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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink So I took the Buzz Stop off the Jaguar...

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WoodyJ

JakeDobner

elreydlp
Put the Buzz Stop back on! There's a reason they've sold thousands of them!

Because people can't set up their guitars.

Excellent response, Jake!

FWIW, I concur 100%

Jags and Jazzmasters are VERY responsive to a good setup and it takes some time and effort to set one up properly and get the intonation spot on. I like the Eddie Katcher trick of adding a .75-1.0 mm neck shim and slightly raising the bridge to compensate. This increases the string tension over the bridge without affecting the tone like a buzz stop does and the action can still set as low as you like, if that is your thing. I seem to get a better sound with a slightly higher than usual action.

Also, slightly notching the bridge saddles (vintage or AVRI...the Japanese saddles are total crap) with a triangular jeweler's file keeps the strings in place just fine regardless of how heavy-handed a player you are. I much prefer the adjustability of the stock bridge over a Mustang, but a lot of you guys seem to like them. Different strokes, and all that.

Bottom line: Whatever works for you is cool...even though a buzzstop is, IMO, just a band-aid for a problem that can be easily solved in other (and less expensive) ways.

Stir the Pot Stir the Pot Stir the Pot

It's really true.. A good set-up and get ur intonation spot on, also check your neck some dudes never check their truss rod.. That could make or brake a good set-up.. Use a set of 12-52 or if your a wimpy dude 12's are a bit heavy? Go with 11- 49 ...

I am anti buzz stop.

The mustang bridge works great on my tele w/ bigsby

It came free with my jag
original bridge buzz stop and mustang bridge. I got to try them all

JM or Jag bridge on a tele sucks.

Give me reverb or give me death!
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Sandy
http://www.surfguitar101.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=9622'nuff said

and this one too:

http://surfguitar101.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=10483

I had a buzz stop on my Jaguar for years and I took it off. Did it change the sound or trem action? If it did I couldn't tell. I recorded both, they sound the same to me. I left it off because it just wasn't necessary on my guitar. It is a good non-invasive fix if your strings are jumping out of the saddles.
I've seen Dave Wronski play many times with and without a buzz stop and guess what, it sounds exactly the same. I think some of you are exaggerating the effect on tone--some would even say it is an improvement.

I have a used SX guitar that is sort of Jazzmaster like, it came with a buzz stop. I did not like the tone, I tried better pickups because it had P90's, and still didn't like the tone, I removed the buzz stop and now I like the tone. I've never had a buzz stop on any of my Jag's, and after this I'm glad I never spent the money on one.

i am really young with jag and jazzmaster bridge Laughing
cause on my build i was afraid of it and go for tom Embarassed ,i read a lot of they are problematics Rolling Eyes
but now i have a cij jag and i have to set up it cause when i buy it used the guys who sold it didn't how to set up a guitar Wink
then i have set up it for the first time when i have it
Arrow good strings 12 52 neck relief,trem ,action ect.....
it is a lot of works Shocked and yesterday i resetup it cause the string pop up Evil
i have redo all ;i have put the saddle upside down cause they have wrong marks ,the strings were not regulary spaced ect....
then i have found the good way to do
first put the 7.5 radius to the string with the saddle not to hight from the plate and parrallel to the plate (if it is too hight the strings touch the screw intonation
i have cut the screw for intonation for e and a (too long indeed ))
make right marks on the saddle for strings spacing (beetween 2 strings 11 mm)
then adjust the 2 screws on the feet to have the good action (it works better if the plate stay parallel from the top )
finally ajust the harmonics
and then before playing to avoid to redo it in a very short time wax it (or loctite or varnish)
image

it was very long but know my jag play fabulous it sound good and doesn't need a buzz stop (the buzz on jag and jazzmaster is a part of their sound Laughing )

I fixed string jumping and buzzing problems on a couple of guitars (one with a Jag type floating vibrato) by installing a fairly thick (about 1/8") wooden shim in the neck pocket. I had to cut and drill the shim block myself, and I painted its rim with black gloss enamel to blend with the guitar. Both guitars have bolt on necks of course.

The shim raised up the neck. Then I raised the bridge. I also replaced the bridge with a roller bridge from Stew-Mac. Both guitars now have terrific sustain and no buzz or string jumping. However, the one with floating vibrato needs retuning frequently when I use the vibrato arm.

This does nothing irreversible to the guitar. I can remove the shim block and return the guitar to its original configuration.

Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com

Has anyone tried one of those Mastery bridges? I'd like to find out if they work.

Here ya go:
http://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/9622/?page=1

and

http://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/10483/

also

http://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/16358/?page=2#p217980

jfine wrote:

Has anyone tried one of those Mastery bridges? I'd like to find out if they work.

I added one to my AVRI Jazzmaster a few months back. Previously I had been using a buzzstopper for the best part of a year, but I must have got a real dud bridge on my JM as even with the buzzstopper and 11-50 flatwounds the bridge would drop straight to the deck, followed by every single saddle (neck is shimmed as well).
The Mastery bridge did away with all that, it stays where I set it, and gave me back my resonance behind the bridge with the buzzstopper now removed. Expensive, but for me worth every penny. It feels very well built and designed, noticeably heavier than the stock bridge too.

