The axe is an Ibanex RG5EX1 purchased back in 2006. Not Ibanez's top quality by a long shot, but it is playable, and I've been good to it and it's been good to me in return. The wood is almost accoustically dead, and I've never heard a kind word spoken about the Edge III tremolo, but I read and followed the instructions in the manual and even had the bridge professionally set up, and it hasn't given me any trouble.
Until now.
So remembering I have a rehearsal tomorrow night, I go to change the worn out strings on my guitar. Fresh strings = win. When changing the 3rd string, I notice a funny little dimple in the flattened part that sat in the saddle. I figured it's nothing and proceed with changing the strings. Everything's going well until I go to stretch the strings so their tuning will be stable. I pull a bit too hard on the 3rd string and it snaps. Damn. Oh well, that's why I buy spares. I replace the 3rd string and again notice the funny little dimple in the flattened part of the string. I shrug it off again and am tightening the saddle when I notice the the little block thingy that sits in the saddle is doing something weird - it is trying to slide up out of the saddle as I tighten the screw instead of pressing against the sting and locking it in place. I loosen, push the block back down into the saddle and try again. It takes a couple times, but I get the block to behave and start tightening the screw that locks the saddle. On the final turn, the saddle snaps in half.
****. :banghead:
Understand, I don't crank the scews on the locking nut or on the saddles as hard as I possibly can, as even with the best quality hardware, that's asking to strip/shear/break the screw bolt or what it's going into. Using the allen wrench that came with the guitar, I turn until it can no longer easily be turned with my thumb and forefinger. That's always been tight enough to ensure that the strings don't slip in the saddles, and I haven't tried go go harder, for fear of exactly this happening. I mean, I didn't think I was tightening the saddles that hard.
So now what? Obviously, the simplest and most immediate fix will be to order a replacement saddle, and swap it in. But the bridge is probably going to need to be set up from scratch now (which means the brand new strings I just put on have to come off, yay). Part of me figures that while the axe is dissasembled for repairs, I might as well go ahead with some upgrades. Big sustain block upgrades have been discussed around here recently, and I have found myself wishing for a bit more sustain at times. Another option would be to figure out if any of the other, higher quality versions of the Edge will fit and drop one of those in instead and avoid any future problems from the Edge III down the road.
However, while I do have a month before the next show in which to scrape together the money needed and make the repair, I do not have an infinity of time and money is scary tight at times. I have rehearsals to worry about too. Part of me is thinking it isn't worth it to slap premium hardware on what is an almost accoustically dead axe made in Ibanez's Indonesian factory, and so I should just grab the part number from the Ibanez catalog and fix the bridge.
I have to do *something* though. Does anyone have any advice?
Until now.
So remembering I have a rehearsal tomorrow night, I go to change the worn out strings on my guitar. Fresh strings = win. When changing the 3rd string, I notice a funny little dimple in the flattened part that sat in the saddle. I figured it's nothing and proceed with changing the strings. Everything's going well until I go to stretch the strings so their tuning will be stable. I pull a bit too hard on the 3rd string and it snaps. Damn. Oh well, that's why I buy spares. I replace the 3rd string and again notice the funny little dimple in the flattened part of the string. I shrug it off again and am tightening the saddle when I notice the the little block thingy that sits in the saddle is doing something weird - it is trying to slide up out of the saddle as I tighten the screw instead of pressing against the sting and locking it in place. I loosen, push the block back down into the saddle and try again. It takes a couple times, but I get the block to behave and start tightening the screw that locks the saddle. On the final turn, the saddle snaps in half.
****. :banghead:
Understand, I don't crank the scews on the locking nut or on the saddles as hard as I possibly can, as even with the best quality hardware, that's asking to strip/shear/break the screw bolt or what it's going into. Using the allen wrench that came with the guitar, I turn until it can no longer easily be turned with my thumb and forefinger. That's always been tight enough to ensure that the strings don't slip in the saddles, and I haven't tried go go harder, for fear of exactly this happening. I mean, I didn't think I was tightening the saddles that hard.
So now what? Obviously, the simplest and most immediate fix will be to order a replacement saddle, and swap it in. But the bridge is probably going to need to be set up from scratch now (which means the brand new strings I just put on have to come off, yay). Part of me figures that while the axe is dissasembled for repairs, I might as well go ahead with some upgrades. Big sustain block upgrades have been discussed around here recently, and I have found myself wishing for a bit more sustain at times. Another option would be to figure out if any of the other, higher quality versions of the Edge will fit and drop one of those in instead and avoid any future problems from the Edge III down the road.
However, while I do have a month before the next show in which to scrape together the money needed and make the repair, I do not have an infinity of time and money is scary tight at times. I have rehearsals to worry about too. Part of me is thinking it isn't worth it to slap premium hardware on what is an almost accoustically dead axe made in Ibanez's Indonesian factory, and so I should just grab the part number from the Ibanez catalog and fix the bridge.
I have to do *something* though. Does anyone have any advice?
