They were a replaceable part, until ibanez stopped selling them

And I don't bother ****ing with the bushings anymore, I like it tight with literally no clicking in holder, and no matter how new the bushings you can never get the bushings to keep the arm from clicking.

Just take one of those thick ziplock bags (the big ones with the thicker plastic), and cut out a rectangle, put it underneath the tip if the bar when sticking it in, and it'll be tight for at least 3 weeks. There's also no residue left in the holder because the plastic is thick enough to stay together.

I did the 'plastic' thing. Too damned tight. And I keep my guitars in the cases, so pushing that in and pulling it out every time I want to play and have the bar is a royal pain in my pale little ass! (Y)

The knives were never meant to be replaceable. The only reason some were even available was because I found a distributor willing to sell me some [Australis] So the policy is no different today than it ever was, and in all honestly 95% of you would be completely unqualified to replace them if they were available.

I was looking at my 550 OE earlier after reading this thread.
I see no 'easy' way of even getting them out. A pair of grippers and a lot of force, maybe. Then getting the new ones in, I imagine, would be hell without a press, and even with a press if you don't really know what you're doing I could see easily damaging the knives, the bridge, or both.

They just tap in, it's the out that's the problem.

Pretty tight, I'm guessing.

Yep, just like charging $90 for a tremolo bar....

Ibanez needs to get their heads out of their butt.

Jimmy

Go ahead and see how much a carbon fiber handled bar will cost you to have made

The bar is actually $125

For a bar?

Yes, but Joe likes it so that makes it worth it.

I'm not surprised by how many people will pay $90 for a UTA. Ever notice how many idiots will pay $55 for a regular bar from that rip off on ebay?

Wow, my local Ibby dealer is charging €14 for a regular bar, could I make a profit on Fleabay?

If you don't have a conscience and have zero ethics.
Go for it!
The one Ibanez dealer around here (and he mostly carries the 'cheap ones' at that) tried to charge me $35.00 for one for my RG550.
I told him on GC.com it's $20.00. He started in on me about "shipping" costs, but then I pointed out that if I bought more than $50 worth of stuff, the shipping was free and even without the bar on the counter, the strap and box of strings I was buying from him (that I could most likely get cheaper on GC) came to more than $50.
He gave it to me for $20.
It really sux living here. Sure, we have a lot of good stores, Sears, Macy's, etc. but no good music stores. $600 for an RG350 without a case? Um, no.......
And don't get me started on the bread and bagels. I thought I knew bread until I first visited New Jersey....they make some good bread in Jersey!
Digression Queen signing off.......

Hmm zero ethics and no conscience..... were you the one who who stole my resume??

Lol try living here, there's one Ibanez dealer in this city about 10 minutes from my home, they know bugger all about the guitars and just want to sell Gios to kids. Parts are a joke, I can get the bars and brushes, but they only stock generic wanky switches and pots. They don't stock the trems, know bugger all about them, nor do they stock the locking nuts AND not one bastard in this whole country sells Dimarzio. There's a deluge of EMG and Seymore Duncan, but asking for a Dimarzio set is like asking permission to make love to their grandmother, usual response is surprise followed by "why don't you go for a nice Duncan?". Sorry rant over, on the other hand breads we have lots of mainly thanks to the Polish and Jewish bakeries. But neither bakeries know anything about Ibbys.

You also have a national treasure in the form or Rich there who you can order guitars and parts from. If I order from Rich I may as well bend over and ask the delivery guy to insert the guitar to limber up for the rapeage I'm going to feel when I see the import duty and VAT bill from my useless government. Erm.. sorry rant and digression over.

I live 40 mins from one of guitar centers flagship stores. I went there one time and they had all the jems there, with uvs. I got to play the Jem evo.

It's actually the same location as where Steve shot the "two cellos" video. I missed him by 1 day. The day after my Vai concert I went to GC and they told me I missed him the day before. And he brought evo. I have been kicking myself since.