# Ibanez Std DL Tremolo? What is it?



## Badside (Jun 6, 2015)

Need an extra 24-fret Floyd guitar for a project, doesn't need to be really great, just needs to work and sound decent after a pickup upgrade. Being a bit disappointed with my 2011 RG470AHZ (with Edge Zero II trem) I was looking into Jackson JS32 Dinkys because they are cheap and work well, and will take a Floyd upgrade easily (was thinking about giving it the Special in my Adrian Smith SDX when I upgrade that one to an OFR)

Then I noticed this Ibanez RG420RW on the wall, looked pretty cool, and didn't have the insanely bad INF pickups and wasn't much pricier than the JS32s, so I gave it a try. The Quantum pickups actually sounded pretty good.

Was surprised that it didn't have the ZPS system, and the bridge looked like a much more usual Floyd Rose copy except for the flat knife edge on the bass side, a la Gotoh (but everything else looks like say a FR Special). Gave it a go and to be honest I liked the trem a LOT more than the EZ-II on my 470, more range, didn't go out of tune as easily (gave it a solid beating and I never had to touch the fine tuners, can't say the same about my 470) and fluttered much better (a problem with the ZPS).

I'm tempted... but what the hell is that trem?
After investigation, I realized that it comes on all 2015 Gio and Standard series, the Edge is relegated to Iron Label and above. So in all appearances it's a downgrade (which sucks cause this guitar is not necessarily cheaper than the 470 was), even though it FELT much better IMHO. So I'm worried about durability. 
Mostly the lack of info means I don't know if an actual Gotoh would be a simple swap? 

And of course: why pay Standard money when it gives you a Gio level of hardware?
Especially that the 3-piece neck is also gone. 

Here's the guitar


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## Badside (Jun 6, 2015)

Just saw on another board (finding info on that new 2015 trem is pretty hard) that someone fitted an original Edge into a Jem Jr 2015 (which has the same trem), which would confirm that it has 74mm post spacing which means a Gotoh GT1996T would most likely fit right in.

Tempted to get it and swap the Gotoh in whenever I get a chance, hopefully get a bit more sustain and clarity out of it.


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## gclef (Jun 6, 2015)

Did you ever remove the zps setup for your 470? Doing so, the edge zero 2 functions as well as the edge IMO. It stays in tune within 2 cents or so. 

I have both. I like the feel of the edge zero 2 over the edge when setup as a free floater.

Unfortunately, I like the zps system, and that has issues returning to zero. It is usually 10 cents off when you go full down then full up.


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## Badside (Jun 6, 2015)

gclef said:


> Did you ever remove the zps setup for your 470? Doing so, the edge zero 2 functions as well as the edge IMO. It stays in tune within 2 cents or so.
> 
> I have both. I like the feel of the edge zero 2 over the edge when setup as a free floater.
> 
> Unfortunately, I like the zps system, and that has issues returning to zero. It is usually 10 cents off when you go full down then full up.



Yeah I like the ZPS system too, without it I go mad when doing say a unisson bend and the unbended string goes flat. And I can switch to Drop-D tuning wihout the whole thing going out of tune. 
But it's no replacement for a fully floating tremolo (won't flutter properly for example), it's like a down-only trem with the option to bend up if required. Also it makes the sustain block much smaller. I wouldn't want it on all my guitars.

Coming back to this "Std DL Tremolo", I've noticed that the RG350DX still has the Edge-Zero II, but does cost a bit more than the 420. Funny how a 300-series has better hardware than a 400-series. Then again, the 420 has this superb rosewood top that does look pretty cool. 
Kind of bummed out about the 1-piece neck when Jackson has 3-piece necks with graphite reinforcement at a lower price point (MIC, but in my experience that is not a downgrade from MII, love my Classic Vibe Tele)


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## Badside (Jun 8, 2015)

Went back today to further investigate the RG420RW and its "Std DL Trem", because I still need a spare cheap 24-fret axe with Floyd 

They had an older RG450DXB on hand for the same price, with the Edge Zero II trem with ZPS3, Infinity pickups and the fancier inlays (the 420RW has the plain dot inlays, which should make it a 320, but I digress) and 3-piece laminated neck (vs 1-piece), same price for both: 499$CDN
450DXB clearly has the better specs, but the 420RW does have the cool looking rosewood top.

Played both back to back for 10-15 minutes and something became clear: the newer 420 was just not on the same level as the older 450. The neck finish was thicker and the wood grain had a very uneven pattern that made me worried about long-term stability. Investigating the trem unit closer, it was clearly very light pot metal all around, a Floyd Rose Special would be an upgrade. It still worked very well, but long term durability is a big concern. Still... a Gotoh appears to be a simple swap so I didn't care too much. But it didn't stop there, the workmanship was just sloppy all around (I'm not just talking fretwork, but uneven finish and cavity routings, etc), and the guitar just didn't ring that well. Plugged in, the Quantum pickups did have a tighter low-end than the Infinity ones, but they lacked clarity.

So what did I do? Walked out with the superior guitar of course, the 450DXB. Screw the rosewood top, function over form, especially on a budget! Sure I said I didn't like the EZ-II on my other RG, but turns out the locking nut was loose, simple fix and it's super stable now.
Sure I can upgrade the pickups and bridge on either guitar, but the older model just felt better and sounded better acoustically

Ibanez clearly went downmarket for 2015, probably to force people into the Iron Label and Premium lines, but problem is that Iron Labels now fetch Premium prices, and Premiums now fetch Prestige prices when compared to a couple years ago (the weak CAD$ doesn't help, but still). Sure the Premiums look nice, but paying 1200$+ for an Indonesian made guitar just doesn't do it for me. I'd rather get a Mexican made Jackson and save a few hundred bucks, but that's me.
Problem is I do prefer the RG look and the AAJN neck joint feel.


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## Badside (Jun 10, 2015)

Might be bringing the 2014 RG450DXB back after all...

The fine tuners on this sans-ZPS EZ-II are testing my patience, but swapping in a Gotoh means relocating the studs. The one on the low-E strings is a PITA to adjust, and doesn't even give me a semi-tone of range (on my 2011 RG470AHZ which also has an EZ-II, I can go to Drop-D just with the fine tuner)

It's like it's a cheaper version of the EZ-II in my other guitar (which it is in a way, given that there is no ZPS and no adjustment knob). Also, the lack of ZPS means it will flutter when asked, but way too much.

Needing a trem upgrade on a budget guitar is fine, but having to relocate studs to do so is not (I'm fine with enlarging holes for the Gotoh, but relocating is a whole different job).

That "Std DL Tremolo" is starting to become more interesting now... Because the stud spacing is already "OFR-like" (74mm vs 78mm). So I might get the 2015 RG420RW after all and instabuy a Gotoh GE1996T.

Or I'll just go with a Pro series Jackson, cheaper than an Ibanez Premium and comes with a much better trem unit (1000-series = all steel Korean made "OFR") than the EZ-II (which is out of place on the Premium series IMHO, and it's unique stud spacing is a big problem for upgrading)


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## SubConArtist (Apr 4, 2016)

I have this same guitar. It has an ibanez Edge Zero II bridge i'm guessing. I know it's not a floyd for sure.

How n the heck do you set it up? I can't find anything anywhere online. I also know the bridge has changed because the same RG420RW now has an original floyd copy in it now. If i get it setup at my local GC it's gonna cost me $55 plus strings and wait time that i can't afford. 

Please help.


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