The Ibanez Edge Tremolo is a double locking tremolo system for the electric guitar very similar in design to the original Floyd Rose. It first appeared in the Ibanez product line as of the 1986 model year, however, they have appeared on guitars with 1985 serial numbers. The Edge offers a number of improvements from the Original Floyd Rose, namely locking studs (for improved tuning stability, added in 1987-8), a spring retainer on the tremolo block (again, added in 1987-8) and a pop-in arm.
A non-locking version, Edge II appeared on the Vinnie Moore signature guitar in 1989. The guitar employed a low-friction nut and locking tuners.
The Edge enjoyed massive success in the late Eighties and is still the tremolo of choice for players such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Tom Morello has also been known to install these tremolos in his non-Ibanez guitars.
In 2003, the patent for the Original Floyd Rose tremolo expired. This coincided with the release of a newly designed pair of Tremolos from Ibanez, the Edge Pro and the Edge Pro II. Ibanez mistakenly figured that all the Floyd Rose patents were available for use, however the Patent on the Low Profile design was still in effect. This prompted the Edge Pro II's replacement with Edge III which fits into the parameters of the original patent and is therefore not subject to a license fee. The Edge Pro and Edge Pro II differ from the original Edge, as they are able to accept strings with the ball-ends still attached, and have no locking studs. Due to the lack of locking studs, the tremolo is in some ways inferior to the models it replaces, however the lower profile design and ergonomic improvements mean this distinction is not clear cut. The Original and Lo-Pro Edge are still produced and are available through Ibanez Parts dealers. The Original Edge is still being used by Ibanez for certain RG series reissues, and all 2010 Ibanez JEM and JS series guitars.
Here’s a list of all the existing versions and derivative of the Ibanez Edge tremolo, in chronological order:
The Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge is a trem system that was designed as an improvement over the original Edge design. It is a lower-profile trem (hence the name Lo-Pro = Low Profile), with the fine-tuners out of the hand's way. There are only two saddle screw holes as opposed to the three that are in the original Floyd Rose system; consequently the saddles cannot be moved back as far and, in some cases, cannot be intonated as well as the original.
The Ibanez Double Edge is a locking tremolo bridge fitted with a built-in piezo pickup system made by acoustic pickup manufacturer L. R. Baggs. It was introduced in 1999 and used on several Ibanez RG and S models since 2001.
While it still locks at the nut and bridge, this Lo-Pro Edge-derived is mounted on top of the body, and is used not as a tremolo system, but to provide enhanced tuning stability than that of a common hardtail bridge.
The Ibanez Edge Pro was designed around late 2002 in an attempt to skip the Floyd Rose patents. While it features the lowest profile possible, it has no locking studs. It also accepts strings with uncut ball-ends. The Edge Pro is Equipped on the Joe Satriani Ibanez JS 1000, JS 1200 and Steve Vai Ibanez JEM.
The piezo version of the Ibanez Edge Pro, fitted with a built-in piezo pickup system made by acoustic pickup manufacturer L. R. Baggs.
Designed as a cheap version of the Edge Pro, to be installed on mid-level models. due to issues with Floyd Rose patents, it was replaced after a couple years by the Edge-III.
The Ibanez ZR (Zero Resistance) tremolo features ball-bearing technology over the traditional knife edge system. This means more fluid and precise action, while virtually eliminating problems due to the knives wearing. It also features the ZPS (Zero Point System) which allows for in-tune double-bendings, faster string changes, and ensures perfect return to zero even after arm abuse.
the Ibanez Edge-III is the very first Ibanez Floyd-style tremolo system that's not licensed by Floyd Rose. It was designed around 2005 as a replacement of the Ibanez Edge-Pro II on mid-level models.
A ZR with a new push-in arm holder, which used to create breaking problems on the first version. It replaced the ZR on the Japanese S Prestige models only. All the non-Japanese models kept using the ZR.
A smaller and more elegant version of the ZR, the SynchroniZR as well features ball-bearing pivots, ZPS, the intonation tool, while it's not double-locked and has no fine-tuners. It also features a ZPS-FX system which consists of a bolt that can be screwed into place to block the trem of pull-up motion. Using this you can overload the springs like on a vintage trem to keep bent double-stops in tune just like the ZR, or you can leave it spongy. Featured in the SV Prestige models mainly.
The Ibanez EdgeZero, first installed in the 2008 RG Prestige line and Ibanez E-Gen, has a removable stop-bar/secondary spring, known as Zero Point System (ZPS, carried over from the Ibanez ZR tremolo), that provides additional spring tension and thus extreme tuning stability; at the cost of a stiffer feel and being unable to 'flutter' or 'gargle' like other fully floating systems. In all marketing material, Ibanez have claimed that due to the ZPS, unlike other locking tremolos, even with a string break, the other strings can still stay in tune at an acceptable level.
The difference between EdgeZero and ZR trems is that ZR trem uses ball-bearings for pivots, while the Edge uses the traditional knife edge. Over the course of playing, a knife edge may dull, resulting in declining tuning stability (although it takes a few years for knife edges to dull enough to cause a problem, and they can be sharpened fairly easily).
