edge metals

[Homebake]

what kind of metals are the ibanez edges made out of?

i scratched a tiny bit of the mirror finish off my edge zero and it's clearly made of an orangey copper looking metal. but i'm sure it can't be copper...the nut locking bolts seem to be made of the same stuff, where the string has worn through the mirror finish orange is visible.

what about edge pros and lo pros and so forth?

people always harp on about trem metal quality and how it affects the guitar's performance, but how much effect does it really have?

[Jacob K]

I don't know (Rich is gonna come up with the correct answer, I suspect), but could it be brass?

[Homebake]

i thought about that, but it's not goldish. definately more coppery than brassy.

[nuno]

Originally Posted by Homebake

people always harp on about trem metal quality and how it affects the guitar's performance, but how much effect does it really have?

a lot. for example, steel made trems enhance sound incredibly, you just got to hear it to believe. it bumps up mids and mid-trebles quite like turning your amp settings 3 to 8. also, the knives won't get worn as they do in the most other (non-steel) trems, as well as the trem posts.
i guess the original Floyd Rose is the only steel-made trem around.

[Homebake]

the edge zero doesn't use a knife edge though, right?

i'm more interested in terms of keeping tune properly and so on.

[brothersnowgone]

I remember a thread on this for some reason. I remember the metal having a wierd name, some alloy used specifically in injection molding.

[nuno]

Originally Posted by Homebake

the edge zero doesn't use a knife edge though, right?

it does: http://www.ibanezrules.com/namm/2008/hardware.htm#EZ

Originally Posted by Homebake

i'm more interested in terms of keeping tune properly and so on.

if the knives and posts don't wear out (being made of steel), and if everything else is ok, then the tuning will always stay perfect.

[PBGas]

I thought they were just some kind of cheaper dye cast metal?

[Rich]

Spelter, white metal, pot metal, take your pic.

The copper is just plating.

[LonePhantom]

Originally Posted by nuno

i guess the original Floyd Rose is the only steel-made trem around.

Gotoh licenced Floyd Rose seems to be steel made too.

[Pulsar]

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

Gotoh licenced Floyd Rose seems to be steel made too.

Wouldn't Schaller's Floyd be steel, too? Everyone says it's the best around and it mentions hardened metal pivots or something like that.

[callen3615]

Originally Posted by Rich

Spelter, white metal, pot metal, take your pic.

The copper is just plating.

oh, if it was solid copper i would melt down mine and sell it!

[nuno]

Originally Posted by LonePhantom

Gotoh licenced Floyd Rose seems to be steel made too.

yea, i guess it is since FR patents went down. i did forget about it. too bad Ibanez didn't take this chance to begin making some steel parts (saddles, knives, trem block etc).

Originally Posted by Pulsar

Wouldn't Schaller's Floyd be steel, too? Everyone says it's the best around and it mentions hardened metal pivots or something like that.

nope, the Schaller isn't steel. probably the knives are, but the rest of the trem isn't. and this makes lots of difference sound-wise.

[eviltwin]

I'm pretty sure the injection moulding alloy used for Edge trems is Zamak.

It's a blend of Zink Aluminium copper etc. It's the material of choice for die-cast toys. Easy to mould, decent properties, easy to finish.

A machined Aluminium trem would be stronger, by about a factor two, but also three times lighter, leading to completely different flutter characteristics. Check the 1980s Ibanez Allan Holdsworth for one.

A machined steel trem would be overkill (about as heavy as Zamak but six times stronger) very expensive, and without treatment, rust-prone.

A stamped, stainless, hardened steel trem is lighter, and very durable (orig Floyd) but doesn't look as nice.

[AxeHappy]

Khaler makes a steel trem.