Ah, the age old (since 2011) debate between the old Gotoh-manufactured EBMM Floyd Rose and the new EBMM Floyd Rose.
OK, I'll weigh in on this debate, as I have a LOT of experience with both EBMM Floyds. I own:
- 62 Original Gotoh EBMM Floyd Rose (10 EVH's, 36 Axis, 12 Silhouettes, 1 Silhouette 20th Anniversary Custom, 3 Luke I's)
- 40 New EBMM Floyd Rose (12 Axis Tributes, 21 Axis, 6 Silhouette Classic Reissues, 1 Luke I Reissue)
So, neither is "better" than the other. There are pros and cons.
- The Trem Arm Itself: As you can see in the above photo, the two trem arms are shaped very differently. The "bend" on the old Gotoh trem is much more pronounced than the bend on the new one. I can't say which is "better", as this really just comes down to personal taste. I personally find switching between the two to be a non-issue. It doesn't bother me much. But, then again, I also play the vintage trem Silo and the Majesty a lot. So I'm not used to just one trem arm. FWIW, I think the new Floyd has the same trem arm as the Majesty.
- The Trem Arm Mounting: The new EBMM Floyd wins this category hands-down. It's a pop in bar instead of the old Gotoh design that had the bar installed in a clamping mechanism that was generally very hard to get right -- the bar was either too loose and wobbly (with play before it actually pivots the trem) or too tight (so it won't move where you want it to). The new pop-in bar is always just great. I have yet to find one that is too loose or too tight. And the adjustments work better (if, for example, you want a bar that doesn't rotate at all). And, of course, you can just remove the bar if you want -- either for players that don't use it or for putting this guitar in a gig bag (EBMM cases all allow the bar to stay on).
- The Fine Tuners: The old Gotoh trem hands-down wins this one. The fine tuners on the Gotoh were more substantial than the thin ones on the new Floyd. On the old one you're twisting a proper knurled knob instead of the new Floyd's fine tuners which are more like the thickness of a U.S. dime (coin) with a little knurled edge just like a dime, too. The new ones feel more flimsy and hard to adjust. I also find the new ones can be kind of harsh on your picking hand. I tend to bang my hand on them and because they're thin they tend to hurt more than the old Gotoh.
- The Pivot Posts: The old Gotoh trem has black pivot posts that are adjustable with an allen key. The new Floyd has chrome posts that are also adjusted with an allen key. I suppose the chrome one looks better because it matches the hardware and it's also a little more streamlined than the old ones. Otherwise, I have not seen any reason to say either the old or new is better. So the new one wins but just on aesthetics.
- The Locking Nut: The old locking nut was a rear-mount install (meaning there are two holes on the back of the neck and two small allen machine screws go through the neck into the back of the locking nut to secure it to the neck. The new locking nut is a front-mount install (meaning wood screws under the locking nut pads screw it directly to the neck without holes in the back). I suppose the new one is better as the holes all the way through on the old style might have caused a fragile spot in the neck. I think I have seen a couple guitars (not sure if they were EBMM or some other brand) that had cracks on the neck where the headstock took a shot and the neck cracked at those holes. So I guess this is a pro for the new Floyd.
Otherwise, I have nothing more to report. I personally have not seen (er, heard) any sonic differences between old and new Floyds, no sustain differences, no durability/finish differences, etc.
That's my 2c on the topic.
If EBMM asked for my thoughts (and they have), that's what I'd tell them. Revise the fine tuners to match the old Gotoh and the new Floyd would be the hands-down winner.
