Hi all,

I've got a Daemoness custom build on order, it's still a very long wait but I figured it's never too early to research exactly what specs I'm going to have on it.

The two things I'm undecided on are the neck profile and the bridge type. The neck profiles I'm going to explore by visiting Dylan and trying out his own neck carves and seeing how I like them in comparison to my ibby necks, and trying whatever else I can get my hands on.

As far as the bridge goes, it's a toss up between the original Edge and the Gotoh Floyd. I was hoping to get some detailed insight from someone who owns both types of bridge and/or someone who owns a Gotoh Floyd. I like the idea of the arm socket mechanism in the Gotoh Floyd - I always thought the Ibanez bushings and the OFR threads are bad designs. However, if the angle of the bar on the Gotoh Floyd is much different to the angle of the Edge's bar, then that'd really annoy me.

I understand the Edge is manufactured by Gotoh, so you wouldn't have thought Gotoh's own-branded bridge would be much different in profile and ergonomics. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks

IMO, Both have an extremely similar feel at the bar, so much so that I couldn't tell you which is which if I were blindfolded. The Gotoh feels a little sharper against the side of the hand, but not in a way that would cut you, it's just not as "soft" feeling as an Edge. I really like the look of an Edge over the Gotoh/OFR. That would be the only reason I would choose it over the Gotoh.

Thanks for the insight, RGT. Something else I would love more info on is the ABM katana tremolos... They look interesting, but I can't find any reviews on them at all!

I have both. The Edge tremolo has replaceable knife edges and a counterplate for the intonation screws. The Gotoh tremolo has stubbier trem posts that won't lean towards the neck so easily. I don't tune my guitars on a daily basis and to me the Edge tremolo keeps in tune better than the Gotoh, although they're both highly stable.

They are both great IMO, but the arm on the Gotoh is so much better than the edge. So if you can't stand the stock Edge arm and bushing system, then you will probably benefit from the Gotoh.

I own both, as well as a Wilkinson/ Gotoh VS100 strat-style bridge (with the same arm holder), and an OFR with their new gotoh-style arm holder.

They're all awesome bridges, and in fact I'd wanted a Gotoh arm holder for my OFRs and Ibanez since pretty much the moment I first tried one. The tension-adjustable bushing is hands-down the best design I'd tried, when I threw the VS100 into my strat.

Between the Edge and the Gotoh, feel under your hand will differ slightly, but they both perform very similarly. I'm trying to think if there's anything I can think of where the Gotoh doesn't measure up to the Edge, and I can't really think of anything - the fact that technically the bar screws in, as I recall, may be about it, meaning you have slightly slower bar installation/removal. It's a fair trade, though, because Ibanez bushings wear out so quickly, and don't really let you adjust the amount of play in the bar.

That said... Don't rule out an OFR, either. Here in the states, at least, it costs less than either an Edge OR a Gotoh, and while the bar design IMO was never as good as Gotoh's and merely annoying in different ways than the Edge, their new pop-in bar is awesome. Unlike the Gotoh (and, like the edge) it literally just pops in to the arm holder rather than screwing in, but it employs the same sort of tension collar with an allen key to increase or decrease rotational resistance. It's also a cheap upgrade:

http://www.floydrose.com/catalog/upg...h-in-style-arm

Unless there's some reason you DON'T want an OFR (the lack of locking bushings is the only thing I can think of, though this isn't as big a deal as you'd think - Floyd uses a MUCH smaller threading than the Edge, so there's not much play in them to begin with. I've never actually taken the studs out on the Gotoh I have, so I can't tell you how they compare, I'm afraid). As it stands, I know you can put an OFR arm into an Edge, so it's just a matter of time before I try putting a pop-in OFR arm onto the Edge on my 550. It's just a far better design.

I have both, both are great.

Thanks for all the info guys. Drew, thanks for the points about the OFR too I had no idea that they had released a push-in arm. Would you say the new OFR bar is a better design than the Gotoh one? I love the feel of the Ibanez bridge, but them damn bushings do my head in. Heating them up on my gas stove is the best work around but if the Gotoh tension-screw(?) or the OFR version are permanent ways of achieving a level of stiffness on the play of bar, then that's great.

Yeah, I think it's better. Once installed, the arm feels pretty much the same - there's a rubber collar inside the arm holder, and a small allen screw at the back that you can tighten or loosen to increase the amount of pressure on the side of the bar, and in turn increase or decrease the rotational resistance. It's awesome - you can totally lock the bar down if you really crank on it, or leave it pretty loose, without having it rattling around like a screw-collar OFR. I've got it set at a good happy medium where if I nudge it it moves relatively easily, but it also stays in position if I don't.

The big difference though is in installation - the OFR is a pop-in arm like an Ibanez, where you just stick it in the arm holder and shove down. If you want to rip it out mid song and do weird Vai stuff with it or play a few slide licks using the bar, you can do it. The Gotoh, however, is a threaded screw-in arm, like a Fender trem. IIRC on the OFR it's internally threaded - I know it is on the Wilkinson, and I'm pretty sure it is on the Floyd - where there's a cavity INSIDE the arm that's threaded, and it kind of screws into a screw in the arm holder, almost as if the bar was a weird, thin, oddly shaped bolt, if that makes any sense.

It works just as well once it's on, but it takes longer and if you have the collar set pretty tight, you have a lot of resistance while you're screwing.

I actually still have to install one on my UV (which has an OFR) - if I get a chance tonight, I'll shoot some video when I do and give a quick overview of the bar.

Do you happen to know if this new OFR bar fits a Schaller FR? They seem to get good reviews too, though I'm unsure of the differences in spec between a Schaller and an OFR. Good call on the video if you get round to it.

No clue, but if a Schaller FR will take a regular OFR arm, then I'd say so. I've never played a Schaller, though.

http://www.floydrose.com/catalog/tre...eries/titanium

^ THIS.... with the plug in bar would be GODLIKE

Edit: this appears to be the arm that comes with the titanium model: http://www.floydrose.com/catalog/upg...um-tremolo-arm

At $900, though.... lol. I'd need to try one first, in a proper before/after test, before I'd be comfortable spending that kind of money when I have no real complaints with the $170 stock model.

Very pragmatic, and I do agree entirely. However, my Daemoness build is going to be rather expensive and it's got to be perfect. If that means spending 3 times what is usual (in UK monies) on a bridge, so be it! Having knife edges that basically never wear seems pretty handy too.