Tremolo Stiff/Resistance? - RG350DX

[Riley]

Hey there,

I've encountered a problem with a newly purchased Ibanez RG350DX - y'know..the white one.

So yeah, this is my problem;

I remember using the whammy in the shop and it was fantastic..almost no effort required to dip it right down - how it should be, right?

Since then, I foolishly messed the tension up - it was my first Edge Pro guitar! - and had to get it retuned and the like. So now I know how that's done..but yeah..since then, dipping the whammy requires quite a bit of effort...there's alot of resistance pushing this thing down. I've tried adjusting the 'arm action' - but that simply makes it higher or lower and doesn't effect much. I've also tried loosening the arm rotation torque? But I don't think anything happened there.

I was thinking it must relate to the whole tremolo unit and tension..but surely LOOSENING the tension of the spring cavitys will just kick the guitar out of whack, making it impossible to tune.

Any suggestions? I'd appreciate it so much.

[lyconxero]

What effects the stiffness of the tremolo is mostly the springs. I noticed that the Edge 3 on my guitar is pretty stiff as well, but then I've got 10s on it so that's to be expected. I know that stretching the strings did help a bit. You might also try lubing up the joints i.e. where the knife edges come in contact with the posts. Other than that, I think it may just be the design of the tremolo unit. I know that the Edge Pro, Lo Pro Edge, and Original Edge trems are much looser-feeling than the Edge Pro II and the Edge 3. I also noticed a few days ago that the trem on the SA guitars feels damn good and is loose like an Edge Pro. The unit isn't double locking but the one that I played (SA160QM) held its tuning just as well as my guitar even while diving.

[Riley]

Okay I read in some other forum taking a spring out and putting them closer, so \ / like that..closer to the middle.


....never again. It wouldn't keep tune? I'd tighten up the spring cavitys and it still wouldn't keep it in tune. After much stress, I managed to put the spring back on and set the tension back up. Never. Again. haha.


But yeah...it's just..I watch videos of Dimebag and that and when he does dips and the horsie type squeels - Dip bar and rise up with a natural harmonic it's like BUTTER..there's no resistance there at all. That's how I want my whammy to be.

Perhaps it's just he has a different make of guitar?

[lyconxero]

It's not the guitar, it's the trem. If you want to do really fancy stuff with a floating trem then you need a really good floating trem ala an Original Floyd Rose, Edge Pro, Lo Pro Edge, etc. An Edge Pro II or an Edge III just isn't going to cut it. Honestly, you should've just done a bit more research on guitar tremolos before buying the instrument becuase you really get what you pay for. You get a regular series guitar and you get a regular series trem which is right up there with a licensed Floyd Rose in playability but it just lacks the overall greatness of the original.

[crevis]

when u dip and smash a harmonic up like dime, u need a lot of tension anyway, if u cant do that its because of how ur playing, not the trem, my TRS II did fine until i broke it.

[Racerx2k]

Don't listen to Lyconxero. He's just wants to bash the trem. Some friggin bobos can't read, and are blind loyalists.
Look if it was to your liking, before, then, obviously the trem TYPE isn't the issue, here. It's how it's currently set up. Where did you get it? If you can't get it back, then maybe you can take it to them, and they can set it up to your liking. Just tell them what the issue is. Like you, I HAVE an Edge 3, and the trem system is fine. I am not having the stiffness issue, like you are. It plays nice smoothe. Like any trem system, they just have to be set up, and maintained, properly.