1985 Floyd Rose Black Box - New Old Stock
In June of 1984, I went to the Guitar Center in downtown San Diego ("C" Street) and bought a chrome Floyd Rose tremolo (R2) for $159 for my Red Devil II guitar. I took the guitar and the Floyd to the repair guys at Moze Guitars by San Diego State University and they installed it. Putting the Floyd bridge on was a major job, as they had to add some wood to the bridge area so the right pivot stud could anchor in wood. They really did an incredible job to get the Floyd on there.
Everything about the Floyd Rose amazed me. I enjoyed taking it apart to clean and replace parts, and to just understand how it worked. What was also cool about this purchase was the big black box it all came in (the box from my original 1984 Floyd Rose). But after a few moves, I lost that box and hoped to track another one down. And in the summer of 2021, I finally did! A mint "New Old Stock" (NOS) black Floyd from 1985 with everything!
When Floyd Rose hooked up with Kramer in early 1982, they were the sole distributor and you could only get one if you bought a Kramer guitar, or purchased one separate in the box. (Other guitar manufacturers like Charvel/Jackson and ESP had guitars with real Floyds, but they would have to buy them from Kramer.) Anyway, I was so excited to not only have the NOS Floyd Rose, but also the box!
Inside the box, in addition to the pristine Floyd Rose from 1985, was the original Kramer Floyd Rose "Operating and Set-Up" guide and the original accessories bag, with R2 locking nut, string retainer bar/screws, pivot wood screws, spring claw/screws, springs, and wrenches. This really brought back memories!
Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone so I made three updates to this '85 Floyd - (1) a black EVH D-tuna, (2) a chrome arm, and (3) a 42mm Floyd Rose brass Big Block. And I added a bag with original black arm, chrome-plated brass block, and low E string lock hex screw, and I keep that in the box. The Floyd Rose is so much more versatile with the D-tuna and the brass sustain Big Block really improves the tone. And all my black Floyds have to have chrome arms.
This purchase was like going back in time, with everything coming in a black box.
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