RR24 Discontinued already?

[Ben Johnson]

Now that's just hideous. Even more so than Carvin's V.

[chmizell]

Don't worry about the Ping Floyds, I have heard form more than one place that Pings may have very slight cosmetic differences, but are made the same. They do have a brass block, that I am told is better than the original. But having said that, I noticed that the run of Lynch LTD M1 Tigers with Kami style bodies had what looked like originals Floyds, and were ticketed that way, bit I noticed the allen screws that lock the blocks on the saddles looked like tho ones on the Floyd copies you see on the 90's BC Richs....they look "cheaper" they dont have a bulky "machined" look to them like my older Floyds. The saddles looked different too, they had angled ends, where the allen goes in, rather than cut off straight, they looked sort of like the ones on the Lo TRS, .....so its sounds like maybe they are cutting costs on the Original Floyds, by changing out some of the parts....everything else though felt the same....the tone seemed OK, but I cant really compare my San Dimas Charvel to an LTD in tone department! But I tell you, I definitely check guitars with Floyds now. For example, two LTD Laiho guitars had the "suspect" Original Floyds, and the blood spattered thing with the bat inlays had an Original Floyd that looked identical to my Charvels. Also any new USA guitar I have seen as the same looking old Floyd. I guess its yet another thing to look out for. Having said that, when I wasnt such a snob, I gigged regularly with a '95 Warlock that had a fake floyd, and never ever had a problem, I loved that guitar!

[Sunbane]

Don't worry about the Ping Floyds, I have heard form more than one place that Pings may have very slight cosmetic differences, but are made the same.

I am highly sceptical. We have heard from several sources that they don't stand up to the quality of the German made ones. From what I've heard, it would seem they are slacker in the tolerances.

They do have a brass block, that I am told is better than the original.

That's both bull and hype. The originals also had brass blocks - nickel plated brass blocks. I've had plated brass blocks coming stock on all my OFR and Schaller Floyds. I have yet to personally see a Floyd sustain block made of anything else.

[chmizell]

I heard about Ping thru either Chris' Guitars and I think Warmoth, so I thought those were reliable, I saw Ping once, but at a shop so I didnt get to spend time with it. But it seemed OK. I dont know if the Floyds I'm talking about that were on the LTD guitars or Pings or not. But those definitley looked as if some of the parts didnt have the precise machined look of my old OFRs. I dont recall on the Ping I saw...the brass thing, yeah I didnt OFRs were plated brass....I heard the brass thing from Performance Guitars, they make a thing called "Big Block" that the put on Warren DeMArtinis guitars...maybe its the size more than the material the they makes the sound...the blocks are huge. Anyway before I got real nutty about details like that I never worried about the Floyds, and all the copies I used with the exception of the Lo TRS, were great no problems at all with them, and I cant recall noticing major tone variances....but i was using EMG's and SD1 and a Jubilee head, so thata a pretty compressed sound!

[Sunbane]

The big block is an interesting item. I'm looking to try one out at some point. It would be really interesting to see how it would affect both the tone, sustain, and mechanical performance - like flutter for instance. I'm guessing it might enhance flutter since it would give the bridge more mass and inertia(?).

Actually - when I stated that I've never seen a Floyd block in anything other than plated brass - that wasn't 100% truthful. I just recalled that the block on the JT580LP off of my Rhoads was some sort of gray cast pot metal. But I don't consider those trems to be real Floyds anyway, so...