Floyd Rose - Good Tone or Tone Killer?

[LordOfTheThighs]

I need some opinions. I've got my eye on a guitar with a Floyd Rose. I

own a MIM Strat with a Floyd, and ain't that impressed with the sound.

Although I realize it's a bit of a step down from my Hamer and

LP Historic ... it may be the pots, pups, my crappy playing, etc.

I believe a better tone comes from having more surface contact with the

stop tail pieces, sustain-blocks, hard-tail, than on Floyd guitars.

OR

Am I full of horse hockey?

Anyhoo, folks with Floyd equipped guitars, could ya chime in here, and

let me know what you think of Floyd Rose equipped vs. non-vibrato

guitars ... tone wise that is.

[Scottcrud]

The tone is a little fuller and darker ( not nessecarily a good thing, and it's a Mohagony body) on my hardtail bridge custom Mockingbird than my Kahler Steeler ( brilliant copy of a Floyd Rose) equipped Robin Raider ( which is a very heavy piece of swampash). They both have EMG 81's. That's the main thing I notice, the Mockingbird is a little darker. But there are tricks you can do to a Floyd equipped guitar like this:

http://www.tremol-no.com/

[peedenmark7]

I love floyds.. they take nothing away from the guitar, only add...

I do like the jangly effect a trem cavity can produce... all guitars are different though.

bfurther , will admitt i dont use floyds that much today.

which is a personal playing style change more than a functional issue.

if you dont have a guitar with a floyd, it wouldnt hurt to have one...

[peedenmark7]

aaah ingenius device... might have to snap one up for grins. !

[Travis]

I've never been a fan of Floyds. I've had a few guitars with them and they've sounded great. But I just don't use it. As far as the tone, it's a matter pf personal preference, not better or worse, just different. Some say that the Floyd robs the guitar of sustain. But my Charvel 650xl (Jackson Soloist copy) has as much sustain as any other guitar I've played. Expect a brighter tone, as a stereotype.

[Guest JackButler]

I gotta have a whammy..don't have a guit without one!

[JohnnyB]

Since this is a guitar you "have your eye on," I assume you can play it and try it out. If you like how it sounds and plays, get it.

Conventional wisdom says that guitars with bridges that make solid contact with the wood have an advantage in sustain and "meatiness" to the tone, but that would exclude almost all Stratocasters.

I got a Hamer USA Centaura HB, which comes with Floyd, for my stepson who leads a couple of bands. I loved the tone and playability on that one. It had a very sweet, clear, woody jazz tone when played clean, and delivers all kinds of clarity and harmonic richness when played with hi-gain and/or overdrive.

Likewise, I once came across a 1981-ish Hamer Special whose sustain block had been swapped out for a Kahler, and it was still a tone monster. I wish I'd bought it.

The real crap shoot is routing a good-sounding fixed bridge guitar for a Floyd conversion. You really don't know how it will sound until the deed is done.

[Brownsound]

Kahlers kill tone as far as Im concerned. I think that Floyds thin things out a bit but not enough to make them a problem.

[black magic]

I love Floyds and Kahler Pros. I think the Floyds do the better bends, but I like the Kahler Pro for the easier palm muting. jack.

[Brooks]

I think that Floyds thin things out a bit but not enough to make them a problem.

for me, it depends. i can deal w/ a floyd w/ a metalish high gain amp tone.

but if i clean the tone up, i don't like the way they thin out the sound.

so, pantera, yes; classic rawk/jazz/funk/, NO.

[Guest galejt]

They're not as good a slicing, say, a good roquefort as a bigsby, but they're ok.

[scepter-V-lemmy]

I love Floyds and Kahler Pros. I think the Floyds do the better bends, but I like the Kahler Pro for the easier palm muting. jack.

+1.

I have 13 guitars using original or licensed Schaller Floyds, 3 with Kahler Pros. Each has its benefits and trade-offs. I have noticed zero negative tonal effects on any of these guitars that can be attributed to the bridge.

I also have 6 guitars with Nashville TOM/Stop Tailpiece bridges (5 Gibsons & 1 MCS Templar), and the tone is equivalent. It's all about personal taste and playing style.

[formula73]

I love Floyds and Kahler Pros. I think the Floyds do the better bends, but I like the Kahler Pro for the easier palm muting. jack.

+1.

I have 13 guitars using original or licensed Schaller Floyds, 3 with Kahler Pros. Each has its benefits and trade-offs. I have noticed zero negative tonal effects on any of these guitars that can be attributed to the bridge.

I also have 6 guitars with Nashville TOM/Stop Tailpiece bridges (5 Gibsons & 1 MCS Templar), and the tone is equivalent. It's all about personal taste and playing style.

Yar!!!

'Cept I'm not quite up to 13(!) Floyded guitars. Wow.

