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Which Trem is best

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floyd trem
3K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  GuitarMechanic 
#1 ·
OK, a daft question, which may have been asked before (I did try the search first though)

Which trem is the better (durability and tuning stability), I appreciate that neither are Ibanez's "top end" units

Lo-TRS-II
Edge III
 
#11 ·
After seeing people mention it on this forum, I used "chap-stick" lip stuff.

I have toyed with the idea of getting a cheapo used RG5EX1 and blocking it off to use like a hardtail.
The RG5EX1 is a pretty neat guitar... I'm gonna keep it because I listed it locally on craigslist for less than I paid for it and had no takers. It does ok and you can get them pretty cheap, but the Inf3/4 pickups don't have a good reputation, the Edge 3 tremolo has a bad reputation, and the dark grey sharktooth fret markings are hard to see. I finally stuck some white dots on them so I would quit hitting the wrong fret. I guess I'm just not used to looking at the dots on the neck binding. I guess I'm saying make sure it's what you want, otherwise for the same price you could probably get a better guitar. You can get an RG321 for the same price with a hardtail bridge.
 
#7 ·
The lo trs II is not a better trem than edge 3. It's virtually unusable. It's got the stupid screw in arm so you can't even move it back or forth without screwing up the arm height.

Don't get me wrong the edge III is atrocious if not set up right, but it's certainly better than the trs II. I've never played the trs I though, so idk about that
 
#8 ·
I had to check the link LNG posted to confirm, but the Lo-TRS II route is a drop-in fit for an OFR, while the Edge III unless I'm VERY greatly mistaken is not - I think it has the same stud positioning as an Edge Pro as it's based on the same design, and they fall in a different postion relative to the knife edges than the Edge or OFR.

Both trems can be used, but neither is really all that exceptional. Accordingly, if it was on a guitar I actually planned on using the trem a fair amount on, I'd always go for the Lo-TRS II, since it would be a fairly straightforward mod to drop in an OFR. And, whether you prefer an OFR to an Edge/LoPro is a matter of fierce debate here (and I say "prefer" for a reason), but I think people on BOTH sides of that debate will agree that the other is the next best thing to their preferred option.
 
#9 ·
The reason for my OP was some years ago, I had an RG470, with the Lo-TRS II, and if my memory serves well, it was pretty stable, not perfect, but very usable.
Now, I just bagged an RG350 real cheap on ebay (£100 or $165, which by UK standards is real cheap, they generally sell for £150-£175 here in the UK, so I thought buy, and try to sell on for a small profit), but the trem isn't perfect (Edge III), however, from browsing this forum, its hard to ascertain what people believe is the better trem, some say the Lo-TRSII is better, some say not.
 
#10 ·
Edge 3 is better. I used a Lo-TRS II for a while on a JS100 and Edge 3 on a few RG350's. Gigged out and played extensively with both. Edge 3 is better but needs work to setup and continued maintenance.
I no longer own guitars equipped with either. I have toyed with the idea of getting a cheapo used RG5EX1 and blocking it off to use like a hardtail.
 
#17 ·
I tried some light oil first... but it "migrated" around a lot. Dust stuck to it too. The chapstick seems better... but the graphite might be worth trying too. Next time my trem is off I might try just running a pencil lead around in the groove to coat it. Thx for the idea!
 
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