Slipknot guitarist Jim Root recently opened up about his guitar habits, reflecting on why he initially stopped using Floyd Rose bridges and the one guitar feature he’s never found useful.
Although metal is often associated with specialized floating tremolo bridges, they aren’t the only option for players in the genre. Many guitarists prefer to stick with more traditional hardware. However, when set up properly, bridges like the Floyd Rose or Schaller can provide excellent tuning stability and open up a wide range of creative possibilities.
In a recent conversation with The Captain of Andertons Music Co., Root explained why he stopped using Floyd Rose-equipped guitars in the past. He believed that the bridges didn’t work well with lower or drop tunings. This misconception dates back to his early music days when he was tuning in standard E.
“As I was playing in local bands and doing club gigs, I just used whatever guitars I had,” Jim shared (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “Back then, I was tuned to A440, so a Floyd Rose wasn’t a big deal. Somehow, I got it in my head that using a Floyd in drop tunings wouldn’t work, so any Floyd-equipped guitar I had, I would block the tremolo off.”
However, over the past five years, Root revisited the Floyd Rose bridges and came to a realization. “I started getting back into Floyd since that’s what I originally learned on,” he explained. “At home, I played around with them and thought, ‘Oh, it’s no different, it’s just lower tuning.’ You set them up the same way, you float them the same way.”
Root also recalled an old Jackson guitar from Slipknot’s early years. The guitar, which had seen better days, was in poor condition, with the pickup torn out and the tremolo blocked. He handed it over to his tech, Brad Clifford, for a restoration. “I had an old Jackson from the ‘Iowa’ days. The front pickup was ripped out, the tremolo was blocked off… I had written all over it with a sharpie. I cleaned it up and said, ‘Here, make it new again.’ Brad fixed the pickup and got the tremolo working.”
In discussing his guitar setup, Jim explained that his approach is about finding what he truly needs for a performance. He stripped away unnecessary features, such as the tone knob, which he doesn’t use. “It started with, ‘What do I really need to play a show?’” he said. “Then I started taking things away. No tone knob—because I don’t use it. No Floyd—hardtail. I wasn’t using a lot of Floyd. But then I began missing some of the features I used when I was first learning guitar, which is why the Floyd came back.”
Root emphasized that the tone knob is one feature he has no use for. “I’ll probably never come back with a tone knob,” he said. “I’m not a blues player. I don’t mess with that all the time.”
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