ibanez RG trem won't stay in tune

[dfvxc]

My friend got himself a new Ibanez RG with the edge pro II trem. I set the guitar up for him, but it absolutely will not stay in tune. I think the strings are slipping at the bridge no matter how tight I screw them(LOL). When I lock the nut the tuning changes. This Ibanez is pissing me off. I don't think I'll ever get a korean Ibanez now.

I set up my KE3 in pretty much the same way, and it was EASY and FAST. The Ibanez is just a huge pain in the ass. My jt580LP stays in almost perfect tune for months, even though I go insane with the trem everytime I play.

The only difference in the setup process between the 2 guitars, is that I took the time to teflon tape the tremposts on my ke3, so they don't wiggle in the sockets. I didn't spend the time to do that on my friend's guitar. Could it be because of that? I kind of doubt it because the tunning goes way off after I whammy.

Any experiences, tips with these Ibanezs would be appreciated.
Also, this experience just reaffirms the opinions of many on this forum for me, Jacksons kick Ibanez ass.

[jgcable]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

Also, this experience just reaffirms the opinions of many on this forum for me, Jacksons kick Ibanez ass.

That doesn't include me. Ibanez ROCKS. Especially the Sabers and the USRG models. Did you properly stretch the strings before you locked it down? Is the bridge parallel with the body? How many springs are you using? What gauge strings are you using??

[dfvxc]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

stretched: yes
parallel: as far as I can tell
3 springs in parallel config.
standard 9s

[sithgt6]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

[img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

My RG470 locks down like Leavenworth... the JT6 on my mdl 3 however [img]/images/graemlins/refuse.gif[/img] but I've learned my way around it (like an old, reliable beater).

Are the saddles/blocks/nut worn? Just a thought...

D>

[kickinsomeaxe]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

check the locking nut, make sure it is good and tight.
if that checks out move on to the saddles and make sure the string end is dead center of the lock block(little black lock holder inside the saddle. if it is still a no go, ten the trem is NOT returning to it's zero point make sure it is exact parallel to the body.
if all this fails [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] try another set of strings [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[lhrocker]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

Are the knife edges sharp? If they are dull, they will never return to the "zero point" as kick says. Try sharpening them - I've had tons of Ibanezs from RG's to USRG's to PGM's and Jems - never had a tuning problem with any of them.

Just my 2 cents...

[Jester700]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

And a little bit of chapstick on the pivot points helps keep it nice & lubed. No joke; this can help!

[dfvxc]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

Thanks for the info guys. Since you guys all have no probs with the edge, I probably missed something.
The knife edges should be fine as it's new. I'll try putting in a new set of strings when my friend gets back in jan.
I actually did add chapstick on that one :P, it's great.

I also noticed that the edge pro II lets you climb up quite a bit more than my jt580LP. I go crazy with it, and was expecting the wood routing to stop the climb, like it does on my jt580, but it didn't. So maybe I just need to be more conservative with the climbs?

[etaeniura]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

Even if it was new, it doesn't mean it wasn't on the sales floor being abused by every other person who walked through the store.

[axeman81]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

what tuning did you set it up with? you said 3 springs but at what position is the claw? did you screw the claw down all the way or does it have room to "breathe"?

[kruneh]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

Sorry, but Ibanez just don`t stay in tune.
That`s it.

[dfvxc]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

standard tuning on 9s.
yea there is room to "breathe", the position of the claw is set so that the knife edges are parallel to the body.

[guitar geek]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

I'd say the tremposts might be worth taking a look at. I had the same problem with my Ibanez JPM with lo pro edge, after I swapped those tremposts for new ones, everything was OK.

Ibanez has really nice trems, I like them better than the schallers in my charvels...

harrald

[jwoods986]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

A good resource for Ibanez trems is Rich Harris at ibanezrules.com. He has a lot of info about trems posted. BTW - there are quite a few issues with the new Edge trems.

[charvelguy]

Re: ibanez RG trem won\'t stay in tune

Ibanez edge trems are some of the best floyds made IMO.
Never have any issue any of mine but I've never owned any of the Kor Ibanez.

It sounds like it is binding or hanging up someplace. You just have to try to troubleshoot it from lockdown point A to B and see if there is anything loose, hanging up or not aligned and returning to even tension. You could try blocking the up travel and that would give a better reference point for zero return.

Which strings specifically are going out and are they sharp or flat to std pitch?