36 Guitars With Floyd Rose Bridge – Plus 3 Best Ones

Last Updated on April 28, 2023 by Teemu Suomala

My friend, if you are after an axe that enables you to pull off crazy dive bombs and serve you well in your next metal session…this article that gathers the cream of the crop guitars with Floyd rose bridges is worth your attention.

I have shredded with my ESP LTD with licensed Floyd Rose for over 10 years, and it works really great to this day. Plus I have tested a ton of different guitars with different Floyd Rose bridges during my 13-year playing journey and 2+ years of guitar-related writing journey.

That’s why I was happy to put together this article that gathers the top-notch guitars with Floyd rose bridges together. Plus I also reveal the 3 best ones. If you have any questions, just check the FAQ section or leave a comment. And I have good news for those who love cheap guitars…this article does include cheap guitars with Floyd rose too.

Let’s get started!

Find great guitars with whammy bars here.

Author: Teemu Suomala

I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I also noticed that most guitar websites don’t do a really good job, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website. I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such as Songsterr, Musicnotes, GuitarGuitar, and Ultimate Guitar. I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog(I guess that went the right way…).

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36 Top-Notch Guitars With Floyd Rose Bridge

Ibanez Steve Vai Signature JEMJR is one of the most popular budget guitars with a Floyd Rose bridge. It comes with versatile Ibanez Quantum pickups, a beautiful Tree of Life fretboard, and a slim & smooth Wizard III neck. To me, it’s the best guitar with Floyd Rose for under $500.

I featured guitars with Licensed Floyd Rose bridges, original Floyd Rose bridges, and Ibanez Edge-tremolo systems to this master list. All of these are really workable bridges and to me, it’s not a sin to use 1 name for all of them: Floyd Rose.

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $140-399

$$= $399-799

$$$= $800-999

$$$$= $1000-1599

$$$$$= $1600-

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3 Best Guitars With Floyd Rose – My Favorites

Best Budget – Jackson Dinky Arch Top JS32 DKA

What I like

• Mean sounding Jackson High-Output humbuckers
• Speed neck shape feels speedy and comfortable
• Jumbo frets paired with low action provide effortless playability
• Stays in tune well
• Great all-around quality
• Surprisingly versatile
• Jackson Licensed Floyd Rose is budget friendly, but works great

What I don’t like

• Sometimes finish issues out of the box
• This is a metal guitar, not the best fit for softer genres

Who is it for?

If you are after a budget metal guitar that offers mean sounds, comfortable playability, and great-working Floyd Rose, Jackson Dinky JS32 series guitars are one of the best options. I especially love the one above with wood-coloring.

You can read my full review of JS32’s little brother here: Jackson JS22 Dinky Review.

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Best Overall – Ibanez Genesis Collection RG550

What I like

• Super-versatile pickups (HSH)
• Smooth & slim Super Wizard neck shape
• Great quality Gotoh tuners
• Smooth to use and durable Ibanez Edge tremolo bridge
• Excellent playability

What I don’t like

• Coil-split would be just awesome

Who is it for?

If you are after extreme versatility, comfortable playability, and great value for the money, Ibanez Genesis Collection RG550 is one of the best options. It’s an all-around work-horse that will serve you well and faithfully in every situation.

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Best Premium – Jackson MJ Series Dinky DKR

What I like

• A bit smaller Dinky body shape
• 12″-16″ compound fretboard radius
• Mean & hot metal tones
• Not just a metal guitar
• Really fast & easy to play
• Extremely durable Gotoh Double-locking Tremolo

What I don’t like

• Expensive
• Some prefer hardtail or TOM-bridge over floating tremolo bridge

Who is it for?

If you are looking for a guitar that offers fast playability, high quality, and mean tones but can also handle softer stuff too, this Jackson is a great option. Its compound radius, smooth playability, and great quality hardware make it a really good premium choice.

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FAQ

Difference Between Floyd Rose and Ibanez Edge Bridge?

Basically, Ibanez Edge bridges are just Floyd Rose bridges with some small differences/improvements. Here are photos of both:

Ibanez Edge bridge:

Saddles of the Edge bridge are usually less square and the fine tuning pegs are less in the way when playing. It also features a non-screwable pop-up tremolo arm. It’s also stated that Edge bridges have better tuning stability than original Floyd Rose bridges.

Floyd Rose Bridge

Typical Floyd Rose bridge has sharper corners on the saddles and tuning pegs bother some players (not me tho).

