Let’s Compare Floyd Rose!

What kind of bridge is installed on your guitar? Synchro tremolo, tune-o-matic, Kaler, and many others. Metal parts are cool and exciting.
This time, I would like to talk about Floyd Rose instead of guitar bridges. Let's compare the successive models that have been born until now.
And please let this be the background music in your brain. Feel the wind of the West Coast

Night Ranger - (You Can Still) Rock In America (Live 1983)

■ A Brief History

To know something, you need to know its history, so let's take a quick look back.
Let's start with the 1970s. In terms of music, Queen, KISS, Aerosmith, etc. were emerging. In Japan, Pink Lady, Momoe Yamaguchi, etc.
At that time, Floyd Rose, who was active as a guitarist, was annoyed by the tuning problems when he was arming his Strat. Floyd Rose thought, “Then why don't I just lock the strings with the bridge and nut? " and he set about making a bridge unit in his garage. His invention attracted a lot of attention, and his first works were used by famous guitarists such as Van Halen, Neal Schon (Journey), and Brad Gills (Night Ranger).
After obtaining the patent, production was shifted to Schaller in 1982, Fernandes took over the Japanese market model, and the specifications were changed to create the Floyd Rose bridge.
It started as an individual DIY project, and now it has become a super standard part... Isn't this exciting?

■ Types

There are several types of Floyd Rose bridges. If you include similar products made by other manufacturers, there are really many types.
There is no end to the list, so let's compare the various types of “Floyd Rose”. I have also prepared some pictures.

1. FRT-1

This is the very first type. There are no fine tuners, and the saddle shape is different from the present one.
Also, it is hard to see, but the arm is fixed with nuts between the base plate and the arm.

2. FRT-2

This is one of the models made by Fernandes, who took over the production for Japan.
This model can be strung without cutting the ball end.

3. FRT-3

Compared to FRT-1, the shape of the saddle has changed. This is the generation without fine tuners so far, but Brad Gills and Guthrie Gauvin are still sticking to this type.

4. FRT-4

Here, for the first time, fine tuners were attached. This is an improvement that eliminates the disadvantage of not being able to fine-tune the tuning once locked. The saddle also has a familiar shape.

5. FRT-5（Floyd Rose Original）

You have probably seen this one before: the FRT-4 had a fine tuner that was easy to hit with the hand, so an improvement was made to increase the distance between the fine tuner and the hand.
In the early days, the arm was screwed in, but now the cap is screwed on.

6. FRT-7

This model is basically the same as FRT-5, but this one was produced by Fernandes for the Japanese market. If you look closely, you can see some differences such as the fine tuner knob and the slit for the string lock screw.

7. Floyd Rose II

This model is different from the FRT-2 that I mentioned above. It was originally released as a low-priced grade, but is still sold under the name of Schaller. Nuno Bettencourt uses this type. There was also a saddle that did not require the ball end to be cut as shown in the right image.

I could not provide a photo from here down. Sorry.

8. Floyd Rose 1000

This is the current middle model. It is the upper model of the Special mentioned below, and the lower model of the Original mentioned above. The material is the same as Original, but it is manufactured in Korea.

9. Floyd Rose Special

This is the lowest grade. The material has changed, and more zinc is used.

10. Floyd Rose Pro

This model is designed to have a low profile with the height of the parts kept low in relation to the body surface. The string pitch is also narrower than usual.

11. Floyd Rose Speed Roader

This model uses special strings with double ball ends, and the claim was that tuning could be completed just by applying the strings.... Even if you could get one now, the strings are not available.

12. Floyd Rose FRX

This model can be installed on a tune-o-matic or stop tailpiece guitar without any modification.

How many of these did you know? They differ not only in appearance, but also in material, knife-edge strength, and base plate thickness. If we include licensed models in the list, the number of variations is already quite large. They look different, feel different, and naturally sound different, so it is a lot of fun to find the model you like best.
If you have made it this far, I am sure you are a big fan, and I would be happy if I could be of some help. I hope to write about what you can do with it if the next one exists.

Here's some background music for goodbye!

Motley Crue - Kick Start My Heart (The End, Live In Los Angeles)