Floyd Rose or Gotoh 1996t - Full Nerd Discussion 

It's my fav bridge. The Gotoh posts are actually locking too! Over time and sometimes right out of the box even the OFR posts have some play in them. The 1996t is the best kept secret for floating bridge players

I’ve got a Gotoh on my Jackson DKR MIJ. It’s easily comparable to an OFR from an engineering/craftsmanship perspective, in my opinion anyway. It stays in tune and I’ve had zero issues. Intonation is on point too. I play in Eb and I barely had to make any adjustments from stock. One thing I’ve noticed is that I actually prefer the Gotoh for palm muting etc. It doesn’t make any difference in tone, it just seems to be slightly more comfortable on my right hand. Overall, I actually prefer the Gotoh, and for the price, it’s sort of insane how cheap it is given the quality.

I've been looking into the differences between the two for a good while now. It's good to see one of my favorite RU-vidr's put it into terms I can understand.

Love these videos you’re doing nowadays. Been subbed for yeeears and cool to see you making these no BS videos like a mate telling a mate

I was a Floyd guy for years until I played a gotoh 1996 in a charvel and it honestly blew me away

I love that the Gotoh fine tuners are angled away from the bridge so you can palm mute without worrying about accidentally moving the fine tuners.

Love that you added those specs sheets. Thanks so much!

2:55 SLAYER!!!!!

I have been looking at cheaper V's with the crappy Floyd Rose with the intention of upgrading to a gohtoh. It is like this channel is geared towards my desires haha. I love your older lesson videos.

your a legend Lamb.

I replaced the Floyd rose 1000 on my LTD Buz 7 with a gotoh 1996t and added the locking studs too. It’s pretty much impossible to knock that guitar out of tune. The gotoh trem just feels way better overall, the arm feels so much better with zero play, it’s more comfortable under my palm. It takes everything good about the original Floyd and refines it and fixes the flaws of the original Floyd. For anyone doubting the quality of the gotoh unit, gotoh has been manufacturing the Edge and Lo Pro Edge for Ibanez for decades and those are considered some if the best locking trems ever made.

another great video, thank you for the presets

Great video. Cheers!

The Gotoh 1996 is awesome. I had one on my custom Suhr Modern and it was the best bridge I’d ever played. It fluttered for about 40 seconds!

The gotoh bridge is fantastic, japan quality! It only costs around 150 bucks here in europe with shipping included :)

The 1996t is an absolute savior in the guitar world, Gotoh really hit a home run with them. I’ve installed and worked on a few and they are great.

I threw one of these on my Jackson dk2x and it is just such a pleasure to play now.

Guitars, Gotoh and Greencheeks, subbed... Your little buds are so well behaved, mine used to climb all over my guitars and try to eat the strings when I played, either that or started angry bobbing at my hand as it moved up and down...

The 1996T is my go-to replacement. I even think it's a good upgrade over the 1000 or 1500. I had a 1500 in my Schecter exotic sun valley super shredder and it feels a lot better than the factory 1500. I also put a 1996 in my mexican Charvel San Dimas and again, huge upgrade. The smooth operation of the fine tuners alone is worth the price of admission. The 1500 feels like you're turning them in sand and the 1996 is like butter when using them.

Cool video mate. I have one too and agree with everything you said. 👌👌

I love that block trick!

I had a 1996t back in the late 2000s. I do not know how good they continue to be, but it was a winner back then. Really stable and a nice feel, plus it had a quality engineering look to it. It was for an Allparts neck and body super strat build. That was when I found out that chucking a bunch of good parts together does not always add up to a good guitar. They still need top notch fret work, assembly and set up to be really great. I was quite impressed with an Ibanez edge trem on a RG550 Genesis I had for a week or so. Best thing about the guitar. Pity it was let down by a bunch of other stuff that felt cheap and was faulty etc. The reason I sold though was I could not get on with the super skinny and flat neck profile - I prefer the San Dimas compound radius or some of the Dinky stuff, or a good Explorer.

Dude yes! I needed this video. I am looking to order the Gotoh for my EVH wolfgang standard. The FR special is trash, and shame on any companies using it.

