Floyd Rose Redmond Series + Case and Strings!

One of the more unusual experiments in guitar history, the Floyd Rose Redmond Series consisted of high-end USA-made guitars designed around Floyd Rose's ideas about playability, tuning stability and performance. They were not simply guitars fitted with a Floyd Rose tremolo: the Redmond guitars were developed as an integrated concept and they are an interesting example of Floyd Rose applying its engineering approach to the complete instrument.

The SpeedLoader system is probably the most unusual feature. Instead of conventional strings, it uses proprietary double-bullet-ended strings made to an exact length. The strings simply lock into the bridge and nut, eliminating the need to cut the ball ends off or wind the strings around tuning posts. Floyd Rose had been developing the system since the early 1990s and introduced it publicly in 2003. It was clever and genuinely fast, but the requirement for proprietary strings ultimately proved to be its biggest disadvantage. SpeedLoader strings are no longer in regular production, making an original Redmond with a supply of new strings particularly useful.

Fortunately, this guitar comes with four new sets of Speedloader strings. There are also adapters available that allow conventional double-ball-end strings to be used, so the guitar is not necessarily tied to the original system forever.

Stringed up, this is a wonderful, flexible guitar covering a wide tonal range from clean articulation to high-gain work. The Floyd Rose vibrato gives it the extreme pitch range and tuning stability associated with the company's hardware, while the overall construction and attention to detail put it firmly in the high-end category. It looks great, it is unusual, and the build quality is easily on a level with the best guitars of its period.

This example is in very good condition, with only very light pick wear and some superficial buckle rash. There are no larger dings or nicks, and the guitar is completely original with no repairs. It comes with its original case, vibrato arm and, most importantly, four new sets of Speedloader strings.

Specifications

• Model: Floyd Rose Redmond Series
• Origin: USA
• Era: Early 2000s
• String system: Floyd Rose SpeedLoader
• Vibrato: Floyd Rose SpeedLoader tremolo
• Weight: 3.50 kg
• Condition: Very good, with superficial pick wear and buckle rash
• Repairs: None
• Modifications: None
• Originality: Fully original
• Includes: Original case, vibrato arm and four new sets of SpeedLoader strings