Mid Tier Guitar rant...

[SFW]

Ok... so my "mid tier" definition may be very different from yours. When I say mid tier, I am referring to guitars in the $800-$1500 price range. I consider the guitars in this price range to be solid guitars for working musicians in bar bands. So me...lol! So, why in seven hells can manufactures not equip German made Floyd Rose bridges on guitars in this price range?!!? Its not like they are that much more expensive than the Korean made FR1000. The Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas retails at $869. The EVH Wolfgang Special retails for $999. I expect for those prices that the guitars should come with an OFR. I expect to change pickups on most of my guitars. That comes down to a preference thing. But you should not have to replace your bridge on a guitar in this range, IMHO. That's all. Rant done. lol.

 

[GOHOINC]

Think of it from the business perspective. If I'm a manufacturer playing in the low or mid-tier markets, I'm relying on volume to make a profit, which means margins are slim... While the retail price of an OFR might not be much different than other brand's double locking bridges, perhaps OFRs aren't available the volumes needed, or perhaps they don't offer as much of a volume discount or perhaps Charvel etc. prefer the simplification of having 1 supplier for bridges, tuning machines etc... With slim margins, every penny counts and looking at retail price difference alone doesn't give us a full picture of what it would really cost the business to onboard a new supplier/part.

 

[napalmdeath]

I don't think the higher end Floyd manufacturers could keep up with the demand for mid-priced instruments, honestly. It's easier to buy mass-produced from Korea.

Personally, I think the ESP's, Schecters, Charvels, and EVH's should look at Gotoh, vs 1000-series. They're competitively priced, and higher quality.

But, at the end of the day, it's what's most profitable, and maintains highest margins.

 

[PDC]

I agree with this completely. I think this is why a long time ago I transitioned to buying bodies and necks from Musikraft and Warmoth and assembling my own guitars. I’m sure I have under $800 in my priciest build - but by sourcing only the hardware and pickups you really want, you avoid taking the hit selling the ‘stock’ parts from the guitar before buying what should have been on there in the first place. I actually bought a pair of bare EVH stripe series bodies from Stratosphere and sourced EVH-Heel-Correct necks from Musikraft along with genuine Floyd’s and Jalen pickups to complete them. I’d put my builds up against the US Charvel Art Series any day for well under a grand each and had a blast turning all the screws myself.

 

[GreatRedDragon]

It's a give and take. Something they offer at the mid-tier is something they can't use to sell a high-tier instrument. Don't like the FRT-1000 on your Charvel Pro Mod? Gotta buy the USA Select then!

Gibson is the worst for this shit, because they deliberately fuck up the body contours of their USA SGs in order to make the more expensive Historic models more appealing.

 

[romanianreaper]

I agree with this completely. I think this is why a long time ago I transitioned to buying bodies and necks from Musikraft and Warmoth and assembling my own guitars. I’m sure I have under $800 in my priciest build - but by sourcing only the hardware and pickups you really want, you avoid taking the hit selling the ‘stock’ parts from the guitar before buying what should have been on there in the first place. I actually bought a pair of bare EVH stripe series bodies from Stratosphere and sourced EVH-Heel-Correct necks from Musikraft along with genuine Floyd’s and Jalen pickups to complete them. I’d put my builds up against the US Charvel Art Series any day for well under a grand each and had a blast turning all the screws myself.

Dude that is awesome!!! I might be hitting you up for more info in the future. I'd like to do that sometime just as a project.

You should start PDC Guitars....LOL

 

[romanianreaper]

SFW, you are right about that stuff. Sadly, the only people who notice that most of the time are players like us wanting those things. If a company can get a cheaper part and keep a bit of dough, then it happens.

I will say this though. If a neck plays awesome, and the body looks great, etc., the rest can be adjusted to really kick some ass. I know that is not ideal but at least there are options. Charvel and EVH necks are butter so then if you want a better bridge, tuners, etc. we can make it happen and the core goodness of that guitar is still there. Agree with you though that mid-tier really can be a kick in the nutsack.

 

[PDC]

Damn! Thank you!!! I’m no luthier - I’m an ‘assembler.’ I’m pretty darn good at assembly and setup. Decent with a soldering iron. My nut grooving skills are getting there. I stay away from fret work. But I love the process of slapping my own guitars together!

 

[Racerxrated]

Ok... so my "mid tier" definition may be very different from yours. When I say mid tier, I am referring to guitars in the $800-$1500 price range. I consider the guitars in this price range to be solid guitars for working musicians in bar bands. So me...lol! So, why in seven hells can manufactures not equip German made Floyd Rose bridges on guitars in this price range?!!? Its not like they are that much more expensive than the Korean made FR1000. The Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas retails at $869. The EVH Wolfgang Special retails for $999. I expect for those prices that the guitars should come with an OFR. I expect to change pickups on most of my guitars. That comes down to a preference thing. But you should not have to replace your bridge on a guitar in this range, IMHO. That's all. Rant done. lol.

I agree; and I've changed out both my Korean FR1000s for OFRs on my 2 USA 08/09 Charvels. But, if I'm honest there was absolutely no tonal/feel change that I can tell. The chrome looks cooler, it's nice that they have an OFR but those FR1000s are nice bridges. Never had a problem with them...

 

[Rock Bodom]

Korean and German Floyds have always been "close enough" for me, and I've had a bazillion guitars with both. Honestly never felt the need to "upgrade" the Korean.

In an age of soaring prices on custom shop guitars, and lots of plywood at the lower end, honestly I think that mid tier price range is where you can find a lot of the best values overall these days.

