Ibanez Universe Unreliablilty

Invert The Virgin · #1 12-26-2006, 06:33 PM

I bought my Ibanez UV777BK over the summer. It was the best guitar I have ever played. Last week I took it in to get a set up done(the neck had bowed in a little due to me wearing it in, and it needed intonating). The guy performing the set up was a Professional Guitar Tech. I got a call a few hours ago saying that he was setting it up, but when he was locking the bridge end of the D-string in, the saddle broke off. The owner of the store said I was covered under warranty, but it would be next week before I got the part in, and then it would be ready to go. The problem is Sunday, my band has to do a show. Now I have to borrow my friends, scheter diamond series(which is a low stoop compared to a universe) to do the show. But i'm glad I at least have a 7 string available to me. I'm really ticked cause the guy at the store said the next time I restring, the saddle will most likely break again, due to the way the guitar is built(somthing about the tension being too strong and the bridge being too weak in the center). Another thing that makes me mad is the saddle is made of Pewter. That is cheap crap for an expensive, top of the line, Ibanez J-Custom shop guitar. I'm just really pissed cause i've only had the guitar for a few months and it breaks down right before a show. Has this happend to anyone elses gear? I bought the UV for reliability(i've never heard of this happening before). Or does someone know where I could contact someone who might be able to help me in the Ibanez company? Also, if anyone could give me some advice on somthing I could do to get it permanently fixed that would be nice, too. I don't want a guitar that will break everytime I restring it.

Should have bought a f'n Carvin.

**elcid** · #2 12-26-2006, 06:37 PM

Take it to another tech. Saying it will break next time you change strings due to the design of it is just flat out wrong. I also seriously doubt the thing is made of pewter. I had a Universe and never had that happen, hell, I;ve had a ton of Ibanezs' and that has never happend.

sentienus · #3 12-26-2006, 06:43 PM

i use 3 uv77's when gigging, i have 2 spare if i snap a string, they are good guitars, i think the guitar tech is using the "saddle is cheap" excuse!!! to throw of the idea, of him breaking it in the first place!!!, i know the quality of these guitars, top notch!, ask any other forum members and see what they think

good luck!:-)

ryanb · #4 12-26-2006, 06:43 PM

1) The saddles are NOT made of pewter.
2) There is nothing wrong with the trem on a UV. They have lasted for many years for very many people. There is a remote chance you had a bad saddle, and the new one will be fine -- but most likely your tech just screwed it up.
3) Your "professional" guitar tech doesn't know what he is doing -- like a lot of others.
4) If you are playing gigs, you need to have a backup guitar.
5) Did he actually somehow break a saddle, or did he just snap off the intonation screw?

Get it set up by a tech who actually knows what he is doing at it will last you as long as you want to play it.

Invert The Virgin · #5 12-26-2006, 06:47 PM

I would take it to another tech but I dont know one(there's none where I live). I'm wondering if the design is wrong because it is a J-Custom guitar and they may have messed it up when building it. It's the store that has it now that's gonna fix it. How could I get it fixed if the design was wrong?
I'm almost 100% positive its pewter, i'm a good friend of the guy who owns the store, and he said it's a pewter saddle. we tried to order a more durable metal from Ibanez but none existed. Thanks for the advice though.

Invert The Virgin · #6 12-26-2006, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryanb

1) The saddles are NOT made of pewter.
2) There is nothing wrong with the trem on a UV. They have lasted for many years for very many people. There is a remote chance you had a bad saddle, and the new one will be fine -- but most likely your tech just screwed it up.
3) Your "professional" guitar tech doesn't know what he is doing -- like a lot of others.
4) If you are playing gigs, you need to have a backup guitar.
5) Did he actually somehow break a saddle, or did he just snap off the intonation screw?

Get it set up by a tech who actually knows what he is doing at it will last you as long as you want to play it.

He is a great tech. He completely fixed one of my Jacksons perfectly. I have backup guitars, i haven't bought a backup 7 yet(i'm gonna get a carvin).

He was clamping the string down in the saddle with the allen wrench, when he turned it the first time, the saddle popped completely off. Then I had another guy look at it, who told me there was a weak spot in the center of the bridge. I have never had problems with my floyds, I hope my Edge Pro's are just as reliable, and this is just some freak accident.

