#is the edge zero ii a good trem?

164 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

fleet linden
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i'm looking at a Ibanez Standard RG470PB-REB - Red Eclipse Burst
it has an edge zero ii trem

finite seal
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absolutely yes

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it is insane how good it is

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there is no "for the price" remark

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it's just good

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but it has different properties than your usual trem

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so the idea is that you get this zero point system so that the trem ALWAYS returns to the same position regardless of diving or pulling

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however the way it works causes the trem to be less smooth and more force needs to be applied to operate

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some people dislike this but it is a matter of getting used to

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now the upsides however are top notch intonation second to none

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AND

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you can pull your strings without detuning the others

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so you can easily do bendy double stops and you don't have to compensate for it

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unlike on regular trem systems where you always need to be mindful of it and compensate which makes it objectively harder to do on such a guitar

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so it behaves like a normal guitar when it comes to string bends

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now the base plate is kinda cheap but that is also the case for even the best edge trems

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meaning you have to be careful not to strip the screwholes when adjusting intonation

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and lastly

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the trem will not flutter due to the zero point system

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if you want flutters, this is not for you

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now people say that if you remove the ZPS, it behaves like a regular trem and works just as well in that department

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I cannot say as I've never removed it myself

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tl;dr it is insane that they put top of the line never-goes-out-of-tune trems on budget Ibanez guitars

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and you're not getting some shit version like floyd rose special or whatever

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so yeah. it is fucking great

fleet linden
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thanks for the info man

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i mean i wanna do flutters but if the trem is that good

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idk

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i'm thinking aboutr

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either this

finite seal
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well you can try removing the stabilizer and see how it works for you

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but then it just behaves like any other trem

fleet linden
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or get an ibanez jem jr and change the trem to a gotoh ge1996t

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would it be bad if i removed the stabilizer

finite seal
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not at all

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but what I said above then is not applicable

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and it just becomes a solid trem

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apparently works just as good as any other

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BUT

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actually yeah

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one thing would piss me off if I removed it

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the tuners on the trem have barely any range

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which is not a problem when using the stabilizer as you barely need any adjustments

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BUT

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if it behaves like a regular trem, then that would be a major pain in the ass for me

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as usually you need a lot of range to properly adjust your tuning

fleet linden
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besides the flutter does the stabilizer affect anything else?

finite seal
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the feel

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it's stiffer and less sensitive

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as the stabilizer is actively applying a counterforce

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it's a bar on springs going in the opposite direction

fleet linden
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in your own opinion do you think the feel is good

finite seal
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also people usually do not understand how to set it up correctly

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and I've had lousy setups from local guitar setup people and they always did a shite job

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only I can do it properly myself

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but once you understand the logic, it's simple really

fleet linden
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is it hard to learn how to set it up?

finite seal
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as there shouldn't really be any difference between "neutral positions" after dives and pulls

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it needs to come back to the same position

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and that only happens with a proper setup

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it's not

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but it's counterintuitive kinda

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as from one side you will always get the same result no matter what (after dives) but after pulls that's the "volatile" position

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so you need to find the proper equilibrium to mitigate any difference between these and understand what's going on

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as for the stabilizer imagine a bend heavy song like Freebird

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on guitars with a regular trem it is a pain in the ass

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as you need to compensate for the other strings detuning all the time while you are bending

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I tend to avoid playing such a song on such a guitar entirely

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but with a stabilizer, it's business as usual

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no difference between this and a regular hard tail guitar

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it's sick

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I have an RG370AHMZ and it was love at first sight

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I've had lots of headaches with cheap trem systems and this one just works

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that's all you want. for things to just work

fleet linden
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so if i play a song with tons of bends it'll stay in tune?

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do the strings easily break though?

obsidian temple
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wait what

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how is it good

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its just a cheap metal version of the standard egde or quality ibanez trems, probably just a bit better than floyd rose specials

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fr 1000 is the better one

finite seal
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but otherwise it's killer. it just works

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that's all you need your trem to do

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to get the job done

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and this one is just really good at it

obsidian temple
# finite seal to get the job done

i dont think you can buy a guitar in 2025 for any budget that doesn't get the job done, but it wont last whammy usage as long as trems made of better metals

finite seal
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I forgot - an argument could be made that the sustain is not the best on it

finite seal
obsidian temple
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knife edges

finite seal
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well

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this doesn't use knife edges

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it has some ball pivots instead

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there is no threat of that getting dull whatsoever

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do you have any actual experience with an edge zero ii?

obsidian temple
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knife edge

finite seal
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tbf I never understood the whole ball thingy but it is being mentioned all the time with this trem. I stand corrected.

