OMG!! RG8670+ESP Arming Adjuster = WOW!!

buddroyce · #1 09-09-2005, 11:34 PM

I finally got around to installing one of the ESP Arming Adjusters in my RG8670, and man, I gotta say that it made a HUUGE difference. Took me a while to figure out how to set it up properly but now there's more tone and sustain on it than I could ever really need. The guitar is all of a sudden acoustically more vibrant and there's so much energy transfer from the strings to the body that I can feel the vibes run through my fingers as I tune it up, and I'm not talking about small vibes here either.

Striking an open E and just placing my hand on the tuners feels like I'm holding onto a grand piano striking the same note. As much as I used to like the Ibanez Backstop, not only is this ESP arming adjuster cheaper but I find that it does a better job than a backstop.

Before everyone starts ordering one for thier guitars I must add that installing it ISN'T easy. Rich (Ibanezrules) got his shipment of ESP arming adjusters around the same time I got mine and according to his site it *SHOULD* fit a Jem(and guitars with the same cavity route). Unfortunately I couldn't get it to fit without doing a bit of routing. (Rich, if you got it to install without any routing please do let me know)

I tested this on my RG8670(Edge pro), RG1880(Lo-Pro), UV777bk(Lo-Pro 7), as well as my Usa Custom(Edge) and a friend's Jem 7VWH(Lo-Pro). NONE of them fit properly. The recessed cavity which was designed for the Ibanez Backstop is about 1/2" short length wise.

Here's a shot of my RG8670 with the arming adjuster installed (warning.. VERY VERY BAD picture quality).

http://www.animetor.com/guitars/rg8670_adjuster.jpg

Here you can see the recessed cavity as well as the Arming Adjuster. (If you're wondering what that black thing is in the control cavity, thats a passive mid cut that I built so I can cut back the mids on the overly middy TZ).

Summary: Ibanez J-Custom + ESP Arming Adjuster = "OMFG!! I almost creamed myself!!"

AlexBLA · #2 09-09-2005, 11:58 PM

is tuning stability increased alot? btw.. just wonder if u have tried the tremol-no?

giannifive · #3 09-10-2005, 01:00 AM

Very nice. Have you tried the tremsetter? How does the Arming Adjuster compare?

ibanez.shredder · #4 09-10-2005, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexBLA

is tuning stability increased alot? btw.. just wonder if u have tried the tremol-no?

AlexBLA as far as im aware the tremol-no isnt for sale yet but is in production. but im aware some have gone out (for endorsees and stuff). you wouldnt happen to know where to get them would you? they look like they would a much better job than the ESP aiming adjuster or the backstop because of the lack of springs esspecially since you can do drop tunings then

buddroyce · #5 09-10-2005, 10:03 AM

I haven't tried the Tremol-No, but since I don't use drop tuning I'll stick with the Arming adjuster. (yes, the tuning/trem stability is a lot better now).

Compared to the Hipshot tremsetter, the Arming Adjuster seems to transfer more string energy to the body and is also a lot less of a pain to install than the Hipshot Tremsetter. It's definitely a product I intend on installing on all my trem equipped guitars. (Unless of course someone is willing to send me a Tremol-No to compare)

Rich · #6 09-10-2005, 11:15 AM

>>Rich (Ibanezrules) got his shipment of ESP arming adjusters around the same time I got mine and according to his site it *SHOULD* fit a Jem(and guitars with the same cavity route). Unfortunately I couldn't get it to fit without doing a bit of routing. (Rich, if you got it to install without any routing please do let me know)

The EP rout is too short on most but I guess it works on a VWH as I have measurements up for it. The Lo Po VWH's don't have a flat rout in the cavity but allot of LP guitars still had the Backstop rout in the CNC program, and those it should fit in fine.

buddroyce · #7 09-11-2005, 12:48 AM

Thanks for the info and I kinda see what you're saying Rich. The Edge/Lo-Pro route is definitely longer than the Edge Pro and technically speaking, the Arming Adjuster actually DOES fit, but the problem is that the bolt at the end that makes contact with the trem itself needs to be setup a bit short. Otherwise it'll push against the trem too much. The only way I've found it to work properly on my USA Custom (Edge Equipped) is to router out 1/4" near the back to get the Arming Adjuster on.

I'll be installing the Arming Adjuster on my RG1880S tomorrow and I'll get pics posted of the Arming Adjuster in both my USA Custom and my RG1880S later. Still, this thing is still probably the best thing I've added to my guitar(s) in a while.

