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She’s got it ... and BBZ Allstars is spreading it... around the jamsSome say they’ll never emerge from West Star Rehearsal Studios and they’re really a tribute band for the Spice Girls. All we know is, is they’re called BBZ Allstars and here’s their latest sound byte: Venus was her name, recorded on its first outing at the Nag’s Head in High Wycombe in October. Talking of the Nag’s Head we were all sorry to hear that it closed down this month and we wish Tom Alderton all the best in whatever he does next. Onto more cheery news, Mac’s stonking electric jam is still on at the Belle Vue, on the first Sunday of every month followed, every second Sunday by Clive’s acoustic jam. Don’t forget Chris and Mark’s jams too at O’Neil’s, High Wycombe, every Thursday and the Black Boy in Chinnor on the third Saturday of each month. If you want to play at any of these jams - just pitch up with your guitar, bass, tambourine, sax, harp or even just your voice and we’re sure you’ll have a great time and play with some of the nicest people you could hope to meet. Yuletide gifts for guitaristsAround this time of year, we’re often asked by customers who don’t play the guitar if we can recommend a few gifts for loved ones that do. This year to save customers the trouble of navigating their way through a meaningless list of gifts, we’ve created a meaningless video instead. That’s a joke by the way. Here’s our man, ‘Stevie Busby San’ suggesting a few super-duper guitar products for your loved ones. Tech talkIn this edition of Tech talk, we thought we’d answer one of the most common questions we get from customers who have bought guitars cheaply online:
In general, fret buzz beyond the 12th fret tends to be caused by one of two things; the first is that the bridge is set too low and the second is that you’ve got frets which have lifted off the fret board. The best way to identify if the bridge is too low is to measure the action on the twelfth fret; on an electric that should be 1.5mm on the bass side of the twelfth fret and 1mm on the treble side. For acoustic, the twelfth fret on the bass side should be between 2mm and 2.75mm and on the treble side, it should be between 1.75mm and 2mm (measurements should be taken from the bottom of the string to the top of the fret). If notes are choking out when you’re playing the guitar, it’s probably a sign that one or more of your frets have lifted. When a note chokes out that usually signifies that above where you’re playing there’s a fret which is higher than the fret you’re playing. If you’ve checked that your truss rod and bridge are set correctly and it’s still choking, the chances are you’ve got high frets. The remedy for high frets is fret dressing which involves filing the frets so that they are level and then re-crowning them; these are both professional jobs – the cost tends to be around £60-£70 as the guitar will need to be re-setup after the fret work is completed. Sunday opening from 20th NovemberAfter a ‘very busy’ year, we’re just starting to get our heads around Christmas and to kick-off the Yuletide season, we’ll be throwing open our doors once again on Sundays starting from the 20th November 2011 until the end of January 2012, 11am to 4pm. The rest of the week will be business as usual. For those who don’t know, that means Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5.30pm. Over the holiday season, weather permitting, the opening times at BBZGuitars will look like this: Christmas Eve 10am - 4pm Spotlight on Fret-King guitars
Fret-King guitars are receiving rave reviews from the press and players alike; it seems that Trev Wilkinson’s exciting and (some might say) quirky approach to guitar building, is given free-reign here. This means that the colour scheme, the electrics, the configuration and sometimes even the shape of the guitar will offer surprises and provide you with a significantly improved version of some familiar electric guitar and bass styling. For a look at some of the Green Label Super 60s, Esprit, Perception and Country Squire guitars and basses we have in stock, take a look at this video of Trev then drop into BBZ in High Wycombe and check ‘em out, ‘up close and personal’. If you’re interested in an investment quality guitar that’s made in England, we’ve got some really exciting discounts available, for anyone who buys from the range we’ve got in stock before 5 December 2011. Oh and don’t forget that Fret-King guitars are available in other series too! Get more for your money with Second Hand gear from BBZ this Christmas
Not after a guitar but could be tempted by an amp? We’ve currently got two second hand Marshalls, three Fenders (including a 1972 hand-wired twin reverb) and a Carlsbro on the shop floor. Pop down to the High Wycombe guitar shop if you’d like to experience the sound quality of any of these amps or guitars; if you can’t play yourself, we’ll always be happy to demonstrate any instrument for you. Did you know...…that tightening the machine-head collar nuts and gently tightening the machine-head buttons every time you change strings will help your guitar maintain its tuning stability. But be careful not to over-tighten them! And one last thing...I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone,
but they've always worked for me.
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Why does my guitar buzz beyond the 12th fret? 
We have been really fortunate to acquire a few super rare Fret-King
Green Label guitars and basses down at BBZ’s shop in Bucks. These
world class instruments are made in England by Trev Wilkinson’s company
at its Southport plant in the Northwest. The ‘Atelier’ (shown here)
is particularly special because it’s a one-off made by Trev Wilkinson
himself. 
If you’re looking to buy that ‘first’ electric
guitar for someone special this Christmas or even if you’re just
looking for another great value guitar, don’t rule out second hand
gear. Putting up with few little dinks or scratches that won’t affect
the sound quality could mean you get a top notch guitar for a rock
bottom price. Right now, we’ve got some real second hand beauties
in-stock, all professionally set-up and buffed-up by resident guitar
tech Steve, including electrics from Yamaha, Antoria, Westone, Washburn,
DeArmond, Tanglewood, First Act and Squier.