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Floyd Rose Tremolos for Left Hand Guitars: No-Names, Fakes, Unknowns, and Never Left Handed

  • Writer: Gaskell Guitars Australia
    Gaskell Guitars Australia
  • Aug 15
  • 16 min read

Updated: Nov 12

The following is the ultimate guide on left handed Floyd Rose tremolos: genuine, licensed, and proprietary - past and present. Nowhere else on the internet will you find all this information in one place.


This article is in five parts:


No-Names


These are tremolo systems that come out of China, as found on AliExpress and eBay. There used to be a lot more than there are now, but the "usual suspects" are still there. They are unbranded or rebranded knock-offs of well-known products, usually Takeuchi TRS101 clones. More recently, Gotoh/Ibanez Edge Pro clones are starting to become common.


They have Chinese brand names like "Li Tian Century" or "Overlord of Music," or no name at all. The Takeuchi clones always have the Floyd Rose licensing statement on the tail. (The ‘Licensed’ stamp persists on many Asian OEM units, but Floyd Rose has not issued new licenses since the patents expired. It is now a marketing artifact, not a guarantee of authorization.)


They are of low to average quality and sell for about $25 - $75. Some have been available left-handed. I have tried the Li Tian Century and Overlord of Music tremolos. They are exactly the same and are pretty bad. A dead giveaway is the licensing statement on the tail, which is very poorly produced due to the tooling now being several generations downstream from the original mold, leading to detail loss from repeated duplication.


NOTE: These are not the OEM Floyd Rose-style products from the "Chinese catalog" that are used by many international guitar brands for their entry-level guitars made in China, Indonesia, or elsewhere (see below.)



Fakes


These are Chinese knock-offs of well-known tremolo systems, where they have the audacity to brand them as "originals." These can usually be bought on AliExpress and sometimes on eBay. These are blatant fakes.


These are some I have seen on AliExpress as recently as 2025:



With the exception of the Floyd Rose Special, which could very well be genuine anyway, and the Ibanez SDLT knock-off, I have not seen lefty versions of any others on this list.



Never Left Handed


These are Floyd Rose genuine, licensed, or Floyd Rose-derived proprietary tremolos that were only ever made for and used on right-handed guitars. This disappointing list even includes some original Floyd Rose products.


Floyd Rose 1000 Series Pro Tremolo System


This is a low-profile version of the original double-locking 100-Series Floyd Rose tremolo introduced in 1991. It is a genuine Floyd Rose product, made originally by Schaller for the first few years and thereafter by Korean OEMs such as Sung il beginning in the early 2000s. This unit has a flatter tail and has short saddle lock bolts that do not protrude past the tail, unlike a regular Original Floyd Rose.


This one has never been available left-handed, despite being in production for over 35 years. This is the design of which the Takeuchi TRS-PRO was a licensed copy.


The Takeuchi TRS-PRO equivalent was the most common licensed version, and was always available left handed. See Part 2: OEM Producers.


NOTE TO LEFT-HANDED GUITARISTS:

I sell brand new, high-quality left-handed versions. I am the only one in the world who does. Mine are made in Korea, equal in quality to the genuine Floyd Rose originals. Available in chrome, black, and gold. Prices start at US$199, including L2 nut, 36mm block, and all parts for complete installation. The Gaskells have the Takeuchi-style trapezoid-shaped base plate. Note, some guitars may require modification of their tremolo rout. As a general guide: if your guitar will fit a TRS-PRO or JT580LP, then it should be a straight swap. Take proper measurements before buying. No refunds will be given for major measurement errors on the part of the purchaser. Please check properly.



Floyd Rose FRX Tremolo System

(2015 - present)

Status: Current


In 2015, Floyd Rose released the FRX Tremolo System, made by Ping Well in Taiwan. The FRX is a direct swap for flat-top guitars with Tune-O-Matic and Stop Tail bridge systems, such as Les Paul, SG, and Flying V guitars. It uses the existing mounting stud holes and requires no additional routing. It does have a locking nut which mounts behind the regular nut of the guitar, in place of the truss rod cover.


It can be set to fixed or floating, but the tremolo arm position is for right-handed guitars, and Floyd Rose does not make a left-handed version. If you don't want it to be an actual tremolo, then you may be able to tolerate it on a left-handed guitar as a fixed bridge with the extra functionality of fine tuners and throw away the tremolo arm, unless you like the tremolo arm at the top like Stevie Ray Vaughan did. Or just get the fixed bridge version.


As of 2025, it appears that Floyd Rose is doing a sell-off of existing stock, judging by the reduced availability options on their website. With Ping Well and Sung il out of the picture these days, I wonder who would be making this now?