Awesome, thanks for this video, i have a couple of early 2000’s japanese jackson’s with floyd rose specials and could never justify paying the price for an original, these look really cool and i’m tempted to check them out now.

Thanks heaps for this video mate. I been looking at replacing a battered Edge 3 but as you said, a FR O is way overpriced here in Oz. The gotoh looks beautiful and judging from your vid, performs just as well. Im sold brother. Cheers from the sunny coast! 🍻

Can't really go wrong with anything made by Gotoh. It's gonna be well engineered, and reasonably affordable. The standard.

The Gotoh is massively underappreciated but I worry that more people buying them will increase the price. I genuinely cannot fault this trem, after heaps of abuse and not being able to play the guitar for a couple weeks being away from home I picked it up, pushed the trem all the way down and up a few times to make sure nothing is sticking and checked the tuning. Didn't have to touch any of the fine tuners, played for an hour on it and checked again still perfect. I need to change the strings at this point and all the fine tuners are still bang in the middle of their adustment because it's so stable. The Gotoh seriously feels like it is straight up just an improved and modernised floyd rose, all the strengths of the original with some nice upgrades.

I'm using GE1996t for three years and it's just amazing. Sometimes I don't tune my guitar for 2-3 days because this thing hardly goes out of tune!

Changing the posts (including the threading in the body) makes a huge difference in tuning stability! They get worn too.

The Gotoh 1996 is my absolute favourite trem. Any other FR style that needs replacing will become a Gotoh. They're very well priced, the quality is excellent, kits are very complete, and just the fact they can be ordered with different lengths of (brass) block, means it's the least hassle. And they're available everywhere rather than ordering every single screw from Floyd Rose in the US - which makes it ridiculously expensive.

I swear by the Ibanez Edge trems which come with their Premium, Genesis and Prestige guitars. Also made by Gotoh but with an even better bar design.

Great video! Been a fan for a while, man you need to do a mechanix guitar solo lesson video! I cant find one anywhere!

Down the road usually the screw in arm does get sloppy. The trem socket is very replaceable tho. On my 90,s Charvel/Jackson, I replaced the screw in socket with a standard socket and Floyd arm. Not hard to switch. Lambchopper I love your channel. You are one of the best around at thrashing out the stuff from the Tampa Bay bands. Thanks!! Keith.

This bridge came stock on my Mj socal Charvel And i love it

I modified my JS32 Dinky with a 1996t bridge and I'm happy with the result. The vibrato bar is much sturdier and the tuning stability is improved compared to the Jackson licensed FR that comes stock.

Preach! Great video. The Gotoh is great.

My 80’s BC Rich gunslinger came with the Gotoh. I love it.

I actually have one of these in the box. I bought a vintage fender HM strat thinking I’d upgrade the old Floyd but the setup is so perfect on the guitar and it just works so nice I don’t want to mess with it

Simply the best and only $119 here in the US! Also you need to replace the studs, the Gotoh ones are special!

I have the 1996T Gotoh on 2 of my guitars and love it..I paid $120 with shipping here in the USA. 2 for the price of 1 of the Floyd made in Germany models.

Thanks for the reminder, lol. I actually have a Special in my LTD I've been looking into replacing with a Gotoh, but kinda forgot about it over time. Some nice tips about setting it up too. I keep it blocked, so I don't know a lot about floating it properly. Also, nice blocks with the little handle. I use a bunch of coins taped together and it does the job, but was thinking something that fills the space more would make it more solid.

Gotoh stuff is mad. I have an Ibanez GRX70QA that I bought just over 5 years ago for $370 brand new. The stock tuners and bridge were ok but they weren't the best. I upgraded to GOTOH locking tuners and bridge and the change in tuning stability and sustain is absolutely awesome. I tune my guitar by ear and tune it a specific way and it doesn't really go out of tune. Just recently I went from Sydney to Brisbane for 3 weeks and took my Ibanez and MkIV with me and wasn't able to play until the second last day so the guitar just sat in the case the whole time. When I finally did play it the guitar was almost perfectly in tune. A slight adjustment on the B ang G string and that was it. I very rarely have to tune it any other time. Just plug in and go. It's my number one guitar and total cost for mods and a setup plus the purchase price of the guitar is less than $1000. Gotoh is Aok in my book 👍

I'm installing one on my Schecter Damien 6 Platinum FR atm. Even with the stock studs, it seems like a perfect fit, but I will be installing the Gotoh Stud Locks as soon as possible. So far, I've only installed shortened saddle screws.

