Editing Floyd Rose (section)

==History==

[[Floyd D. Rose]] first started working on what became the Floyd Rose Tremolo in 1976.<ref name="guitarist_interview_floydrose">{{Cite journal
|last=Bradley
|first=Simon
|title=Floyd Rose: New Interview
|journal=[[Guitarist (magazine)|Guitarist]]
|date=August 2010
|url=http://www.musicradar.com/guitarist/floyd-rose-new-interview-257435
|access-date=2010-10-02}}</ref> He was playing in a rock band at the time, inspired by [[Jimi Hendrix]] and [[Deep Purple]]. He frequently used the vibrato bar but could not make his guitars stay in tune using traditional approaches like lubricating the [[Nut (string instrument)|nut]], or winding the strings as little as possible around the tuning pegs.

At the time, Rose made and sold jewelry, and so had the skills and tools to fabricate small metal parts. After noticing the strings moved freely with the regular nut design, he made a brass nut that locked the strings in place with three U-shaped clamps. He installed this nut in his 1957 [[Fender Stratocaster]]. Later he improved this design by using hardened steel—otherwise the strings wore the clamps down too quickly—and redesigned the [[bridge (instrument)|bridge]], which also locked the strings with clamps.

Rose hand-made the first bridges and nuts, which were quickly picked up by some influential guitarists at the time, such as [[Eddie Van Halen]].<ref name="guitarist_changingmusic">{{Cite magazine
|last1=Vinnicombe
|first1=Chris
|last2=Leonard
|first2=Michael
|title=The 10 guitars that changed music
|date=2009-04-09 |magazine=MusicRadar
|url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/the-10-guitars-that-changed-music-202799
|access-date=2010-10-02}}</ref> Other well-known guitarists who picked it up early were [[Neal Schon]], who purportedly got serial number 3,<ref name="guitarplayer_gillis">{{Cite magazine
|last=Gold
|first=Jude
|title=Whammy Bar Pyrotechnics |magazine=[[Guitar Player]]
|url=http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/whammy-bar-pyrotechnics/May-08/35259
|access-date=2010-10-02}}</ref> [[Brad Gillis]] (serial number 4),<ref name="guitarplayer_gillis"/> and [[Steve Vai]].<ref name="guitarworld_stevevai">{{Cite magazine
 |last        = di Perna
 |first       = Alan
 |title       = Steve Vai: Flex Appeal |magazine=[[Guitar World]]
 |url         = http://www.guitarworld.com/article/steve_vai_flex_appeal
 |access-date  = 2010-10-02
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090715014954/http://www.guitarworld.com/article/steve_vai_flex_appeal
 |archive-date = 2009-07-15
}}</ref>

The first patent was awarded in 1979,<ref name="first_patent">{{US patent reference
|number=4171661
|y=1979|m=10|d=23
|inventor=Floyd D. Rose
|title=Guitar tremolo method and apparatus}}&nbsp;— bridge mechanism patent;</ref> and shortly afterward, Rose made an agreement with [[Kramer Guitars]] because he could no longer keep up with demand manufacturing the bridges by hand. Kramer's guitar models with the Floyd Rose bridge became very popular, leading them to drop the earlier [[Rockinger]] vibrato in favor of the Floyd Rose between June 1982 and January 1983.<ref name="book_vanhalen">{{cite book
|title=Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga
|url=https://archive.org/details/everybodywantsso00chri_551
|url-access=limited
|first=Ian
|last=Christe
|year=2007
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons
|page=[https://archive.org/details/everybodywantsso00chri_551/page/n93 82]
|isbn=978-0-470-03910-6}}</ref> The Floyd Rose design's popularity led to other companies making similar bridges, thus violating the patent. To combat this Floyd Rose and Kramer went on to make licensing agreements with other manufacturers, and there are now several different models available based on the double-locking design. Because the bridges and nuts were no longer hand-made it was necessary to update the design, and the bridges were changed to add a set of tuners that allow for fine-tuning the guitar after the strings are locked at the nut.<ref name="patent_finetuners1">{{US patent reference
|number=4497236
|y=1985|m=02|d=05
|inventor=Floyd D. Rose
|title=Apparatus for restraining and fine tuning the strings of a musical instrument, particularly guitars}}&nbsp;— first fine tuners and saddle patent;</ref><ref name="patent_finetuners2">{{US patent reference
|number=4549461
|y=1985|m=10|d=29
|inventor=Floyd D. Rose
|title=Apparatus for restraining and fine tuning the strings of a musical instrument, particularly guitars}}&nbsp;— second fine tuners and saddle patent;</ref> The licensed units made by other manufacturers were stamped "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Patents" or similar. By the mid 1980s OEM units were supplied directly, made exclusively by Schaller, GmbH, of Germany. The OEM unit, to this day, continues to be made in Germany, by Schaller, GmbH. A Korean model, designated, the Floyd Rose "1000 Series", is based on the original Floyd Rose.

