Oh, Floyd. Your birth was troubled, but you’ve matured into a fine and worldly young man! Floyd’s happy place stretches from earthy clean tones to sonic outer space assaults!
Floyd Features:
- Custom-made neck with artisan abalone “vine” inlay
- Knurled metal volume and tone knobs with abalone caps
- Floyd Rose-licensed double-locking tremolo system
- Hot ceramic hex pick-ups
- 21 frets
- 25.5” scale
- Hand-rubbed natural finish
Blue Origins
Floyd began life an Ibanez, or some other mid-priced shredder. Floyd came to us painted dingy blue, routed for two humbuckers and a Floyd Rose tremolo. We stripped the body down to bare wood (looks like dense popular) and gave Floyd a natural clear coat.
Artisan Neck
Floyd was a special guy in need of a special neck. Like last year’s Sir Purple, this neck is a work of art, crafted by a master luthier in the remote Gansu region of China, where traditional woodworking skills are passed down through the generations. Floyd boasts one of the most gorgeous, abalone-inlayed, maple necks we’ve ever seen or played! 
Play Nice, Neck
It took some work getting all the parts to play nice together. This body was originally paired with a 24-fret neck, so I had to install a wooden block and a Stew Mac shim to get everything to line up right. Unfortunately there is a cosmetic crack, and two visible screw holes where the neck joins the body. Nothing’s perfect, and Floyd is a rock solid instrument despite these few flaws. (We like to call them “birth marks” or “beauty marks”…if we have to refer to them at all.) 
Floyd Rose Pros and Cons and Cons and Cons
Floyd was IYG’s first installation and set-up of a Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo system…and we hope it’s our last! Nah, just joshing—Floyd takes us to whammy bar heaven, but the road to the pearly gates wasn’t easy. This tremolo system took a lot of tweaking and adjusting as we learned the ins-and-outs of installation. But once the strings are stretched out, locked down, and fine-tuned, Floyd withstands an impressive amount of whammy bar abuse. (Check him out on “Floyd Makes Noise” below!) 
Fully Woke Floyd
Floyd fully found himself over the last few months in the IYG recording studio and workshop, delivering bombastic metal solos as well as surprisingly soulful jazz phrases and blues licks. Listen to Floyd’s impressive versatility on the tracks below!
-
- Roc gets a feel for Floyd
-
- Floyd’s hangin’
-
- Black metal, natural wood, and abalone accents give Floyd a dignified look.
-
- The detail and craftsmanship that goes into these inlays is amazing.
-
- The “vine of doom” and black neck block.
-
- Rise and rock, Floyd!
-
- Get off the chair, ya bum!
-
- Nice knobs!
-
- Floyd is ready to rock…or jazz!
-
- Nobody’s perfect, but Floyd’s flaws are strictly cosmetic.
-
- Never mind the yellow tint, Floyd is a full-length beauty!
-
- Setting up a Floyd Rose tremolo system is not for the faint of heart!
-
- Upper fret detail.
-
- This neck is gorgeous!
-
- Lock yer nuts, ladies and germs!
-
- You can get a sense of Floyd’s original color by looking into the Floyd Rose rout.
-
- We don’t know who made these high-output hex pick-ups, but they sound outstanding!