I got the 1996t in my RG760 after the 30 year old edge was on its last leg. It's phenomenal.

The 1996t is probably my second fav trem right under Ibanez's Edge pro. Japanese builders just kind of figured out how to make the best trems just shy of the any of the OFR/german made stuff.

Enjoy your videos keep it up! 👍 Quick question please, can you suggest a pedal or 2 to use with my little Marshall 30w to get a little closer to an Iron Maiden tone? Much appreciated Thanks

Great topic to cover man I've had guitars with floyd rose yrem systems on em and they were OK I steer clear of the really cheap units due to they're just a headache that doesn't last, I've wondered what the Gotoh units are like and now I know! Cheers

My just came friday. I ordered gold one with one emg 81 gold locking gotoh tuner gold and I'm gonna make an order in custom shop for guitar with the same V shape like urs but with one pickup. With golden lines. I like the gotoh they are really good made.

Having one flat edge on the trem is a huge design advantage

To supplement -> 1) There are various models that have different radii. Also, a lot of the floyds just shim out to get their radii. Manufacturers can OEM specs of various string widths and radii. 2) String tuning isnt completely dependent on the bridge. Its hard to objectively keep this test scientific; but in general, floyd rose original and gotoh 1996t are extremely comparable in quality and should never ever have any tuning disparity between the two. If anything, the gotoh has locking studs, so it technically should be more stable; though In practice it kinda doesnt work out that way (e.g. normal studs that arent wobbly are just fine; the locking portion is basically irrelevant, but it can matter in very very very minor niche circumstances) 3) that bushing on the gotoh is actually adjustable; some people like floppy trem arms, some people like tight ones. The OFR/schaller ones have that screw down ferrule thats ... less easy to dial in how you want. Its either tight or loose; you cant really have it in the middle there lol. Thats a big reason I prefer gotohs myself. Spec wise, a lot of people dont really understand what makes a floyd rose 1000 cheaper, or why an OFR/schaller is expensive. A lot of it is obviously WHERE its manufactured. Floyd rose 1000's are made in korea a lot cheaper than the american and german counterparts. Gotohs are made in japan and have a controlled cost comparatively. But spec wise, gotohs and OFR's have a fully hardened steel plate; the whole body is just hardened steel with steel saddles. On stuff like floyd rose 1000's, floyd specials, more of your cheaper imports you will have edge hardened plates (This is not really a *huge* issue ,but it is just less precise and more fast for manufacturing purposes and costs), and a lot of the saddles will be just pot metal on the real cheapo ones. 1000s are better overall; steel saddles, proper hardware, just made in korea more or less. At the end of the day, that "cheap gotoh" is used on EXTREMELY high end guitars from Suhr and Ernie Ball. Its almost functionally identical, usually just stamping and radius changes; though some have different string spacing (ebmm evh for example is more narrow than any you can buy off the shelf). If its good enough for eddie van halen, john petrucci, guthrie govan, steve lukather, steve morse, etc etc etc... its good enough for you (colloquially speaking here haha). Trems identical to OFR in quality, performance, and materials -> - TRS-101 (this one can be a REAL steal). NOT to be confused with ANY of the other TRS variants; especially ibanez; though ibanez does use 101's as well. - Ping OFR ; can be found real cheap sometimes - Schaller Germany has zinc plate but fully hardened pivots; much heavier than OFR's but equal in performance. .. but just get a 1996T - Obviously the OFR in general - Ibanez edge / lo pro are superior to OFR's in every way - Jackson JT580 - Takeuchi bridges (trs pro variants; they share model numbers with the cheaper ones, so make sure the block says "takeuchi" on it) These are also incredibly cheap and equal to OFR's. Specifically stay away from the "LO-TRS". This is a garbage trem. Pragmatically speaking, theres no real reason to change an ofr for a gotoh or vice versa. That list I gave is another bunch that shouldnt really be swapped unless specifically damaged somehow; you wont get a "better guitar" out of it. Though, your money and life so do what you will lol.

