Nita Strauss new Ibanez LACS

[TheTrooper]

Nita's been getting a few sweet LACS' lately. Check out this 3 pickup RG:

Most likely inspired from Ace Frehley, but a unique take for an RG.

Totally Ace inspired!

 

[Haun]

Nita's been getting a few sweet LACS' lately. Check out this 3 pickup RG:

Most likely inspired from Ace Frehley, but a unique take for an RG.

WOW! That is cool! An Ace inspired RG Paul

 

[Petar Bogdanov]

Awesome guitar!
Just wondering why she went with the Edge Zero instead of Edge Original/Lo Pro.......(She might prefer that over the others; not sure but I might have read that somewhere)

It's a ZR. She thinks ball bearing trems are more stable, she said it in the Andertons interview.

She should really try a proper knife-edge bridge. More range, easier to play, less energy transfer between strings...

 

[Rawkmann]

dont think so judging by the way it looked in the LACS tour video:

Neck thru?

 

[ZXIIIT]

It's a ZR. She thinks ball bearing trems are more stable, she said it in the Andertons interview.

She should really try a proper knife-edge bridge. More range, easier to play, less energy transfer between strings...

I'd definitely pick a ZR over a Lo Pro any day.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Just wondering why she went with the Edge Zero instead of Edge Original/Lo Pro.......(She might prefer that over the others; not sure but I might have read that somewhere)

It's a ZR. She thinks ball bearing trems are more stable, she said it in the Andertons interview.

She should really try a proper knife-edge bridge. More range, easier to play, less energy transfer between strings...

The best explanation is in her segment of the Alice Cooper Rig Rundown:



She does the trem tricks but holds/lifts it in a peculiar way so I take it the ZPS holds the trem in tune better when abused in her style.

But then again, Vai has had no trouble with keeping in tune with the old Edge units. Though he's also got the old tremsetters and changes his bridge every 6 months.

To add even more counters, Kirk Hammett is certainly not nice to his OFRs either. Especially considering Metallica play night after night and the Original FR from his ESP is still intact.

 

[TheTrooper]

It's a ZR. She thinks ball bearing trems are more stable, she said it in the Andertons interview.

She should really try a proper knife-edge bridge. More range, easier to play, less energy transfer between strings...

ZR!
Right, I got confused between the two; Yep, it was the Andertons video

 

[GuitarBizarre]

It's a ZR. She thinks ball bearing trems are more stable, she said it in the Andertons interview.

She should really try a proper knife-edge bridge. More range, easier to play, less energy transfer between strings...

I own both - the more range thing is because the strings are anchored further away from the point of rotation, and it's not solely a good thing - depending on setup the ZR can actually have more upwards range without fretting out, and the downwards range is kind of meaningless since both designs allow the strings to be dumped to the point of slackness.

It does technically give more range but it also means the action changes when you use the tremolo - if you're pulling up on my RG550EX, it quite quickly frets out. There's nothing wrong with the setup and there isn't a ton of relief in the neck - it's just because the bridge lowers the action as the trem pulls them down into the cavity.

As for the rest... I honestly don't see a way for anything you said to be true. You're going to need to explain to me how on earth the ZR has more energy transfer between strings, because all I can see is saddles screwed down to a baseplate... just like knife edge bridges.

I also really don't see what you mean by easier to play - the radius and string spacing are the same and the ZPS can be removed if you mean the bridge is harder to dump down to the body, which makes it feel just as slinky as an OE.

 

[Petar Bogdanov]

I own both - the more range thing is because the strings are anchored further away from the point of rotation, and it's not solely a good thing - depending on setup the ZR can actually have more upwards range without fretting out,

I own both too. At least on my guitar, the ZR requires quite a bit of neck shimming to reach both low action and a decent dive range. One wouldn't have this problem with knife edges, because the front of the baseplate can't dig into the route, it always moves away from it.

and the downwards range is kind of meaningless since both designs allow the strings to be dumped to the point of slackness.

I'm going to take issue with this. Neither trem can slacken the high E. You are simply incorrect.

