Latest News

29 April, 2008 - Research, commissioned by BBZGuitars of High Wycombe, has found that guitarists in Buckinghamshire are less concerned about owning big brand guitars than those in other counties of the South East. A survey of more than 500 guitarists in London and the South East has revealed that whilst guitarists in Buckinghamshire are just as likely to aspire to owning big brand products such as Fender and Gibson, they are far more likely to consider a good copy, like Vintage or Hamer, if it is much cheaper. Eighty one percent of guitarists in Buckinghamshire said that they would consider a cheaper copy of their favourite brand.

The research also indicates that guitarists in Buckinghamshire are not prepared to spend as much on their equipment as guitarists in other regions, which may also suggest they are better at negotiating a lower price when buying guitars. The maximum spend on a guitar by players in Buckinghamshire averages £719, compared with £909 in London and £835 in Surrey.

Further evidence that Buckinghamshire guitarists are less brand-conscious and more interested in getting variety and value for money, the survey also found that the top five priorities for players when buying guitars and guitar equipment from a local retailer are: one, the ability to try-out equipment (ninety-three percent); two, the availability of products for different budgets (ninety percent); three, a broad range of products (eighty-three percent); four, good after-sales service (eighty percent); and five, the lowest price (seventy percent). Just fifty percent of buyers in Bucks ranked the availability of big brand products as important or very important. This compares with a staggering ninety percent of guitarists in Oxford and eighty-two percent in Herts, suggesting there may be a lot more brand snobbery in these counties when it comes to buying guitars.

Chief executive of BBZGuitars, Steve Busby, attributes these findings to the fact that Buckinghamshire has a higher percentage of gigging musicians than the rest of the South East.

“When you’re playing regularly at live venues, the chances of damaging your gear are greatly increased and, if you’re used to spending over a thousand pounds on a guitar, that can be a hard pill to swallow,” said Busby. “I think guitarists in Bucks are realising they can get very good copies of models like Les Paul, Stratocaster and other well-known products for a fraction of the price. In addition, you’ve only got to look at the endorsees for products from Vintage, Italia, St. Blues and Hamer to see how many famous musicians are gigging with these brands - Geoff Whitehorn, Chris Rea, Billy Gibbons and Chester Bennington are just a few examples.”

For guitarists who would like to test-drive guitars inspired by famous ‘axes’, such as Eric Clapton’s Blackie, Peter Green’s out-of-phase ’59 Les Paul, Jaco Pastorius’s fretless jazz bass, Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock Stratocaster, one of the many other ‘Super-Brand’ tweaked reproductions on offer, or an original model guitar, BBZGuitars showroom is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am - 5.30pm, and is located at Unit 33 Cressex Enterprise Centre, Lincoln Road, High Wycombe, HP12 3RL.