That Slayer riff at the end 🤩🤟

Another perk is that the Gotoh retains string height better on pullups due to the shape of the saddles. More range, basically.

Gotoh 1996t Tremolo +redbishop MAGIK-ARM whammy bar +Schaller SureClaw + futone spring =Great tremolo combo

Nice video! I've got two Gotoh trems and a few guitars with Ibanez Edge variations. I got an ESP E-II and am already discontent with the Floyd on that in comparison to the ergonomics of the Gotoh or Edge bridges.

The Gotoh is the best floyd. Gotoh makes the Ibanez Edge and took all the innovations from that, plus added a better arm adjustment system, and a brass block. Made in Japan, so quality is top notch, and the price is just insane. They even make a 7 string version now too!

I have a dead MIJ Jackson for decades, just because I could not find a replacement for the broken "licensed" Floyd Rose... I will look for a Gotoh that fits perfectly. Sometime ago I could not find anything that fits in the cavity. All the tremolos had a different shape and size...

Oh man thanks for this! I've got 2 or 3 guitars with the bloody zinc saddles and I'm sick of them stripping. This is a bargain for the quality, You sold me!

Thanks for the review! Been wanting one of these for a little while now. Just have to decide which guitar to put it in. Id prefer to just buy a new one. Nicer guitar. Like a jackson x series at least. I really want a warrior.

Love the pronunciation from Florida here we say gotoe as the pronunciation hoping to get a budget guitar w a floyed soon

I have one in my Ibanez Jem Jr and have another one for my project guitar.

Didn’t even know there was any other option besides Floyd rose… this looks awesome.

I’ve been changing my Floyd Rose Specials and Edge II for Gotoh and are the best investment one can make on that regard

This video exactly demonstrates why I love the gotoh...I am happy with floyd 1000 and German made series, but I will spend $250+ USD from FU Tone to do all the titanium/brass upgrades that I like for more mass and sustain. The gotoh nails it right out of the box!

I have a mid 90's yamaha with a trs pro. Excellent tremolo.

Those are beautiful bridges, would love to try one some day. I have an Ibanez with the Edge Lo Pro which is great but a little worn after 25+ years of use. Love the Original Floyd on my ESP as well. I replaced the arm with the FU Tone push in assembly and it’s perfect, I’ve been using it for a few months and it still has zero play.

I had to change the sting lock bolts to shorter ones. I don't love the bar itself, but it's a good unit. smooth. I had to change the block as well to fit my axe

I have the Gotoh to replace the Sinclair in my ESP. This is the best term I've used, the tuning is super stable too