Floyd Rose Speedloader

(2003 - 2005)

Status: Discontinued


In a 2005 interview, Floyd Rose said he personally chose Ping Well to make his then-new Floyd Rose Speedloader tremolo system which he had decided would not be licensed but would be manufactured directly. Rose also said that he personally supervised the project. Rose had released his own brand of guitars at the same time and this system was meant to be for his new guitars. The only guitar brand that took up the Speedloader for themselves was B.C Rich which they did before it was released publicly in 2003.


The Speedloader has "Floyd Rose" in an unusual font on the base plate, "Speedloader" on the bridge, the '661 and '236 patents on one side of the block, the block size on the other side of the block, and the "PW" Ping Well logo on the underside of the base plate.


Rose could not supply the special strings needed for the system and the system has gone down in history as somewhat of a failure. It was discontinued after only two years. To complicate matters, there was also a 2010 legal action brought by Geoffrey L. McCabe against Floyd Rose, which included Ping Well as a defendant, alleging that the SpeedLoader infringed on designs for which McCabe had patents. The court case was eventually dismissed in 2013. By then, the system was discontinued. Ping Well cut ties with Floyd Rose in 2015.



Fender Deluxe Locking Tremolo 

(1991 - 2005)

Status: Discontinued


In 1991 Fender became the distributor of Floyd Rose systems. In 1993 Fender engaged Ping Well to manufacture a tremolo for Fender guitars called the "Mini-Floyd Rose" Fender Deluxe Locking Tremolo. It was fitted to the American Standard Stratocaster, U.S Strat Plus, Deluxe Strat Plus, and U.S Strat Ultra models as a direct replacement for the standard Fender two-post tremolo bridge. It was stamped "Floyd Rose" at the top of the base plate and "Fender" at the bottom, next to the tremolo arm hole. 


The design is very simplistic consisting of a base plate with six individual adjustable saddles with hex screws to clamp the strings in place. It is a genuine Floyd Rose product, so a licensing statement on the unit was not required.


When the Fender and Floyd Rose distribution agreement ended in 2005, Fender continued to sell the tremolo but with the Floyd Rose inscription removed. Fender did offer a few lefty Stratocasters during this time, but nothing with this tremolo. I only mention this to point out the significance of Ping Well in the larger scheme of historical Floyd Rose manufacturing and so you don't needlessly waste time trying to find a lefty. They don't exist.


Takeuchi TRT-1

​(1988)

Status: Obsolete


The Takeuchi TRT-1 was Takeuchi's first licensed Floyd Rose tremolo based on the Original Floyd Rose, introduced in 1986. It was the predecessor of the renowned TRS-101 and has the same trapezoid base plate shape. Early versions were engraved with "Mfg. Under Floyd Rose Patents." on the upper base plate. Later versions were engraved with "TRT-1" on the upper base and "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Pats." stamped on the lower base next to the tremolo arm collar. The block is stamped with "Takeuchi." It is almost identical to the later TRS-101, except the saddles are square as opposed to slightly bevelled on the TRS-101.


  • ESP: Kramer Japan was the Japanese subsidiary of Kramer with guitars built and marketed by ESP. ESP also ghost-built the bodies for the U.S-assembled Kramers and fully built the Kramer Focus Series for the U.S and international markets. From 1986 until 1987, ESP used the Takeuchi TRT-1 on the Japan-only Kramer EK and LK Series guitars. The TRT-1 was replaced in 1988 by the KLK-I and KLK-II units. The ESP TRT-1 has the "Mfg. Under Floyd Rose Pats." inscription on the base plate. I do not know if there were any left-handed versions but here is an example of a (right handed) 1986 ESP Kramer EK-1BF, and a 1988 Baretta EK-1B (incorrectly stating it has a KLK-I), and another Baretta EK-1B. These all have TRT-1 tremolos.


  • Aria Pro II: The Takeuchi TRT-1 was used by Aria Pro II on the 1988 and 1989 Aria Pro II "Warrior" Series, "Armored Warrior" Series, and two models in the "Precede" Series. These guitars were made by Samick in Korea. The Aria Pro II version has "Mfg. Under Floyd Rose Patents" on the base.


  • Ibanez: The TRT-1 was also used on a single Ibanez model made by Peerless in Korea. This was the 1988 Roadstar II Series RG340, sold exclusively in the United States. (The equivalent European and Japanese model was the RG360, also made at the Peerless factory, which was instead fitted with a Takeuchi TRS-101.) Neither of these models were offered left handed. The Ibanez version has "TRT-1" on the base plate.


