Ibanez Locking Tremolos - Timeline
Through the years Ibanez designed a few good tremolos, and a few bad tremolos. There's a place for both on the market (kind of like there's a place for a Chevy Cobalt on the market, despite it being a POS), although it's generally a bad idea to purchase a bad Ibanez trem if you have the intention to keep your guitar playing for a long time. The poorer trems' main disadvantage is the use of soft stamped knife edge plates, which quickly lose the edge through forceful contact with the trem studs. A worn out knife edge doesn't let your trem return to tune after a dive or a rise, which leads to much frustration, rage, psychosis, and suicidal tendencies.
Driving a stick shift, being great at oral sex, or tuning a floating tremolo are all easy things. You just need to do it a couple of times, and it becomes your second nature. I won't describe in detail how to tune your Ibanez up, since you do it as you would tune any other Floyd Rose bridge, and there is plenty of reference on that already.
"Pro Rock'r" is a stupid name for a trem, so I tend to refer to it as Pro Rocker. It's a locking machine which was designed as a locking version of the Hard Rocker bridge which Ibanez used since '83. The strings actually lock only at the nut, and are kept in place through the ball ends inside the bridge. An early pre-Floyd design, the Pro Rocker pivots not on a knife edge, but on a round pivot, and has a combined string locker and retainer behind the nut.
Now, this design would never fly in a recessed setup - a combination of a round pivot and a behind-the-nut string lock is hardly a precision system which would be a disaster in a full-floating tremolo. Luckily for Pro Rocker, it has never been recessed, and the locking mechanism provides for easy (and crazy) divebombs without any particular risk of detuning. The punch-in arm design on Pro Rocker was carried over to the Edge with no modification.
This bridge is heavy on maintenance. To keep it responsive, it needs lube on the joints, and restringing it is a fairly strenous affair thanks to the absence of locks on the bridge.
Famous users list is scarce. You might catch Paul Gilbert play one, with his penchant for collecting vintage Ibanez fare - but he's not much of a trem user. Today, these trems are more of a curiosity than a workhorse, and I wouldn't take one to a shred-off like I wouldn't take a Datsun 240Z to a drift tourney dominated by Skyline R34s. If you know what I mean. R-r-right, moving on to...
The Edge was a part of the Ibanez revolution in the late eighties, and a principal reason why the RG series have become the definitive shredder guitar. It came out on Roadstars and Prolines in 86, and then got the full recessed treatment on the RG, JEM, S, R, P and what have you in 87. The Edge (in my subjective opinion) is superior to any Floyd Rose derived tremolo - including the original Floyd Rose design.
The Edge improves on the FR design with a heavy sustain block and locking studs. The free swing arm was carried over from the Pro Rocker. The rest of the trem was built from the ground up with the best craftsmanship Gotoh has to offer. Edge bridges remain highly desireable today, twenty years after the introduction of the design, and you will easily find many of them that operate flawlessly despite years and years of mileage. Edge bridges are LFRs and are stamped as "Licensed Under Floyd Rose Patents" on the tail. Floyd Rose himself has commended the Edge as being pretty damn nice, and that's saying a lot coming from an ass such as Floyd Rose.
Edge was popular on the scene. Steve Vai and Joe Satriani are on its friends list, Tom Morello implanted it into his guitars that never were intented to have it in the first place. The immense popularity of early 90s Ibanez guitars today is a testament to the Edge.
The seven version of the Edge is the exact copy of its progenitor, but with an additional saddle. Rumour has it the first Edge 7 was welded together by Fritz Katoh (the father of the design) from two parts of an Edge bridge, containing four and three saddles.
As the name suggests, a low-profile Edge. Ibanez went a step further and put their bridge out of the hand's way. The LoPro has angled fine tuners which are much harder to put in action inadvertently, and the flush trem adds a bit of aesthetic appeal to your guitar.
Although Edge and LoPro share only a few parts (arm socket, locking studs, and some of the screw-ware), they are interchangeable one way without any modification to the guitar body. Your Edge equipped guitar will accept a LoPro as a drop in and the setup will work perfectly. Your LoPro equipped guitar will accept Edge only if it's a JEM (the fine tuning rods at the back of the Edge prevent it from sitting in a LoPro route without the lion's claw).
LoPros, which were phased out from mass production in 2003 are still widely available in the used and NOS market. Regardless of the age, they are safe to buy as it takes deliberate and targeted damage to put a LoPro out of commission. Some will notice that due to its low profile, the LoPro has somewhat less pull-up range than the Edge - if that's a factor to you, then you've been warned.
These created a monster. For almost ten years, Ibanez was known for producing guitars equipped exclusively with the highest quality trems. All until the introduction of LoTRS pair. Is are Japanese, IIs are Korean, but both are lousy. With the TRS bridges, Ibanez created a niche of budget guitars (the RG/S 400 series) at a lower price than the esteemed 5s, and with a lower grade of hardware. The TRS bridges are the common LFR fare, stamped from cheap alloys, with a host of cheap design features, and a lifespan of an ice cream on midday in July.
