[Hellbound]

My first ever guitar with a tremolo was the K7 which I've had for about 3 months or so. I couldn't ask for a better tremolo system the spring tension feels just right the quality is superb and the best part is if I'm not mistaken it is a Floyd Rose I mean it does have that name written on it. Now I've never tried any other tremolo's out, not many guitar shops around my area have any guitars that are worth a shit....mostly just hard tails. I noticed on the new Ibanez Munky sig with the tremolo they went with another trem. Too tired to search the name of it is it called the edge pro or edge pro 2? Now my main question is what makes the lo-pro tremolo on the K7 so much better than the rest? and if it is so much better(this is just going by the opinions stated on this forum) then why the hell would they change it? before I purchased the K7 I was debating whether or not I should wait for the new one to come out but now it sounds like my decision on going with the older model was the way to go.

...and in all honesty the new Munky sig is pretty damn sweet looking I just can't stand the stars and "69" inlay but it still beats the "K7" inlay that I have now it's just that the 69 inlay kinda comes off being corny...for the love of god why can't they just leave the damn fret board blank!

[Kevan]

When it comes to floating trems, the LoPro is simply the best in terms of performance and reliability. The newer versions haven't proven themselves quite yet, but probably will in the future.

Why do they mess with a good thing? That's a very good question. Think about it though: if they didn't change things, we would never get advancements. We'd all be playing the same synchro trem Leo revealed in the early 50's.
We wouldn't have A/C in cars, or power steering.
We wouldn't have computers.
We wouldn't have Paris Hilton.

I guess that last one isn't such a great example. Sorry.

Advancements are good, but they need to be tried out by the public before they gain wide acceptance. There are lots of players out there who swear by the EdgePro now and would never go back to the Edge or LoPro. That's cool. More power to them. For me, personally, I like my LoPros. For you, it may be something entirely different.

In regards to the inlay:
As much as we'd like it to be (heh heh), the inlay is *NOT* the number 69. It's actually the glyph for the zodiac symbol for Cancer.
Click here for more info.
I'm with ya man- blank fretboards rule.

[Mr. S]

i intend to get the new K7/Apex thingy to back up my K7 so i hope the trem is as good on the Apex as it is on the K7, if it isnt to my liking and since i cant just change it for an old LoPro i'll just designate it as my T-No Guitar

i havent really played the EdgePro's extensively so for all i know i might think theyre better, who knows.

also am i the only one that likes the Cancer/stars inlay

[ibzrg1570]

its possible that ibanez switched over to the edge pros because the lopro is a floyd-licensed trem, and they had to pay licensing fees. i'm not sure how accurate it is, considering that the original patent already ran out, but the lopro is based more on the floyd pro, which is a little more recent...so idk

i have an edge pro in my rg1570 and the thing plays really nice. i've never broken a string since i got it over 3 years ago, maybe its because of the "sound metal chip". its supposed to increase sustain but because it's rounded i think it also serves to keep the string from breaking as easily (no sharp points).

[JJ Rodriguez]

The Edge Pro is still a licensed Floyd, so they're still paying some kind of fee.

[Kevan]

Originally Posted by ibzrg1570

its possible that ibanez switched over to the edge pros because the lopro is a floyd-licensed trem, and they had to pay licensing fees. i'm not sure how accurate it is, considering that the original patent already ran out, but the lopro is based more on the floyd pro, which is a little more recent...so idk

Heh heh...check the trem block of your EdgePro. Let us know what it says.

Though Floyd's original patent has expired, he has a bunch of others. Also, just because the patent is done with, doesn't mean that the contracts or licenses are.

Originally Posted by ibzrg1570

i have an edge pro in my rg1570 and the thing plays really nice. i've never broken a string since i got it over 3 years ago, maybe its because of the "sound metal chip". its supposed to increase sustain but because it's rounded i think it also serves to keep the string from breaking as easily (no sharp points).

It's actually a piece of stainless steel. You're right though- it's designed to be a nice smooth surface for the string to ride on (and provide consistent, accurate intonation).

[Drew]

Originally Posted by ibzrg1570

its possible that ibanez switched over to the edge pros because the lopro is a floyd-licensed trem, and they had to pay licensing fees. i'm not sure how accurate it is, considering that the original patent already ran out, but the lopro is based more on the floyd pro, which is a little more recent...so idk

Yes and no. That's actually why they switched - the LoPro and Edge dies were getting a bit worn, right as the Floyd Rose patents were running up. So, Ibanez siezed the opportunity to "redesign" the trem so they wouldn't have to pay liscense fees.

Everything went swimmingly until Floyd Rose won a lawsuit against them, and they went back to paying liscensing fees. Rich Harris's theory is we haven't seen the last of the LoPro, it just doesn't make economic sense to switch yet.

[Hellbound]

well it may be a cancer sign but it still looks like 69 to me.lol Kinda cool I guess. Either way I still love my K7. I really like the new 8 string Ibanez I'm just wondering how it sounds with the basswood never played a basswood guitar before.

[ibzrg1570]

Originally Posted by Kevan

Heh heh...check the trem block of your EdgePro. Let us know what it says.

um...it says Made in Japan.

my point was that getting around the licensing fees was the original plan, as drew mentioned. i think mine was one of the first ones made, so it doesn't say anything about being licensed.

Originally Posted by Kevan

It's actually a piece of stainless steel. You're right though- it's designed to be a nice smooth surface for the string to ride on (and provide consistent, accurate intonation).

i know its just stainless steel, that's just what ibanez calls it. i think its funny how they try to make everything sound all nice and pretty. (if i posted this on the ibanez forum that kevin guy would say its like the wizard II and proceed to whine more)

[hirah]

if the dies were getting worn, they could be fixed for probably 2,000-4,000 each. more like under 1,000 if done in house. i dont' know how many dies they had, but it cost a lot of money to make a die or a mold from scratch.