Tremolo: Why is the trem bar so heavy??

[dreamyreality]

I have a RG2550 Prestige that comes with Edge Pro, I've noticed that the tremolo bar that comes with it is significantly heavy that it affects tuning stability.

I have noticed the Edge Pro itself is a rather heavy tremolo unit so tuning is affected when the angle of the guitar changes while playing, but it is still at a acceptable level,

however, with the trem bar equipped, the tuning is drastically affected, on top of that, the trem bar keeps sagging down towards the floor for being so heavy.

My question is:

1. Why does Ibanez make the trem bar so heavy (and that's for an RG Prestige)

2. Is there anyway to obtain an Edge Pro trem bar that is very light and durable at the same time?

[moebius]

What gauge strings are you using? Seems strange to me.

[dreamyreality]

9-42 standard. Oh, come on, the trem bar itself is lots of grams. I can't understand why. The guitar surely stays in tune better without it.

[Ayrton]

I have never had the weight of the bar affect my tuning.

[chaos731]

So you're saying that your trem arm is so heavy that it's weighing down the strings so much that they go out of tune by themselves?

I could be way off-base here, but I just don't think that's even possible, much less "likely". To counteract the cumulative string-tension to the degree of actual lasting pitch change without your intervention would mean an EXCEPTIONALLY heavy trem arm...so heavy, in fact, that it would more or less cease to function as a usable trem arm. I'm thinking at least a good pound, if not more. Think about how much pressure you need to exert in order to shift your pitch (up or down) during normal trem usage. It might not seem like a lot, but I'd bet it's more than you think.

Anyway, unless you're using one spring and .001 to .020 strings or something, it's got to be something else that's causing the problem. Are you fully tuned to pitch, or are you using some sort of mega-slack tuning?

Now we're all curious about this...more info, please...

[mike570]

I would bet good money that 80-85% of all "trem" issues come from incorrect spring tension.
IMO, this is one of those issues.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by dreamyreality

tuning is affected when the angle of the guitar changes while playing, but it is still at a acceptable level,

however, with the trem bar equipped, the tuning is drastically affected,

All free floaters are affected in the same way. Guitars are designed to play perpendicular to the ground, not to be laid on your lags and played like a lap steel.

[Ibateur]

It's "Heavy Metal"

note the caps

(runs and hides, dodging tomatoes)

[chaos731]

Originally Posted by Ibateur

It's "Heavy Metal"

note the caps

(runs and hides, dodging tomatoes)

Booo....hisssss...

I just don't think you are grasping the gravity of the situation.

(also dodges tomatoes)

[CosmicDebris]

Does it hang to the left or the right?

[elcid]

Maybe the girth of the bar is too much.

[waylay00]

Something else besides the tremolo arm is wrong. A trem bar by itself does not weight enough exert that much force on the strings to change pitch hardly at all.

[Rachmaninoff]

This sounds strange to me.
No bar could be so heavy.
Also, my Lo Pro 7-string, heavy a as a brick, doesn't affect tuning at all.
I never heard something like that.
I'm with the guys, to make some setup you will.

[taracatac]

Maybe it is the special edition lead bar. I have one; it weighs 3 pounds.

[Ibateur]

Originally Posted by elcid

Maybe the girth of the bar is too much.

uh oh...

Girth is good. Girth is the only thing going for me.