meanwhile, everyone else (Jackson, ESP, EB/MM, Peavey, Kramer etc.) seem to have done nicely without locking studs. I'm guessing that's why Ibanez got rid of them. they were over-engineered. it's not a stupid move, it's a smart move. we won't notice any difference in performance. at least I won't. then again, maybe you notice a difference in tuning stability between a Jackson SL1 and an Ibanez JEM7VWH?
if there was no difference in performance there would be no problem
and i agree with wes there's no such thing as overengineering
there's a big difference ie. locking studs keep perfect tune
non locking .....don't, many have found their guitars going out a quarter or half step or more!
ibanez have a reputation for the best double locking trems in the world
now with their new guitars they have become average
how is this a smart move?
they'll end up losing a lot of sales
i love going crazy on a trem but i expect it to be able to keep in tune
if it doesn't then that's what i call a performance difference
just MHO though