Floyd Rose Tremolos for Left Hand Guitars: Original and Genuine
- Gaskell Guitars Australia
- Aug 8, 2023
- 16 min read
Updated: 5 hours 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 three parts:
Part 1: Original and Genuine Floyd Rose (Floyd Rose, Fernandes, Schaller, Sung il, Ping Well)
Part 2: OEM Producers (Kahler, Gotoh, Takeuchi, Ping Well)
Part 3: Proprietary Versions (Kahler, Fernandes, Ibanez, Matsumoku, Samick, Yamaha, ESP)
Overview
Musician Floyd Rose invented his original guitar tremolo in 1976. In 1979, he was granted U.S. Patent No. 4,171,661 "Guitar tremolo method and apparatus" for the double-locking mechanism at both the bridge and nut.
Rose made his early models out of his garage and presented them publicly at the 1980 NAMM Show. Shortly thereafter he partnered with Fernandes Electric Sound Research Group Co. Ltd. of Japan to produce further prototypes and the first production models.
Rose was introduced to Eddie Van Halen through a mutual friend and Van Halen began using Rose's products on his guitars.
Rose met executives from Kramer Guitars at the 1982 NAMM show and thereafter formed a partnership. Eddie Van Halen had also signed with Kramer.
The first production tremolos made by Fernandes were fitted exclusively to Kramer guitars in the United States beginning in 1982. The bodies and necks of the guitars were built at the ESP factory in Japan and shipped to the United States for assembly. Rose filed for a patent for the fine tuners on March 15, 1982.
With input from Eddie Van Halen, the final design was released in 1983. In the same year the Kramer Baretta was released which quickly became Kramer's flagship model due to its association with Eddie Van Halen.
Original Floyd Rose units were made by Fernandes in Japan (using sub-contractors) and Schaller in Germany from the end of 1983. Local company Hansen Metalworks did an interim run of 800 units during the 6 months it took for Schaller to begin production.
The "locking tremolo" concept spread quickly throughout the Music industry which led to other parts distributors and guitar brands making their own copies. To safeguard his patent rights, Rose devised an innovative strategy to grant sub-licenses to interested manufacturers, allowing them to produce their own units or OEM units for other guitar brands that wished to utilize them. Authorized manufacturers would have to display a licensing statement on their products to validate their authenticity and to differentiate them from the genuine originals.
From 1985 Floyd Rose ended the Fernandes contract leaving Schaller to produce all original models thereafter. The Schaller originals continued to be marketed and distributed exclusively by Kramer.
Floyd Rose filed for a further patent for Fine Tuners on February 4, 1985 for which was awarded as U.S. Patent No. 4,549,461 on October 29, 1985. On February 5, 1985 the patent applied for in 1982 for the Fine Tuners was awarded as U.S. Patent No. 4,497,236.
Kramer went bankrupt in 1991 and Fender took over distribution until 2005. From 2005 distribution returned to Floyd Rose. Under Floyd Rose's control Schaller remained the producer of the Original Floyd Rose (OFR) tremolos and OEM production was moved fully to Korea.
AP International Music Supply in the United States is the current distributor of Floyd Rose original products.
Rose applied for a worldwide Design Patent for "Fine tuning tremolo bridge unit for a guitar" in 1989 which was awarded in 1992 as USD324693S.
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SD324693S
Guitar brands that adopted the Floyd Rose systems include Aria Pro II, B.C Rich, Carvin, Charvel, Epiphone, ESP, EVH, Fender, Fernandes, Framus, Gaskell, Gibson, Hamer, Ibanez, Jackson, Kramer, Music Man, Peavey, Samick, Schecter, Tokai, Tom Anderson, Vester, Washburn, Westone, and Yamaha.
The early manufacturers of licensed Floyd Rose tremolos were Schaller, Takeuchi, Gotoh, and Kahler. These companies manufactured units under OEM arrangements for multiple guitar brands. Licensed units were most often stamped "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Patents" on the base plate or tail.