For me it's the Schaller Original (1302). Smaller footprint fits more easily into 90s-00s import (mainly MIJ) guitars like Jacksons, LTDs, and BC Riches with recessed routes. The 1302s also have replaceable knife edges. The Lockmeister is closer to the OFR in measurements, being longer and narrower than the 1302. So, if you detune and want to do full pull ups with the saddles fully backward on a recessed trem guitar, the Lockmeister and OFR may not be the best choice. That said, the OFR tends to be offered in more finishes than the Schaller. Many licensed bridges like the Jackson 580/590LP from the 90s and early 00s had Allen key clamps just behind the saddles and not behind the baseplate. This made them more like the discontinued Floyd Rose Pro and meant they could fit in a smaller bridge route. It is a design that should be brought back on better quality bridges. Long saddle bolts do not make sense on recessed guitars. Additionally, many import guitars will have a shallower nut shelf. A Floyd Rose R8 nut (.225") works best here. Schaller does not make an R8 nut (usually R2-R3), but the Floyd Rose R8 should work with a Schaller bridge. If the import locking nut holds tune and the pads are not worn, it should suffice without replacing it. As far as why many import guitars have terrible bridges, it is to keep costs down. Usually the pickups (often two conductor), hardware (zinc), and neck construction (bolt on) are the first things to see downgrades. Licensed bridges are usually made of zinc where hardened steel should be, and the sustain blocks are often made of iron or zinc. They are not heavy enough to do flutter bar tricks. Even the screws are often skinnier and usually in metric to save cost on materials. I find Schaller replacement bridges can usually be swapped in no problem with the spring claw, springs, studs and posts, and sometimes the import nut being retained. The increased tone from thicker screws isn't worth redrilling larger holes in the wood in my opinion. Cheaper bodies also tend to be made of softer poplar, alder, and basswood. These woods are often used when solid colors like gloss black are used and elaborate stains and figured tops are not necessary. I am not a tone wood guy so the wood makes little difference to me, but more easily sourced woods tend to be cheaper. Edit: My advice is to avoid the big sustain block craze. They make the bar stiff and harder to move. Big blocks also permit less movement within the bodies of thin guitars. And you cannot replace the spring claw plate if the sustain block protrudes outside the body. I always go with the smallest block available. Metal needs a tight low end anyway and adding on more sustain block mass just adds additional low end that has to be rolled off in post. Switching to an Alnico 5 in place of a ceramic pickup in the bridge will warm things up and add a bit more low end depending upon the pickup voicing. EMG 85s, Seymour Duncan Custom 5s, and DiMarzio Tone Zones are good choices for a warmer, thicker tone. Additionally, the 24 Volt Mod for EMG thickens the classic designs like the 81 up quite well. However, if you have accessories like an EXG control, only 18 volts is recommended. EMG HZ pickups are good choices for those seeking more diverse wiring options (series/split/parallel/out of phase). Active EMGs require special models or accessories for these wiring variations.

You got to check out a Vega trem! It’s a replacement for a 6 screw vintage trem but it floats. Then you have to use a guitar nut buster to lock the strings past the nut. Two expensive pieces of gear but I think it’s the most radical trem that holds the best tuning, only if used with a guitar nut buster locking device. I wouldn’t mind trying a gotoh trem on something. The thing is don’t like about Floyd rose style trems is you need to use shims to adjust action on individuals strings.

Could you do a video where you try to recreate tones with the Line6 POD Go? Would be awesome to see you experimenting with it.

I got myself some Schaller original saddles for my floyd rose special. Replacing the whole thing is too much for me, but even this change meant no more canals forming because of overtightening the screws and more steady sound when doing squeals.

You can't go wrong with either But I do prefer the GOTOH 1996T.

The Gotoh is a nice piece of kit…and it’s cheaper…it’s a no brainer👍

FYI the Peavey Wolfgang and MM EVH/Axis use company branded Gotoh tremolos.PV has a Ping version.

Youll need to drill out the post holes with the gotoh, i cracked my JS32 king v body installing the 96T posts the first time.

Thought about getting a Floyd for my 'dimoflame' but the licenced trem is flawless, I can wail on it all day and guitar stays in tune.. owned it since 2006 and glad I didn't spend the £200+.

That’s badass I need to change out my FR Special with 1996 then! Should I change the post or leave the original ones in like you did?🤟🏻

All the Gotoh stuff is quality, their locking tuners are excellent also.

The Gotoh is just more refined. The fine tuners' also have 5 more half turns available @ 22 compared to FR's 17 and the fine tuner bridge-plate is also angled back more to give more palm room making it even more comfortable, very close to a FR Pro. FR fan for over 25 years, just bought a Gotoh recently and never going back to FR; if spending that kind of money I'd opt for the Schaller LockMeister; even then I am still replacing the LockMeister arm because of it's terrible collet design and replace with a traditional screw in arm like I do all my FR bridges.

Schaller too

I'd make sure you swap out the posts for the best quality Floyd ones available, (assuming they're cheap nasty ones) if you're not going to use the Gotoh ones. Otherwise the Gotoh will destroy the soft metal ones, and won't stay in tune. I love my Gotoh GE1996T, which came standard on my Japanese Fender Stratocaster, but it's a 10 year old guitar that's been played heavily as far as I can tell, so at some point I'll replace it. All Floyd style bridges wear out. Luckily the Gotoh is so reasonably priced and easy to swap out.

