Speedloader?

[Duff Beer Man]

Has anyone tried one of the new speedloaders? If so what was your thoughts on it? I was thinking about putting one of these in my vai instead of a lo pro. Does anyone know if the instruction templates on floyd rose site are one to one? The speedloader i was looking at was this one. One of the cheep one till i can afford one of the real ones.

Speedloader

Edit: Started looking at it more and the more i look at it the more it looks like a lo pro floyd rose with the speedloader ability implicated into it. Anyone else think the same?

[crafty]

That trem from Guitar Fetish is nothing at all like the speedloader system. It's designed to use regular ball end strings with a locking nut and regular tuners at the headstock.

The real Speedloader, which has NOT been licensed to any other manufacturer yet, uses proprietary double-ball strings that have been pre-stretched and lock in at the nut and bridge. There is no need for tuners at the headstock and the fine tuners on the bridge are used to adjust the tuning a little once the strings are stretched and locked.

I played a guitar equipped with the system yesterday. It is adequate, but not perfect, especially with the cost of the strings. It's a nice setup, though.

[Duff Beer Man]

So basicly its just a normal floyd style but uses ball end strings? Also whats the difference in the size of the nut? This one uses 1 and 11/16 nut. Is this as common as 1 5/8? Would i be better off getting this or a regular over seas made floyd rose?

[GregP]

The real Speedloader, which has NOT been licensed to any other manufacturer yet...

My question, though-- can we buy the original made by Floyd Rose? I can't find individual units for sale anywhere.

Greg

[Jivin]

tut tut...

http://www.dreamlandguitars.com

although I think its down at the moment?

- Dan

[jer7440]

Dreamlandguitars is no more. Krazyderek posted that in the announcement section.

[Kevan]

If you really, *really*, REALLY need to change strings uber-quick, then the Speedloader is pretty cool. That's it's only real benefit over a real OFR type trem. There are a few other playability issues with the Speedloader system, but I'm sure a Search here will net you those.

The one listed in that FleaBay auction is NOT a Speedloader (and the guy needs to figure out which way he wants to spell "tremolo". LOL).

Dreamland guitars has closed it's doors (see Announcments section), but I'm sure there are other dealers out there, maybe even a few on FleaBay.

[GregP]

I just need it as an alternative to a Steinberger headless trem unit.

Something tells me that an OFR won't do the trick easily and without fuss. You'd need a surrogate headstock with tuning machines in order to get the strings to tension, then you could theoretically lock the nut and take off the surrogate headstock.

Believe me, I've considered it as an option... headless parts are annoyingly difficult to track down.

Greg

[Duff Beer Man]

So what trem would u think is better. This one or the ebay one?

[Kevan]

It depends on what you are looking for.

The one in the auction isn't anything special to me (I string all of my guitars 'backward', with the ball end at the tuning machines), so I'd probably go with an OFR or a LoProfile FR.

If you play live, A LOT (as in 200+ nights a year), then the Speedloader is cool.

If you're a "casual jammer", it's a handy feature, but......

Personally, I prefer the LoProfile models. But that's just me.

[Duff Beer Man]

Yeah i went ahead and ordered the lo profile one. Im more familar with these and trust it more. However now i have to complete refigure out my trem cavity. Good thing i didnt go ahead and route it using the template. That would have been bad. Btw Greg, check out the place i ordered my floyd rose from. They have all models, so u could get ur original from them.

[GregP]

I don't see any speedloaders listed on that site. Cheers, though! I could always try calling them to see whassap.

Greg

[Maiden69]

I know a lot of people don't like Ed Roman, but its were I have seen the speedloader the cheapest. Still I will go with Kevan on this, if you ain't playing gigs every night there is not real benefit on it, other than it looks cool, and that you can either get creative with the headstock or do a headless guitar.

[GregP]

Cheers for that, Maiden. That's the first retailer I've actually seen that sells them, believe it or not. $199 seems expensive, but not as much as $400 for an ABM non-trem seems.

Greg

[crafty]

I keep checking the Musician's Friend clearance center in KC about once a month for a bashed-up BC Rich or Floyd Rose Discovery equipped with the Speedloader system. I'm hoping that I'll find the whole guitar smashed to bits with the Speedloader components intact for less than the $200 Ed Roman charges for the parts.

[samdjr74]

I use a speedloader on a custom made Warmoth guitar and I love it. Yes you do gain a faster way of changing strings but I bought it because it doesn't require the locking nut and string blocks that I've always hated. Plus this thing hardly ever goes out of tune. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. The strings get pricey but if you look at what a set of Elixirs go for it's not too bad.

[Gorecki]

Mighty Mite makes a speedloader type that doesn't require special strings and is pretty darn good for an MM.

[TenderSurrender]

Eee personally i HATE speed loaders... i dont quite know why but it just seems unusual

I like a traditnal 6 in a line or 3 a side headstocks.. given that speedloaders are proven to give longer string life BUT... cost lots more..

Personally ill stick with a floyd bridge

[GregP]

Mighty Mite makes a speedloader type that doesn't require special strings and is pretty darn good for an MM.

←

I looked for it on their website but didn't see it. Any links?