Screw-in arm and one-size-fits-all tremplate separate these visually from the high-end Edge machines, and you should well remember not to buy any Ibanez guitar with those bridges. Usually by the time a LoTRS guitar is passed to its second owner, the knife edges of the bridge would wear out to a point of no tuning stability whatsoever.
Why? Marketing. You don't put Mustang drivetrains in a Pinto, since a lot of folks would stop buying Mustangs. Ibanez broke out in the mainstream market and created a line of guitars for the budget to minimize production costs and maximize profits. It's key to understand that Ibanez is a business, and while they potentially could put $200 bridges into $500 guitars, it would be silly of them to do so.
* Thanks to Dave for the spy shot of the pernicious beast
When time came for a redesign of the trem hardware, Ibanez came out with Edge Pro, a low-profile machine that finally replaced both Edge and LoPro in the model row. Like the high end Ibanez bridges before it, the Edge Pro is a Gotoh product that carries prestige quality, features, and lately - price tag.
The design of the LoPro was reworked to create a bridge with the lowest profile Ibanez has ever had - the Edge Pro is practically flush with the body under normal operational setup. The string locks became an integral part of the saddle, sparing you the countless opportunities to lose the little parts during restringing. Ibanez designers added a steel "sound chip" on each saddle - the purpose of that device is allegedly to improve your tone and prolong the life of your strings. I can't explain how it would do either, but I'll trust them on that. Also, the Edge Pro can accept ball ends of the strings inside itself, sparing you the need to cut them off. To us folks who string with the ball at the tuner, it's absolutely irrelevant, but it's a documented feature.
In a strange and unexplainable move, the Edge Pro lost the locking studs. It will sit on Edge/LoPro studs, but does not come with the lockers in stock. Maybe that's cost-cutting, maybe something else. I find it hard to explain why they would add new (and arguably unnecessary) features to the bridge, but remove something that people have been holding in high regard.
Edge/LoPro and Edge Pro share their trem arm, but are not swappable with each other.
* Thanks to Eric for the attractive mugshot of the unit
2003. Edge Pro II2003 also brought a replacement for the LoTRS series in face of Edge Pro II. Unlike its predecessor, the EPII is not horrible, but at the same time, unlike its progenitor - the Edge Pro - it's not great or good. EPII is a Korean bridge designed for Korean guitars, and it is in essence a downgrade of the Edge Pro. Cheaper materials, less complex construction - the EPII loses the Edge arm in favour of a smooth push-in arm, and the Edge Pro saddle "sound chip".
Similar to Edge Pro, the EPII will accept strings with the ball ends, and you will not lose the string lockers. Much unlike other cheap Licensed Floyd Rose trems, the EPII has an easily replaceable knife edge plate. If you have a supply of these parts, your EPII can last longer through replacing the knife edge as it goes dull. Which is not to say that you shouldn't get a guitar with an Edge Pro instead.
ZR stands for Zero Resistance, and it was designed - seemingly - to put the S series guitars into its distinct niche within the Ibanez row. The ZR is radically different from the casual Floyd trems, since it has no knife edges and pivots on ball bearings. A great system, however it is not better, but rather different from the trems everyone is used to.
Principal feature of the ZR is its pivoting mechanism - ball bearing instead of a knife edge plate. The obvious advantage is that a ball bearing will not wear out if taken care of, and as long as your trem is dirt-free and lubricated, you will enjoy your perfect return to pitch. The downside is that ZR actually does require maintenance. The ball bearings are exposed to the elements and are susceptible to dust and grime and moisture. Break out your machine oil and make sure that the bearings are kept away from concentrations of those contaminants.
Unlike knife edges, ball bearings are not so precise at how they operate. Conventional trem interacts with the body through a miniscule area of the knife, while a ball bearing tremolo has a lot of contact with the posts, and thus the body. Due to that, "Zero Resistance" might be a misleading name since the ZR actually has more tension to overcome to go one way or the other. Most people report a smoother, but tighter action, and the ZR doesn't have as much flutter as the Edge would. The ZR boasts screwdriver-free spring tension adjustment process. All ZRs past the first generation (meaning any ZR you can buy today) will have a roller at the back which allows spring tension adjustment with your thumb, sans the need to remove the back plate.
ZPS, or Zero Point System, is a stopbar-like device in the trem cavity of the ZR. Unlike a lot of people say, does not convert the ZR into a fixed bridge, or a dive only (I don't know where you people get those ideas). It's in no way similar to a Tremol-no. The ZPS is a bar which adds some counter-tension against the string tension that kicks in only when you dive. Pushing down on the bar meets stronger resistance from the ZPS, and as a result, you can overtune your guitar a bit without losing the dead center of the trem. This allows for such tricks as keeping your guitar in drop D, and using the fine tuner to tune to stanard. The additional tension of the low E will meet the resistance of the ZPS, and your trem will stay in tune. The ZPS is removable, and removing it allows the ZR to be a free system with nothing in the way of the string-spring balance.