Schaller always made the original Floyd Rose models and their own licensed version and does so to this day. They also did some international OEM production up until the early 2000s.
Takeuchi continued to manufacture licensed Floyd Rose tremolos for Ibanez, Jackson, Charvel, Yamaha, Fernandes, Aria Pro II, and Washburn, among others until the late 2000s. They also produced lower-cost units for Ibanez's entry-level guitars up to 2010.
Gotoh made their own tremolo as a direct replacement for the Schaller Licensed and Schaller Original and supplied theirs as OEM units to Aria Pro II, B.C Rich, Ibanez, Music Man, Peavey, and Fernandes from 1986.
Kahler made several proprietary models during the 1980s and 1990s combining Floyd Rose and Kahler patents. These were the renowned "Steeler," "Killer," and "Spyder" tremolos, made at the same time as Kahler was developing their own cam-based systems. All were available left-handed. Kahler left the industry in the early 1990s but returned in 2005 and is now most famous for its own guitar bridges and tremolos. After an absence of 30 years Kahler announced they were re-releasing the Steeler and Spyder in 2023.
Other OEM producers have been Ping Well in Taiwan; and Sung il and Jin Ah in Korea.
Fernandes, Ibanez, Yamaha, Aria, Tokai, and ESP went on to produce proprietary versions of modified Floyd Rose-style systems for their own guitar brands. Often they used the same factories with just different branding for the same parts. Schaller also produced an exclusive system for Fender Japan.
ESP produced their early "Magician" clone and then licensed "ESP Synclear Tremolo" for their Japanese-made guitars during the 1980s and 1990s.
Yamaha produced their licensed "Rocking Magic" series of tremolos until the early 2000s.
Fernandes continued and modified the original Floyd Rose units that they made for Rose and Kramer to become the "Head Crasher," then the "FRT Tremolo System" until 1997.
Ibanez developed its own proprietary systems using Gotoh to manufacture them in the 1980s and has continued to develop and use them to this day.
Aria Pro II used several unique tremolos made by Jin Ah of Korea during the 1980s, including the "Bendmaster" and "ACT-3." The Bendmaster was also extensively used by B.C. Rich well into the 1990s.
Tokai produced five tremolo systems using Floyd Rose technologies as the "Ayers Rocker" series during the 1980s.
Schaller made the "Blade Shooter" tremolo system exclusively for Fender Japan during the 1980s. There were eventually three versions, known outside Japan as "System I", "System II", and "System III."
The main Floyd Rose patent expired in 2003 after which licensing was no longer necessary. This led to a slew of Asian manufacturers making copies of varying quality. By 2008, all the patents had expired.
In the early days of mass manufacturing in China, factories imported their musical instrument hardware from Korea. China did not start manufacturing their own hardware until the late 2000s. To combat the flood of cheap copies from China, Floyd Rose released the "Floyd Rose Special" in 2008. Like the current OEM 1000 Series, this unit is also made in Korea but uses cheaper materials than the German and Korean originals, while maintaining the excellence you would expect from a genuine Floyd Rose product.
The following information is the definitive guide on Floyd Rose tremolos (and variants) for left-handed guitars.
I will get this out of the way first: I am a big fan of Floyd Rose tremolos. I owned an original lefty Kramer back in the 1980s. I am very familiar with each of the OFR, Schaller and Gotoh tremolos. I also like the modern Ibanez systems. I also like Kahler tremolos too.
If you are keen on upgrading your lefty guitar with a better-quality tremolo or replacing the one you have, then here are your choices:
Original Floyd Rose (FRT-100L)
The first production Floyd Rose tremolos were made in Japan by Fernandes Electric Sound Research Group Co. Ltd. from 1982, with the final double-locking design with fine tuners made from 1983 and later in the same year by Schaller of Germany too. The final design was designated "FRT-5."
