Swaping a Floyd for an Edge

[sequoiathrone]

Hey, Sequoia here.
Im thinking about putting a Floyd Rose (TM) bridge on my Ibanez. The guitar came equipped with an Edge III Ibanez Floating Tremelo. im just curious as to if im going to have to router away half of my guitar? has any one done this? am i getting in over my head?

[newey]

Never done this, and I don't recall anyone else posting that they had done so.

While I doubt that you'll be routing away "half the guitar", some amount of routing will be involved. And the fitment of the bridge is one of those critical things, playability wise, so if you make a mistake it could prove terminal.

So, I'd say that unless you're pretty doggone sure of your woodworking skills, you may want to consult a professional about getting this done.

[cynical1]

Ibanez Edge trems have evolved over time since the original Floyd Rose patent expired. I've never used them but from what I read the early ones were the best. You seem to have one of the later incarnations.

Not knowing the specs on the Edge III, you're gonna have to do a little measuring on your own first.

You'll need to verify that the post centers (spacing) is identical, or they'll need to be filled and re-drilled. If they're identical, then all is good. If not, it's not a big deal, you just remove the old studs, re-drill the hole to accommodate a standard dowel rod, glue it in place and re-drill to the Floyd Rose centers (spacing).

The fun part will be accommodating the body of the bridge. I'd bet dollars to donuts that the depth required is different between the two. If the Floyd Rose requires a deeper route that's easier then having to build up the bridge routing.

If you do have to build up the bridge cavity routing, the way I've done it is take 3/16" or 1/4" hardwood, trace the existing routed pattern to it, cut out that profile and glue it into the existing bridge route. Make sure all the paint is out of the bridge routing when you glue it.

I don't know what your plans are for re-finishing this guitar, but the odds are high that your re-fit will leave some finish damage along the way. Also, if the profile is different between the two bridges you may wind up with some gaps to fill. Small strips of hardwood, epoxy filler, etc. all my be employed to make the refit seamless...if you're concerned about stuff like that.

Let it dry a few days re-route. There are several Floyd Rose routing templates out there, so as long as you have a decent router and a 1/2" top bearing router bit you can do this.

Another thing to watch for is the depth of the tone block. You'll need to make sure that your Floyd Rose tone block will physically fit inside your guitar body...especially if your bridge routing requires material removal.

As newey said, this is a somewhat advanced piece of guitar surgery. It's not impossible, but it can go drastically South on you if you're not careful, using the correct tools and firmly clamping all your work\templates to a sturdy work surface.

As with most this like this, the prep work takes 5 times the effort as the actual wood butchery.

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[sequoiathrone]

Thanks a lot guys! This is seeming a little bit over my head, ill decided in a few days if its worth the effort or not, thanks for all the advice!