  • Tokai: The TRT-1 was used on the 1989 Tokai VC 55 Vivian Campbell Signature model, itself a replica of a guitar made by Rand Guitars in the USA. This was a one-year only model. In the 1989 Tokai catalog they call the tremolo the "AR-6." There were absolutely no lefties. Only 16 guitars were ever built.




Takeuchi TRS-505

​(1995 - 2002)

Status: Obsolete


The "TRS-505" was Takeuchi's version of a single-locking tremolo, similar to the first-version Floyd Rose II, or Fernandes Head Crasher FRT6, released in 1995. As with the Floyd Rose II and FRT6, the strings are inserted through dummy string lock screws and are held there by the ball ends. It is stamped with "TRS-505" on the upper base plate, "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Pats." on the tail, with "Takeuchi" and "Made in Japan" stamped on the block. The tremolo arm screws into the block.


It was offered on some Japanese-built Ibanez RG and S Series, Charvel, Grover Jackson, and Yamaha guitars from 1995-2002, but none left handed that I am aware of. Ibanez and Yamaha retained the Takeuchi model number for this tremolo. For Ibanez it is Ibanez Part Number 2TS1SR35B.


​

Gotoh Lever Lock Tremolo System

(1987)

Status: Discontinued


I am not sure if this should be considered a proprietary system or an OEM system, as it was not widely adopted and was originally made for only one year. It was used by a few brands, but it could have simply been an aftermarket option that those brands chose. Twenty years later, Yamaha used a revised version of it, claiming it was their "patented design." In all instances, it was made by Gotoh, and there was never a left-handed version. It is quite an ingenious system, so it's very disappointing that we lefty players missed out on this one.


I believe it was originally called the "Lever Lock Tremolo" and was released in 1986 or 1987. It may have had another name. This is a string-through system where you do not have to cut off the ball ends. The strings are fed through from the bottom of the guitar and the saddles have levers that lock the strings by pressing down. You tune the guitar properly first before locking the saddles. It has a tail with fine tuners. Replacing the strings is simple: you just lift the levers, no tools needed. Intonation is adjusted in the same way as any Floyd Rose system, by positioning and then tightening each saddle by way of a hex screw on each saddle. It takes a regular Floyd Rose locking nut at the neck. The base plate has "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Patents" stamped upside down on it and the block has the Gotoh "G" and "Gotoh" stamped on it.

​

B.C Rich: The Lever Lock Tremolo was used by B.C Rich on some of their Japan-only N.J Series Warlock models made at the Teihatsu factory between 1986 and 1989 such as this 1986 N.J Series Warlock and this 1987 N.J Series Warlock, as well as on some ST-III models made in the 2000s.


Lag Guitars: Lag is a French guitar brand. They used this tremolo on their Lag Rockline model made in France in 1987.


Gibson: Gibson Guitars and Wayne Charvel collaborated in 1987 to produce the limited edition 1987-1988 Gibson WRC guitar. This guitar used the Lever Lock Tremolo.

 


Yamaha Finger Clamp Tremolo System

​(2007 - 2010)

Status: Discontinued


The "Yamaha Finger Clamp Tremolo System", introduced in 2007, is Yamaha’s proprietary update of the 1987 Gotoh Lever Lock Tremolo. While it features some cosmetic differences, it is functionally the same and has a unique nut locking system. It was used on the 2007 Yamaha CV820 WB Wes Borland Signature model and the 2007 Yamaha RGX-520DZ Superstrat, both made in Taiwan. The Wes Borland model was made into the 2010s.


Like the Gotoh 1987 original, it is a string-through system where you do not have to cut off the ball ends, and it has levers to lock the strings at the bridge. You still have to tune the guitar properly first before locking the saddles. Intonation is adjusted by first loosening the saddle by way of a hex screw on top and adjusting the saddle position by horizontal hex screws at the rear of the unit. Different on this 2007 version is that the locking nut also has a lever system which, after the nut is clamped, pulls out to disengage and can be positioned at any angle to be out of the way. No tools are needed to change strings. This Yamaha product has no inscriptions anywhere on it.

 



KLK-I

(1987 - ?)

Status: Discontinued


The KLK-I is a clone of the original Floyd Rose "whale tail" double-locking tremolo manufactured by Gotoh for Fernandes during Fernandes' contract period with Floyd Rose. Its original Fernandes model designation was FRT-5 before being renumbered to FRT-7 after Schaller began to make the FRT-5 for Floyd Rose too. See Part 1: Original and Genuine Floyd Rose. It's reappearance in KLK-I guise coincides with Fernandes' shift in 1987 to Korean production for its guitars and hardware.


