Living on the Edge

I think this is long overdue so it's about time I share it here. For those of you who asked me how I determine the correct tilt angle of the Ibanez Edge bridge, do refer to the rectangular block at the side of the bridge flap. In this case it's the bass side. As you can see above, after tuning up, the bridge is a little slack & if left unattended, it would mean you have lesser cavity space for an upward whammy action. From this picture, we can see that the block was not sitting parallel to the body surface. If the guitar is already in tune, you need to adjust the spring tension at the rear to balance things up & re-tune the instrument. This may take several attempts.

Once you got that settled, the block is now parallel to the body surface & that's the optimum position as seen here. Easy peazy, lemon squeazy as the kids would say in school.

550?

This Ibanez is listed in the after-market as an RG550R ($950). I have issues with it being a 550.

The guitar sports a Made-in-Japan serial number & at best, it's only validating the neck being a genuine article. The issue here lies with the body. Firstly, it sports a Lo-TRS bridge. The RG550 folks, since Day 1, is not equipped with a lower series bridge. Yes, there are indeed Japanese models sporting a lower series bridge but it's never the RG550. The other detail here is the bridge cavity. Let us assume that the original owner had swapped out the Edge / Lo-Pro Edge bridge for the Lo-TRS for some good money but take a closer look at the cavity outline (left pic). It is actually conforming to the Lo-TRS outline (that slanted flap edge). The original RG550 Edge is not designed as such (right pic). Implication - this is highly likely not an RG550 body.

If you know where this is listed, please do not confront the seller by any means. Flag him out if you have to (alert the host) but my take on this - the seller got this guitar as it is, used & the original owner did not fully disclose what actually happened to the guitar. I wouldn't pay $950 for this, a definite no.

Unlock first

Just a friendly reminder - if you own an Ibanez RG with the Edge / Lo-Pro Edge bridge, there is a need to unlock the height / action adjustment stud before lowering / raising it. This came after an acquaintance heard a nasty crack when tinkering with Prestige model. In the set of accessories that came with the guitar, it includes a very thin allen wrench which serves this purpose. Simply fit it into the stud as shown above & unlock the mechanism inside before proceeding. Lock it when everything's done. Ibanez spares are not easy to come by here so prevention is better than a very long wait for replacement parts.

Ibanez 2021 (3)

More Ibanez highlights since other gear news are taking a little more time to appear. There are many new RGs this 2021, no surprises there as these are the money-making models for the manufacturer. This gorgeous looking RG6PKAG is the first Premium model to feature an Edge bridge. The gold appointments are a little overkill; even the frets are gold. I still think that a natural finish for guitars bring out that privileged look & feel.

FYI: RG6PKAG (Premium Series / Koa top / Active electronics / Gold hardware)

PIC: Ibanez

Three amigos

My current go-to trio:

1. V-Pick: Mummy Had been my favourite since I tried them. They are currently offered in a 2.75mm thickness which is below my standards. However, the efficiency I get from this one is impressive
2. Gravity: Custom Shop Edge This is a recent resurgence; I had abandoned them for personal reasons but that's all buried away for goodness sake. Similar material to V-Pick but the custom options here mean you get to choose the thickness, colour as well as grip type. This one's a 3mm, might be going up to 4mm in time to come.
3. DAW: Custom engraved Shredline Ordered a set last Black Friday, 3mm & partial acrylic. The smoothest, fastest but lacked a good grip. Still, it's the one I ended up using for the rest of my playing time after starting with the other two.

Note that I have pretty much settled with unpolished edges. This prevents the picks from giving off that chirping sound when you hit the plain strings; no chirping annoyance with wound strings. 

Ibanez: RG550 (re-intro/ Genesis)

First post of the month- Ibanez RG550. This Japanese model is part of the domestic Genesis series, a range of re-issued RGs. However, 2 of the models in this range, the RG550/570, are not marketed as a Genesis model in this region but they are the same guitars.

Return of what worked- the V-series pickups & Edge bridge. After much playing, I don't see the need to swap those pickups out, they will remain where they are.

Floyd Rose

Many of us are aware the 'Floyd Rose' name refers to a (locking) guitar bridge capable of lowering & raising (vibrato) the generated pitch. Floyd Rose is itself a brand name, it is not referring to the component's technical capacity. However, we conveniently refer to 'Floyd Rose' as a bridge type instead because many of us find it a chore to explain what this hardware is capable of. The product reputation is such that the brand name itself comprehensively explains what it does.

There are many guitars out there equipped with a dual action bridge ala Floyd Rose but they are by no means a product of the brand name. Ibanez's bridges in many of their guitars feature a Floyd Rose derivative which equal the former in function & features, if not furthering the details of the original. The Edge model (pre-2003, currently discont'd except for selected models), depicted above, is a very close spin-off which allegedly exceeded the Floyd Rose version in selected attainments.

I am not trying to polarize players into believing in brand name superiority, but let's be careful when we tell others we are off-loading a guitar with a Floyd Rose bridge when what's in store is a copy/ derivative unit instead. This may be trivial to many of us until the situation takes a legal turn...

The first (Part 4)

The first person whom I saw play a Gibson Explorer was U2's the Edge. He's another one of those minimalists to have made an impact on me but his playing was (still is) effects laden, in fact, the delay effect & this chap are quite synonymous.

The thing I like about him is that he fits in the guitar parts into the songs regardless of the song's nature. This is also the reason why I like Zooropa the best- the most electronica U2 release & probably the most disliked if you are a traditional U2 fan. I remember having Zooropa in my Walkman years ago (in perpetual repeat mode) & cycling along East Coast Parkway at sunset... those were the days.