All Discovery series guitars use 25 1/2 scale strings.
How are the strings used on a Speed Loader equiped Floyd Rose guitar different from regular guitar strings? The strings for the Floyd Rose SpeedLoader system have double "bulleted" ends (yes, they look like bullets). They are also manufactured to specific lengths so they are NOT interchangeable. In other words, if you break a high E string and don't have another one you can't use a B and stretch the shit out of it to limp through the gig. This is why once you drop in a replacement string you can be back in tune in a matter of seconds with little to no stretching of the strings. The moral of the story here is have plenty of extra strings on hand and you'll be fine kiddies. Read more about why the SpeedLoader bridge and strings were developed
here. This is what a package of
SpeedLoader strings looks like:
Who manufactures the strings used on my Speed Loader equiped Floyd Rose guitar?
Currently Dean Markley is the only company making these strings. Due to the recent explosion in popularity of these guitars perhaps more companies will jump on the bandwagon. Rumor has it that GHS is going to get into the game. You can help by lobbying to your favorite string company to consider making these strings. This can only help the diehard Floyd Rose Speedloader guitarist since competition is a great thing for prices. Strings are currently about twice the cost of a regular set of strings but for many of us this is a small price to pay for the added convenience of swapping strings quickly and killer tuning stability. From what we've heard, they also break a lot less frequently (except for the high E string). The fact that Floyd Rose only sells high E singles on their website reinforces the fact that they are aware of this. Here is what a SpeedLoader string looks like:
What is the difference between a Speed Loader equiped Floyd Rose guitar and an original Floyd Rose equipped guitar? The bridge, nut and also the cost. The SpeedLoader guitars are about half of what the Original Floyd Rose guitars are (for now). Only time and supply and demand will determine the future pricing of these guitars.
My SpeedLoader equipped guitar didn't come with any documentation on how to set it up, string it, etc. Where can I obtain this information? For some reason Floyd Rose is not always including this information with the guitars. It is easy enough to obtain a PDF with all of this info via their website or right here:
SpeedLoader Setup Instructions
My Floyd Rose is starting to look funky or rust, what can I do to keep it in great condition? Per JT at Floyd Rose you can pick up some
Marvel Mystery Oil and rub it on the parts from time to time. This should keep things looking good and working great.
Sometimes when I try and change strings on my SpeedLoader the bullets stick either at the bridge or the nut making it difficult to get them out for quick string changes. Use some of the
Marvel Mystery Oil on a Q-Tip and lubricate each opening on the bridge AND nut. This should really help, if you just cannot get a string out of the bridge you may have turned the individual allen wrenched tuner on that particular string to far or hard and it has burrowed its way into the bullet at the end of the string. In this case use loosen the allen bolt and you'll easily be able to get the string out. If you inspect the bullet you just removed and it has a gouge in it that's exactly what happened. Go easier on it next time and make sure you lubricate with every string change (unless mid-gig of course).
What is the difference between the DST and DSOT model guitars? The DST series has the SpeedLoader tremolo and fixed bridge system while the DSOT have the original Floyd Rose tremolo. Besides this, the guitars are identical in every way. The DSOT guitars are also currently about twice the price of the SpeedLoader models.
What kind of pickups are in my Discovery series guitar? These are OEM pickups manufactured in China for Floyd Rose specifically for these guitars. They are not the same as the Vintage Gold, Green, Blue or Red pickups that Floyd Rose advertises and sell on their website. They are however, pretty darn good sounding pickups for standard pickups. The humbucker is hot and punchy and the single coils have that spank for clean and slinky tones. There is a bit of a midrange honk to the singles that some players may not dig and will want to try and EQ out. They are also possibly noisier than other pickups which is par for the course with OEM pickups. If you are using modeling amps (Line 6, etc.) this is less of an issue as single coil 60 cycle hum is less prevalent when using this type of amplification (over tube gear). If you like the way they sound and you play through loud tube amps, we'll then realize that's why God invented the noise gate or swap out the pickups.
There is no tone knob on my FR Discovery guitar, why? First, who the heck still uses tone knobs? Second, Floyd Rose polled tons of players asking what they wanted and what they used the least in a guitar and the number one and overwhelming response was, "I never use the tone knob". They have done away with it, allowing the five way switch to be moved out of the way a bit more than on a standard strat. They've also added a circuit that rolls off the highs to single coil pickups when you turn down the volume from 10 to about 7. Good if you want to do some Wes Montgomery style octaves and don't have a humbucker in the neck of your axe.
Does the fact that my Floyd Rose guitar’s headstock have a hole in it compromise the sustain properties or performance of the guitar? This is a tricky one, the answer here is maybe. Since we don’t really have any Floyd Rose guitars with solid headstocks to compare to we can’t be certain but historically the more mass you have on the headstock the better the sustain will be. The other factor is a balance issue, at least on SpeedLoader equipped guitars. The missing wood on the headstock and lack of tuners create a different balance than a traditional strat styled guitar. It’s a strange feeling that’s for sure and some may love it and others may find it bizarre.The cool thing is you can fling your axe around like it weights nothing! Great for those around the back guitar tosses popularized in the 80’s (always use strap locks when trying this boys and girls!!!). We understand there is a device that increases the mass and weight of a guitar’s headstock and we are in the process of trying to test it with the Floyd Rose guitars. We’ll keep you posted on our findings once we have them.
Can I convert my Speed Loader equipped guitar to an original Floyd Rose bridge?
Yes, with some modification. The Speed Loader bridge is a direct replacement for the original Floyd Rose bridge that Eddie and everyone else and their mother has played with a couple of small differences.
1. The nut is different, it does not have locking nuts but rather has slots to accomodate the special Speed Loader strings.
2. There are no tuning pegs on the headstock, they are completely unnecessary with this design. The lack of tuners contributes to the tuning stability of the system and one of the reasons you can change a guitar string in about 15 seconds onstage and finish the song in tune!
What you'll have to do is drop in an Original Floyd Rose Tremolo bridge and swap out the SpeedLoader nut on the neck to a traditional locking style FR nut. You'll also have to install tuning pegs, these must be the kind that have a pin that goes into the wood to hold it in place instead of a screws. The reason is because there is very little wood on the headstock to work with and tuning pegs with screws will weaken the neck to the point that it could possibly breal. That's it, you're done.