Is a Floyd Rose worth it?

jamezboy8 · #1 April 4th, 2008

Hey everyone, this is my 2nd post and i'm still trying to decide what guitar to get. The big question is this: does a Floyd Rose really stay in tune significantly better than a synchronised or floating trem system? Is it worth the extra money? (in my case, about a hundred dollars, maybe more)

P.S. What do you think of these brands compared to each other:
Schecter Ibanez and Hagstrom

allthumbs · #2 April 4th, 2008

If this is your first guitar, I would avoid getting a foyd. The tuning can be quite difficult and depending on the floyd, unstable too.
You could go to Musicians Friend though and see if they still have the 100 dollar Floyd Rose Speedloader floyd guitar. The good news is that string changes are fast and the strings are pre stretched so that it stays in tune very well. It is a huge bargain even at 200 dollars. The downside is that they take bullet speedloader strings which cost more and are harder to find.
Make sure you get a floyd with a locking nut. It will make tuning so much easier.
You only need a floyd if you plan to play wheedlie or some kinds of metal. Buy a guitar for the styles you want to play. You may not need a floyd for what you want to do.

jamezboy8 · #3 April 4th, 2008

Thanks for the info, though i'm still wondering about the brands, and no this is not at all my first guitar, and i know i will extensively use a temolo system, im just trying to decide which one.

Stratrat · #4 April 4th, 2008

I've never played a Hagstrom, so can't speak to their quality. I prefer Schecter to Ibanez - I like the quality and workmanship of the Schecter better, as well as the overall feel of the guitar. YMMV, as I'm not a shredder or metalhead and detest ultra-skinny necks and huge frets.

I'm not a big whammy user, but I'm sure the Floyd Rose will hold tune better than a floating trem. Eddie Van Halen used Floyd Roses for that exact reason, and if they could tolerate his abuse I'm sure they can tolerate just about anybody's. I can't stand the trem on my Strat, and would block it completely if the Strat were my main guitar. I've left it as is only because it's the only trem guitar I have and every once in a while I get the urge to play something that requires the whammy - that's about the only time the Strat comes out.

JessThrasher · #5 April 5th, 2008

I had a floyd rose equipped Ibanez as my first one and it was hell. I still have it to this day (its my RG). The only thing is that the "Edge III" tremolo is usually used on their mid range series. Edge III is notorious for being made of out the cheapest materials out there. But I'm getting mine swapped for a lisenced floyd. I'd say that Schecters are more worth it. Even though I don't own one, but I've played my friends Schecter synyster gates model.

Stratstrat do you detest pointy stuff too?

Stratrat · #6 April 5th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermanli_ibanezshredder

...Stratstrat do you detest pointy stuff too?

I'm not a big fan of "pointy" guitars - just for fun I could go as far as owning an Explorer, Flying V, or maybe an ML (the original design, not the jaggedy 'razor' thingies), but that's about it. Don't like the BC Rich, ML Razors, even the pointy Strat-type bodies. Not saying they're bad guitars - just not my personal taste.

When I was a teenager, one of the guitarists in my band had an original Ibanez PS-10 "Paul Stanley Iceman" (built from '78-'81), and I thought it was a pretty cool guitar at the time - but we were all 16-17 years old and playing hard rock (Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Judas Priest, old Def Leppard, etc.). I was playing a cheap Strat copy and a no-name foreign LP copy at the time, but wanted a Gibson Explorer badly. There weren't near as many decent, inexpensive "clones" available then as there are now - if you wanted something like an Explorer, you either bought a genuine Gibson or some ultra-cheap offshore plywood copy that would probably be unplayable junk within a couple of months!

JessThrasher · #7 April 5th, 2008

You better stay clear of me then!