Re: US quality...erm yeah right...
You´ve never actually seen an Ibanez Edge bridge up close, have you?:laugh2:
6) On Ibanez LoPro Edge trems: children, powdered zinc don't last 5-10 years in a freaking SPOON - can't make one of the more bulletproof trems out there, either.
And that`s why I have Schaller AND Edge trems from the Mid 80s that still work fine, because cast zinc magically dissolves after 5-10 years, right?
It also can't stay sharp (it does),
That`s why both the Schaller and the Edge have HARDENED STEEL INSERTS for the knife edges. Fact.
See previous answer
and look perfect after all that time
There are so many environmental and production factors affecting corrosion, most importantly the thickness of the plating, that the underlying material is irrelevant. That`s why they`re electrocoated or blued in the first place.
And actually, there are a LOT of things wrong with zinc, especially when it`s heated to the point of oxidation. Zinc oxides are both nerve agents AND highly carcinogenic, which is why welders are taught to free the joints and surrounding areas of any coatings, ESPECIALLY zinc, before welding. The IWS guidelines actually say that you shouldn`t weld ANYthing with ANY zinc on it, anywhere.
If I had an edge to spare, I`d mill half the baseplate away just to prove to you in a single picture what so many thousands of words apparently can`t, that it`s made of cast zinc.
Re: Metallurgy / Methodology: Casting of powdered materials is NOT done with heat at all, but by pressure alone. Through the amount of pressure, you can directly control the porosity of the final result, as that pressure creates the necessary heat to fuse the pellets together. You can create anything from an air filter to a cannonball, just by changing the pressure. Your assumption that companies such as Schaller and Gotoh who buy their zinc in bulk as powder are using "chinese campfire zinc" shows a complete and thoruough lack of actual knowledge about both the manufacturing technique and the material`s physical properties. I know for a fact that both Schaller and Gotoh cast their baseplates themselves, because I have
personally witnessed the machines during factory tours.
Ordering precast stuff from china as you imply is a complete waste of money, because once cast the material has to be re-ground to powder to be able to cast it again.
Serouisly dude, it is painfully obvious to even the most uninformed onlooker that you are completely outmatched and out of your element here. I alone have >20 years experience as a luthier and >10 years in metal fabrication, and I am not the only one ripping every post you make to shreds, leaving only "BS, pseudo-fact, BS, personal agenda, BS, hearsay, BS" when the dust settles....
You need to quit while you`re ahead, and in the future I recommend you thoroughly research your statements before pressing "send". Because the truth doesn`t change just because you don`t believe it and decide to parrot someone else`s BS instead.
Charvel/Jackson fan, eh? Do we detect some green envy from a Takeuchi owner, perhaps? Now *those* were ugly, badly made licensed's with no constructive modifications or additions to the design spec, using suspect materials, prone to falling apart, and leaving you wondering how the heck that could've come out of Japan....
PS don't particularly expect it, but you owe me an apology. respect others, respect yourself.
You truly don`t have the slightest clue who you`re talking to, that is very apparent. Nor do I need to prove anything to you, as you won`t believe it anyway.
APOLOGY?? ROFL?
You have been spewing BS about this trem and other things since the day you signed up on this forum, regardless of whether it`s on topic or not. I have not attacked you personally at any time, but have regularly called you out on your senseless drivel, especially in those threads such as the ESP project thread where nobody cares about it to begin with and you attempted to use it as a vehiche to dis another member`s project.
You on the other hand suddenly feel the need to assume things about my person that have nothing to do with the truth and can not be deduced from my statements (unlike your statements about the Ibanez edge, which very much do point to you having little if any firsthand knowledge of the unit), solely because you think that you have a remote chance of even scratching the armor of experience and knowledge, thereby somehow making my statements less true in your mind.
And that is the point where I say things that ARE disrespectful, and mean them. Like the following:
Get a clue, or shut up, or **** off. We have enough trolls already.
Best Regards
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To everybody else: please excuse this most idiotic and unnecessary excursion to Trollburg, but at some point enough is enough. People come here to learn things, not be misled and propagandized by people with less than rudimentary knowledge of the subject matter at hand. It contradicts the entire purpose of the forum, and I don`t think I`m the only one that has a problem with it, as evidenced by other`s posts in this and other threads, and I most certainly have no problem leading a charge, even if I´m alone.
Again, my sincere apologies to everybody else for wasting your time. :beerchug: