Need help breaking something expensive.

[Nitrobattery]

I've had this Ibanez Prestige RGA321F for almost a decade and am really sentimentally attached to it. I was diagnosed with celiac disease a while back, and while I have it mostly under control through my diet, I do struggle with joint pain and find that the design of this bridge really fatigues my wrist pretty quickly. I can play something like a TOM or a Strat/Tele bridge for hours without any issues, but the positioning of the two main mounting screws on this Gibralter bridge changes my pivoting angle just enough that my wrist craps out on me. I've toyed with selling it, or keeping it just as piece of artwork...but I love the way that it sounds, I've decided that it's a keeper, and I'd like to royally destroy its value by turning it into something I can play and enjoy every day.

So let's break it!

I was hoping that I could get some recommendations of guys to send this thing to...to have the Gibralter bridge pulled out, plug the holes and have something like a hipshot hardtail bridge put in. As you can see the Gibralter bridge is slightly recessed, so I may even need to have a wood block put in to get the bridge in at the right height. Any of you guys that have converted Floydy guitars into hardtails have any guys you recommend?

 

[Hey_bert_whtcha_doin_bert]

I’d go evertune if you have to route it. I used to be on the fence about them but I finally played one that was set up nice and it wasn’t shabby at all.

 

[Nitrobattery]

I’d go evertune if you have to route it. I used to be on the fence about them but I finally played one that was set up nice and it wasn’t shabby at all.

The Evertune systems are cool, but I'd rather not route it out.

 

[napalmdeath]

If it were me, I'd see what I could do further treatment-wise, to better deal with the cramping. Maybe physical therapy?

As for the guitar, I would be quicker to sell it than destroy it. What if your science experiment fails, and you destroy it?

Find another Prestige with a more user friendly bridge, and accept the fact that the current one just won't jive anymore. Again, Option #1 I listed would be my choice. I live with degenerative bone issues, and major arthritis at 48. But, I've managed to have a handle on it with better health.

Have you tried glucosamine??

 

[errrrrl]

Would a Schaller Signum Bridge be thinner/lower/better?

or a Hipshot Baby Grand Bridge?

But if your looking to really get nuts how about one of these

 

[SavageRiffer]

That Hipshot bridge is pretty cool.

 

[neilli777]

You could look into one of the fixed Kaher bridges - 4 holes, no routing and it would probably cover all of the holes from the existing bridge.

 

[stratjacket]

I bought a cheap MIM Strat several years ago and got a friend of mine who is really good at woodworking to fill in the entire cavity. He used wood and epoxy and made it flush. I screwed in a hard tail bridge and it worked fine, so I now have a cheaper MIM Strat but it has the hard tail I wanted.

 

[rottingcorpse]

Betcha Brent Gutierrez could fix that for ya. He does all sorts of crazy stuff,so this job would probably be easy. Message juggy in the Gutierrez forum near the bottom of the page on rigtalk.

 

[HellraiserJohnny]

Maybe you could learn a little more about Celiac and leave it alone? My GF has dealt with Celiac for 20+ years and has eliminated nearly all symptoms of the disease through, as you say, diet with the addition of exercise. She uses a combination of natural supplements, reiki, yoga and message and has eliminated all joint pain. It would not hurt to learn as much as you can about the disease so I would recommend the bible on the subject called "Listen to Your Gut" - Jini Patel. Hope it helps you and saves the beautiful axe from a Frankenstein job.