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Floyd Rose Tremolos for Left Hand Guitars: The Asian OEM Pool

  • Writer: Gaskell Guitars Australia
    Gaskell Guitars Australia
  • Oct 14
  • 9 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

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:



The "Korean Catalog"


These are Floyd Rose licensed tremolos that have been in regular use for the last 25 years by all major guitar brands with Korean production lines and are sometimes still in use today, even though the genuine Floyd Rose Special is the more common option for entry-level and intermediate-level guitars made in Asia today. The appeal remains for these, especially now that the Floyd Rose Special is no longer made in Korea. The 1000-Series genuine Floyd Rose tremolos are still made in Korea and are comparable, if not equal, to the quality of the products in the Korean catalog.


The "Korean catalog" serves as a universal OEM pool for all Korean trading companies that source for buyers, and Korean factories such as Samick, Cort, Unsung, Saein, and WMIC that build the guitars. Many emerging Chinese factories also drew from this catalog from the mid 2000s and early 2010s before shifting to a Chinese universal OEM pool.


Brands that have used or still use tremolo systems from this OEM pool are B.C. Rich, Jackson, Charvel, Ibanez, ESP, Kramer, Yamaha, Gaskell, Schecter, among others.


Sometimes they sold in the retail market by guitar parts companies, such as Guitar Fetish, and CH Guitars, usually not left handed. The catalog has remained unchanged for over 25 years.

Product number

Replacement for

Finishes

Double locking or Single locking

FRT15

Single locking Floyd Rose II

CR, BK, GD, SC

SL

FRT20

Double locking Floyd Rose II / Jackson JT500

CR, BK, GD, SC

DL

FRT30

Takeuchi TRS-101 / Jackson JT580 / Charvel FLC-101 / Washburn 600-S / Ibanez TRS / Ibanez ILT1 / Ibanez SDLT

CR, BK, GD, SC

DL

FRT30C

Jin Ah KKT-3

CR, BK, GD, SC

DL

FRT35

GuitarFetish "Licensed Floyd Rose Fastloader"

CR, BK, GD, SC

SL

FRT50

Takeuchi TRS-PRO / Jackson JT580LP / Charvel FLC-PRO / Fernandes FRT5-PRO-TRS / Washburn 800-S / KKT-4

CR, BK, GD, SC

DL

FRT50C

Yamaha TRS-PRO / Ibanez LO-TRS (straight-edge Takeuchi TRS-PRO)

CR, BK, GD, SC

DL

FRT70

Takeuchi TRS-PRO7

CR, BK, GD, SC

DL

FRT30N

Ping Well PT 505 / Fernandes FRT-11 / Peavey Licensed Floyd Rose / Graph Tech LB63

CR, BK, GD, SC

DL



Note: While these units are still manufactured with the old ‘Licensed’ stamp, this reflects original tooling and market perception—not an active licensing agreement with Floyd Rose.


FRT-50 : TRS-PRO replacement


The FRT-50 is a Takeuchi TRS-PRO clone. The block has "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Pats." on it, whereas all Takeuchi blocks have "Takeuchi" and "Made in Japan" on them. The Korean version is outwardly identical in appearance to the Takeuchi original but does have slightly different dimensions and sometimes is not interchangeable. NOTE: New versions do not have the licensing statement on the block.


  • Jackson: In 1995 Jackson introduced the "Performer Series" as an entry-level line which was initially produced in Japan. After 1995, production shifted from Japan to Korea for the main, although some select Performer models were briefly made in Japan again in 1998–1999. Those made in Japan used the original Takeuchi TRS‑PRO while those made in Korea used the FRT‑50 from the "Korean catalog." Both were designated model code JT580LP and had "Jackson" etched on the upper part of the baseplate. Forums seem to be uniformly critical of the early Korean versions. In addition to the Performer Series, some Dinky models made in Korea were fitted with the Korean JT580LP through the 2000s, including this left handed Dinky DK2L. Left handed Performer Series guitars made with the Korean JT580LP include this 1999 left handed Jackson PS-4; this 2000 left handed Jackson PS-4, and this lefty Jackson PS-4.