Note: Gotoh had been manufacturing the genuine Floyd Rose systems for Floyd Rose via Fernandes, as well as Fernandes' own proprietary tremolo systems, since 1981. It would have been a wasted opportunity to stop making such a core production line just because Fernandes had gone elsewhere. That was exactly what Fernandes did to Floyd Rose once the contract between them expired. For information on that, see Part 3: Proprietary Versions


The telltale signs of the KLK-I being a Gotoh product are:

  • the base plate shape,

  • original Floyd Rose knife edges,

  • oval arches between the forks of the tail, and

  • the saddle shapes.


The KLK-I had "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Pats." on the face of the upper base plate.


Kramer Japan. Gotoh was the official hardware supplier for ESP Guitars and supplied bridges and tuners for their main brand and various sub-brands that were made in Japan. In addition to its own brands, ESP built Kramer guitars for Kramer in the United States and their own versions for the Japanese market.


Note. Kramer in the United States was in debt to ESP at this time and on the verge of bankruptcy. In an effort to recover their losses, ESP continued to market Kramer-branded guitars to the Japanese domestic market, where they appeared in ESP catalogs as "Kramer by ESP." The guitars were assembled using leftover parts and hardware, even after Kramer had closed its doors in the USA. These "parts bin" guitars sometimes bore little to no relation to any Kramer USA line.


Gotoh supplied the double-locking KLK-I to ESP in 1988 for its Japan-only Kramer EK Series. Previous years' models used the never-left-handed Takeuchi TRT-1.


In addition to the EK Series, the KLK-I was used on the Kramer Japan KRS-130 Ritchie Samboro Signature model.



Neil Schon: Neil Schon of the band Journey has designed and released many different signature models through multiple brands over the years. He released his own guitar brand called Schon Guitars in 1987, and these guitars were initially built by Jackson USA and then briefly by Larrivee Guitars in the USA. Neil's first Schon-branded model was the NS-1 in 1987. This guitar came with the KLK-I. His tremolo was stamped "Licensed by Floyd Rose..." followed by the '236 patent number on the upper base. Not many of these guitars were made and definitely none left-handed. Neil's eventual production model, the NS-6, would instead be fitted with Aria's proprietary ACT-3 tremolo.



KLK-II

(1987 - 1994?)

Status: Discontinued


The KLK-II is a clone of the Fernandes Head Crasher FRT-6 with one very slight difference in the string guide notch of the saddles. Otherwise it is identical. It has no inscriptions of any kind on the unit or on the the block. The block is L-shaped. The Head Crasher FRT-6 was never a licensed Floyd Rose product in the first place, hence why there was no licensing statement on the KLK-II either. Two Fernandes clones. Coincidence?


Kramer Japan. The KLK-II was featured on the 1988 Kramer Japan LK Series. It was the companion tremolo to the KLK-I featured on the 1988 Kramer Japan EK Series. The product page for the 1988 LK Series states:

日本語（原文想定）   新型「KLK-II」トレモロシステム — LKシリーズ — 高いコストパフォーマンスを実現。アーム操作が滑らかで、ストリング交換が素早く行えます。ファインチューナー搭載で、さまざまな演奏状況でも安定したチューニングを保ちます。LKシリーズはこのシステムを標準装備しています。

The new “KLK‑II” tremolo system — LK Series —offers outstanding performance and value for money. It delivers smooth arm action and is designed for easy and fast string changes. Equipped with fine tuners, the system maintains stable tuning even under vigorous playing conditions. The LK Series comes standard with this system.


1988 ESP Kramer Japan catalog featuring EK and LK Series with KLK-I and KLK-II tremolos
1988 ESP Kramer Japan catalog featuring EK and LK Series with KLK-I and KLK-II tremolos

This 1990 Kramer Japan MK-II B HH was built with N.O.S parts including a KLK-II tremolo. 


Greco: The KLK-II was also used on some Greco guitars. Greco is a house brand of Kanda Shokai, a major Japanese musical instrument distributor. Greco guitars were initially Gibson knock-offs. Eventually, Gibson approached Kanda Shokai to officially produce Gibson products for the Japanese market. Greco guitars were built at FujiGen Gakki, which made Fender, Yamaha, and Ibanez guitars. Left-handed guitars were produced occasionally but only basic versions of their core Gibson knock-offs.


Up until 1987 Greco exclusively used Kahler cam-type tremolos on their own brand guitars. Between 1987 until 1994, Greco used the KLK-II on their NYS-85, JJ-60, JSH-60, and SPF-55 superstrat guitars. It was branded as the Greco "Wing."