Parts and complete units were shipped to the United States for exclusive assembly by Kramer in the United States. ESP, who built the bodies and necks, also built complete guitars for the Japanese domestic market.
Kramer did make left hand versions of their U.S-assembled Pacer and Baretta models and their Japanese-made "Focus Series" with the Japanese and later German FRT-5 tremolos.
Schaller became sole manufacturer of Original Floyd Rose (OFR) tremolos from 1985, and they continued to be marketed and distributed exclusively by Kramer. All products were made in Germany.
Although the contract ended after 1985, Fernandes still had rights to manufacture Original Floyd Rose tremolos and continued to manufacture their double-locking FRT-5 and non fine tuner FRT-2 for their own guitar brands, and broadly for the Japanese domestic retail market until 1987. (See following section on Fernandes.)
The FRT-5 was originally etched with "Floyd Rose" on the base plate until about 1987 after which they were embossed with "Floyd Rose Original."
The modern double-locking Floyd Rose tremolo is designated FRT-100 and is almost unchanged from the original 1983 FRT-5 production model. To this day, Schaller in Germany produces the FRT-100 as well as their own Schaller-branded version.
The 100 series is Floyd Rose's flagship model. The unit is made of high-quality hardened steel and the sustain block is made of nickel-plated brass. The base is stamped "Floyd Rose Original" at the top. The FRT-100L is the left handed version and is available in chrome, satin chrome, black, gold, black nickel, vintage copper, and satin pearl.
Unfortunately, neither Floyd Rose nor Schaller offer a lefty 7 string tremolo, nor the non fine tuner tremolo.
I am an authorized Australian dealer of Original Floyd Rose products and you can buy from me directly. SEE HERE.
Schaller
Modern Schaller Tremolo (1984 - 2012)
In addition to producing the FRT-100, Schaller also makes their own licensed tremolo which is almost identical to the FRT-100. These have "Schaller" embossed on one side of the base and "Made in Germany by Schaller" embossed on the other side of the base. The block is stamped with "FR" in a circle, the block size, and www.floydrose.com. All parts between the Schaller licensed tremolo and the Original FRT-100 are interchangeable. Schaller phased out left handed units beginning in 2012.
There are some very minor manufacturing differences between the FRT-100 and the Schaller licensed.
The base plate of the Schaller licensed unit is zinc cast, as opposed to being solid steel on the FRT-100
The fulcrum points on the Schaller have replaceable hardened steel inserts.
The locking screws aren't as long in the back so the unit will fit in a smaller rout.
The Schaller licensed features a 12" radius, as opposed to the 10" of the FRT-100.
Trembucker or F-Spaced humbuckers are not necessary for the Schaller licensed tremolo.
Floyd Rose II (1987 - 2000)
In 1987 Schaller produced the "Floyd Rose II" which was a cast iron, string-through tremolo based on Rose's second tremolo system originally designated as the "FRT-2" by Fernandes. The strings are fed through horizontal tubes at the rear and do not have to have their ball ends cut off.
Early units were embossed with "Floyd Rose II" at the top of the base plate and "Made In Germany by Schaller" at the bottom of the base plate. Later versions said "Floyd Rose II" on the base only. The Floyd Rose II was fitted to Korean-made Kramer guitars until 1989, while Japanese and U.S-assembled Kramers continued to be built with the Schaller-made Original Floyd Rose double locking tremolo.
From 1989, the Floyd Rose II name was reapplied to a cheaper version of the Schaller-licensed double-locking tremolo, also embossed with "Floyd Rose II" at the top of the base plate. The knife edges had inserts, as with the higher-spec Schaller. This one did not have any licensing statement on the tail. The double locking Floyd Rose II was used on the 1989 Kramer "100-Series" and "Striker Series" made in Korea. The Striker Series were available in left hand.
Being cast iron, both versions of the Floyd Rose II had a rough, "orange peel" finish.
From my research it seems the Floyd Rose II may have been dropped around 2000.
