Ibanez Edge Tremolo vs. Floyd Rose/FR Licensed

Re: Ibanez Edge Tremolo vs. Floyd Rose/FR Licensed

Well how much are you looking to spend on the guitar? You may be able to get an MIJ in your price range on eBay (RG550s and RG570s are very nice)
 
Re: Ibanez Edge Tremolo vs. Floyd Rose/FR Licensed

Anywhere from $400 to $500. My cap is $500. The RG320FM's can be bought for about $400 on ebay, so that's the right price.

I don't like the other RG models I've seen on ebay because they've got that HSH configuration. I'm a two pickup kind of guy! Options, features, versitility...whatever, not my concern here! Anyway, if you can point me to a RG w/ the HH configuration and a Edge (or floyd) in that price range show me the way!
 
Re: Ibanez Edge Tremolo vs. Floyd Rose/FR Licensed

The Edge, Lo-Pro Edge, and Edge Pro are excellent tremolos. I don't want to say better than an Original Floyd Rose, but I can't say they're worse either. Any Edge with a Roman numeral after it is going to be not as good as an OFR, neither will a TRS trem. The newer Edges (Edge Pro II, Edge III, etc.) are made out of a mystery metal and have been known for poor tuning stability.

Basically, I wouldn't buy any Ibanez unless it was made in Japan (or I suppose in the US, but those are rare). A Korean-made Ibanez would be great for a beginner, but don't you think you deserve better than that?

What guitar were you looking at and for how much?

The Edge and the Edge Zero ll are two different designs by Ibanez and the "Edge" is closer to OFR design or the same.
, However, the "Edge is rated as higher in performance than the "Edge Zero ll" and there are no locking studs on the Edge Zero ll
 
Re: Ibanez Edge Tremolo vs. Floyd Rose/FR Licensed

The Edge and the Edge Zero ll are two different designs by Ibanez and the "Edge" is closer to OFR design or the same.
, However, the "Edge is rated as higher in performance than the "Edge Zero ll" and there are no locking studs on the Edge Zero ll

The studs are locking in my Edge Zero ii-7 (uv70p).

generally speaking about Edge Zero ii :
1) The saddles are surely softer than the ones from FR
2) The plate has not shown any signs of wear out even after many settings of intonation, so I assume this from good metal
3) The design is superior to the FR, more refined
 
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Re: Ibanez Edge Tremolo vs. Floyd Rose/FR Licensed

TRS, EdgeII and EdgeIII all use suck-metal,,,,,,,,but they can still work fine and hold tune well.
The main pitfall with them is that they'll wear/strip much sooner than good steel,,,,,especially if you always clamp everything very tight.

Edge and Edge-Pro are somewhat better,,,,,,but still not quite as HQ metal as the German-made OFR.
However, if you like the trem-arm to ride closer to the strings at a shallower angle,,,,,,,go Edge/Pro.
I like the basic design, saddle-locks and quality steel of the OFR better,,,,,and the arm's angle and attachment of the Edge/Pro better.
 
Re: Ibanez Edge Tremolo vs. Floyd Rose/FR Licensed

TRS, EdgeII and EdgeIII all use suck-metal,,,,,,,,but they can still work fine and hold tune well.
The main pitfall with them is that they'll wear/strip much sooner than good steel,,,,,especially if you always clamp everything very tight.

Helicol (v-coil) has worked wonders for me on an FR-II I have from the 80s. Thank God no need for it on the EdgeZero II .
 
