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Revision as of 21:07, 30 January 2019

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Portal: Tremolo bridges

Tremolo bridges installed in Ibanez Guitars

Timelines of Ibanez tremolo bridges

Double locking tremolos

Edge diagram

Ibanez has earned a reputation for offering some of the highest quality double locking tremolos of any guitar manufacturer. Many people consider Ibanez's Edge tremolos among the best Floyd Rose style bridges produced.

The lineage of Ibanez double-locking tremolos can be a bit overwhelming with so many variations, most of which have "Edge" in their names. Here's a simplistic breakdown of the major Ibanez double locking tremolos:

High-end trems (used primarily on guitars produced in Japan):

Mid-grade trems (installed in guitars sourced from Korea and Indonesia):

Low-end trems (used in less expensive guitars produced outside Japan):

This list is not exhaustive, but that covers the most popular double locking tremolos found in Ibanez guitars.


History

The first double locking tremolo employed by Ibanez was the Pro Rock'r, which debuted in 1984.

The Edge, which was Ibanez's first Floyd Rose licensed tremolo design, was introduced in 1986. Initially it was surface mounted, but with the introduction of the JEM777 and RG550 in 1987 a cavity was routed below the tremolo to allow the player to manipulate the tremolo either by pushing down (to lower the pitch) or pulling up (to raise the pitch). The Lo-Pro Edge is a low-profile version of the Edge (as its name suggests) which came along around 1991.

The Edge Pro was introduced for 2003 as a replacement to the OE & LPE; it has a low-profile design similar to the LPE. The Edge Pro was created at least partially to avoid licensing Floyd Rose patents, but that goal was not really achieved. The OE/LPE returned around 2010 and the EP was retired. The only real weakness of the EP is that it didn't come with the locking posts of the OE/LPE, although those can be added as an aftermarket upgrade.

The Zero Resistance (or ZR) tremolo was also introduced for 2003. The ZR differs from the other double locking trems in that it pivots on ball bearings rather than a knife edge. Its other major innovation is a "Zero Point System" which is a secondary set of springs meant to maintain tuning stability by helping the tremolo return accurately to the rest position.

The Edge Zero came out in 2008. It borrowed the ZPS design from the ZR, while using the traditional knife-edge pivots.

Double locking tremolo timeline (1984–2019)

Single locking tremolos

Single locking tremolos are those in which the string is locked down only on one end.

In a double locking tremolo the string is locked down both at the nut and at the saddle whereas in a single locking design only one or the other is locked. In some cases, such as with the Hard Rocker Pro and Edge II the string is held securely at the saddle, but the nut is not locked. In others, such as the Pro Rock'r, Powerocker DX and SLT101 a locking nut is used, but the string is not locked down at the bridge.

In cases where a locking nut is used, fine tuners at the bridge end allow the player to make tuning adjustments without unlocking the nut.

Single locking tremolo timeline (1983–2019)

Synchronized tremolos

List of all tremolo bridges