Tokai Ayers Rocker 

(1984 - 1990)

Status: Obsolete


Tokai Gakki was another early Japanese guitar manufacturer to make tremolo systems inspired by Floyd Rose designs before licensing arrangements were organized. They did not make left handed guitars under their own brand with any of these, but I see they made five different bridge systems under the "Ayer's Rocker" name with the first being a Floyd Rose non-fine-tuner copy in 1984. Tokai produced its own metal parts and all indications suggest that the Ayers Rocker systems were produced in-house at their Hamamatsu factory in Japan.


The first acknowledged Tokai-branded licensed Floyd Rose-style unit was the "Ayer's Rocker V" introduced in 1985. This is basically a German Original Floyd Rose copy with the addition of T-shaped string lock insert blocks whose tops also serve as saddle caps which cumulatively form a flat service across the saddles, much like the Jackson JT6 made by Ping Well in 1987. It appeared in 1985–1987 Tokai catalogs (Vol. 11–13) as a Tokai-original option, priced at ~¥20,000 extra on high-end models such as Tokai's VC-75 and JSR-series superstrats.


Coincidentally, the AR-V baseplate and tremolo arm collar are identical to the Aria Pro II ACT-3 tremolo which was otherwise available left-handed. The AR-V also has the same L-shaped block design as the ACT-3. Where they differ is in the post spacing. The ACT-3 has 73mm spacing and the Ayers Rocker has the standard Floyd Rose 74mm spacing.


The Ayer's Rocker V appears to have been discontinued in 1987; some sources say 1990. I have not put much effort into researching this one. It's not left-handed. Why should I?




Greco G Force

(1988 - 1994)

Status: Discontinued


Some Greco guitars were built with a Schaller-style double-locking Floyd Rose tremolo, called the "G-Force" tremolo in Greco catalogs. It was used on the 1988 JJ-71, SPF-70, BOM-65G, and BOM-95 superstrats, and on several models in the 1992 "Wild Pecker" Series. It says "Made in Japan" on the underside of the base plate. It has an Original Floyd Rose base plate shape but different knife edges from the OFR.


After 1994, Greco switched to the Takeuchi TRS-PRO for the Wild Peckers and either Original Floyd Rose or Kahler systems for the higher-spec GP Series. In addition to their blatant Gibson and Fender knock-offs, Greco also produced Ibanez Iceman knock-offs as the "Magna Series", and advertised Music Man, Washburn, Gretsch, Hohner, Atlansia, and Vigier guitars in their catalogs as part of Kanda Shokai’s broader distribution network in Japan.




ESP Mighty Vise

(1983)

Status: Obsolete


Gotoh produced the genuine FRT-1, FRT-3, and FRT-5 Floyd Rose tremolos for Fernandes, who in turn supplied these to Floyd Rose in the United States for Kramer guitars until Schaller took over manufacturing in 1983. Gotoh also supplied the FRT-3 and FRT-5 to ESP for their own brand guitars. ESP at the same time was building the necks and eventually whole bodies for Kramer in the USA.


The FRT-3 supplied to ESP was branded "ESP" and was mated with an adapter plate that enabled the two pieces together, without the block, to be retrofitted to guitars that had Tune-O-Matic bridges. This unit was called the "ESP Mighty Vise." It first appeared in the 1983 ESP Japan catalog. The 1983 catalog also appears to show, although not stated explicitly, the Floyd Rose FRT-3 as an option for ESP guitars, but not as a Floyd Rose product. This product did not even last 6 months. It is doubtful there were ever any left handed guitars made with it.




Glossary of Terms


  • OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer): A third-party company that produces parts for other brands.

  • Proprietary: An in-house design, self-branded and used only for the company's own products, usually manufactured by an OEM. For example, the Jackson JT6 tremolo was a property of Jackson-Charvel in the United States, manufactured by OEM Ping Well of Taiwan.

  • Licensed Floyd Rose: A tremolo made under official Floyd Rose branding but by a third-party manufacturer.

  • License stamp: “Licensed Under Floyd Rose Pats.” on a tremolo post-2008 does not indicate an active agreement — it’s legacy tooling or marketing.

  • N.O.S. (New Old Stock): Unused parts from discontinued production runs.

  • Batch-produced: Stock products manufactured in limited runs, not custom orders.

  • Custom order: Made-to-order units, often with long lead times or higher cost.

  • Upcharge / Surcharge: An upcharge is an extra charge for an additional service or option, while a surcharge is an extra charge added to the standard cost, often for specific circumstances.

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