Knife edge wear - .. how long does it last??

[dacmo]

Does anyone know how long the knife edge on the floyd (specifically Lo-Pro) lasts with moderate playing?

Long long before it needs to be replaced?

[Noodles]

I have an '87 rg550 and the knife edges on it's edge are still going strong.

[Coolstu]

If you don't go absolutely nuts with the trem then the knife edges should last for a very long time.

[jemsite]

I agree. Just periodically change the tremolo post, every few years or so to keep the knife edges fresh... glen

[shawn]

is it possible to replace just the knife edges? *it looks to me like you could remove the saddles and take off the piece on the bottom of the trem that they attach to, and then the knives would just slide out. *all right, now everyone go take out your trem and look *

[dacmo]

Glen,

So, the posts wear out faster than the knife edges?

I am just wondering if I should have spares of the posts, baseplate or the whole trem system on hand for replacing.. but if you say that the knife edges lasts for years, I think that it should be fine then.

I'm just paranoid right now because I bought a used RG with a Lo-TRS II with both the posts and the knife edges severely worn. I know that the Lo-Pro is probably much better quality than the TRS but hey, only the paranoid survive, right?

BTW.. Shawn... The baseplate (knife edges) can be replaced without replacing the whole trem...

[Noodles]

The edge trems are of stronger than the trs trems, just keep an extra set of posts around and you should be fine. If you go crazy on the trem you should be more worried about the trem arm rather than the trem itself.

(Edited by Noodles at 1:11 pm on Feb. 20, 2001)

[jemsite]

The TRS-II is second rate. Erase that from your memory and periodically inspect the edges and replace the post every year or so. More if you like... glen

[dacmo]

Thanks for all the info... I will try erasing the TRS II from memory.... it has seriously traumatized me * 8-)

What about the gold plating? I heard that it wears out from palm sweat. Any major concerns there or only if you sweat like a pig on your palms?

Thanks

[shawn]

ive had my 7v for under a year and the gold is already turning silver quite noticably

[Doink]

Filing down the damaged parts of the knife should do the trick.
It is possible to get just the baseplate, and use your old saddles and other parts, but I understand it's very hard to order just the baseplate (though somehow a dealer in Eugene OR was able to do this for me.)

[jem7vwh]

the issue with gold wear has been covered extensively, but the long and short of it is this: *it's all individual. *Some people notice wear after only a year, some notice very little even after many years. *My JEM7VWH is two and half years old now and I don't notice any wear whatsoever. *The best way to lengthen the life of the trem is to make sure you wipe the entire guitar down after playing it.

[dacmo]

I think that any authorized dealer should be able to get it for you.

I know that the ibanez dealers here in AZ told me that they could order any little piece of hardware that I needed as long as you knew what it was.