SOLVED | The REAL Differences Between Original Floyd Rose and 1000 Series 

I’m glad my dude!! Thanks so much!

Correct

EVH’s name is on the patent for the fine tuners. These fine tuners have been on violins for a very long time.

I have never understood this complaint of not smooth tuners. A little lube and they are fine, How often are people turning them anyhow like it woulds matter. As long as the bridge stays in tune (a sign of the quality) you don't hardly have to use them.

Mine on my Rhoads hasn't been a problem 🤷

I'd say the complaint is valid if theyre stiff out of the box. You shouldnt have to maintain or lube something up to make it work better when its brand new. Thats called shoddy craftsmanship and shouldnt be acceptable.

The special has zinc saddles and is total garbage.

Experience has nothing to do with it. It's how much money that you have or don't have or have access to or don't have access to LOL😂

Thanks my dude

The "Lockmeister" Floyd is like that as well but should be because of who makes it. Schaller. The Gotoh 1996t and Ibanez Edge(made by Gotoh) are two others that have smooth tuners.

Because Korea has tighter specs

The brass fine tuners spin easier than the painted ones.

This guy never had a saddle strip out

I bought 2 bars for my Floyd Rose Custom ESP I had made like 26-27 yrs ago and both bars fit my Ibanez but the Diameter is too big around and neither will fit in the bridge hole on my ESP which is prob the German one from the 80s but I don't see any German markings on it.I don't care if its cheap metal I just need one that fits the damn hole and I can make that work at least ..any suggestions which one it might be? Someone on Reddit said the 1000 series is older n prob what it is but this guy just said the 1000s came out after if I heard him correctly.Im almost ready to stone grind one of these down lol

You need to buy it directly from the source, from the factory, or from a trusted approved seller/vender. This is very important. The hell with Amazon. You can't trust those bastards.

Heavy and or 5 springs plus dive only is game changing for floyds

I’ll say, getting a trem stabilizer was a game changer for me too. Floating Floyd are too high precision machines for me. Even with religiously stretching strings, replacing springs, replacing trem arm, I could never fully get along with my Floyd rose 1000, as much as I enjoyed it. However, when I saw Steve Vai was using a trem stabilizer, I got one and i love my Floyd now. I can’t do flutters, but I don’t really care. It’s a one trick pony that doesn’t have many wide musical applications. I love that having a trem stabilizer, I can add a d-tuna/tone vise, more stability, and still pull up on the bar.

Never understood people saying Edge is better than Floyd Rose... I have guitars with the original Edge and Floyd 1000s , and prefer the Floyd trems, they just seem more stable than Edge original

@@ericksousa911 It is not "better" but is as good. When you hear players say better they are usually saying they prefer the smoother feel and profile on the edge when you use the bar. The original German Floyd will always be the king because it was the first.👍

All just copies

@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 the Gotoh is way better.

@@mstreech all my Floyd loaded guitar's have a 1996t on them.

To correct things, Kramer was exclusive on selling Floyd's in the 80s, after it's bankruptcy in 89, Floyd Rose went to Fender in the 90s but popularity had weened off from the grunge. Zinc is way more brittle and subject to cracking and flat out breaking and stripping. Zinc was to keep cost down and still get a better quality Tremolo then most licensed ones. Specials are all made in korea

Yep

Hey buddy. Are you just tightening the arm with your hand? Have you tried tightening the whole mechanism from the rear cavity?

@@nikaxeguitar Im tightening the arm with my hand, i'll check the rear cavity...thanks

I just bought a replacement OFR trem arm and socket. Way better quality than what comes on the 1000 series and I have no issues with it coming loose. Edit: you can also buy and put on the aftermarket arm and socket that are push in.. like the OFR

you can make it a habit to rotate the trem bar only clockwise, thus constantly tightening the thread. It works

You have the FR 1000 Pro. All Pro trems have been discontinued. Different from the FR 1000.

