 FAR WORSE problems that come with time.
The bar comes lose constantly. It NEVER stays tight. Eventually the nut that holds it on also strips. But the BIGGEST issue is where the knife edge and posts meet. The metal is sub-par quality and wears out after a year or 2 of regular use. Or just a few months of heavy use. Once these surfaces wear the bridge will NEVER hold tune again.
I'm sure some manufacturers have produced higher quality "specials" but it's a crapshoot. You are literally gambling. If you want a floating trem guitar, get an OFR, Schaller or Gotoh. If you can't afford one of those just get a hard tail. A floating trem is a precise MOVING part under constant heavy stress. They need to be built to very high-quality standards. You don't want a guitar you paid hundreds of dollars for being rendered useless because the manufacturer saved 50 cents using cheaper metals on the most important, and most heavily stressed part of the guitar.
I installed a fr special on a build and the exact thing happened to me. The nut screw snapped in two at first try..and one of the saddles tightening screw stripped rightaway.
Replaced the saddles for ones i took fron a cheapo chinese knockoff and ended up pretty good. The only good thing bout the special is the baseplate, its harder than most fake floyds. Butt everything else sucks. The frankenfloyd still works nicely.
The FR Special is hit or miss. They don't last...especially for the gigging musician. I upgraded the 2 that I have....change the saddles for steel saddles, change the string holder blocks to steel or titanium, change the string block screws, change the fine tuners, and put a brass block on. All that will cost you around $120.00 at which point you'd be better off to replace the whole thing with a FR1000 or Original.
Dude what kind of camera do you use? Your video quality is incredible
Believe it or not but its most likely his editing that sets the video apart. So many videos on youtube are exported at terrible settings. Hes recorded in 4K 60FPS and exported at those settings. You could get quality like this out of a gopro. Its probably a mirrorless camera but Im just saying.
great video bro, im not into floyd rose stuff but really enjoy your vids , really funny when you said it sucked ass! 😂 , keep on keeping on bro!
Haha, thanks! I don’t usually do content like this but I was very angry and decided to just film my natural reaction.
I bought a Frankie and it stripped out very easy I wonder if it’s a crappy one
Dude I have a Jackson with the special and I have to get a new nut already. And I agree it’s way too high. Even the guy who set it up said why the hell is the nut so tall? Needs to be sanded down just be halfway good. Cheap ass metal already stripped out on me. I’m so frustrated.
Lesson learned in life. You get what you pay for these days. Don't be cheap. Or you will buy it twice.
I've wasted more money cheaping out over time, than if I just got the thing I really wanted.
There are a ton of videos praising cheap crap, and cursing quality parts.
Or the Kahler Steelers or Kahler Spyder reissues
Ah Sh** I know how you feel man, everytime I play it keeps String Slip.
Yeah I've been wanting a Guitar around a grand But All of them still use Floyd rose specials All the Jackson's and I've had one and I absolutely Dread Messing with it
I have a ferrari red Jackson X Series Warrior with the all black floyd rose special set up and I agree. It sucks ass. I've gigged for over 4 years in the past with a LTD (Alexi Laiho) with Floyd Rose Original, several Jackson RR V's with Floyd Rose Original and never had any problems. EVER.
This X series out of the box had NOTHING but problems with that Floyd Rose Special set up. What I finally figured out is you MUST use Ernie Ball regular slinky strings. Those are the ONLY ones that will work.
Floyd made a lot of money licensing his name to pretty much anyone, but as far as the whole quality perspective, only the original is great. The 1000 is decent, but doesn't hold tune as well.
Ibanez Edge original, Schaller Lockmeister, Kahler Steeler and Gotoh 1996T are the trems that are great. 1996T is the best bang for buck, but you need to install their posts. Edge and Gotoh have a center screw to lock the posts where you set them. To me, that's the secret sauce of them.
This is an issue for the modern 2020 and later Floyd special. The earlier one is great. I've got a Jackson Floyd rose dinky and it's 2018 and the Floyd is very good.