**elcid** · #7 12-26-2006, 06:54 PM

You can always just wait for Rich to read this, he seems to know everything about Ibanez guitars. If it was the design though, with the number of people here who have Universes, this would be atleast a weekly topic. I dont think anyone is saying the guy is lying to you about it being pewter, maybe he just doesnt know any better.

Invert The Virgin · #8 12-26-2006, 06:57 PM

Yeah, I'm just really pissed I ran into this problem. If you guys can get anyone else to try to help me out please do. Even if you think of somthing you might have left out just email me at sshanewesley@yahoo.com. Thanks alot guys, i need to get this thing up and running ASAP.

Shane

jb4674 · #9 12-26-2006, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Invert The Virgin

I'm wondering if the design is wrong because it is a J-Custom guitar and they may have messed it up when building it. It's the store that has it now that's gonna fix it. How could I get it fixed if the design was wrong?.

Just to clarify something, a Universe is not a J-Custom.

Jimmy

Drow Swordsman · #10 12-26-2006, 07:37 PM

Man I gotta say one thing...

If the only reason you sent it to him was because you wanted to get rid of some relief in the neck, why didn't you do it yourself?

Good tech or not what he said was complete crap.

A bad saddles a bad saddle sometimes, just replace it! I HIGHLY doubt it's because of the Edge Pro 7, and if it honestly is then saying the Edge Pro 7 will keep causing the problem is what he SHOULD have said, not that the whole guitar is messed up. Of course as I said, I don't think the EP7 is to blame at all. (Though I've only played a LoPro when it comes to 7 strings, but the EP 6's I played worked very well).

And for the saddles..I'm thinking if it's an EP7 he tried keeping the ball on and tightened it too much...however that's just a guess, and a far stretch at that.

EDIT: Pewter saddles? J-Custom quality? Jesus christ if your tech buddy told you the Universe had both of those then he definitely doesn't have a clue when it comes to Ibanez guitars...

Last time I checked a chrome trem didn't mean the metal is pewter -_-. Order a more durable metal from Ibanez? Man this gets better and better...

Lefty Robb · #11 12-26-2006, 07:39 PM

He over-tightened it plain and simple, but he doesn't want to admit that.

Drow Swordsman · #12 12-26-2006, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lefty Robb

He over-tightened it plain and simple, but he doesn't want to admit that.

He wouldn't want to tarnish his rep as a "good" tech of course...saving business over integrity I'm sure...happens with a lot of techs these days.

Rich · #13 12-26-2006, 08:14 PM

Aybody that read my NAMM 2003 trem review knows the EP and EP2 saddles were prone to breaking at the joint. I sent many of them out as warranty replacements and also sold a crapload of them, but evidently they changed the mix of the metal [my guess, and BTW it's spelter, white metal, pot metal, or any other name given to what is commonly known as a zinc based mix] because I can't remember the last time I sold an EP or EP2 saddle, and unfortunately I'm deep in stock on both

I broke one myself barely starting to crush the winding on a D string so overtightening is not the issue, although I'm sure if one was going to break overtightening would definitely make it happen faster.

Drow Swordsman · #14 12-26-2006, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

Aybody that read my NAMM 2003 trem review knows the EP and EP2 saddles were prone to breaking at the joint. I sent many of them out as warranty replacements and also sold a crapload of them, but evidently they changed the mix of the metal [my guess, and BTW it's spelter, white metal, pot metal, or any other name given to what is commonly known as a zinc based mix] because I can't remember the last time I sold an EP or EP2 saddle, and unfortunately I'm deep in stock on both

I broke one myself barely starting to crush the winding on a D string so overtightening is not the issue, although I'm sure if one was going to break overtightening would definitely make it happen faster.

Well then that makes a story a little more legit except he said he bought it over the summer...meaning it's a 2006.

What year was the trem that you were working on where the same thing happened to you Rich? If it happened to you on a 2006 trem then I guess we owe the tech an apology...(except for saying it's made of pewter and that whole rubbish about the bridge being too weak in the center). He should've just said it was a bad saddle plain and simple.