Hahaha I should

Correct, I have an old Kramer with a Schaller-made OFR and a Washburn with a FR1000, you can see the slight 'kink' on the 1000 where the baseplate is bent into shape

Your info is completely bogus .@darrentimken3280 has it right .

Hey there. I have this problem where I depress the bar all the way and release it, all strings go out of tune a little bit. Then when I gently tap on the bridge, it returns to original pitch. Also my trem doesnt flutter. What would be the problem do you think, and have you ever experienced the same things?

Make sure that your floyd is 100% flat and not pitched forward at all. My ibanez 1550 does this, and I've played other floyd guitars that do this too . That it's engrained in my muscle memory and I instinctively pull up a bit after i dive bomb to make sure im in tune again.

Gotoh is the best of the best .

No all Schallers are not fully licensed by the Floyd system patents. It would be foolish, stupid and bad business to have the company that makes your product make an identical one at less cost..... Think about that and say Schaller is just as good...

@@darrentimken3280 I just said it was the case for the Lockmeister, i have both brands under my hands right now they are identical, same components, same design. You just pay an extra for having Floyd Rose stamped on it. I get Schaller and OFR from luthier’s suppliers which cost less than usual market price.

Oh that’s interesting… I recently got an Edwards Alexi Scythe from Japan and no idea if it’s a 1000 or original ? The fine tuners on it are more smooth than any of my other guitars with 1000’s . Don’t feel like removing the trem to see if it says made in Germany in the back plate

@@romanshredz what's the back of the saddles look like? If they're not slanted it's more than likely an original Floyd unless someone just replaced the saddles but I doubt it.

@@Jupiter2ignite Ok they have a slight angle on them like all my other guitars with FR1000’s. Looks like it’s a 1000. Had me going cause the fine tuners were so damn smooth… I was like this can’t be an FR1000. It’s a new Edwards Alexi Scythe from Japan and can get any specs on it anywhere. Also something I saw on another video is the main base plate where the fine tuners sit is Bent … u can see it on the side. I believe the originals are machined. Cool and thanks for the info 👍

I have both and the only difference I've seen is the collar on the 1000 comes loose sooner than the OFR. I've never adjusted height under tension. In terms of use, tuning stability, and life I've never seen a difference. Another minor difference the OFR has slightly larger fine tuner knobs and the threads come with some lubrication and move smoother out of the box. A small amount of lubrication on the 1000 and they are equally smooth.

Nope, same materials at HIGHER specs it's literally tighter then the originals. 1000s withstood EVH playing.... they'll handle yours..

My PRS ce24 Floyd comes with the 1000. It is not a cheap guitar and the Floyd feels and behaves no differently than the German one. South Korean QC is on par with Japanese IMO

​@@JD-vj4goGet the Floyd push in arm kit, $15 and you'll never look back.

I can give an anecdote which speaks pretty negatively toward the 1000. I got a new LTD Arrow guitar with a FR1000 and quickly noticed it wasn’t returning to pitch after dives or pull ups. Looked at the posts and noticed one of them is leaning back slightly. Pulled out the term and found that both the knife edges and posts had been scraped up. The black paint had worn off exposing a copper colored surface. And the mounting screw was loose within the post. I’m not sure if the metal surfaces themselves were damaged or just the paint removed, but either way that’s a really bad sign for a brand new bridge in my opinion. And the tuning stability was not ideal, so that’s that. The arm holder also sucked and was loose from the second I put it in.

Very likely buying someone's problems. Something is stripped out or has some clearance issues, like a Gibson neck with the E string falling over the edge. Folks just sell their problems.

Both are hardened steel

That or The Schaller version of The original. I Have couple of both 😉

Gotoh alp the way

Inferior

Ahhhh I hear that. Thanks for that dude

The saddles were done that way to easily tell oem from originals

No. The saddle angle is to to allow the saddle to go further back when setting intonation. Sometimes the low E string needs to go back further but hits the whale tail. A hack was to file the saddle a bit to let it move back further but now they come angled.

