The string retainer bar sits between the locking nut and the tuning machines. Its job is to pull the strings down across the nut at a sharp enough angle that the locking blocks seat cleanly and hold. Without adequate break angle, strings walk out of the nut saddles on a deep dive and the whole system loses its baseline. This is the Floyd Rose 1000 Series replacement retainer, supplied with its mounting screws, finished in black nickel over steel.

Fit is not universal. The retainer's mounting hole spacing is specific to the 1000 Series system. If the guitar is running an Original Series, a Special, or a non-Floyd licensed bridge, the holes will not line up. The retainer also determines how much downward pressure the strings carry across the nut — if a previous owner shimmed the nut or changed the neck angle, the break angle has changed with it. Measure what you have before ordering.

The body is steel. Black nickel is a thinner decorative finish than chrome, so on a guitar that has already worn through the original retainer's plating, expect similar longevity from the replacement unless the underlying cause — string contact, sweat, bare-hand handling — is addressed.

If you are not certain this is the right retainer for your system, send us the make, model and year of your guitar and we will confirm the fit before you order.