OEM supply
Schaller also provided its single locking and double locking Floyd Rose II as an OEM licensed tremolo for some Jackson, Carvin, Charvel, Hamer, Gibson, Music Man, Peavey, and Washburn guitars during the 1980s and 1990s. These OEM models retained the orange peel finish of the unbranded Floyd Rose II.
They had brand of the guitar embossed on the top side of the base plate and "Made in Germany by Schaller" embossed on the opposite side with "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Patents" embossed on the tail. Two U.S patent numbers were engraved in the block.
For Jackson the string-through version was model "JT-570" and the double-locking version was "JT-590." For Charvel the latter was the "FLC-202." They had "Jackson" or "Charvel" embossed on the top side of the base plate. I do not know of any left handed Jacksons that came with the JT-590 but I believe the identical FLC-202 was used on the 1989-1991 Japan-only, lefty Charvel 475 Deluxe and the 1991 Japan-only lefty DK-090-SSHL Dinky.
Carvin switched from Kahler tremolos to the Schaller OEM tremolo in 1990. It was listed in Carvin catalogs as the "FC3" from 1990-1993. All Carvin guitars were offered left handed. (From 1994 Carvin switched to the FRT-100.)
The very rare left-handed Hamer USA Californian produced in 1990 came with the double locking tremolo and was stamped "Hamer" on the opposite side of the "Made in Germany..." inscription.
Lockmeister 6 (2012 - present)
The Schaller LockMeister® 6 Tremolo is an improved version of the original Schaller licensed tremolo using newer technologies. All studs, inserts and screws are black-zinc and black-chrome finished. Also new are height-adjusted one-piece string saddles for 12" tremolo-radius, eliminating the need for shims. The fine tuner screws also have longer threads. The Lockmeister is a direct replacement for the FRT-100. It has "Schaller" engraved on the base plate. Left hand models are available in chrome, Satin chrome, black, gold, nickel, and ruthenium.
FRT-1000L (OEM)
On lower-cost guitars fitted with a genuine Floyd Rose tremolo, the unit was not made in Germany but made in Korea. Some Korean OEM production had been occurring since the 1980s for non-U.S guitar models but it was initially Schaller producing both the originals and OEM models for guitar brands while other manufacturers such as Gotoh and Takeuchi were making their "Licensed under Floyd Rose Patents" versions.
Since about 2010 the OEM FRT-100 systems have been made exclusively in Korea by Sung-il Hightech Co Ltd. These OEM models are designated the "1000 Series." It is exactly the same as the German FRT-100, built with the same quality materials as the German models, but manufactured in Korea. Being strictly OEM units these are forbidden for sale to the general public.
Because it is a Floyd Rose genuine product it does not have or need a "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Patents" statement. The 1000-Series is simply stamped with "Floyd Rose" on the base with only one exception: EVH guitars that use the 1000-Series have "EVH Floyd Rose" stamped on the base plate, apparently the result of a special arrangement between Floyd Rose and Eddie Van Halen. See the current left handed EVH Striped Series Red with Black and White Stripes.
FRT-1000s have the "FR" logo and the website address stamped on the block. The lefty chrome version is the "FRT-1000L", the black is the "FRT-2000L" and gold is the "FRT-3000L."
Until the advent of the Floyd Rose Special, 1000-Series units were sometimes branded. In 2023 AP International told me that this is no longer the practice.
Note. In 2020 Floyd Rose discontinued their German "Floyd Rose Pro" low profile tremolo (never available in left hand and thus not mentioned here) and remarketed it as the "1000 Series Pro" which is now made in Korea. They aren't making this new one in left hand either. With this, the FRT-1000 Series is now designated "FRT-1000 Series Original."
