Allparts / Whizzo Buzz Stop Roller for Fender Jazzmaster & Jaguar Guitar - Improves Tone & Sustain!

Buzz Stop roller attachment for Jaguar and Jazzmaster tremolos. This simple device provides downward pressure on strings to reduce excess buzzing and rattle that these guitars are prone to. Improves tone and sustain significantly! Very easy to install with no holes to drill or other permanant modifications to your guitar.

Check out the Before & After illustration here. After installation, note how the Buzz Stop unit will increase string angle across the bridge. This increases downwards force on the bridge, eliminating saddle and string buzz and the problem of strings jumping from notch to notch. We highly recommend the Buzz Stop to all our Jaguar and Jazzmaster players here at Motor City Guitar, it's without a doubt the simplest and least expensive way to upgrade the sound of of your guitar!

Question: Will I have to drill any new holes in my guitar to install this unit?
Answer: No. In fact, you remove two existing screws from your guitar, locate the unit, and then replace the original screws. You can also reverse the installation, and your guitar will be restored to its original state.

Question: Can I still use the tremolo on my guitar as before?
Answer: Yes. The Strings pass under a rotating roller pivoting on two stainless steel pins. When you move your tremolo bar back and forth, the roller turns following the string travel.

Question: Why don't Jazzmasters and Jaguars have as much sustain as other guitars? Why do their strings buzz in the bridge saddles and jump from notch to notch during periods of aggressive playing?
Answer: Because these two guitars have nowhere near the amount of string angle over (or downward pressure on) the bridge that you might have on nearly any other quality electric guitar made. This design gives Jazzmasters and Jaguars their characteristic thinner, plonkier tone, which some individuals have used to fine effect. However, most guitarists want sustain, and this inherent design characteristic has relegated these two guitars to taking a lesser place in their guitar company's heirarchy. Remember that back in the 1960's the Jaguar was the top guitar in the catalog, followed by the Jazzmaster, and then came the Stratocaster. Collectors now think that the reverse is true!

Question: If there is more downward force on the bridge with the Buzz Stop installed, where did that force come from? I'm tuning my guitar to the same notes as before.
Answer: With the Buzz Stop installed, you have taken the force of the string tension that used to be almost exclusively on the tremolo tailpiece (where you pass your strings through the six holes) - part of that tension is now transferred to your bridge as downward force, and also part of that tension is transferred to the solidly attached Buzz Stop unit as upwards force. Taking some of the string tension off of the tremolo tailpiece is beneficial, as the relatively lightweight Jazzmaster/Jaguar tremolo tailpiece tends to absorb string energy in a poor way, resulting in poor sustain. With the Buzz Stop installed, more downward force on your bridge means less string buzz in the bridge saddle. Less string buzz means less expended string energy at the bridge. When you have minimized the areas on a solidbody guitar where strings can release their energy, you will have achieved the most sustain possible for that particular guitar.

Question: What did guitar techs do to increase sustain on a Jazzmaster or Jaguar guitar before the Buzz Stop?
Answer: you can increase string angle over the bridge in some cases by adding a neck shim - a thin piece of wood or hard material added to the neck pocket (the area between the body and the bolt-on neck) closest to the bridge. This resultant new tipped-back neck angle forces you to raise the bridge in order for the strings to come off of the fretboard. The raised bridge means more string angle and viola! More sustain. However, this improvement is slight compared to the string angle improvement from the Buzz Stop. For some players, though, it may be enough, especially if you enjoy some aspects of the traditional thin, plonky tone that is so prevalent in many 1960's surf recordings. NOTE: If you decide to install a Buzz Stop, and you think that there is a neck shim in the the neck pocket that is not absolutely necessary, you would be best off by having your local guitar repair technician unscrew the neck from the guitar body and remove the shim. You may come to this conclusion if you notice that your bridge seems unusually high. (Perhaps your guitar was one of those modified previously to try to achieve greater sustain.)

Question: Isn't it possible to install a Mustang bridge to make my Jazzmaster or Jaguar work better?
Answer: Installing a Mustang bridge does not improve the string angle over the bridge, and hence will not really solve the major problem, though you do rid yourself of saddle height adjustment screws which might loosen and fall out as a result of not having enough tension on them. But again, Mustang bridge saddles have no individual height adjustments, and also do not allow you to choose your string spacings, as the string notches are non-adjustable. Our advice is that you try the Buzz Stop with your factory-original Jazzmaster or Jaguar bridge. The problems that the factory-original bridge seems to have are cleared up once you install a Buzz Stop and increase string pressure on the bridge. Also, using your original bridge will allow you or your guitar repair technician more flexibility in setting up your guitar to play the best it possibly can.

Question: Will the Buzz Stop unit help solve string buzz on the fretboard of my guitar?
Answer: No. String buzz on the fretboard could be the result of many different things. The overall height of the bridge, which determines how far the strings are from the neck and fretboard, is usually the first thing to check. Also, you may have one high fret which needs attention. How much bow you have in your guitar's neck - this may need adjusting via your guitar's truss rod. The Buzz Stop unit does not change any of these fret buzz issues.

You may be pleasantly surprised to find how much tone and sustain has been hiding in your guitar, waiting to be discovered. Pick one up today!