Takeaway

To me, both Edge and Floyd Rose bridges work great. If the guitar is comfortable to play, sounds great, and has other features I want, I’ll buy it no matter if it has Edge or Floyd Rose bridge.

Are Floyd Rose Guitars Any Good?

If a normal Synchronized Tremolo bridge doesn’t give you enough room to play with, Floyd Rose is an excellent option. Floyd Rose bridges definitely have some downsides too, but at the same time, many players from Steve Vai to Dimebag and from Van Halen to Synyster Gates use (and used) guitars with Floyd Rose bridges since they bring so many different options to the table. Floyd Rose bridge can make your playing a lot more versatile and interesting (and more fun too).

Pros and Cons of Floyd Rose Bridge

Pros

• Adds the most versatility to your playing
• You can pull off dive-bombs
• The locking nut ensures great tuning stability even if the tremolo arm is used frequently
• Fine-tuning is possible with the tuning pegs of the bridge
• You can make your playing a lot more interesting by doing cool stuff with a Floyd Rose

Cons

• More moving parts, more things can go wrong
• Changing the strings takes more effort
• Changing the tuning takes more effort
• Setting up everything can be a pain
• Costs more

Do Guitars With Floyd Rose Bridge Stay in Tune?

Almost always, guitars with Floyd Rose bridge come with a locking nut. This ensures really good tuning stability. So yes, guitars with Floyd Rose bridges stay in tune well.

Who Should Buy A Guitar With Floyd Rose?

If you are a fan of the players who frequently use a Floyd Rose, you want to play their stuff, and you want to use Floyd Rose in your own playing, I see no reason for you not to go for it. Don’t shy away from Floyd Rose. Yes, it has some cons, but I don’t regret that my second electric guitar had a Floyd Rose bridge. So much fun.

Is A Floyd Rose Good for Beginners?

It’s not the best option for complete beginners. When you are just starting out, it’s best to get a guitar that gets you playing with least resistance possible. A guitar that doesn’t have too many moving parts and things that can go wrong. With Floyd Rose, there are more moving parts, plus tuning, changing the strings, and setup can be harder.

If you are a beginner and Floyd Rose is a must for you, it’s not a complete no-no. If you want one, no one stops you from getting one. But be ready for some extra hassle. But it’s great that usually guitars with Floyd Rose bridge are playable out of the box.

Does A Floyd Rose Need A Locking Nut?

Well, you don’t absolutely need one. But locking nut improves the tuning stability so much that it’s usually the best option. That’s why we don’t really see Floyd Rose guitars without locking nut.

Ibanez Edge II is a tremolo system designed to work without a locking nut, but guitars with Edge II usually still had locking tuners.

Are Cheap Floyd Rose Guitars Any Good?

They can be perfectly workable instruments. Don’t expect too much though. They can have some finish issues as any other cheap guitar, and the Floyd Rose bridge might not be as smooth to use and durable. But can you get started with one and jam with it for years? Absolutely.

What’s A Licensed Floyd Rose?

Licensed Floyd Rose is not manufactured by Floyd Rose. Some other company has purchased or made other agreements to get the right to manufacture bridges with Floyd Rose design. Floyd Rose gets compensation for this. Usually licensed Floyd Rose bridges are valued less than the original ones. I own a guitar with a Licensed Floyd Rose bridge, and it has worked great for over 10 years, so they usually work just fine.

Other Brands Manufacturing Floyd Rose-Like Floating Bridges and Locking Tremolo Systems

Other noteworthy brands manufacturing locking tremolo systems are:

• Kahler (really interesting design)
• Gotoh (makes Wilkinson bridges too)
• Schaller

Does a Stratocaster Have A Floyd Rose?

Yes, there’s a plenty of them. Especially Modern Stratocasters-type guitars. But here are some original Stratocaster design guitars with a Floyd Rose:

• Squier Contemporary Stratocaster HH FR
• Fender Player Stratocaster HSS with Floyd Rose
• Fender Dave Murray Stratocaster
• Fender Tom Morello Stratocaster
• Fender American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster Floyd Rose HSS

Conclusion on Guitars With Floyd Rose Bridge

Floyd Rose is not my favorite bridge type, but I do like them a lot. And I personally think that every guitarist should own at least 1 guitar with a Floyd Rose (or 2 or 3). They increase the versatility of an instrument, give great tuning stability, and yes, Dimebag-styled dive bombs are possible with them.

I hope that this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions just leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.

I wish you all the best and keep rocking!

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