Greg

[westhemann]

i have a speedloader on a warlock.believe it or not it is quite a bit more stable(tuning-wise) than my original floyds,for whatever reason.

i think it is quite cool,and i would not hesitate to use it on a better guitar than the one it is on right now.

[Mr.Churchyard]

The Speedloader has some advantages:

- It is the most tuning-stable trem out there. It was conceived to be just like that.

- You save a lot of time when changing strings

- prolonged string life

And two main drawbacks:

- Decreased sustain of the guitar (the strings have even less contact to the body than with a normal floyd)

- Quite costy strings

Also: The improvement in tuning stability is really only an advantage when doing extreme (and when I say extreme I mean really out of this world furious prolonged trem abuse). If the Speedloader doesn't stay in tune, no trem will.

[Kevan]

The Speedloader has some advantages:

- It is the most tuning-stable trem out there. It was conceived to be just like that.

I'm not sure where this information was obtained, but it's false. Properly setup, all trems are stable. If it's not stable, then it's not setup correctly.

- You save a lot of time when changing strings

This is true. It could even be faster than the Steinberger system.

- prolonged string life

This is debatable as well, due to variables- how much play time, pick attack force, etc.

And two main drawbacks:

- Decreased sustain of the guitar (the strings have even less contact to the body than with a normal floyd)

- Quite costy strings

Those aren't the only two drawbacks.

- You can forget about any sort of alternate or dropped tuning.

- Finding strings. Esp. in the middle of Austin.

Also: The improvement in tuning stability is really only an advantage when doing extreme (and when I say extreme I mean really out of this world furious prolonged trem abuse). If the Speedloader doesn't stay in tune, no trem will.

←

I'll call the Speedloader on this one too. I'll put it up against anyone of my LoPro trems. You try and knock mine out of tune, and I'll try the Speedloader. Even if it's a draw, the statement doesn't hold water.

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but you might want to do some of your own testing before putting this stuff up.

Just a suggestion.

[Mr.Churchyard]

Kevan,

I am not sure why you think that your opinion differs from mine.

I'll try to put it in other words (remember that English is not my mothertongue): The Speedloader has the advantage of much quicker string changing but you'll have to pay more for your strings - as far as I remeber, twice to that what other dean markley strings would cost. Finding the strings in shops may be a problem, but if you truly want the speedloader, you can order the strings online (which is, at least here where I live, also cheaper). Also (and I see only this difference) I think that the system is inherently more tuning-stable due to its construction, BUT think that it is really only a very marginal advantage if your trem is "set up correctly" as you say (To state it clearly, I'd prefer an Ibanez trem over a Speedloader every time) and not noticeable in most (95%) situations. Finally, I personally really dislike the Speedloader because IMHO also due to its construction, it brings loss in sustain. You didn't address that one, which makes me curious: do you think that too or not?

Prolonged string life *obviously* only in comparison with the same factors.

Oh, and about alternate and drop tunings: Yeah, you're right, you cannot detune really low. Personally, I do not think that a drawback, as I dislike immensely this epidemic low-tuning - I should prefer using a 7-string or a baritone. And about alternate tunings, I really have never played in Open G or stuff with a trem, because I would do that only for slide and at least I am not able to combine a trem with good slide use (not that I am that good as slide player, ), and do not use alternate tunings for anything else **** Tremonti]. You do? Is it cool? May be a good idea, did never think about it. And I don't remember, but I thought you could at least install a d-tuna on, or am I wrong?

About the testing: I did, some hours of one day. The only thing I said which is not based on personal testing is the prolonged string life, as I did not try it long enough to break a string, which is really rare when I play. That was based on testings of two friends of mine (of whom one is raving about how much longer his strings last and the other says he can notice it but that it isn't that great). Obviously, all this is my humble opinion. Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe that to be that different from yours.

Oh, and what I forgot: A great drawback (as far as I know) for guitar builders was that you cannot decide freely about your scale length. Am I wrong?

Peace, - sorry for the lengthy post, I offer you the calumet

ADMIN EDIT- We don't swear on this forum.

[Kevan]

Church- I guess our opinions are pretty darn close. The "locate strings in the middle of Austin" is more of a Spinal Tap reference than anything. :-)

I personally haven't tried it, but I don't think you can use a D-Tuna with a SpeedLoader. Just from looking at specs, install instructions and pictures, I don't believe they'll match up. If someone has tested otherwise, please let us know.

I'm not infected with the "how low can you go" disease sweeping the music world over the last few years. Mainly due to the fact that I'm not a great player, and by changing the tuning, I would be so lost Indiana Jones couldn't find me. I do realize, however, that there are guys out there that love doing the freaky tunings and dropping 5 full steps. :-)

You bring up a good point that I don't think has been mentioned yet (or addressed by FR): Scale Length. For custom builders, being able to pick a scale length is great, but with the Speedloader, it's pre-determined.

My testing is about the same as yours- a few hours one day; a few hours on another day...and neither on guitars that are owned by me. I didn't do any sustain checking- normal vs. SpeedLoader- so I don't have results for that. As you've said though, just viewing the construction and design, I see a couple places where sustain can be lost.

Summary:

If quick string changes are your thing, then the SpeedLoader has your name written all over it. If you need more versatility than that, and don't mind 'normal string change time', then I would look around at what else is out there.