It does technically give more range but it also means the action changes when you use the tremolo - if you're pulling up on my RG550EX, it quite quickly frets out. There's nothing wrong with the setup and there isn't a ton of relief in the neck - it's just because the bridge lowers the action as the trem pulls them down into the cavity.

That very same behaviour is why it's hard to mute the strings coming back from the dive, so you get the whoo-up sound or the strings clicking against the frets.

As for the rest... I honestly don't see a way for anything you said to be true. You're going to need to explain to me how on earth the ZR has more energy transfer between strings, because all I can see is saddles screwed down to a baseplate... just like knife edge bridges.

Yes, but the baseplate is freely floating due to being suspended on ball bearings. This means it resonates more easily, and as it does, it takes away energy from the one string. Then it gives it back to all the strings. In other words, the trem causes dead spots. They disappear when I block the trem from both sides, which supports my ball bearing hypothesis.

Now that you mention the saddles, I want to point out how ridiculous it is, that their bottom is NOT flat, and they in fact make contact with the baseplate primarily via a piece of rubber between the fine tuners and the baseplate. A piece. Of ....ing rubber. You know what happens when you take it out? All your low end disappears. So don't, just in case you've been thinking about it.

I also really don't see what you mean by easier to play

The trem bar itself is easier to play. It requires less effort, and it's less sensitive to minute changes in pressure, when you're doing a smooth dive. This is especially a problem with the ZR when it's fully floating. The taper is not what I would call easy to play either. You press a little and get a lot of change, and then you press some more, and you don't get much more. You press a lot and you get a few semitones.

and the ZPS can be removed if you mean the bridge is harder to dump down to the body, which makes it feel just as slinky as an OE.

Not quite as slinky, the bar still requires more pressure to move. Just to clarify, I don't use the ZPS, I think it takes away the few benefits the ZR does have, again, IMO.

 

[Rawkmann]

I prefer the ZR term as well, I think it was a pretty big advancement in design from ease of setup to overall feel. I'm sure I could get into the technical aspects compared to the OG edge trem, I just know what feels good underneath my hands.

 

[Mangle]

Nita's been getting a few sweet LACS' lately. Check out this 3 pickup RG:

Most likely inspired from Ace Frehley, but a unique take for an RG.

Man, this guitar has just planted itself in my head and will not leave. The execution on the piece itself is several degrees above inspired and has wrecked many of my future plans for acquiring different instruments. As far as inspiration goes well, it's made me look at guitars and building guitars from a completely new perspective. I like that S of hers quite a bit as well.
This seems to be the only shot of it in existence at the moment. Anyone know where I can get any more info. on it at all?

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Man, this guitar has just planted itself in my head and will not leave. The execution on the piece itself is several degrees above inspired and has wrecked many of my future plans for acquiring different instruments. As far as inspiration goes well, it's made me look at guitars and building guitars from a completely new perspective. I like that S of hers quite a bit as well.
This seems to be the only shot of it in existence at the moment. Anyone know where I can get anymore info. on it at all?

Nita just posted a better pic:

All I know is that spec-wise, it's cherry sunburst, a trio of Gravity Storms, and an Edge Zero trem.

Nita actually replies on her FB page, usually to the top responses. See if you can ask her more about it.

 

[A-Branger]

pretty cool, its an Ibanez RG version of the Ace Frehley Gibson HHH Less Paul, only thing missing is the block inlays

 

[GuitarBizarre]

Nita just posted a better pic:

All I know is that spec-wise, it's cherry sunburst, a trio of Gravity Storms, and an Edge Zero trem.

Nita actually replies on her FB page, usually to the top responses. See if you can ask her more about it.

That's not an Edge Zero, it's a ZR.

 

[Adam Of Angels]

Any idea why she has the tape over the neck pickup on that S?

 

[Mangle]

It stops the flapping strings from catching on the edge of the pickup when reviving full tension after a divebomb. Individual problem that doesn't always occur on every guitar.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Any idea why she has the tape over the neck pickup on that S?

You're right. My bad.