I own a Jackson USA Select Kelly model with an OFR, an Ibanez Prestige RGT1550 (Neck-Thru) with an Edge Pro, and an Ibanez RG760 with an Edge Lo-Pro. They all stay in tune about the same. I get the best tone out of the Jackson Kelly, but it's also a more expensive and little bit better built guitar over my 2 Japanese Ibanez (which are still very well built). I'm an EVH, Satch, Yngwie, Vai, etc. player and fan, but I was in a death metal/thrash band a few years ago. At that time, I played a lot of Death, Slayer, Megadeth, etc. I was the lead guitarist and put all of the trems through a lot of abuse! I can say that the real top of the line Ibanez Edge trems will absolutely stay in tune as well as the Original Floyd Rose. There are things that I actually prefer on the Edge tremolos. The Original Floyds have those string blocks that like to get lost when changing strings where the Edge trems have done away with that. I like the way the Original Floyd sits more flush in the cavity and has as good of tone (or better) while not being as bulky. I would have to actually swap trems between a couple guitars to tell if one really sounds better than the other. As far as Ibanez Edge trems go, I'd put in a brass sustain block from F-U Tone or something comparable to get better sound out of them, rather than swapping it with an OFR.
 
Welcome to the forum Chewy
the thread is a bit old, last post was over three years ago

but thanks for contributing

I have an RG4 with the Edge III trem that I have had almost no problems with
I dont use the bar alot when playing
 
Original Edge or LoPro Edge are SUPERIOR to OFR and Schaller. They are Gotoh MIJ afaik. Extremely well made and an improvement on the design.

Most modern Edge#s are licensed contract built stuff from other countries and can be considered the Ibanez answer to Floyd Special and Floyd Licensed
 
A lot of misinformation in here, but now that I see that it is old...

But quickly, the original Edge, and LoPro Edge on the MIJ IBZ models are great trems. They have a cast block, but are hardened in the right places and the knife edges are hardened steel inserts. The Gotoh studs are better than the OFR studs because they have the internal locking screw for height (I would say IMO, but I think there is little argument that it is a better design). They have a warmer sound than the OFR that has a hardened baselplate, in use, they are both great. I wouldn't say one is better than the other, I really like the original Edge, but I've used OFRs and LoPros and am fine with any of them. As mentioned, the Edges are made by Gotoh and very high quality.

The new Edge Zeros are also cast but pretty sure they have hardened steel inserts for the knife edges. However they aren't hardened in all the same places so there are issues with the saddle intonation screws stripping if someone goes overboard tightening them. The solution is just to drill out the hole and put in a helicoil, if I owned one I'd probably do it pre-emptively. I haven't owned a EZ yet, but they come on pretty much all of the Premium trem models, as well as a lot of the J Custom stuff and some other MIJ models. Not sure if the version on the MIJ models is a higher level model than the Premium ones, haven't really looked into them that much.
 
didnt Ibanez have a version of the zero with bearings instead of knife edges?
if I remember that failed really bad
 
didnt Ibanez have a version of the zero with bearings instead of knife edges?
if I remember that failed really bad

You're thinking of the "ZR" (aka: zero resistance) Edge trem. It wasn't a failure, but the early ones with screw-in arms were prone to the arm/mount breaking. This was fixed with a move to the regular Edge Zero's pop-in arm assembly in the late-00s. They were discontinued in the mid-10s over a patent dispute as I recall, not because they were bad in any way. In fact, the ones I had were excellent, just a little different feeling than the regular Edge Zero, which I still own to this day.
 
The Floyd Rose Original is made of better material...especially the older early 80s/early 90s ones up through the ones that had the word "Original" under the "Floyd Rose" Logo on the Low E side of the trem. You can find one in good shape on eBay or Reverb or various forums if you're patient and at a reasonable price. They provide a much better feel and control and I prefer the Old School Threaded Screw In Arms for feel and staying in place over the crappy Collared Arms that come loose and feel sloppy and loose. I also like the "1984" Model that came into production a few years ago as they are repros of the early 80s model that I mentioned initially above.

Edge Original has a propensity to actually "rip/tear" on the side of the trem base itself due to the material from which it is manufactured and it has that awful push in arm. Just my opinions...worth about two cents...take 'em or leave 'em. LOL
 
Original Edge or LoPro Edge are SUPERIOR to OFR and Schaller. They are Gotoh MIJ afaik. Extremely well made and an improvement on the design.

Most modern Edge#s are licensed contract built stuff from other countries and can be considered the Ibanez answer to Floyd Special and Floyd Licensed


I have extensive experience with all of them.