@@anthonyoresteen4767 no the angle has zero affect on intonation, Floyd himself at NAMM told me it was to easily tell what was German to Korea made

@@darrentimken3280 It does effect the intonation. With the angle cut, the saddle can be moved father to the REAR than with the right angle. Often when using thick strings and low tunings (ie Drop D) the 6th string can not be intonated correctly as the saddle needs to be moved father to the rear. It is pure physics. I have over 40 guitars with FR bridges and many different tunings and many times I have had to grind the rear of the FR saddle to get it to move further to the rear to get the intonation set. As to how you determine source of origin, I will deffer to what Floyd said. This has nothing to do with setting intonation on a FR bridge.

Gotoh and Schaller are inferior trems that feature some of the patents from Floyd but not all. Specials are closer to them, specials are made in Korea to higher specs then the German Floyd. Same base plate, same inserts and screws but zinc saddles, zinc locking nut and zinc trem block.

Absolutely different in every way. For one thing, fr special has zinc alloy saddles, screw, locking nut and probably other parts too, which is of inferiorquality. Ive seen so many cases where people complain about fr special cuz their saddles couldnt bear the tension and stripped and Ive heard a lot of complains about poor tuning stability. I had a schecter with fr special. The guitar was decent in terms of specs, but it had a fr special, which is a deal breaker, and after constant string breakage and going out of tune, I had to resell it. Also if I remember correctly, they are manufactured in china, not korea.

And you get your expert opinions from where exactly? Do you go around to different shops frequently and test guitars that have Floyd Rose 1000 and check for the spring noise and all of the other things you were mentioning? I don't know I'm not saying your bias or anyting

i have one on my jackson and personnaly i never use it, my tuning get fucked every time i used it... i ordered a 1000 series

@@gabfish16 what I have observed, the less you use it the more out of tune it gets if you use it every once a while. So maybe set it up correctly and use it more. These systems need the stretch. Also depends on your model. Ones on the new Chinese Jacksons look plastic and wrong. My 2013 Indonesian Kellys licensed Floyd stays in tune like a mofo even if I yank it to hell.

Folks, this guy knows what he's talking about. There is more misinformation out there than correct information, and these manufacturers are tight lipped about subtle changes, metals, suppliers, etc...

Why on earth would anybody settle for a Floyd Special when you can get the best of the best , a Gotoh 1996T for around the same price.

100% correct

You simply couldn’t buy a Floyd without a Kramer attached to it…

@@eskemeldgaardkrogh4145 yes you could

@@maxmustardman298 I stand corrected… I believed that Kramer had exclusivity on the Floyd until 1991.

@@eskemeldgaardkrogh4145 they had the exclusive deal until the late 80s I believe, apart from that you could buy a floyd separately, which was more than an inconvenience tho because it added costs quickly, having to buy the guitar plus the trem plus the tech that could install it

Does no difference, all titanium or nothing,

Love it. Thanks for the comment!

Auto spell did it to me again! Should have said un-wrapped string.

I broke my low E one too, too sad it doesn't hold 42 any more, but it still can hold 46. I am not sure it is the saddle or the insert block, I want to try replacing the block first

Lol. Literally restating my video.

@@nikaxeguitar Not even a little.

@@runabout76 Thanks for stopping by!

No your wrong, same specs. You cannot order 1000 series parts just special parts or original replacement parts. Yes ebay does have 1000 trems and parts but they are taken from guitars.

@@darrentimken3280 Nope... ordered a 1000 Series black base plate and 1000 Series saddles directly from Floyd Rose. And the base plate IS slightly smaller on the Korean; look where it is stamped "Floyd Rose" on both a Korean and a genuine German Schaller-made... you can see the base plate is smaller on the Korean. You can also see this if you look at the space behind the saddles... there is slightly more space on an original compared to a Korean.

Yea it's tighter, Chip Ellis, Master Builder for Fender and EVH, said during the Wolfgang prototype they tried both and between the best most accurate builder on the planet and EVH the most abusive Tremolo user of all time, the Korean held better. Nuff said

@@darrentimken3280 I haven't measured it, but by eye it looks like maybe 1/8" or so smaller.