The word "special" must not be associated with a positive emotion, it is something like: it is so bad that it has become special, a special shit! just MARKETING, they put a word without context, logically if you see an original and then you see the special, the word special makes you believe that there is something more , more special, so you think : wow ! what the speciatily of this one? (I know you just need to look at the price to understand that it is the economical version) but in terms of advertising it seems to want to associate the potential customer with something precious, and positive SPECIAL! which it isn't and they should stop building that rubbish version, also because if I hadn't accidentally bought a guitar with the original FR I would never have understood how beautiful it is to play with the Floyd Rose... they sabotage themselves by putting shit on the market so people always say, FR type trems will give you problems.. only because there a lot of special shit on the cheap useless guitar ... and in my opinion (perhaps) they made the special version to ensure that people take that one rather than the fake ones... but they did it badly... so badly that they entice you to buy the fake ones :)
They wont balance because the knife edges roll over and you can not get them to bounce,Got 2 both same thing.Then bought a real floyd 1984 all good now.I had an old plate from a german made one and used the saddles from the special and got all new stainless screws and put it on a nother guitar and it works ok,had my B string pull out of the saddle once.Just buy 2 new base plates and post screws use the hardware for the rest,so you didn't buy 2 specials for nothing.I was in the same boat,so i bought a brand new all black for my old Barreta and a 1984 original chrome and brass fine tuners both real ones set up perfectly.I thought wow how bad could a special be I can buy 2 for the cheaper price.The plate and anchor screws are the real culprit,like I said I took the old 1980s baretta floyd rose Black plate and made a franken trem and it works fine.Only thing i used was the saddles from the special,but with all stainless screws I had bought for replacements if I needed.I tend to lock that shit down too much,and even german ones can strip.I am buying 2 more german plates now so i can build 2 more.
Lol!! I feel you! Biggest pieces of S. I have had good luck on one guitar that came with it. The others I've had to upgrade saddles. The metal is so soft. Garbage
You want a Korean made Floyd Rose 1000 or better (Gotoh Floyd from Germany are really good) in terms of how expensive you want to go. But the Floyd Rose specials are to be avoided generally. Might be ok if you put some FU Tone parts on them but generally not good.
The Floyd sucks...Period....Great video brother.I can't play for shit but ,it makes it worse knowing freaking guitar will not stay in tune ...Screw Floyd give me anything but....
Tell it like it is Jake!
Thanks man. I don’t usually go off the rails like this but I had to say something to warn people!
Ok first dump the plate and get a fro steel plate. Second get fro studs and posts. Then unscrew the nut and use E6000 glue for the bottom of the nut and screw it back down carefully. Once the nut is screwed down leave the guitar alone for 2 days so the E6000 glue dries. Then set up the Floyd with loose strings and set the action height. You want loose strings so the knife edges don't cut into the posts while adjusting string height!!! Once done tune it up and adjust the springs so the trem is level. The weak points are always loose posts or a rocking/shifting nut. Rarely worn springs. I also use 3in1 oil on the knife edges/posts too... Floyd's are like hot blonds or 650 carbs. They take maintenance and you have to watch them!!! And make sure the intonation screws are tight! Weak wristed people don't torque them down good enough.
I consider this as a public service announcement! Thanks for the warning. That's an inferior product. BTW, I had a Fiero, but it was a 6 cylinder. It ran like a raped gorilla! Just bought a Jackson Soloist (2014 model ) with a stock Floyd Rose. Should I expect problems.
I never install real Floyd Rose trems.
Like everything else coming from the USA: way too expensive, and certainly not worth the money or the hullabaloo.
Gotoh GE-1996T's are cheaper, compatible with most guitars, and FAR better - they stay in tune perfectly (if you set them up correctly of course, as goes for all trems...), and the sustain is great. Has a massive brass block, so no need for expensive upgrades either...
As a non-American I can heartily recommend looking beyond your borders every once in a while 🤣🤣🤣
Real Floyd Rose trems are typically made in Germany, so I’m not sure what you’re on about 🤷🏻♂️
FR1000 or Original or Gotoh is the way to go. The Special is a POS, I have had a similar experience with a guitar with a Special!
The specials can fit on real floyd rose tremolo system especially blocks and nuts
Floyd Rose Special is the cheap bargain version of the Floyd Rose.
