Ibanez RG370AHMZ | Part Two

◀ Part One

In the previous post on this gorgeous Ibanez RG370AHMZ, I highlighted some of its more pertinent specifications. Now, in this post, we'll take a closer look at the Edge Zero II tremolo bridge, ZPS3Fe "counter-tension tuning stabilizer system;" and also the control cavity components.

The Edge Zero II tremolo bridge consists of a cast alloy base plate, individual saddles; and fine tuners. As a "double-locking tremolo" system, the bridge works in conjunction with a locking nut. But you knew that already, right?

Meanwhile, the ZPS3Fe "counter-tension tuning stabilizer system" consists of two "sub springs," string stopper, stop rod and spring adjustment knob. Ibanez believes that the ZPS3Fe helps to "ensure tuning stability" by returning the tremolo more "quickly and accurately" to the neutral position when the tremolo arm is released. 

I'm no expert on tremolos and such, but I do say that the ZPS3Fe works as it should and saves a lot of time and labor during setup. For one, the spring adjustment knob and stop rod eliminate the need for fiddling around with screwdrivers or tapered wooden blocks. 

The control cavity appears to be shielded with conductive shielding paint, and the inside of the cover with aluminum foil. Components include an Ibanez 3SWLSP5 five-way switch and two dime-sized Alpha (Korea) pots.

Now, what does the Ibanez RG370AHMZ sound like? To answer that question, do check out any of these great YouTube videos:

Moonrunner Music 

Megahurtz30 

Bax Music UK

Dawsons Music & Sound

 

Ibanez RG370AHMZ | Part One

Part Two ▶

According to Darrell Braun Guitar, "... this RG is straight up blue-tiful!" I couldn't agree more, Darrell. I was grinning from ear to ear when one of these beauties came in for a string change and setup recently. Now, without further ado, let's peruse some specs, based on information sourced from Ibanez and the Ibanez Wiki; as well as my own observations.

Body: Solid ash, bound

Finish: Top - Blue Moon Burst (BMT), Back and Sides - Natural

Neck: Maple, Wizard III profile, bolt-on, All Access Neck Joint (AANJ)

Fretboard: Maple, 16" radius, 25.5" scale, 24 jumbo frets, black dot inlays

Bridge: Edge Zero II tremolo bridge with ZPS3Fe "counter-tension tuning stabilizer system"

Pickup Configuration: HSH

Bridge Pickup: Ibanez Quantum Bridge (humbucker/passive/ceramic)

Middle Pickup: Ibanez Quantum Middle (single-coil/passive/alnico)

Neck Pickup: Ibanez Quantum Neck (humbucker/passive/ceramic)

Controls: Master Volume/Master Tone/5-Way Pickup Selector

Hardware: Cosmo Black

Well folks, that's about it for this introductory post. In Part Two, we'll take a closer look at the Edge Zero II tremolo bridge, ZPS3Fe "counter-tension tuning stabilizer system;" and also the electronics. Meanwhile, do enjoy the pics :)

Ibanez RG370DXZ-BK

This Indonesian axe made its debut in 2011, and can be seen on page 26 of the Ibanez 2011 Full Line Catalog. Available colors were BK (Black), CA (Candy Apple), ROM (Roadster Orange Metallic), SLB (Starlight Blue), and WH (White). Sadly, Ibanez ceased production of the RG370DXZ "after 2014."

The guitar featured today is black, and so it's an RG370DXZ-BK.The basswood body is complemented by a 25.5" scale bolt-on 3 piece Wizard III maple neck. The bound rosewood fingerboard sports 24 jumbo frets, a 16" radius; and sharktooth pearloid inlays.

Pickups are an INF3 neck humbucker, INFS3 middle single coil, and INF4 bridge humbucker. I must say that I'm impressed by these pickups. Sweet and full when played clean, these pickups retain their clarity and bite when overdriven. What really takes the cake is that all three pickups' polepieces are height adjustable with a hex key. This means that you can fine tune each pickup's tonal balance and output to suit your needs.

The bridge is a rather rusty double-locking Edge-Zero II tremolo with a ZPS3Fe Zero Point System (see pic below). The ZPS is supposed to, when "correctly" adjusted, help keep the tremolo parallel to the body. This would save a lot of blood, sweat and tears when changing/tuning strings.

Well, as I found out while restringing this guitar with a set of 009s, all the ZPS does is prevent string tension from tilting the tremolo block forwards via a stop bar. This stop bar, however, cannot prevent tremolo spring tension from tilting the tremolo backwards, thereby causing your carefully-tuned strings to go sharp. And I mean really sharp.

In other words, you still have to block the tremolo the old-fashioned way when changing/tuning strings. So much for the ZPS3Fe. I do, however, appreciate the large knurled spring adjustment knob. This knob makes adjusting spring tension really easy. No need to waste time screwing (pun intended) with the spring claw.

The control cavity is adequately shielded with carbon paint and features a simple layout of master volume and tone controls fed by a  5-way blade switch. It's refreshing to see full-sized pots on this guitar. Kudos to Ibanez for ditching those dreadful minis that crap out when you least expect it.

Work done on this guitar included fret leveling/dressing, rust removal and lube job on the tremolo and other mechanical components, electronics check/service; and fretboard degunking/lemon oil treatment. That's about it, enjoy the pics.