The ZR arm is a rather poor and unreliable screw-in design, which falls behind any Edge iteration. The string locker blocks are unique and you can lose them. On the upside, the ZR includes an intonation tool which allows you to intonate your bridge without detuning each string in process. It's worth mentioning that ZR is not made out of the highest quality materials, but due to its design it doesn't have to. The screw-ware is outright poor, but it can be fixed for pennies with high-quality screws from your hardware shop.
2005. Edge IIIWhen Ibanez got burned with Floyd Rose patent fees for every Edge Pro II, they produced the Edge III, which coincided with moving most of the RG line production to the Indonesian sweatshops. Edge III, although a replacement for Edge Pro II, is designed for even cheaper guitars. It's not low profile, and it's made out of the cheapest tremolo meat you can find. Edge III bridges break, crack, shatter, scratch. The knife edges wear out at a speed that might rival the LoTRS, and the saddle screws tend to strip after one real-life intonation. Unfortunately, Edge III accounts for fifty percent of the Ibanez bridges produced, and most affordable guitars in the lineup have that tremolo.
On the upside, while EIII lasts, it's a fairly pleasant machine to use, and like the EPII, it has replaceable knife edge plates. Regardless, it's always a good idea to buy an Ibanez with an Edge Pro, or stick to a hardtail in case a Prestige is outside of your price range. Most of Edge III buyers are either first-time users who failed to do their research or people with money to burn. If you're reading this, you're already not the former, and hopefully not the latter.
2007. Edge ZeroNewest addition to the high-end Ibanez fleet. At the core, the EZ is a bastard child of the Edge and the ZR. It combines the knife edges and baseplate of the former with the saddle assembly of the latter. The result is a low profile knife-edge trem which pivots like the Edge, but has the ZPS device and the intonation adjustment ease of the ZR. It features the updated push-in arm design with a very usable tension adjustment collar. No longer will you need to use plumber's tape, nail polish, or voodoo to keep your arm tight in the trem. EZ is stable as you would expect at the price point, although an occasional user resents the machine for its unfamiliar ergonomics. Your mileage on the issue of convenience may vary, but you'll enjoy the reliability of the trem action. EZ has the low profile similar to the ZR and its range is - yet again - not as expansive as that of Edge. The Edge Zero is made in China. Yes, it's no longer the product of the land of the rising sun. I can't say that it's glaringly obvious, and the machine seems to be put together well, and performs admirably.
2007. ZR IIThe "new" ZR is not much different from the old model, with the most noticeable improvements being the new push-in arm design pulled from the Edge Zero, and a new compact (as well as, allegedly, lighter and aerospace-material infused) Zero Point system. The ZPS bar behaves the same way it does in the original ZR, the trem still pivots on ball bearings, and the intonation tool is present and available. The assembly quality is on the level, and all the design benefits of the original ZR apply.
Ibanez Tremolos - Swapping
There's some controversy going on about which Ibanez trem swaps with what. Some people say one thing, some people say another, and there are contradictory accounts of what fits into which route. One thing is true - Edge III, Edge Pro II, and both varieties of LoTrs are not going to last, and need to be replaced in the long run. Below are the swaps I've done, or saw being done by trustworthy people.
LoTRS I/II: most famously known to be replaced with the Original Floyd Rose or
Gotoh FR. If you are replacing the studs, you will need to drill your guitar to accomodate
the new bigger studs.
Edge Pro II: swaps with the Edge Pro. The locking stud mod is also recommended.
Edge III: swaps with the Original Floyd Rose. Stud rule applies, OFR studs are bigger.
Additionally, there is a variation in Edge III routes that prevent the easy swap in some series.
Keep in mind that just because a tremolo fits into your guitar doesn't mean it will
work for your guitar. A different bridge might affect the length of the scale,
and prevent proper intonation. A different bridge might throw your action off and thus
require neck shimming. Lastly, a different bridge (especially a non-Ibanez machine in
an Ibanez guitar) will most likely have a different string radius, thanks to the ultra
flat necks that Ibanez uses.
I personally would rather invest an additional few hundred dollars in a guitar with a
good trem than go through the replacement process. RG Prestige series have a number of
advantages over the regular series that are well worth the price increase. If you
choose to swap, then go ahead, but keep in mind that I wrote this section specifically
to discourage you from doing that.
I wish I could buy a guitar with each one of those trems, and try to replace them with other things to give you a firsthand account, but unfortunately I have rent to pay and a cat to feed, and I'm not really interested in stocking indonesian Ibanez junk in my closet for the benefit of humanity. So my advice instead is: DO NOT BUY AN IBANEZ GUITAR WITH A BAD TREM, since there are always better options.