[Steve Haynie]

I'm with Brooks on this one. Floyds in general are right for metal, but not for pre-metal.

My Floyd guitars have had a different sound from my stop/TOM guitars. It is not better or worse, just different. I have had a Robin and two Hamers with Floyds. None of them have had a bad tone, just adjusted for the sake of going "wang wang wang wang wang!!!"

[silentman]

The only floyded guitar I have left is a diablo. All the BS about the tone being thin and bright is unfounded. There are lots of other factors that make up the tone of the guitar. Don't blame the bridge. A guitar with a floyd of kahler or whatever can sound as great as one without.

[Jeff R]

The Floyd-is-a-tone-robber theory is BS IMHO, after owning countless guitars with and without. I've had relatively cheap-cost Floyd'ed guitars that were tone and sustain monsters and high-dollar hardtails/other trem-style guitars that sounded or sustained nothing like the price tag/perceived value should indicate.

I also think the thing about butting a Floyd down against the body to enhance tone and sustain is BS too. Then again, I'm a full-floating Floyd advocate.

I've "enhanced" the sustain of my Floyd-equipped guitars with Tremol-No units but they didn't have crap sustain to begin with. If you are die-hard to get a Floyd but still want some of the benefits of a hard-tail, I STRONGLY recommend the addition of a Tremol-No unit.

In summary, consider the guitar in question for its own tone and sustain, regardless of the bridge, electronics, etc.

[David B]

If you need a trem, it won't get much better than a Floyd. It won't have the bite of a wraparound tailpiece or sustainblock, but it'll be fine.

[serial]

Two problems with Floyds. I've never found them to rob/suck tone, but I do a LOT of string bending (you gotta when you're always a fret off of the right note ) and Floyds do not track two string bends well at all. Kahlers are superior in this respect, but Kahlers are more finicky and dependant on quality installation. Floyds dive bomb better than anything else out there, although I'm more of a fan of the traditional original Floyds (not the pull ups). Second problem-if you break a string on a Floyd, you're hopelessly fucked.

[Guest JackButler]

The Floyd-is-a-tone-robber theory is BS IMHO, after owning countless guitars with and without. I've had relatively cheap-cost Floyd'ed guitars that were tone and sustain monsters and high-dollar hardtails/other trem-style guitars that sounded or sustained nothing like the price tag/perceived value should indicate.

I also think the thing about butting a Floyd down against the body to enhance tone and sustain is BS too. Then again, I'm a full-floating Floyd advocate.

I've "enhanced" the sustain of my Floyd-equipped guitars with Tremol-No units but they didn't have crap sustain to begin with. If you are die-hard to get a Floyd but still want some of the benefits of a hard-tail, I STRONGLY recommend the addition of a Tremol-No unit.

In summary, consider the guitar in question for its own tone and sustain, regardless of the bridge, electronics, etc.

PLUS INFINITY!

edited to add: reminds me of a thing someone once said to me..you either play "tele" or you play "guitar"...you either play a floyd or you don't.

[Brooks]

c'mon guys. agreed, some of you own floyded guitars that sound great.

but, are you claiming that a nice sounding hardtail strat style axe WON'T sound neutered if you converted it to a floyd?! i call buuuuuuuuullllllllllshit!!!!!

[Guest JackButler]

Brooks..I love you Bruddah..but that's what I'm sayin' and I'm stickin' to it..still believe that tone is mostly in the hands and the effects of a floyd on tone are negligible. So much so that I don't own a single non floating bridge guit anymore..but I do feel the key is that you have to know how to "play" them and most only make noise and sound effects with their floyds..like I said you either play 'em or you don't.

[Nuclear Wessel]

Wow, this takes me back! I haven't heard this debate since the early 90's!!

And since I've acquired a bunch of Floyd equipped guitars since the early 90's, I'll weigh in and say I'm with the guys who say a Floyd does not ruin the guitar's tone. If there's any difference, it's so miniscule I can't detect it.

I kinda think factors like the chunk of wood the guitar is made from, scale length, fretboard wood, whether the guitar is solid body or hollow/chambered, and choice of pickups have a greater effect on tone and sustain than whether the guitar has a Floyd. For instance, put a JB in the bridge position of a solidbody, especially a 25 1/2" scale one, and your lower midrange chunk will vanish. A Floyd won't do that.

[atquinn]

most only make noise and sound effects with their floyds..

Hey, I resemble that remark! I love floating trems (including Floyds). IMO, any effect they have on my tone is more than compensated by the fun stuff I can do with them. Still, it's nice to have the Special for certain things.

-Austin

[cloakerz]

My jackson sl1 sounds great(has floyd). The only thing I don't like is double stop bends can pull the floyd and detune the whole mess. With slight hand pressure on picking hand it is possible to hold it down when doing this.