Floyd Rose FRTS1000L "Special Tremolo System"
The Floyd Rose Special was introduced in 2008, made in Korea exclusively for Floyd Rose. I believe this was produced to combat the flood of cheap Chinese Floyd Rose copies that were starting to come onto the market during the 2000s, and to undercut the cheaper but still high-quality licensed alternatives like the Takeuchi TRS-101. The introduction of the Special, and making it available to the broad public, essentially eliminated the need for additional third-party producers.
The lefty Floyd Rose Special is exactly the same as the Korean-made OEM model but uses zinc alloy saddles in place of steel and a zinc alloy sustain block in place of brass. It is branded "Floyd Rose Special" on the baseplate and has the "FR" logo on the block. Unlike the OEM-only "1000 Series", the Special is available to the public and can be bought direct from Floyd Rose or from a reseller. I believe it may be made by Sung-il too. The "S1000L" model is the lefty chrome version, the "S2000L" model is black, and the "S3000L" is the gold model.
The Special is the usual tremolo on mid-level guitars produced today. AP International offers the option to stamp the Special. The standard stamping format is to use "[brand] by Floyd Rose." Jackson has done for their entry level guitars made in China, including the current left handed JS32L Randy Rhoads.
NOTE: There is also a left-handed 7-string Floyd Rose Special, model FRTSSS1000L. The 7-string lefty comes in chrome, black, black nickel, and gold.
Fernandes 1981 - 1985
Fernandes Electric Sound Research Group Co. Ltd. of Japan was the original producer of Floyd Rose tremolos including the prototypes and first production models.
Fernandes is not a manufacturer themselves but used a number of Japanese factories to manufacture for them. They also have their own "Fernandes" and "Burny" brands of guitars and electronics, parts, and accessories. In all the years since, it has never been made public as to who they used for the Floyd Rose contract, but considering that it was Gotoh that made the bridges, tuners, and pickups for Fernandes' own Fernandes and Burny guitars, it is possible that it was Gotoh.
From the early to mid-1980s, Fernandes and Burny guitars were built at Kasuga Gakki, which also made Yamaha guitars. From the late 1980s, Fernandes and Burny guitars were built by Dyna Gakki in Nagano. Dyna Gakki also subcontracted to Fujigen Gakki to build guitars for Fender Japan at their peak.
FRT-1, FRT-3
The first tremolo unit manufactured through Fernandes was the one Floyd Rose had been manufacturing himself and selling directly since 1978. Rose presented his first unit publicly at the 1980 NAMM Show where Rose and representatives of Fernandes first met. This early unit had the locking saddles but no fine tuners. Fernandes began manufacturing it in 1981, and it appeared in Fernandes' Japanese guitar catalogs in 1982 as the "FRT-1." After a quick redesign of the saddles, it became the "FRT-3," released only 6 months later. The ones made by Floyd personally have a sticker on the block saying "ROSE Tremolo Pat # 4,171,661 USA."
The FRT-3 was used on Kramer guitars in the United States and Fernandes guitars in Japan including the Fernandes left handed FV-135. and the 1983 Fernandes left handed EX-145 (Explorer.)
After an absence of 25 years, Floyd Rose re-released this tremolo in 2015 following revived interest in it particularly because of guitarists Guthrie Govan, Brad Gillis, and Yngwie Malmsteen. Today it is called the "non fine tuner" tremolo. The re-issued model is made by Schaller and is not available left handed.
FRT-2 / Head Banker
A string-through bridge developed by Rose and Fernandes was also released in 1982, designated "FRT-2." It was produced alongside the FRT-1 and does not have insert blocks or locks at the saddles. Strings are fed from the bottom through the block like a standard Fender Stratocaster bridge. Both the FRT-1 and FRT-2 appeared in the 1982 Fernandes catalog.
From 1983, the FRT-2 was advertised in Japanese Fernandes catalogs as the "Head Banker." (I didn't know Fernandes was involved in Finance - joke.) Fernandes ceased producing it at the end of their Floyd Rose contract.
Fernandes used this tremolo on their FST Series guitars in 1982-1983, which I believe were not made in left-hand versions.
