Ibanez Pro Rock'r trem replacement?

Caffeine_Vampire

For an old Roadstar RS530. Are there any drop in replacements available? I vaguely remember there was a Kahler that fit.

Funkfingers

Zero shall be the number thou shalt count and the number of the counting shall be zero. One shalt thou not count, neither count thou minus one, excepting in that thou then proceed to zero. Two is right out.

Seriously, there is nothing that directly retrofits the pivot posts and cavity for the Ibanez Hard Rocker or Pro Rock'r vibratos. Furthermore, neither of them is compatible with the other.

It is possible to plonk a Kahler Pro flatmount vibrato onto the host guitar but this will leave the original threaded inserts for the pivots showing and require wood removal to accommodate the cam and springs.

Whammi World used to offer a metal plate to fit over recessed Floyd Rose cavities before sitting a Kahler on top. The plate adds height, helping the Kahler to align with necks pitched to suit a Floyd Rose.

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If you have a knackered or incomplete Ibanez Hard Rocker vibrato, I may be able to help. I have a "spare" one, some or all of which could be cannibalised for parts. 

Caffeine_Vampire

@Funkfingers An excellent reply sir, alas I'm missing the entire unit. I don't play a lot of 24 fret 80's waddle these days but I have been feeling the urge again of late. Could you be persuaded to part with yours?

Funkfingers

Caffeine_Vampire said:

80's waddle

Yngwie Malmsteen?

Caffeine_Vampire said:

Could you be persuaded to part with yours?

Yeah but no but …

My spare Ibanez vibrato is a Hard Rocker. Your RS530 should have a Pro Rock'r. Despite the similar nomenclature, the two designs are of different dimensions. They are not directly interchangeable.

Somewhere in my Photos library, I have an image of a Hard Rocker failing to align with the cavity of an RS530. 

The RS530 could be butchered to get a Hard Rocker vibrato to fit but, even then, it would be useless. I have this unit on an RS405. I have it fastened down flush onto the body, stopped on the spring side by a little bolt and blocked on the other side with a piece of wood. I still don't entirely trust it not to shift and mess up my tuning.

ICBM

Plug the holes and do whatever woodwork is necessary (I think there is some, from memory) to fit a Floyd. It’s a lot of work but gives the best result and is then more or less future-proof.

Funkfingers

What he said.

The Floyd Rose design is well-known, made from easily available, readily interchangeable components. Set up correctly, it does exactly what it says on the tin. With practice, one could strip and rebuild them blindfolded.

In their different ways, the Ibanez Hard Rocker and Pro Rock'r vibrato bridges are fraught with frustration. Many components are cast zinc. They wear out if you so much as look at them. The string anchoring is two different flavours of bizarre. I certainly would not wish to replace a broken string in mid gig.

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By the most amazing coincidence, I have a box full of Jackson FR vibrato components - regular and low profile. I may even have a mk1 Ibanez Edge stashed away.

Caffeine_Vampire

@ICBM Sage advice as always and yes, you're right.  @Funkfingers Would a mk1 Edge be something I could retro fit? 

Funkfingers

Tricky. 

The Ibanez pivots are spaced 82mm apart. FR types - including the mk1 Edge - tend to be 79mm. 

I suspect that FR pivots need to be marginally nearer to the nut to bring the saddles into the correct ballpark to intonate. 

The task involves filling and redrilling for the pivots plus removing some of the vertical edge of the vibrato cavity nearer the neck. 

Without an RS530 to hand, I have no way to estimate how much wood needs removing and how much of the vibrato cavity would be exposed at the back end under the fine tuners.

The task requires a bench drill to make the new pivot holes.

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By comparison, a flatmount Kahler requires some routing and four screw holes - all into solid wood, well clear of the vibrato cavity.

The original pivot inserts would remain visible but this is a small price to pay for a major improvement.

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I am trying to think of any other aftermarket vibrato systems that are both suitable for an RS530 and not more expensive than it.