 

[thenine]

I just don’t like the way the bar goes loose after my first touch.

 

[PDC]

I just don’t like the way the bar goes loose after my first touch.

The Floyd Push-In Bar upgrade for $16 is just an unbelievable upgrade to the threaded collar bar or the original over/under wrench adjust bar. A small hex adjusts the tension of the thick nylon collar - zero slop.

https://floydrose.com/products/frtapi?v ... 9837630162

 

[Shask]

I just don’t like the way the bar goes loose after my first touch.

Yeah, My FRT-1000's have been good overall except the bar. However, you can replace the bar and it's holder for about $15. Once you replace that, they are good stable trems.

 

[GreatRedDragon]

I just don’t like the way the bar goes loose after my first touch.

Yeah, My FRT-1000's have been good overall except the bar. However, you can replace the bar and it's holder for about $15. Once you replace that, they are good stable trems.

I'm thinking of making that swap for the same reason. Is there a particular bar you recommend?

 

[Shask]

I just don’t like the way the bar goes loose after my first touch.

Yeah, My FRT-1000's have been good overall except the bar. However, you can replace the bar and it's holder for about $15. Once you replace that, they are good stable trems.

I'm thinking of making that swap for the same reason. Is there a particular bar you recommend?

Not really, lol. Years ago I bought a Schaller bar for a Charvel that has been strong ever since. I bought one for a Schecter recently that was a Floyd Rose Special bar. It was not as nice, but I put a small spring in the hole under the bar, and it is working pretty good now. These are just what Stew Mac had at the time.

Now, one of my other Schecters is starting to wiggle free that has worked for years, so I will probably look into another Schaller, or maybe try to get an OFR directly from them, like the one posted above.

 

[SFW]

You can pick up a push in Floyd Rose bar kit for under $20. I have done this to every FR I have owned since they started selling them. The FR on my Charvel I drilled out to install the bar from a Gotoh FR. Love those things.

I can actually hear the difference between the FR1000 and the OFR. To me, the OFR has better mid response and they tend to sustain better. I recently changed the FR Special on my Washburn N24 for an OFR and the tonal difference was staggering. The guitar came to life. The mid were punchier and the guitar just sounded better. Now if I could just find an alder N4 body...lol! The N24 has the Stephens cutaway neck.

 

[scottosan]

Ok... so my "mid tier" definition may be very different from yours. When I say mid tier, I am referring to guitars in the $800-$1500 price range. I consider the guitars in this price range to be solid guitars for working musicians in bar bands. So me...lol! So, why in seven hells can manufactures not equip German made Floyd Rose bridges on guitars in this price range?!!? Its not like they are that much more expensive than the Korean made FR1000. The Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas retails at $869. The EVH Wolfgang Special retails for $999. I expect for those prices that the guitars should come with an OFR. I expect to change pickups on most of my guitars. That comes down to a preference thing. But you should not have to replace your bridge on a guitar in this range, IMHO. That's all. Rant done. lol.

Business are only businesses if they turn a profit. Add the fact that they don’t sell direct and the stores maybe pay about 60 percent of what you do. Let’s see how much it would cost you to assemble a Charvel with an OFR and I suspect you’ll be at or more what the store are charging and you won’t be even be touching payroll, taxes, leases and utilities.

 

[thenine]

I just don’t like the way the bar goes loose after my first touch.

The Floyd Push-In Bar upgrade for $16 is just an unbelievable upgrade to the threaded collar bar or the original over/under wrench adjust bar. A small hex adjusts the tension of the thick nylon collar - zero slop.

https://floydrose.com/products/frtapi?v ... 9837630162

Thanks! I did not know.

 

[SFW]

Business are only businesses if they turn a profit. Add the fact that they don’t sell direct and the stores maybe pay about 60 percent of what you do. Let’s see how much it would cost you to assemble a Charvel with an OFR and I suspect you’ll be at or more what the store are charging and you won’t be even be touching payroll, taxes, leases and utilities.

I can tell you exactly how much. I've put two together. One Pro Mod San Dimas and one SoCal. I sourced the parts from Ebay over a few months. I have less than $500 in each guitar. I will give you that I have a ton of pickups laying around my house, so I didn't have to purchase those for the build. I suppose that my real rant boils down to this... 10 years ago, guitars in this price range seemed to be more of a value. I have a hard time wrapping my head around $4k Les Pauls, $1,600 US Strats and so on. I love my 2020 Sweetwater US Professional Strat. Its a great guitar. However, it is not a higher quality guitar compared to the 2003 US Strat that I owned and payed $1,000 for new. I understand inflation... but it seems to me that right now the guitar market has raised prices at a much higher rate than other markets. Which is why I usually buy used these days. I also understand that business is in business to make money. I am mainly griping about a small issue that I have. I also know that spending an extra $190 to make a good guitar great is a small price to pay.

 

[Racerxrated]

You can pick up a push in Floyd Rose bar kit for under $20. I have done this to every FR I have owned since they started selling them. The FR on my Charvel I drilled out to install the bar from a Gotoh FR. Love those things.

I can actually hear the difference between the FR1000 and the OFR. To me, the OFR has better mid response and they tend to sustain better. I recently changed the FR Special on my Washburn N24 for an OFR and the tonal difference was staggering. The guitar came to life. The mid were punchier and the guitar just sounded better. Now if I could just find an alder N4 body...lol! The N24 has the Stephens cutaway neck.

FR specials are not the same as the FR 1000. Again, I love the OFR and have changed out both USA Charvels in favor of them..just haven’t noticed much if any difference.
But you are correct about the pricing these days. That’s why Chubtones are such great bargains IMO.