I see on the 50th Anni Jags they positioned the trem closer to the bridge which forces a steeper string break over the bridge.
Just curious if anyone knows if this change fixed the string-jumping problem? Also wonder if it added sustain (I hope not) or markedly changed the tone.
I've been GAS-ing for one these (love that Burgundy Mist) but haven't been able to try one out yet!
Anybody have experience with the 50th Anni's?
Thanks,
Bob

Im new here, heres another opin on the buzzstop device. I never had to try one , because I just shim the neck at the treble end of the pocket.This allows you to raise the bridge,which stops the buzzing. You will also need to put more rubber under the bridge pickup to raise it. I never had a problem using this method. If I was building a Jag/Jazzmstr from scratch, i think I would add the fender tilt device. Just another opinion .

Hey vibramutant, welcome to the board. What you've described is what a lot of us have done. Both of my MIJ Jazzmasters have had this done by the fellow board member who sold them to me and they are both great players with no string jumping issues. One of our guitar players has recently gotten one of the new Squier Jazzmasters and is having a string jumping problem even with 11 gauge flats. I hear the Classic Player's and 50th Anniversary models changes have remedied this but I haven't played either.

The Mystery Men?
El Capitan and The Reluctant Sadists
SSS Agent #31

When I built my JazzGuar I built in a good amount of neck angle in the neck pocket (similar to the shim concept) bewteen this and an ABR tune-o-matic I have no problems at all using 10-50 flatwounds. I prefer the tuneomatic from a tonal standpoint but have set up many guitars with the standard set up bridge, Jazzmasters, Jags and Teles and as long as the neck angle is increased it all works great. I therefore am not that into the Buzzstops.

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Sorry! My images were too big! I think they're okay now;-)

Last edited: Dec 11, 2012 08:45:54

thefacialsgaragepunk wrote:

I got two Fender Jaguars. One is vintage (a sunburst '64), and the other a lake placid blue Japanese Fender Jaguar. I'm going to play in Europe, next year and I don't really want to take my vintage Jaguar, so I gave my Japanese Jaguar to my luthier asking him to make it a perfect tool worthy of touring (before you all shout blasphemy, I know the flaws and quirks of the Jaguar are what makes it a Jaguar, and I wouldn't dream of doing anything to my vintage jag). Anyway, my main issues with the Fender Japan Jaguar were of course the bridge, string bending (notes choking out on the frets), and the stupid unwaxed pickups (why Fender Japan? Oh why!?).
So, my luthier refretted with a much flatter radius, and fitted with a new nut to solve the string bending and action problem. He waxed the pickups and solved the microphonic feedback problem. I already had a buzzstop bar on the Jaguar.

Now, the bridge... I've tried all kinds of stuff. Some people go for tune-o-matics, I'm not keen on the look (of course that's just a personal taste thing), and I found that the strings don't move over the string trees when using the tremolo (the tuning goes sharp). You can try the roller versions, but rollers really affect the tone, attack and sustain of the string (the tone, attack and sustain will differ between strings, and positions on the fretboard).

There's the Mastery Jaguar bridge. That thing's just plain ugly, and the design doesn't compliment a Jaguar (sorry, personal taste again). Expensive too!

Then there's the Mustang bridge. Looks good because it's a classic Fender design, but sometimes the strings are too high (especially D and G), or your E strings are right on the edges of the fingerboard:( As far as tone, sustain and attack goes the Mustang bridge is pretty solid. The strings also move over the rollers easily.

Now this is really long winded, but what my luthier did was the following:

He took a Mustang bridge, and removed the rollers. He grinded the rollers to reduce the width. He also grinded the height off the rollers, especially the D an G string rollers (so it's a perfect match to my very low radius fingerboard). He put a steel plate inside the base to make it shallower (and get the strings well above the edges of the base). He flipped the base round the opposite way, and drilled 6 new holes in it (with perfect spacing for the new rollers, and perfect string spacing on a Jaguar). He put the rollers back in place and cut off the excess length on the screws. For me personally it's the perfect solution. Looks Fender, string spacing is perfect. Tone is good. Tuning stable. The only negative? You need a really good luthier to get it right...
image
image

Anyway, that was my luthier's solution. My Fender Japan Jaguar is now absolutely amazingly functional.

Last edited: Dec 11, 2012 08:48:52

BobK wrote:

Anybody have experience with the 50th Anni's?
Thanks,
Bob

I've seen quite a few on the secondhand market already, so it's not really a good sign...

i am gettin a god awful harmonic hum from my b string thats super loud compared to the rest any ideas

Todd I saw your other post about the loud B string. Is this a different issue; like a wolf tone that gets reproduced by the amp?

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

I tried the Graph Tech saddles on my Jazzmaster. I like the sound (I know some do not). What I couldn't stand was the fact that my strings were no longer grounded. I swapped the stock saddles back in.

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