Advice needed on unlocking trem on Ibanez Roadstar

[Gogogoch]

Hello,

I’m in need of a spot of advice. I have an Ibanez Roadstar II (RS135) that I recently asked a local luthier to unlock the trem/floating bridge on. However, the subsequent instability of the tuning on the guitar made me regret this decision and I asked for it to be locked back down again, but now I’m missing the resonance of the springs that the guitar had when the tremolo was active.

I realise that it’s a catch-22 of sorts and that a compromise has to made, so I wanted to ask for advice as I want to get the ‘best’ out of instrument that I love playing.

The luthier removed two of the five springs (as seen in the photo) and I’m not entirely sure why, but I don’t want to offend or upset him by questioning his skills, experience or knowledge.

The other guitarist in my band has suggested that I order a new set of springs and learn how to set the guitar up myself. But I’ve never done this due to lack of confidence and experience (changing strings is the limit of my guitar repair experience).

Would you recommend replacing the springs and unlocking the tremolo? Would that make the tuning stable AND give me the tone where the springs vibrate or am I asking for best of both worlds?

Thanks.

 

[TheFuzzDog]

It’s always reasonable to ask someone why they did something. It’s not an insult, it’s a chance to learn. If the tech doesn’t want to tell you, what you’ve learned is to go elsewhere.

 

[Peegoo]

Looks to me like your tech simply screwed the spring claw down to pull the bridge flush to the body.

Reach in there with a long Phillips screwdriver and loosen the two claw screws about five turns each.

Re-tune and see if you like the 'float' of the bridge.