#buzz stop

The Buzz Stop Stops Here: A Rant

Hate is a strong word, and one I normally don’t like to use unless the subject is foods called “salad” which do not contain lettuce (the only exception being Fruit Salad, but why call it that when ‘Cup of Fruit’ would suffice). While I can’t call my feelings for the Buzz Stop ‘pure hatred,’ I have to admit that removing them from guitars is one of my favorite jobs. For the uninitiated, the Buzz…

What do you call a dinosaur that is sleeping? A dino-snore!

Anyways. Thank you! Actually you should thank @octomoosey for their wonderful themes. 

Favorite fcs (that I currently use): 

Andreja Pejić

Eleanor Tomlinson

Masato Hanazawa

Kim Jae Wook

People I alternate between using for a mascot:

Yū Aoi (currently my icon)

Can of worms = opened

I would never fault a player for using the Buzz-Stop on their guitar, but every one of the problems the Buzz Stop supposedly addresses can be solved with a proper setup in line with the design of the offset instrument.

I strongly dislike the Buzz-Stop for a number of reasons:

1) The break angle of the strings is increased drastically, causing the strings to [almost always] rub against the back of the bridge, which is bad for tuning stability especially if one plans on using the trem. If you’re sticking with the original bridge, this causes the bridge to shift forward over time, meaning your intonation progressively worsens. BOOOO

2) The tension bar also causes the E strings to rub against the outermost screws on the back of the vibrato plate, which is bad for tuning stability AND string live, since you’re basically sawing through them with the screw head. BOOOO

3) The tension bar is also one more point of contact added between the bridge and anchor plate, which is bad for tuning and the functionality of the vibrato/bridge assembly. BOOOO

4) This is a subjective thing, but I believe Buzz-Stops absolutely kill the vibe of whatever instrument they’re installed upon, getting in the way of the additional string length that is largely to thank for the wonderful resonance and feel of these guitars. Sure, the ringing back there behind the bridge might not be so attractive to some, but that’s part of having an offset guitar. Plus, there’s plenty of fun to be had back there! BOOOOOOOOOOO/YAY

5) They are not cool. (TOTALLY OBJECTIVE I DID THE SCIENCE)

I get why the Buzz-Stop exists. I get that it’s been a solution for the quirks of offsets for a long time, but as a guitar-loving society we’ve progressed; we’ve shaken off the shackles of ignorance and have come to more fully understand our Jazzmasters, Jaguars and Bass VIs. We now know that you can’t set them up like you would a Tele or a Les Paul, we understand that they like heavier strings and we’re okay with that. We look at these guitars without the offhanded disdain with which our fathers and mothers once beheld them, instead embracing them wholly with the care and love one of a pet that’s obtained family member status.