Hantug Edge-Zero II Titanium Sustain Block

Hantug offers a comprehensive range of products and services for electric guitars. With headquarters in Turkey, Hantug uses the latest technology and the best workmanship. They are also cool dudes, easy to interact with, and what I have from Hantug so far is impressive. Most impressive.

Today, we are talking about their titanium sustain block. Not just any sustain block. The block for the Ibanez Edge-Zero II locking tremolo bridge. For starters, let have a quick primer on the Edge Zero II.

Ibanez Edge Zero II

To be clear, this is not the prior EZII with the Zero Point System. All systems with the ZPS were pretty much removed from the US market around 2014. That’s a story for another time. LOL!

This is the current version of the Edge Zero II. Which is to say the underside of the tremolo is your fairly standard design. A spring claw. Some springs. And the sustain block attached to the bridge baseplate. The situation is the block on this bad boy is not in any way interchangeable with regular Edge blocks.

Since I’m wanting to elevate aspects of my Ibanez blue floral pattern JEM77P, I’m wanting a titanium block.

Hantug To The Rescue

The block for the Edge Zero II is a first for Hantug, but they are game. Once completed, the new titanium block is an exacting dimensional match for the original block. That’s a big deal, because the limitations of the tremolo cavity doesn’t really allow for any “big block” variations.

Check out some pre-install photos. Specifically the top and bottom.

Those “extra” holes are important, and here’s why.

On the top there are the two guide holes to the outside of the three mounting holes. They match up to pegs on the underside of the baseplate. Those pegs ensure the block is facing the proper direction as well as keeps it stable during install. You can also look at it as a little extra contact between the block and the plate.

The holes on the bottom are fairly standard for many Ibanez Edge systems. There is a keeper bar that mounts across the bottom to keep the springs securely in place. You have the three smaller holes for the springs. The two larger holes are threaded for the screws that affix that keeper bar. Yes, just three spring holes. HaHa! If you need more, buy some Heavy Duty springs from Floyd Rose. It’s the 21st century after all. LOL!

Installation

Thanks to all the interest that Floyd Rose has generated in upgrades over the past several years, swapping out a sustain block should be no problem for any players with a set of basic handyman skill levels.

The new Hantug titanium sustain block mounts in to the Edge Zero II like a champ. As with any upgrade to a tremolo like this, plan to give it all a thorough setup. You might can get away with nailing the intonation and leveling out the spring tension. But we are guitar players and OCD, so feel free to go for the extreme-level setup as long as you are there. HaHa!

Here are a few post-installation photos. Yeah, not much to look at from the business end. LOL! However, you’re looking at an unsung hero that’s an important import in your chain of tone.

Results

I’m liking this titanium from Hantug. It’s got the sustain. And it’s got the clarity. It’s also a little more musical in nature than some of the other titanium out there I have in play. “Musical”? Yes, musical. LOL! Or maybe consider it a little more organic.

The nature of titanium in this setting is to be transparent. In other words, to get out of the way and be invisible. Think about that in contrast to how some players consider certain metal selections to alter or otherwise color the tone. In some of the experiences out there, players can think of some titanium options as too sterile. As such, my ears are telling me the Hantug metallurgy at work here is a more musically complimentary response.

Demo

Yeah, there’s no official demo on this. Why? This is the first one in the field by Hantug. How about you guys get busy and order some and they will have to make a demo! HaHa!

In the meantime, there is an official demo video of Hantug titanium in action. Here is guitarist Cenk Eroglu playing a Hantug titanium locking tremolo system:

Conclusion

If you have an Ibanez Edge-Zero II tremolo system, this titanium sustain block is the way to go as far as I am concerned. If you have a regular Ibanez Edge, Lo Pro Edge, or Edge Pro, they also have options for those. Check out their social media channels (links below!) to see more of what they made, including vintage-style and multi-scale hardware.

For reference, this Hantug Edge-Zero II titanium sustain block evaluation was conducted with an Ibanez JEM77P 6-string guitar, a Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+ featuring Celestion Impluse Responses and Fractal MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller.  In addition, real cabs in use are Marshall 1960B, Mojotone British, and Peavey 6505 cabs loaded with Celestion Classic Series Vintage 30s and Classic Series G12M Greenbacks.

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