  • ESP : This 1998 lefty ESP LTD MA-200 has the FRT-30 clone. LTD guitars were made in Korea by World Musical Instrument Co., Saein Musical Instrument Co., Cort, and Samick at different times. We know all these factories draw from the same OEM pool.


  • Cort: This left-handed Cort Viva Gold II Series guitar, manufactured ~1998 appears to have a FRT-50. The picture is not very clear. If the owner of that guitar ever reads this, contact me.



FRT-20 : Double-locking Floyd Rose II replacement


The FRT-20 from the "Korean catalog" is a double-locking Floyd Rose II clone, complete with the "orange peel" finish of the Schaller original. It is a die-cast copy of the original Floyd Rose II, complete with the appearance of replaceable knife edges at the pivot points. For a lefty, a new one of these would be your best upgrade or restoration option for a vintage Kramer, Charvel, or Jackson that either had an original Floyd Rose II, a JT-580, or an earlier version of this same unit. (They are much better built today.) See the following. Like the original Schaller this one has a very thick base plate.



  • Jackson: The FRT-20 was known by Jackson and Charvel as the Jackson "JT500." It was used from 1995 on some Jackson "Performer Series" guitars. Higher-spec Jackson and Charvel guitars built during the same period were generally built with either the original JT580 (Takeuchi TRS-101) or original JT580LP (Takeuchi TRS-PRO), or the Schaller JT590 (German Floyd Rose OEM.) The JT500 is Jackson Part# 9290650402. 



  • Kramer (by Gibson): When Gibson Guitars bought Kramer Guitars out of bankruptcy in 1997, Gibson resurrected the brand and sold Kramer guitars via U.S. online shop MusicYo from 1998 until 2009. The enduring partnership between Samick and Gibson for the production of Gibson's Epiphone brand led to Epiphone managing Samick's production of the new Gibson Kramers.The FRT-20 was supplied as an OEM product to MusicYo Kramer guitars made in the 2000s. There were some lefty models, such as the Striker FR-424S LH, and the Baretta FR-404S LH. The FRT-20 is the perfect replacement for a tired Kramer-branded FRT-20 from the MusicYo era.



  • Douglas: Rondo Music is a U.S distributor of musical instruments and accessories that has been in business since 1959. They are famous for the huge range of beginner and intermediate-level guitars that they get in from China and Korea, under different brand names, e.g. "Agile", "SX" and "Douglas." As these brands have matured so has their quality and reputation, as well as their price. The FRT-20 found its way on some early Douglas guitars including this mid-2000s left-handed Douglas Hadron 625.



  • Shine guitars are made in Korea by Saein Musical Instrument Co. Left handed guitars were available and some were fitted with the FRT-20 Floyd Rose II clone. The pictures below are possibly from a left handed Shine SIL-602AN or Shine SIL-70 model.



  • Applause GTX Series: Kaman Music Corporation's Applause brand produced the "GTX" Series of Superstrat guitars from 1988 - 1994. These were aimed at beginners and intermediate players with guitars made in Korea by Samick. Some were built with this tremolo. The baseplate was stamped "GTX." I am not certain of there ever being lefties.


  • ESP: "Grassroots" is one of the entry-level brands of ESP. Some guitars such as this (right-handed) Grassroots Horizon were built with this.



FRT30 : Takeuchi TRS-101 replacement


The FRT-30 from the "Korean catalog" is the Takeuchi TRS-101 clone. These have been in use by multiple guitar brands for over 20 years, including on left-handed guitars. This is a testament to its quality. I have brand new stock of this unit. Complete kit with L2 nut, 36mm block and all accessories to do an immediate swap. These units are better quality than the current Floyd Rose Special.