The Floyd Rose special is zinc alloy compared to hardened steel on the original. The original is almost 400$ on where I live.
yes but the original is the only one you can buy because all the other have problems
@@cris_viga_loca the good thing though is, the special and the original are about the same size so upgrading to an original would be easy.
Lol. I hear you. I have good luck and bad with the special. The metal is shit.. I upgraded saddles and block one guitar.. on another one of my guitars that came with the special has been awesome. It's a crapshoot LOL
Never look for FR Special, not even interested, because the block is really Bad, just like the Chinese ones.
I prefer the FR1000, having about 5 of them.
And my Favorite is always Gotoh 1996t.
Almost every FR guitar that I have i change it with Gotoh.
😊👌🏼
The special is just another cheap copy of the actual Floyd rose, licensed by Floyd rose. They are at best an entry level locking system. You can get upgrades for everything at FU tone which fit both the special and the actual Floyd. You may have to clean up threads with a tap to make it happen. Most of the cheap systems are just licensed by Floyd, not the actual Floyd rose. Better off getting the real deal.
7000 Feet 😂😂😂
this is great
Sorry to hear you got suckered into the Floyd Rose Special. It is indeed junk.. Really tarnishes the Floyd Rose Legacy when they allow these crap licensed versions to hold their name. Anything less than the Floyd Rose 1000 isnt worth the risk. Some of them are fine but the quality control just isnt there. No one likes tuning their guitar in the middle of a set or jam sesh. Unacceptable.
Mine work just fine, I have 4 guitars with the Floyd Rose Special and they all Rock.
I went to my local guitar store & picked up a Jackson & the floyd I garbage!!!!!!
yep, the floyd rose special is complete garbage! On the other hand if you can find a used 1000 series on reverb for a good price, i have had good luck with those. Also the gotoh 1996t is fantastic for the price!
Spend for no less than a 5 year investment if you're serious about your gear.
Innovation, not imitation? Look for "Floyd Rose" and "Rockinger"
Why you did not buy a Gotoh? way better!!
Muchas gracias por hernolos saber amigo. No comprare esa porquería.
1984 Floyds are the best. Or a real 80s German made Floyd
I don't know Bud, I installed the Floyd Rose Special in a Jackson Dinky and it's been amazing stayed in Tune, Level, and Perfect! I am a Profeesional Musician and use it All the time, still no issues and returns back to tune perfectly after Divebombing!!
He could have a Chinese fake and not know it, some of the stuff copied includes documentation etc. The Ernie Ball fiasco is a good example of almost perfect knockoffs that aren't readily apparent although you know something is wrong when use it.
I have to be honest... I've used Specials for many builds and never had any of those problems. Maybe you got a counterfeit. I always buy from reputable distributors (Stew Mac).
Lol
Floyd Rose Specials are absolutely horrible. They definitely shouldn't be put on an EVH Wolfgang, I can't even imagine how much that would suck.
The Floyd Rose special is a real Floyd Rose it's also on $1,300 guitars you left that important part out..they do not suck and many know they don't
Everybody knows the F.R. special sucks. Know you KNOW for yourself.
F.R. 1000 is the way to go.
Sorry bro, but you can't blame FR for you being a cheapskate. It's quite well documented that FR Specials are total crap. FR 2000's are a tad better but not that much. If you want a proper FR you will have to shell out the money for a steel one. You got what you paid for eventually.
Don't buy the "super cheap Amazon" anything. Crap in, crap out. The Special has always been common knowledge as suckey. Why? Zinc alloy. The saddles are sh-t. Throw them in the trash. The plate itself is "Spot hardened" steel. Not bad, not great. Still steel tho. The German FR Original model is completely made of hardened steel. If you put the stripped down Special plate itself, and the locking nut parts in the oven at 400* for 3 hours then let it cool down slowly in the oven overnight, then do it AGAIN the next day, you will have completely TEMPERED the plate and it will be hard as any FR original plate if not harder. The HEAT tempering also alters the color of the plate in a very interesting way. Reassemble w your own own upgraded block, better saddles, and Titanium parts, and you have a high end, custom, hard as bedrock trem. All at a slightly lower cost than any bone stock FR Original model, since the pandemic price increases...
Why do you have all these Original Floyd Rose parts laying around but no Original Floyd Rose 😂 just get the real thing and stop skimping out