Check the Rick Toone tremolo. It’s maybe the most innovative tremolo nowadays.

Thank you. I have a Floyd Rose Special that needs replacement and I was wondering if the Gotoh would be a drop in swap. Its also in a Jackson V.

I have been using the original floyd rose tremolo since it first came out in 84. I would be terrified to change that since using for 40 years. Every Jackson, Charvel, Robin, Hamer etc., that I own, has an Original Floyd Rose. Not planning on swapping out 80 plus guitars with Gotoh tremolo.

I built my last two guitars with Gotoh GE-1996Ts and what I can say about them is that they are awesome, with two caveats. The first being the length of the string locking bolts at the rear of the bridge. These are longer than an OFR, but can be replaced by the same parts from an OFR. This means the Gotoh might not fit correctly in the back end of the tremolo recess, with the bolts colliding at the back. I designed my guitars to allow a few more mm to allow for this unnecessary oddity. I also noticed that the tremolo is a little "sticky" in the neutral position, re: tuning also. A quick pull brings a slightly flat tuning back up, and a press can drop the tuning. I've had this in OFRs also, but hey. The only bridge I prefer over either is the Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge, but that has its own quirks. I suspect that the OFR/1996T tuning issue may be in the knife edge between the posts and the bridge, and may become smoother with time and use. Not sure if lubing might change this. It could also be movement in the claw/screws settling in use. I might swap out the springs at some point and check for differences. Overall though, the Gotoh units are absolutely a parallel choice against an overly-expensive OFR. Some people just want "authentic" and can't see past that towards alternatives that are just as good. Gotoh all the way for me.

You should do a Diamond Head - Lightning to the nations tone for the boss katana

Great vid’ I’m currently in the market for a new bridge So the gotohs whammy bar will always be a bit stiff? I like that the FR is loose & just gets out of the way after use. On my FR I lightly tighten so the whammy moves freely

Have you ever tried the DualRocker tremolo system before? Kind of a mix between a Kahler and a Floyd Rose. They are pretty hard to find but i love that you can down tune a whole step without unlocking the nut. Would be great if anyone has used these and have tips on setting them up easily.

I'm looking at buying my first KV2 and I wish so badly they made a KV2T with the normal KV2 inlays and headstock. Like they did with the RR1T. The only real option is to get a Mustaine KV1 if you want a fixed bridge in that style. And they're going for 5k-10k 😢

Besides being a great bridge, I found a black left handed one (and that could be enough to call it a miracle 😂) for 135$ new!!!! (150€ shipped to Italy) My LTD KH-202 couldn't be happier... 🤣

the tuning stability will be better when you swap out the posts as well

Put a 1996t on my Dean Caddy and its amazing

Raining blood!

Nothing beats the original lo-pro from Ibanez!!!

Every time I replace a Floyd Special or a Edge 3, it's with the Gotoh. The only thing I don't like, is it doesn't come with the locking nut.

I'm in the early planning stages of getting a pair of Jem Jrs for stage use (I just do not make enough gigging to risk damage to my higher end gear, and want something a bit more superstrat-y to contrast my current LP/SG pair) and the longevity of the factory vibrato was one of my first concerns. Now i know what i'll upgrade them with if they fail! Cheers!

Gotoh good 👍🏻

Wish gotoh had a shorter/flatter locking trem similar to the floyd pro or Ibanez lo-pro

I tried upgrading the zinc parts on the Special that came with my EVH Wolfgang Standard. What a huge mistake. I put it all back together and now it won't return to pitch or anything. I'll be getting a 1996 sometime down the road. In the states, it's quite a bit cheaper than an FR 1000 and half the price of an Original. Unlike a lot of people, I actually like the stock screw mechanism on the original FR arm, but I'll be fine with the 1996.

I have guitars with an original Floyd Rose and ones with a Gotoh ge1996t and I honestly prefer the Gotoh. Since the studs for the Gotoh different from the Floyd studs I think they should be swapped if you could be bothered to.