FRT-4 / FRT-5 / FRT-7
With the addition of vertical fine tuners as recommended by Eddie Van Halen, the FRT-3 became the "FRT-4," also released in 1982, but was only produced for five months, cut short because of complaints from Van Halen about their location interfering with his playing.
Eddie Van Halen's feedback contributed to the FRT-4 gaining a "tail" to relocate the fine tuners, which solved the problem of the fine tuners getting in the way on the short-lived FRT-4. This became the "FRT-5," released and produced from 1983. Fernandes and Schaller continued to manufacture the FRT-5, FRT-2, and FRT-3 originals through 1984.
Kramer's Japanese-made "Focus Series" utilized the Fernandes FRT-5 Original Floyd Rose tremolo. U.S-assembled Kramers received the Schaller equivalent.
Fernandes sold both the German and Japanese Floyd Rose kits to the Japanese domestic retail market as well as used them on their own guitars. In the Japanese catalogs, the German version is advertised as the "FRT-5", and the Japanese version is advertised as the "FRT-7."
The original Fernandes models from 1983-1985 are practically identical to the original Schaller models of the same era. Both are etched with "Floyd Rose" at the top of the base plate. The Fernandes blocks have a sticker that says "Floyd Rose TREMOLO SYSTEM PAT.4,171,661." The German units have "Made in Germany" embossed under the base plate. The German FRT-5 has a "Made in W. Germany" sticker on the block.
Sometime in 1985, Fernandes lost the contract to manufacture Floyd Rose systems, and Schaller thereafter became the exclusive manufacturer. Fernandes' response was to rebrand theirs and continue to manufacture them as the "Head Crasher" series for the Japanese domestic market.
See here for Fernandes tremolo developments after the end of the Floyd Rose contract: Floyd Rose Tremolos for left hand guitars: Proprietary Versions
Ping Well 1987 - 2008
Ping Well Industrial Co. Ltd. located in Taiwan was one of Floyd Rose's official producers of genuine and OEM Floyd Rose tremolos. They also have their own patents for guitar tuners and locking tuners.
In 1991, when Fender took over as distributor for Floyd Rose, Rose and Fender utilized Ping Well to manufacturer a tremolo for Fender Stratocaster guitars.
Ping Well was chosen by Floyd Rose personally to produce the Floyd Rose Speedloader during the 2000s.
See here for information on OEM Floyd Rose products produced by Ping Well: Floyd Rose Tremolos for left hand guitars: OEM Producers
Fender Deluxe Locking Tremolo
In 1993 Fender (now the distributor of Floyd Rose products) 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. Being a "genuine" Floyd Rose product, no licensing statement on the unit was required.
When the Fender and Floyd Rose distribution agreement ended, 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. Pointless knowing this really, isn't it?
Floyd Rose Speedloader
In a 2004 interview, Floyd Rose said he personally chose Ping Well to make his then-new Floyd Rose Speedloader tremolo system (never available left-handed), which he had decided would not be licensed but would be manufactured directly. Rose also said that he personally supervised the project. Rose could not supply the special strings needed for the system and the system has gone down in history as somewhat of a failure. But there was also a 2010 court case between Floyd Rose and Geoffrey L. McCabe, who alleged that the SpeedLoader infringed on designs for which he had patents. Ping Well was named as a counter claimant in the case. The court case was eventually dismissed in 2013.
According to export data for 2023, Ping Well exports musical instrument parts for Taylor Guitars, Martin Guitars, Jean Larrivée Guitars, and Graphtech Guitar Labs. They also exported "musical instrument parts" to India in 2023. From 2020 to 2022, they exported musical instrument parts exclusively to Indonesia. In those records, I saw no business with AP International.
CLICK HERE FOR PART 2: Floyd Rose Tremolos for left hand guitars: OEM Producers
CLICK HERE FOR PART 3: Floyd Rose Tremolos for left hand guitars: Proprietary Versions
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