I have 3 guitars with Floyds, I rarely use them, because my Jag-Stang seems to do the job better. I only have ONE Floyd guitar that I can stand to play, and that's the old red Kramer, because one of my major bitches has been removed....I sawed slots into the locking nut screws so I could turn them with a screwdriver, it's been like that since 1997. That guitar is one kooky thing, 5 switches, 2 knobs, coil split, strangle, rhythm/lead, and HSH config of cheapo EMG Select Pickups.
My complaints about the floyd are these things
- Treatment to the strings, some of them have a tendancy to cut strings in half under heavy abuse. I had an original 80's model on the Red Kramer that did this. Rocking trems usually don't do this.
- The screws on the locking nut use hex keys, of which eventually the holes become stripped, and then it's time for the pliars. I got around this by using a Dremel to cut a slot into them so I can use a flat-head screwdriver.
- Using heavy strings on a Floyd Rose can, on certain guitars with certain woods, cause the pivot posts to cave into the bridge pickup cavity, or worse, I've heard of the body being cracked in half from the posts with bushings.
- On licenced floyds, the pivot posts do wear out if you use the trem a LOT, as they are not heat treated, this throws the guitar out of tune, especially when you use a floating setup.
Of course, I have less trouble nowadays since I use 009's, and have 3 guitars tuned differently. But I still prefer my Jags.
Jaguar = lowest intnerval downward from standard, B, highest interval upward, F#
Jag-Stang = Lowest interval downward, rather llimp strings and o discernable pitch, highest upward A
The other trems in the house include a prototype locking job I've been working on since a Teenager, a Washburn Wonderber 2001 (it's like a Jazzmaster trem consolidated in a small black-plated package oddly enough), Strat trems (they're allright, the one on the strat beats the Jagmaster's for stability though), and the Kahler that once was on my Kramer guitar (Gibson Branded), I'm toying with putting that on something else eventually. and I think that's it.