Original producer of the production tremolos [[Fernandes Guitars]] went on to produce their "Headcrasher" and subsequent "FRT"-series versions for their own brand of guitars until 1997.<ref>Fernandes 1985+ Licensed (Post Floyd Rose Contract) | URL = https://vintagefloydrose.com/fernandes-1985-licensed/ | Vintage Floyd Rose</ref> [[Takeuchi Manufacturing|Takeuchi]] produced licensed tremolos for Japanese-built [[Ibanez]], [[Jackson Guitars|Jackson]], [[Charvel Guitars|Charvel]], [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]], Fernandes, [[Aria|Aria Guitars]], and [[Washburn Guitars|Washburn]] guitars, among others, until the mid 2000s. They also made lower-cost units for Ibanez's entry-level guitars up to 2010. Gotoh made their own licensed tremolo as a direct replacement for an Original Floyd Rose and also supplied theirs as an OEM unit to Aria Guitars and Ibanez for some of their models during the 1980s and for some Fernandes guitars after they stopped making their own in 1997.<ref>GE1996T | URL=https://g-gotoh.com/product/ge1996t/?lang=en | Gotoh (Japan)</ref> ESP made their "ESP Synclear Tremolo" for their Japanese-made guitars during the 1980s. Yamaha made their "Rocking Magic" series of tremolos until the early 1990s.<ref>Yamaha Rockin' Magic II Floyd Rose Tremolo Vintage Made in Japan 80's Black | URL=https://reverb.com/au/item/44134853-yamaha-rockin-magic-ii-floyd-rose-tremolo-vintage-made-in-japan-80-s-black | Reverb</ref> Kahler produced the renowned "Steeler," "Killer," and "Spyder" variants during the 1980s while developing their own cam-based Kahler Tremolo System for which they are best known for today. Notably, courts found that the Kahler Tremolo System infringed on Floyd Rose's patents, and awarded a judgment in excess of $100 million against Gary Kahler.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.plainsite.org/flashlight/case.html?id=1797989 |title=California Central District Court :: Case No. 8:92-cv-00166: Floyd D Rose v. American Precision, et al, Gary L. Taylor presiding |access-date=2013-05-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112181029/http://www.plainsite.org/flashlight/case.html?id=1797989 |archive-date=2013-11-12 }}</ref><ref>Floyd Rose Tremolos For Left Handed Guitars | URL=https://www.lefthandguitars.net/floyd-rose-tremolos-for-lefties | Gaskell Left Handed Guitars</ref>

In January 1991, Kramer's exclusive distribution agreement with Rose ended when [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]] announced they would be the new exclusive distributor of Floyd Rose products. While Fender used Floyd Rose-licensed vibrato systems previously, this move allowed Fender to offer a few models with the original Floyd Rose Tremolo, such as the [[Richie Sambora]] Signature Strat in 1991, the Floyd Rose Classic Stratocaster in 1992 and the Set-Neck Floyd Rose Strat in 1993.<ref name="stratocaster-guide-history">{{cite book
|title=The Fender Stratocaster: A Complete Guide to the History and Evolution of the World's Most Famous Guitar
|author=A.R. Duchossoir
|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation
|year=1994
|isbn=978-0-7935-4735-7
|page=40}}</ref> Floyd Rose collaborated with Fender to design a Fender Deluxe Locking Tremolo, introduced in 1991 on the [[Strat Plus|Strat Plus Deluxe]], the USA Contemporary Stratocaster, and the [[Strat Ultra]]. Fender used the Floyd Rose-designed locking vibrato system on certain humbucker-equipped [[Fender American Deluxe Series|American Deluxe]] and [[Fender Showmaster|Showmaster]] models until 2007.<ref name="gruhn">{{cite book
|title=Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars: An Identification Guide for American Fretted Instruments
|first=George
|last=Gruhn
|author2=Carter, Walter
|publisher=Backbeat Books
|year=1999
|isbn=978-0-87930-422-5
|page=[https://archive.org/details/gruhnsguidetovin00gruh/page/91 91]
|url-access=registration
|url=https://archive.org/details/gruhnsguidetovin00gruh/page/91
}}</ref>

In 2005, distribution of the Floyd Rose Original reverted to Floyd Rose, whereas the patented designs were licensed to other manufacturers to use.