Licensed floyd rose vs ge1996t vs lockmeister

[Cboss]

I'm wondering if the experts could weigh in on tone differences and experiences with these different tremelos...I have an import Diablo with some cheap Floyd rose, thin base plate, and it just sounds tinny and flat...I'm going to change to something better and would like input on these three different options, thank you so much!

[veatch]

Paging @diablo175 to the white courtesy phone. 

[diablo175]

Import Diablo? Yeah, had one and was able to swap in a real deal, made in Germany, Orig. Floyd Rose, if memory serves. The important issue is to determine if the recess rout is long enough to accommodate the traditional string lock screws on a Floyd. If not, the Schaller version of the locking trem might work or use the OFR and Lock Meister with the shortened 38 MM string lock screws. And yes, if the recess is set for the 42 MM screws, it will also accept a Schaller Lock Miester and a Gotoh 1996T.

Tonally? F*ck dude, there's VERY little difference, if any, between the 3. They're all essentially made the same way from the same steel and brass blocks. There are minor (minuscule, even) differences in feel and design. The Gotoh has angled string blocks, a slightly angled back "tail" where the mini-tuners are and the bar is ever so slightly thinner in diameter. I find it feels a little less solid and weighty than the German offerings but it may be that way be because those Japanese dudes have smaller hands.  😆 

Have at it!

[Cboss]

Thanks! They do have small hands! LOL I had blocked it and it was sounding kind of flat and dead, I added a 34 mm big brass block and floated it again and now I'm quite happy with the way it sounds.

 

[Dave Scepter]

39 minutes ago, Cboss said:

I added a 34 mm big brass block and floated it again and now I'm quite happy with the way it sounds.

 

I would have imagined that by blocking it would have coupled it with the body thus fixing all the tone issues?... but I'm glad you are happy with the tone now that you've added the brass block... I was thinking of doing the same but don't feel that I would benefit much as I play with high gain🤘

[diablo175]

3 hours ago, Cboss said:

Thanks! They do have small hands! LOL I had blocked it and it was sounding kind of flat and dead, I added a 34 mm big brass block and floated it again and now I'm quite happy with the way it sounds.

 

Atta boy!

Floated and fat blocked is the way to go!  

[Jeff R]

In the case of a retrofit, it's worth mentioning that the 1996T's baseplate has a straight knife edge where it meets the low E side fulcrum post, versus the OFR and the LM's plates' cupped knife edges. Meaning the Gotoh may be a little more forgiving in regard to matching the original posts if spacings are a tad too narrow or too wide. AKA, if a Floyd or Schaller barely doesn't fit, the Gotoh may.

All three bridges are excellent, you can't pick wrong.

I like Gotoh the best. All my Carondelet builds have Gotoh bridges unless a client asks for something different. Here's the most recent - this arrived as a pro painted Floyd Rose Guitars body and its owner's green light for me to perform whatever changes, upgrades, etc., I deemed cool. It got one of the necks Grover Jackson and I collaborated on, my pickups, hidden coil splits, kill switch, the works.

I pulled the Asian FR, removed old studs and bushings, doweled up and redrilled (Gotoh stud/bushings are bigger diameter) and extended the butt of the recess cavity about 3/16" to accommodate a 1996T. Client was VERY pleased I did. It performs absolutely flawlessly now.

[Cboss]

6 hours ago, Dave Scepter said:

I would have imagined that by blocking it would have coupled it with the body thus fixing all the tone issues?... but I'm glad you are happy with the tone now that you've added the brass block... I was thinking of doing the same but don't feel that I would benefit much as I play with high gain🤘

You should definitely try it, I put that block in every one of my floating trems, it adds sustain and depth, it's really nice and easily reversible..$25 on reverb

I expected the same with blocking but it made it much worse...but I think it's a pine body or some non tonewood

[Cboss]

Jeff is a maple board brighter than rosewood or ebony?

Gorgeous finish on that

[Jeff R]

VERY generally speaking, based on my own experiences, and not subdividing things into variables like different species of RW/M/E, old growth vs new growth, mill cut (flat, QS, rift), atop a bolt vs set vs N/T, how the fingerboard is finished, etc. ... my perceived order of warmest to brightest is rosewood, maple, ebony.