(btw, I dunno about you Rich, but I can't read Japanese to save my life and the instructions from the packaging ain't helping. I'm installing the Arming Adjusters based on how it's pre-installed in an ESP MII-Deluxe that I have.)

Rich · #8 09-11-2005, 01:04 AM

It's basically a Backstop, and those instructions are in English

http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/.../backstop1.jpg

http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/.../backstop2.jpg

I just listed an 04' RG2720 that also has that long rout like the VWH, so who knows what actually does and doesn't. Most I see are the short routs though.

fyrie · #9 09-11-2005, 01:13 AM

I've got a 2002 VSBL (has a LP) and it has no additional routing in the cavity. The cavity floor is slightly angled (not parallel) to the top or back of the guitar. I'm really tempted to try to install one on here without doing any routing. Rich believes it should still work. Buddroyce, since you've been experimenting with this thing, do you think the device would still work as intended if it were screwed into the slightly angled cavity floor?

Flobanez · #10 09-11-2005, 01:35 AM

Nice job! It looks great.

Drew · #11 09-11-2005, 03:47 PM

The Tremol-no should be on the market in a number of weeks, as I understant (www.tremol-no.com). Worth mentioning that the Tremol-no and the Arming adjuster do two TOTALLY different things - the tremol-no is a way to switch between blocked, dive-only, and full-float on the fly, while the Arming Adjuster (as well as the Tremsetter and Backstop) essentially provide zero return points and enough contertension to hold your guitar in tune for compound bends.

Personally, after the initial "oh my god, I can bend again!" euphoria wore off with the Tremsetter I installed in my old 7620, the slight catch as you crossed the zero point began to drive me crazy, but I have no idea how it compares to a Backstop and a Arming Adjuster in this respect. The Tremol-no, on the other hand, I haven't gotten annoyed with after um... Hmm. did the install St. Pattie's day of this year, someone else do the math.

How's the change in feel - do you notice it when you go from dive to pull back? How's flutter? and is it smooth enough to allow a good bar vibrato? It's an interesting little device...

-D

Eddie88 · #12 09-11-2005, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew

The Tremol-no should be on the market in a number of weeks, as I understant (www.tremol-no.com). Worth mentioning that the Tremol-no and the Arming adjuster do two TOTALLY different things - the tremol-no is a way to switch between blocked, dive-only, and full-float on the fly, while the Arming Adjuster (as well as the Tremsetter and Backstop) essentially provide zero return points and enough contertension to hold your guitar in tune for compound bends.

Personally, after the initial "oh my god, I can bend again!" euphoria wore off with the Tremsetter I installed in my old 7620, the slight catch as you crossed the zero point began to drive me crazy, but I have no idea how it compares to a Backstop and a Arming Adjuster in this respect. The Tremol-no, on the other hand, I haven't gotten annoyed with after um... Hmm. did the install St. Pattie's day of this year, someone else do the math.

How's the change in feel - do you notice it when you go from dive to pull back? How's flutter? and is it smooth enough to allow a good bar vibrato? It's an interesting little device...

-D

I understood what you meant about the tremol-no, but I didn't quite get what you said about the Arming Adjuster!

Can you go crazy with the whammy bar and _still_ get all the nice features?
(better tuning stability etc.). Because it doesn't make the trem fixed??
Or, how does it work??

Btw, what does routing mean?

buddroyce · #13 09-11-2005, 08:33 PM

fyrie: It should work even on a slight angle. It actually does to some extent work without any additional routing on Edge/Lo-Pro guitars, but you'll have to set it up so that the bolt isn't extended out much. Personally I find the Arming adjuster to work better if you give it more room to work. But try it, it'll work fine on a slightly angled route since the tip of the bolt is actually a ball bearing.

Drew: The Backstop/Arming Adjuster is VERY different from the Hipshot tremsetter. There's no annoying catch around the zero point(unless you set it with enough tension to do so). Doing a dive and going back feels like normal since when you dive the arming adjuster is no longer touching the trem block. The overall tension can be adjusted so that it plays like it's not even there. In terms of flutter, you can set it so there's very LOW tension(as in pushing against the trem block) so that you can still use the trem for fluttering, but I have it setup so there's very little to no flutter. If the Ibanez Backstop is good enough for Vai, this is good enough for me.

Eddie88: Yes you can still go crazy with the whammy bar and *STILL* have the tuning stability. It all comes down to HOW you have it setup and how much spring tension you set it up with(both from the trem springs AND the spring on the arming adjuster).

Routing in guitar/luthier/woodworking lingo means to cut using a router(a machine that is used to do quick clean cuts).