@@darrentimken3280 Dimebag is probably the most abusive Floyd user... Eddie himself would have told you that 👍

Actually more superior, Korea gets held to much higher specs because of oem warranty. 1000 series are tight!

ESP / LTD has them now also. have one on the arrow 1000 i just got.

They’re on some Jackson’s now too. They’re really good.

No

@@darrentimken3280 there’s a reason Suhr uses Gotoh and a reason the Ibanez Edge bridges are praised, but if you want to think Gotoh sucks because you’ve never heard of Gotoh or because it’s not FR branded , it’s cool but some people might rather have a functional reliable trem that is at least as good(some say better) for the price of a FR special.

Lol reason is price lol. I've 53 and been building and playing for 38 years. I've played on all types but I've met Floyd several times at NAMM shows and talked to him about licensed etc. Ed Van Halen used Floyd on his EVH line because he was THE prototype user.

@@darrentimken3280 all licensed tremolos aren’t created equally the original edge and lo pro are every bit as reliable as a FRO , I prefer the saddles on the edge. The original edges were made by Gotoh for Ibanez. The German made Schallers are probably the best quality of the “originals” you can get now. I don’t think that the Floyd branded originals are of the same quality as they used to be, so for me at least a gotoh is just as good and for me more comfortable under the hand , I don’t know what either company uses for the locking blocks in their saddles but anything short of SS or titanium will eventually fail. Dime’s tech said he was always replacing cracked locking blocks on Dime’s originals until he started using better ones from someone like FU Tone. I don’t think Suhr would sacrifice quality on a 3,000 dollar guitar to save what? Maybe 100 dollars by the time it all shakes out. 100 dollars isn’t going to make or break a buyer looking at 3,000 dollar guitars . Suhr also uses Wilkinson for the Vintage style bridges and I believe some of them have the Wilkinson/Gotoh bridge. I can see for a really small builder wanting to save every dime they can, also I can see how a massive manufacturer will sacrifice quality to save a nickel per unit ( I work in manufacturing ask me why Ford Powerstrokes had exhaust leaks and the international/Navistar version of the same engine didn’t) I just don’t think Suhr would use the Gotoh if it wasn’t excellent, I know from personal experience that the Edge bridges are rock solid and reliable. I’m not trying to tell you that a Harley Benton is just is good as a Gibson, but I would be willing to say that some Tokai are just as good or better than Gibsons. I don’t have any skin in the game. I’m just trying to help anyone out who might be dealing with an unreliable Licensed FR and think their only option is a 300 dollar original. I’m sure Suhr takes costs into consideration but I don’t think they would sacrifice quality they have too good a name. I see Jackson and other manufacturers putting the FR1000 or whatever on 2000 plus guitars and they are saving a chunk of money, but if I’m paying that much for a guitar unless it’s decked, I would prefer a Gotoh or Schaller to the 1000 . I realize Eddie was using Floyd’s prototypes and is probably the reason Kramer had an exclusive deal for a while, the only way you were getting a FR was on a Kramer or one someone had removed from a Kramer. Eddie didn’t play imports with FR specials on em though. Fender is trying to make a guitar that looks like Ed’s and I think they do a fine job but they make thousands of them so on the low side savings of 50 dollars a unit is huge for them, but no one is going to complain about a 500 dollar guitar with a special not staying in tune. People would however be raising hell if their 3k Suhr wouldn’t return to pitch. Maybe I’m romantic but I think there’s still a small niche of people who take great pride in their work and wouldn’t sacrifice a little profit for their reputation and I think that’s where the boutiques like Suhr set maybe hopefully at least. You can still buy a Suhr for less than a Fender custom shop, so in a way it’s a better value and I don’t suspect Fender cuts corners on their custom shops and master built but they have a ton more over head than Suhr. I don’t know if my rambling makes much sense but what I’m trying to say is not every tremolo Floyd Rose makes is world class and also not every licensed FR is garbage.