Living on the Edge (III)

How do I re-string instruments with a locking, dual action whammy bridge? The bridge in question here is my Ibanez Edge III unit, which many owners say is a nuisance more than a creative implement but I deem it functional; neither superb nor a dud, it just does its job.

If you remove all string from an Ibanez guitar sporting this bridge, chances are, when you begin to tune (standard tuning, please) the instrument:

1. the tuning won't hold, you keep going & the bridge tail end would hinge up more than it should, revealing the under-bridge cavity or
2. the bridge won't come up to sit parallel to the body surface but the tuning is all done.

I'd recommend you start by wedging a flat implement under the bridge as depicted above. Be sure to align a piece of cloth underneath so there won't be unwanted indentations there...

This is the side view of the same procedure. My standard here would be to ensure the tuning tension bar under the fine tuners align parallel to the body top. I find this to be the best measure because the final product would be equal play when you whammy the bar down & up; in other words, it gives the play equal travel to raise/ lower notes.

Leave this wedging be while you tune all strings, hold/ place the guitar like you do when you are playing it. If the bridge springs tension at the rear of the body were set correctly back at the factory, as soon as your instrument is in tune, the wedge would come undone.

If the wedge stays put despite your guitar being in tune, it means the rear springs tension is greater than that of your strings'. So you simply flip the body over & loosen the tension (of all springs, not just one), proceed to re-tune the guitar. Repeat this step till the wedge comes undone as mentioned before & there you have it, your instrument is in tune while the bridge sits in place as it should be.