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I've been getting a lot of questions on old Floyd trems lately since asking if anyone has any, so I think it's better for me to just launch my project early:

www.vintagefloydrose.com

I've been accumulated resources for the past year and working on the website for the last four months.  I really think I've exhausted all possible information known without talking to Mr. Rose himself.  It's always under construction, and I'm finding new research every day.

Edit:  Just realized I posted this in the wrong sub forum.  Admins, feel free to move this to the main Hamer forum page (and not sale page).

 

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Fascinating!

Rick Neilsen's "Gonna Raise Hell" Hamer Standard had originally a very early Floyd and Jol Dantzig claimed he had the parts black-coated himself as they came in a raw state. That was 1979-ish.

However, at some point a later Floyd with fine-tuners was put on the guitar, and the only old pic I've seen is very fuzzy, just good enough to see the fine tuners aren't there. Any more information on that?

Most early Hamer ones (c1982) are the Mark3, I believe.

 

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Brilliant! I come across many FR's in my workshop and have a decent knowledge of them. I have a complete 85/86 German made one in my parts drawer (due to go on one of my projects). Great site thanks :)

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I would be interested in seeing a pic of Rick's "Gonna Raise Hell"  Standard from 1979 if it had a Floyd on it.  If it was 1979, my guess is he had an FRT-1 but I never realized he had a Floyd on it that early.

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Your site is a most welcomed Shangri-La to this home-bound, unabashed Floyd junkie. Some good shit here, Maynard!

 

 

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Sorry, my error. Gonna Raise Hell was 1982, although it did have a tunerless Floyd back then.

The actual guitar I was thinking of with the hand-plated parts was #0181, the yellow Standard made in 1979 as in the Nielson Guitars of the Star book. Both Nielson and Dantzig claim his was one of the first guitars built to incorporate the new tremolo design.

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I checked the Hamer book and seen the Gonna Raise hell standard but can't get a good look at the Floyd.  It is indeed a non-fine tuner - probably FRT-3.

Don't remember #0181.  Have any pics of it?

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I had my first guitar modded with a Kahler, but didn't like it. Once I saw the Kramer "no bozos" ad I wanted a Kramer, preferably the Pacer Deluxe, as I still loved the concept of the Fender Strat, and hey, since Schaller (I was aware of the Floyd very early, but when I got interested in the Floyd, it was the Schaller-made version) also made hardware and pickups for Fender and Gibson too, it can't be bad that they also made the Floyd Rose. So, I got myself a Kramer Focus 3000 and immediately liked the Floyd. And so I got several other guitars with the Floyd Rose. But changing strings was sure a hassle, so I liked the locking bridge, but didn't like the locking nut. Fender had their own locking bridge and had roller nuts and locking tuning keys by early to mid 90's and so I wanted the Floyd without the fine tuners. I bought a cheap Kramer Striker for $80 in a pawn shop just for the german-made non-finetuner Floyd bridge. I still have the unit and want to use it sometime. When Floyd Rose started making the non-finetuner version again, I was delighted, since I wanted a gold and black one. But a short time later they moved production of that unit from Germany to Korea. But nowadays it is hard to find a german-made black or gold bridge of the non-finetuner model. I have a korean gold trem, I have yet to put it on a guitar, but it looks solid. I'd like to put together two or three Jazzmaster style guitars with those units (eventually also modding a Fender Jim Root JazzmasterV4 with a NFT Floyd and Dimarzio Bluesbuckers). But I take my time.

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11 hours ago, Hamer_SS_guy said:

I had my first guitar modded with a Kahler, but didn't like it. Once I saw the Kramer "no bozos" ad I wanted a Kramer, preferably the Pacer Deluxe, as I still loved the concept of the Fender Strat, and hey, since Schaller (I was aware of the Floyd very early, but when I got interested in the Floyd, it was the Schaller-made version) also made hardware and pickups for Fender and Gibson too, it can't be bad that they also made the Floyd Rose. So, I got myself a Kramer Focus 3000 and immediately liked the Floyd. And so I got several other guitars with the Floyd Rose. But changing strings was sure a hassle, so I liked the locking bridge, but didn't like the locking nut. Fender had their own locking bridge and had roller nuts and locking tuning keys by early to mid 90's and so I wanted the Floyd without the fine tuners. I bought a cheap Kramer Striker for $80 in a pawn shop just for the german-made non-finetuner Floyd bridge. I still have the unit and want to use it sometime. When Floyd Rose started making the non-finetuner version again, I was delighted, since I wanted a gold and black one. But a short time later they moved production of that unit from Germany to Korea. But nowadays it is hard to find a german-made black or gold bridge of the non-finetuner model. I have a korean gold trem, I have yet to put it on a guitar, but it looks solid. I'd like to put together two or three Jazzmaster style guitars with those units (eventually also modding a Fender Jim Root JazzmasterV4 with a NFT Floyd and Dimarzio Bluesbuckers). But I take my time.

Indeed, I don't think I've ever seen an early German FRT-3 in black or gold.  They non-fine tuning Floyds have much more use these days since the invention of locking tuners.

11 hours ago, FGJ said:

Your website forgot to mention that an earlier Floyd was seen in a barbershop on the Andy Griffith Show. 

Lol, I'll be sure to put that in somewhere.

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13 hours ago, DarrenD said:

Indeed, I don't think I've ever seen an early German FRT-3 in black or gold.  They non-fine tuning Floyds have much more use these days since the invention of locking tuners.

The old Schaller-made NFT Floyds found on Kramer Focus and Striker guitars was available in chrome only. But they have been available in gold, black, chrome, nickel, copper in 2014, but Floyd Rose switched the production of the NFT FRT from Germany to Korea shortly afterwards.

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On 4/27/2020 at 11:13 AM, Andrew said:

Sorry, my error. Gonna Raise Hell was 1982, although it did have a tunerless Floyd back then.

The actual guitar I was thinking of with the hand-plated parts was #0181, the yellow Standard made in 1979 as in the Nielson Guitars of the Star book. Both Nielson and Dantzig claim his was one of the first guitars built to incorporate the new tremolo design.

The ‘79 Yellow one originally had a Fender-style, milled brass trem on there.   That’s described in the November, ‘79 issue of Guitar Player.  It was later changed over to the black Floyd and black hardware.

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4 hours ago, cmatthes said:

The ‘79 Yellow one originally had a Fender-style, milled brass trem on there.   That’s described in the November, ‘79 issue of Guitar Player.  It was later changed over to the black Floyd and black hardware.

Can you post a picture? Like to see that.

Anyway, in the Nielsen Guitar Book, it's described as being the "first" Hamer with a lock-down tremolo (ie: Floyd?), so I guess the one fitted by the time of the book is a later one with fine tuners.

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1 hour ago, Andrew said:

Can you post a picture? Like to see that.

Anyway, in the Nielsen Guitar Book, it's described as being the "first" Hamer with a lock-down tremolo (ie: Floyd?), so I guess the one fitted by the time of the book is a later one with fine tuners.

IMG_0470.JPG

NOTE: I just re-read the article. Jam-packed full of pics and RN's smart-assed sense of humor. Lots of information about his collection at the time.

GP: What kind of slide do you use?

RN: It's made out of an old toilet paper roll that I've had chromed.

GP: Really, though, do you know what kind it is?

RN: I think it's a Charmin.

 

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