Floyd Rose

Floyd Rose is the inventor of the "locking (and 'double-locking') tremolo" (vibrato) system, or "whammy bar", for the electric guitar that bears his name. The name has become synonymous with this type of whammy bar. Though several manufacturers make similar systems, Floyd Rose owns the patent on the design. The Floyd Rose name and products are currently marketed and distributed by Fender.

Related Topics:
Tremolo - Vibrato - Whammy bar - Electric guitar - Patent - Fender

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The Floyd Rose system combines a lock behind the neck bridge (the "nut") of the guitar, which prevents the tuning ("machine") heads from being used and holds the strings taut, with a "floating bridge", where the other ends of the strings are also vise-locked (hence, "double-locking"). The locking system helps to keep the strings in tune while the strings are slackened to a degree which wasn't possible with older tremolo systems, such as those found on Fender's Stratocaster, allowing "dive bombs" (i.e. rapid lowering of the pitch of a note). Since the tuning heads are ineffectual with the lock in place, the Floyd Rose bridge has heads for fine tuning; the guitar is tuned before the lock is put on, then fine tuned afterwards.

Related Topics:
Fender - Stratocaster

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