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How easily can the knife edges on the Original Edge wear out?

9K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  Takin' a Ride 
#1 · (Edited)
sI read you can't buy the plate, I haven't found it online, so if your knife edges are worn and you have an original edge, you'll have to buy a new trem. People say you can't file them either cause then it needs to be hardened and they won't be the same as before.

I mean seriously, hundreds of dollars for a part, shouldn't this be made of diamond or something more long-lasting than metal? doesn't matter if is hardened, it wears out

My tech said that metal parts don't wear out and that lots of bad opinion on the internet, if that's the case, how come so many people post about worn knife edges?

I have the original edge, supposedly the best trem

These systems are nice and all for the tuning stability and whammy bar use, but they're such a pain in the ass, so many parts that can go wrong. All the stuff you have to do to set it up, change strings, etc etc and they can still have all kinds of problems with tuning for any small reasons, this or that, is just

Imo the Floyds are a failed by design that depends on too many parts to work correctly for the whole system to work good. So many things can go wrong and all for what, to wank with the bar a few times here and there like the wankers from the 80s

A $300 tremolo that depends on the edge of a very small area of it of half an inch to stay in tune, is bad design, is just a metal part that wears out

Of course, they all designed like this they want you to buy more parts, new trems or new guitars.

You can't buy the original edge trem from anywhere except Rich and used ones on ebay or reverb. They want you to buy a new guitar.

So much crap and for what, to wank the bar now and then.

You can install or buy a guitar with one of those Evertune bridges, superior technology and it will stay in tune forever.

That's the future of guitar, that's how all guitar should be, in this day and age, you can't still be making instruments that go out of tune

that's what classicals are like, always out of tune, because is outdated technology
 
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#4 ·
sI ......

You can install or buy a guitar with one of those Evertune bridges, superior technology and it will stay in tune forever.

That's the future of guitar, that's how all guitar should be, in this day and age, you can't still be making instruments that go out of tune

that's what classicals are like, always out of tune, because is outdated technology
Downside of Evertune is that you have to have one guitar for every tuninig you use. If you gig double that. So for 3 tuning, 6 guitars. You are welcome.
 
#5 ·
Buy solid bridge guitars and Whammy pedal?


Truth be told, my Edge equipped guitars stay in tune better than any with solid bridges. Even the old '76 Les Paul! It's a bit of give and take... Takes a bit longer to tune, but once you do they stay in tune for weeks or months. Small price to pay for super epic dive bombs every now and then... \m/ :grin2: \m/
 
#6 ·
Buy solid bridge guitars and Whammy pedal?

Truth be told, my Edge equipped guitars stay in tune better than any with solid bridges. Even the old '76 Les Paul! It's a bit of give and take... Takes a bit longer to tune, but once you do they stay in tune for weeks or months. Small price to pay for super epic dive bombs every now and then... \m/ :grin2: \m/
my guitar stays in tune as well, i just needed to learn more about tuning and stretching the strings and all, but now is good

but I'm still going to install a trem stabilizer to make sure it returns to zero point 100% of the time

a good setup alleviates this and makes it likely that it returns, but the stabilizer ensures

it changes the feel of the trem apparently but i dont care, id rather have better tuning stability
 
#9 ·
Agree and it's total bull****. They made the knife edge replaceable, but you can't buy them. Hey thanks! I've tried dealers, Ibanez themselves, luthiers, ect. Now I either need a new trem or install a Tremel-No and lose functionality. Great hardware choice on a $3k guitar.
 
#10 ·
you drank the koolaid and overpaid for a guitar where most of the money went to steves pockets lol

not even ibanez rules has these plates lol

if the edges get worn out where tuning suffer well tough luck kid you just a bu ya new trem for $300

and ibanez rules is the only one who sells this trems on the internet
 
#12 ·
Probably the worst wear is from people adjusting the stud height with full string tension. I also put a drop of oil on all of mine and haven't work out any of the 6 guitars I have with Edge variants or real Floyd Rose bridges. Any serious Ibanez dealer might be able to order a new baseplate. Or just order a new bridge and sell the old one on eBay for parts...
 
#14 · (Edited)
people say that's like the biggest myth that exists, when you use the trem bar, probably getting more use than one little height adjustment would do

no guitar tech is gonna bother releasing tension of the springs or strings to lower the action lol maybe on the cheaper trem it could cause damage, they just adjust it as it is

i really dont see any tech doing this
 
#13 ·
I've seen wear on studs but so little real wear on knives yet hear so much about it. Somebody posted a picture a couple months ago and we all said, damn, yea, that's wear.

The knife edges were meant to be replaced in the old pre 87 Edge. They would almost fall out if you grabbed them, which was a problem so they put a deep detent in them and then, they weren't replaceable [as far as japan is concerned, just like the arm holder on an edge is replaceable, they have never considered the edge zero holder replaceable because they use so much locktite on it]

I found some of the ancient knives in Australia and bought them and sold out with people that were buying "just in case", not because they needed them. The knife edges can be pulled but average Joe isn't going to do it, half these guys take their guitars to a tech to adjust the truss rod. You'd have to use a Dremel cutoff wheel to cut a deep enough slot in it to start working it out with a screwdriver, and trust me, it's not easy. I have successfully removed some with cutting pliers on UVRE's to be able to move the bridge to make the guitars playable, but maybe 1 in 3 would get enough bite to pull. Then I'd have to go thru new bridges to find one I could pull and swap out the bridges, because I still had to put the original knife back in.

I have ZERO complaint they don't sell knife edges, I always had a problem that they wouldn't sell the baseplate with the knives for replacement, you had to buy a new bridge. But as I said, I've seen so few that warranted replacing that I see why they don't, but not really. They'd sell alot of baseplates that people don't need but they've never had a problem selling you parts you don't need if you want to buy them. Now strip a baseplate on an Edge Zero or ZR and you have every right to complain.....
 
#16 ·
Bottom line is it depends on the system. Edge3's, EP2's will deform if you look at them wrong. Edge, Lo Pro, have always been quality units, and adjusting a lubed system should never be an issue. And now they're using a new cast knife that is the hardest they've ever used.

usually players tweak the action instead of fixing what is more time consuming but is the real problem, usually trem angle changing, truss rod is too easy to adjust but too many are afraid to touch. Spinning studs up and down to compensate for everything else moving instead of correcting the real problem, is the problem. Once a guitar is setup and locked and how you want it, it's trem angle and neck relief that are the only things that should be kept in adjustment.
 
#17 ·
People simply assume that if the guitar won't stay in tune, it must be that the knife edges are shot. I can understand how someone inexperienced could jump to that conclusion, but it simply isn't the problem. The issue in most cases is the studs have become worn and are binding the knives. Replacing them and lubricating the contact points solves the problem. The other issue and one I think lots of people ignore in their fascination with "Golden Era" guitars is the anchors themselves becoming loose. Basswood is an extremely soft wood and once the anchors get loose, the trem will never be stable short of a more involved repair.
 
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