From a players perspective, the Edge/Lo Pro bar is a bit longer and has a smoother action, easier to get a mild trem, but its also easy to completely drop all the strings. On the converse of this, the shorter OFR bar is easier to grab and is in a better position for my hand.

The Edge/Lo Pro push in bar design is horrible. After a couple weeks the bar always goes loose and you need to replace the shims or remove and shim the insides so they push out further. The screw in collar design of the FR means you can choose what tension you want. Tight, wont move at all, or will hang loose.

The Edge/Lo Pro posts have a locking insert, but also the threads are much larger so the posts have much more play when unlocked. IOW, they need the locks. The FR posts have really tight threads and dont need to lock.

All of the Edge/Lo Pro trems can easily clear the body and be removed when the springs are removed. On FR, usually also have to loosen the strings to get the FR to clear the body. This might be an issue of how they do the route.

FR parts are interchangeable, more affordable and easier to get.

I like the flat base plate of a FR trem in a recessed route. Its really sharp looking when the base plate is parallel with the body. Ibanez trem base is angled and never looks quite as well integrated.


In summary, I would say the action of the Ibanez Edge trems are slightly better, but availability and price of parts makes FR and variants better. They can all stay in perfect tune. Some of the supposed advantages of the Edge is completely offset by the shitty push in bar design.

Ibanez usually only puts these trems on Japanese guitars, which means they are harder to get. You want to avoid their lower priced trems. Floyds are available in guitars that cost much less. The FR special can be swapped with an OFR if you want to upgrade. Ibanez trems are not interchangeable.

I prefer FR for these reasons.
 
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Disagree, the Ibanez push-in trem bar is my favorite feature of the LoPro Edge

it is far superior to the collared Floyd junk
 
The Edge/Lo Pro push in bar design is horrible. After a couple weeks the bar always goes loose and you need to replace the shims or remove and shim the insides so they push out further. The screw in collar design of the FR means you can choose what tension you want. Tight, wont move at all, or will hang loose.

The Edge/Lo Pro posts have a locking insert, but also the threads are much larger so the posts have much more play when unlocked. IOW, they need the locks. The FR posts have really tight threads and dont need to lock.


Ibanez usually only puts these trems on Japanese guitars, which means they are harder to get. You want to avoid their lower priced trems. Floyds are available in guitars that cost much less. The FR special can be swapped with an OFR if you want to upgrade. Ibanez trems are not interchangeable.

I prefer FR for these reasons.

You sure you don't get it mixed up? The collar design of the FR makes it impossible to for the bar to stay put where you want it to. After a few jerks it gets loose dangling like a flaccid dick.

The bar of the Edge stays wherever you want it to stay. As long as you don't remove the bar too often, the little white plastic thing will remain intact.
 
Like I said, I like both, and haven't had any major issues with either. The Edge if a fine system, and FWIW, I much prefer the push in arm to the collar thing, but again, I can live with either. FWIW, I like my arm to fall out of the way when I'm done. As far as the bushings, they only need replacement rarely, and they are cheap and easy to get.
 
Disagree, the Ibanez push-in trem bar is my favorite feature of the LoPro Edge

it is far superior to the collared Floyd junk

If you are a player like me, who expects the bar to stay where they put it, the Ibanez edge will always be a disappointment. When the bushings are fresh, the bar stays put. Play it for a week or two then it will start to droop. After a couple months, it will be loose in the pocket and need new bushings.

If you like the bar to hang loose, the Edge push-in is a good fit, The problem I have with it is that there is effectively NO adjustment.

Conversely, I can take any of my FR guitars, back off the collar a little bit, and the bar will hang down. If the bar loosens a little bit, it is usually addressed by tightening the collar.

The Ibanez design is non-adjustable. The only solution is to have a selection of extra bars with fresh bushings. (Swapping bushings is a PITA and if they go in the middle of a session you are SOL.)

If you like it hanging, then the Edge is not as much of an issue.
 
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