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anyways I've used and abused mine for years. it works like a charm

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stays in tune forever

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it's singlehandedly the most reliable trem I have and I do have actaul MIJ Ibanezes with a lo-pro edge

obsidian temple
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realistically it will last a lot if you use it normally but it will need replacing no matter what, even if years

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i know people who abuse the shit out of the ibanez non mij trems and had to replace them

finite seal
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welp. I bought one 2nd hand and have used it continuously for 5 years now

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no issues whatsoever

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and I have no clue how much use it got from the previous owner

fleet linden
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so should I still get the edge zero ii

obsidian temple
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only thing witht he 470 is that you're paying a premium for the looks and mid pickups for what is otherwise a 400$ guitar

vagrant shuttle
# fleet linden so should I still get the edge zero ii

I cbf to read everything above but I have lots of Ibanez’ guitars.

Bottom line, the Edge Zero II is a more-affordable mid-tier version of the original Edge tremolo system that you’ll find on many high-end Ibanez models. Cost savings are achieved by the outsourcing to places like Indonesia. Setup/Intonation are a bit more difficult with the Edge Zero II and so is tuning. Most people that buy in this tier find it reliable for every day use.

If you plan to tune outside of standard tuning frequently (Drop D, or whatever), I would not recommend a double-locking Tremolo system regardless of the price-point.

fleet linden
vagrant shuttle
obsidian temple
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yes that also i had to return my perfect rg550 for the fact i didnt enjoy the floyd even after i learned to set it up

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its so much damn work changing strings or even dropping a semitone

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there's way too many songs in e flat, drop c, drop d and whatever else

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allat for just having vibrato

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or if you only play dimebag solos

gusty niche
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also theres just other options like a vegatrem or just a recessed trem cavity available today.

fleet linden
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k

finite seal
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edge has no trem stabilizer

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they have different properties due to this

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if you want it to be an edge, than yeah, it is worse

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but being judged on it's own merits, it's just a different tool than the edge or any other regular floating trem

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you cannot flutter but you can do bends without detuning other strings

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which no regular trem can do from the get go

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unless you install some 3rd party stabilizer

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or it doesn't have such a design in mind from the get go like sophia trems

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the question was - is it good?

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and what constitutes good

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it does a stellar job at what it sets out to do, so the answer is yes

obsidian temple
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i think he was comparing it to a japanese edge

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edge zero i mean

finite seal
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if that's the comparison then I wonder about that as well though

obsidian temple
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well yeah of course the one made in wherever taiwan china with worse materials is gonna be worse than the prestige one

finite seal
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from what the information I was able to find out, the material and thus quality of it, is exactly the same

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it has some fancy extra features for intonation setup

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that is the only actual difference I am aware of

obsidian temple
finite seal
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but quality-wise it is the same

finite seal
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that the metals are all the same - on the cheaper side

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so it has the same issue, where you could strip the screwholes on the base plate if you tighten the string blocks too much

obsidian temple
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theres a reason they don't just use those in the prestige or j custom if it's cheaper for them to make

finite seal
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yeah

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it is cheaper due to lacking that feature I mentioned

obsidian temple
finite seal
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yep

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so the base plate is juste as bad on an edge zero ii as an actual expensive edge/lo-pro edge/edge pro

obsidian temple
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the original edge has replacable knife edges that also act as a leveling tool

finite seal
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that is a cool feature indeed

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but I don't understand why the base plate is made from soft metals on such an expensive piece of hardware

obsidian temple
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i like ibanez as a design company and mij offer the best necks both quality wise and feel wise but i know they are making 2000% on every guitar

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they still have the best frets and fretboards

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but use a 10 cent pcb on prestiges for the switch

finite seal
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luckily if it comes to that, these are easy and cheap to replace

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it's the actual craftsmanship that you cannot replace

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and MIJ Ibanezes are second to none

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if you like what they offer

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as for the guitar itself - there are cheaper Ibanez standard line guitars with the same hardware

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that's for sure

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but we're talking like a 100 bucks less

obsidian temple
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yes true but you would expect that for the price it should come with better components

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you have to go up to the j custom to get a proper 5 way switch which still has issues

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and even the premiums which are as much or more than the prestige because of the woods and pickups have mini size pots

finite seal
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yeah. Ibanez does some weird decisions sometimes. like having premiums with plastic nuts