  • B.C Rich: From 1997-2003, some B.C. Rich "N.J Series" guitars made by World Musical Instrument Co. in Korea were built with the FRT-30. It replaced the KKT-3 double-locking tremolo made by Jin Ah. In B.C Rich catalogs it was listed as "Double Locking Floyd Rose licensed tremolo." It was used on the "N.J Neck-Thru Series" and some "N.J Platinum Series" models including left-handed models such as this Platinum Series Warlock, this N.J Warlock, and this N.J Neck-Thru Warlock. This 2005 lefty Platinum Pro Series Warlock is another example. After dabbling with the ill-fated Floyd Rose Speedloader between 2003 and 2004, it appears B.C. Rich returned to this unit in about 2006.



  • Gaskell: My original factory range of left-handed guitars and basses was manufactured from 2008 to 2012. Although my guitars were made in China, all my hardware was Korean. I used Jin Ho tuners and Sung-il hardware, and my Floyd Rose tremolos came from the same universal OEM pool as every other brand in the world. I used the FRT-30 on special-ordered left-handed Explorers that I offered through the Gaskell Pro Series.

    It was the stock tremolo on my left handed Kelly and left handed Randy Rhoads V models. Authors note: I have a very banged up early-2010s Gaskell Concord that I have gigged hard with over the years, and still use to this day, that has one of these, and even after all these years it stays in tune and performs 100%.




The "Chinese catalog"


No business using Chinese manufacturing ever deals with the factories themselves. China has a strict system where trading companies are the organizations that deal with buyers and source from multiple factories to produce OEM products. This is why different guitar brands use the same factories and the same hardware, whether they know it or not. The trading companies all use the same catalogs. It could be a hundred different factories in China that make these.


The Chinese codes are BL + a product number, e.g. the Chinese TRS-101 clone is product number BL001. They all have "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Pats." on the block and often also on the tail.


Some of these products are not actually clones but modified variants of a well-known product; e.g., there never was a Takeuchi string-through TRS-101, but there is one in this OEM pool.


Product number

Clone of

Finishes

BL-001

Takeuchi TRS-101

CR, GD, BK

BL-002

Schaller Floyd Rose II

CR, GD, BK

BL-003

Takeuchi TRS-PRO

CR, GD, BK

BL-004

(Not a clone) String-thru version of FR II

CR, GD, BK

BL-005

(Not a clone) String-thru version of TRS-101

CR, GD, BK

BL-011

Takeuchi TRS-101 with push-in arm

CR, GD, BK

BL-021

Floyd Rose II with push in arm

CR, GD, BK

BL-022

(Not a clone) String-through Floyd Rose II with push in arm

CR, GD, BK

The following are examples of guitars built with Floyd Rose style tremolos from the "Chinese catalog."



  • ESP: ESP's entry-level brand "Grassroots" is made in China. Some Grassroots guitars used the BL-001. An example is this late-2000s left-handed Grassroots Original Series G-FR-62GT. (This model is discontinued.) Note: There was an Edwards version of this same guitar, model Forest E-FR-145GT, which came instead with a Ping Well Floyd Rose tremolo.


  • Rondo Music. Agile, SX, and Douglas are longstanding budget brands marketed by Rondo Music in the United States. This left handed Agile AL-2500 uses the TRS-101 clone from the "Chinese catalog."



Glossary of Terms


  • 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.

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

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

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

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

  • OFR: Original Floyd Rose. Applies to the modern FRT100 Series currently made in the USA and formerly made in Germany. Historically also refers to the Japanese and German FRT-5.

  • 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.

  • Tremolo: A musical effect where the volume (amplitude) of a note is rapidly modulated, producing a pulsating or shuddering sound. It is distinct from vibrato, which otherwise affects pitch, not volume. For decades this term has been technically misused to describe pitch-bending effects such as those produced by guitar vibrato systems.​

  • 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.

  • Vibrato: A musical effect where the pitch of a note is varied up and down, usually rapidly, creating a warbling or wavering sound. This expressive technique adds warmth and richness to music, commonly used by singers and instrumentalists.

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