Becoming a Floyd/Edge Pro Master!

atarilovesyou · #1 12-02-2005, 12:17 AM

...I've read lots of great links on tuning and adjusting the Edge Pro trem bridge.

I was wondering if anyone who knows of some great links, both here and elsewhere, with good photos and such to turn one into a TREM TUNING MASTER...I find the more inputs I read, the better it gets!...as I await my RG 2550E, I keep wondering how tricky it'll be get the trem to stay in tune...I'm confident, but you know what it's like the first few times. The Prestige guitars come with a pretty informative manual, but I'd like some input from you guys as well.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Paul Secondino · #2 12-02-2005, 11:15 AM

The best set up tutorials are on www.ibanezrules.com Rich Harris's place

Kevan · #3 12-03-2005, 01:16 AM

Here's a little present for ya:

http://www.tremol-no.com/cleanandlube.asp

(Pics coming soon)

atarilovesyou · #4 12-03-2005, 01:25 AM

...thanks for the info....looks like a floating trem is going to be, for lack of better words, a real pain in the ass!!...but it's worth it, I'm sure.

Here's a question...there was an Ibanez, same Prestige model I'm getting with an Edge Pro...dude at the store said that the trem was snapping high E strings, and it turned out there was a burr in the saddle...which was why I could see it before I went to the shop.

From what I've read, filing anything on a trem sounds like a bad idea...which is what the shop said they were going to do to fix it. Does this sound like the right thing to do?...I hope mine will have no such problems, but around here it doesn't seem like the techs are very Floyd friendly...a vintage shop around here actually does NOT do any work on Floyd tremmed guitars, period!

Comments?

Kevan · #5 12-03-2005, 02:13 AM

Finding a Floyd-friendly shop these days is like finding a pic of Paris Hilton wearing panties.

For the burr in the saddle:
1. Don't use crappy strings.

2. Get some 00, 000 and 0000 steel wool (most craft and hardware stores have it).
3. Remove the string from the saddle.
4. Break off the cotton end of a Q-tip and use that end to GENTLY work a small piece of the 00 steel wool over the saddle. After a few passes, move up to the 000, then finally to the 0000.
5. If you're careful, the finish should remain intact.

Just remember to go slow and do a little at a time. Use your fingernail to 'feel' if the burr is gone. "Scratching" back and forth will tell you if you still have a burr or not.

Rich · #6 12-03-2005, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevan

Here's a little present for ya:

http://www.tremol-no.com/cleanandlube.asp

(Pics coming soon)

>>I've seen a few things on various web sites about filing knife edges on tremolos. This is an incredibly bad idea. DO NOT FILE YOUR TREMOLO'S KNIFE EDGES! You can not get that metal back, and will likely completely screw up your trem to the point that both it and the posts need to be replaced. Repeat: Do not file your knife edges!

You keep arguing but you're just as wrong now as you were then. The knife edges were never supposed to be wide. It's a manufacturing problem with Gotoh. If you look at knives from the late 80's they're .3mm MAX, and most often less. This is when the spec was correct. Gotoh now themselves are grinding [unfortunately] both sides of the straight knife, to not quite thin enough, but much closer to correct than how bad they were late 90's early 00's. Unfortunately the curved side on EP's is nearly as wide as the straight were on LP's. They need filing to get back to spec, and filing they get.

Kevan · #7 12-03-2005, 03:17 AM

You show me how to put those filings back when someone goes too far and I'll change it.

Rich · #8 12-03-2005, 03:23 AM

I show and tell them to be extremely careful NOT to go to far. And the knives can always be blunted again if they do.

Your guitars perform well, your lube works nicely for you. We've all seen the 3am commercials of the engines that run with no oil on the magic of PTFE. Don't criticize another direction that prefers to take the parts to the spec they're supposed to be.

Paul Secondino · #9 12-03-2005, 03:37 AM

Filing the knife edges can work. However, it was explained to me that some of the trems are plate hardened . So if you file through the plate hardening, which isn't thick at all, you end up with a clean knife edge on a softer piece of metal than the knife edge was intended to be on. So now there's a proper knife edge but it;s going to get hosed very quickly if the trem is used often.

But on a positive note. I do have a RG 2020x that Rich worked on and I have had no issues with the tremolo.The set up was quite good.

Rich · #10 12-03-2005, 03:40 AM

Heat treating treats the entire thickness of the metal. The whole purpose is to trap the carbon atoms inside the molecular structure of the steel. You can't file through it.

Kevan · #11 12-03-2005, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

...how bad they were late 90's early 00's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

Your guitars perform well, your lube works nicely for you.

All of my guitars are '96 thru '00.
Make up your mind, dude.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

I show and tell them to be extremely careful NOT to go to far. And the knives can always be blunted again if they do.

ROFLMFAO! Too funny.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

We've all seen the 3am commercials of the engines that run with no oil on the magic of PTFE.

It's not magic.
It's called science.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

Don't criticize another direction that prefers to take the parts to the spec they're supposed to be.

I'm not criticizing. I'm offering a MUCH simpler way to optimize tremolo performance....without any risk.

Sorry for being helpful. I'll stop now.

Rich · #12 12-03-2005, 04:49 AM

>All of my guitars are '96 thru '00.
Make up your mind, dude.

It's no secret that the parts mate themselves together with use.

>This is an incredibly bad idea. DO NOT FILE YOUR TREMOLO'S KNIFE EDGES!

Not criticizing? Make up YOUR mind.

We argued this point ad nauseum for pages worth on the old boards. Chapstick on it's own works very well also, without filing. I will always take the parts to spec first and then lube, but you're going to rant that my way is bad?! Sure, OK.

Kevan · #13 12-03-2005, 05:10 AM

Rich- you, with your own hands, tested my guitars (ART, GEAR, USA-1, CST). Remember? I certainly remember the shocked look on your face when they all came back to zero. Everytime.

As for parts mating themselves, nice try....but the EGYPT and GEAR don't get much playtime, and they both come back deadnuts on. Everytime.
Besides, a couple of posts ago, you told us about how the knife edges were heat treated.

You're not the only one I've heard from about filing knife edges. It's been posted by different guys on several forums online. If you want to take it personally, then go ahead, but you're not the only one out there.

BTW- where did the spec(s) come from? Yourself? Gotoh? Donahue? I'd love to see the spec sheets if you've got them. My fax is always on.

And, unless you're a fluffer at Madame Trousseau's, wax is not a lubricant.

Rich · #14 12-03-2005, 05:18 AM

Your guitars come back excellent, I never said they didn't, I also never said dead nuts zero. And I only tested 2 of them. I don't even remember which except thst they're the ones always out getting played.

JD never gave me a spec sheet, he showed me what they should look like. Ask him nicely and maybe he'll show you.

Now go tell Joe what's been keeping his guitars returning correctly is worthless

Yes, I take it personally.