Customer reviews

After having tried for so long to acquire a copy of the Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite, I only went and trod on the lead after a few months of playing it, wrenching the input round and splintering the scratch plate. It then needed a lot of TLC as I left it in its case for about 18 months pending it being fixed... So much of the guitar's metal had begun to corrode. ...more

Steve did an amazing job of cleaning it up and getting it gleaming like new again, and set it up beautifully. It's a dream to play now. He even managed to source genuine Ampeg parts to replace the damaged scratch plate and corroded knobs, and reset the input - I was beginning to worry I might not be able to find original parts as Ampeg seem to have an aversion to Europe & generally deal from the US.

Can't thank you guys enough, and am still marvelling at the price you quoted me - can't say fairer! I'll most definitely be using you again in the future for any issues with my guitars.

I dropped my SG on it's head and the neck cracked quite nastily. Steve did a bang up job repairing it and did a full setup job. It now sounds better than before I dropped it. Thanks very much!

Speaking and dealing directly with someone like Steve Busby who actually knows guitars Inside and out is very reassuring and easy. My guitar needed a simple service which was done there and then at the shop. ...more It cost very little to do, I saved on the cost of fuel not having to come back and was not without the guitar for however long. Great service!! Thanks Steve!.

Outstanding job. Not only does my Les Paul now sound awesome, but with a polish and re-string no looks the part too! Many Thanks!

If I could go past 5 stars, I would!! Steve continues to go beyond the call of duty for the customer and he has great knowledge of vintage and new guitars. ...more Buying is HIGHLY recommended from Steve and he is really helpful with all your needs whether it be purchasing something from him, having him set up your guitar or servicing your amp, Steve's your man.

Steve has set up three guitars for me, all with major challenges. All now play and sound brilliant, I only wish my talent did them justice. Thanks Steve.

Thanks Steve for giving my old vox a great service, I now switch it on without making a hasty exit in case it decided to explode!

Steve did an awesome job of setting up my Strat, plays like a dream now!

I have used BBZ Guitars for several acoustic guitar setups, and they have all been great, coming back sounding like different instruments once Steve has worked his magic on them. ...more I was most impressed by the way he dealt with a particularly troublesome Gibson J200 that several other guitar shop had tried, and failed to setup properly. I shall continue to use BBZ Guitars for all my guitar-related needs.

I recently bought a bass guitar and acoustic guitar from BBZ guitars. Both are made by Tanglewood but the set up on them was the thing that strikes attention. Fantastic guitars, brilliant set up and a ...more really great overall sound from them. Money well spent here.

Steve put a lot of work into returning my Italia Maranello Classic guitar to pristine condition following the year and a half of abuse and (worse), amateur fiddling I had subjected it to. A great job ...moreand done with a smile. He also took time to show me what had gone wrong and how to diagnose a neck that was out of kilter. The five minutes at the end of the day talking about Peter Green and listening to Steve's version of "Greeny" was also much appreciated!

I'd been coming to BBZ for a while to pick up bits and pieces and was very impressed by Steve's range of stock, patience in listening and giving good advice. I wanted a pickup changed in a Steinberger ...more Spirit that I'd been modifying myself. I'd coped with replacing the bridge and the neck but I needed an expert to wield the soldering iron. Steve did an excellent, clean job -- also recommending and fitting a push/pull volume pot for coil tapping, and all for a very keen price.

I'm very happy with the result and will definitely be going back for help with my next project.

Steve - thanks for sorting me out at such short notice as I ran to a gig. Honestly, the Strat sounds better than it has done for years - I'm blown away and still can't get over how much you improved t ...morehe action. You've won me over - see you again!

Hi Steve,
My amp has never sounded so good, not a trace of the niggles now, wish I had your healing hands!.

Many thanks.

Hi Steve! Thanks for the fantastic setup on my Burny. Plays like a dream!

Steve set up my Godin Detour. It's a well abused and scarred gig machine and it told me it needed a fret dress, clean up and set-up. It dragged me along to BBZ guitars and waved goodbye to me as it se ...morettled into much nicer surroundings to what it's used to. A week later it greeted me at the door with shining smile and a jaunty disposition. It played as new... all the dinks in the frets were gone and it squealed, screamed and growled with delight as I admired it's polished finish and perfect intonation and action. We are now closer than ever. Steve has blessed our relationship for many years to come! Thanks.

Steve made such a good job of the first guitar I took to him I got him to set up and revive another two! An old guitar I assumed was beyond saving was bought back to life and is now my best playing gu ...moreitar. He really knows what he's doing.

Steve did a fantastic job on setting up my US Strat - he completely transformed it making so much better to play.
Not only was the service enthusiastic and well executed it was great value too!!
My ...moresmall practice amp was rejuvinated from a postion of being unusable - top service.

I would thoroughly recommend Steve and BBZ guitars.

Thanks and cheers

kev.

Hi Steve! Thanks for the set up on my old seventies strat, it is a nicer strat to play now!

Both guitars repaired and setup in 2 days, much faster than any other shop i have been to. Friendly atmosphere and professional service. At a good price too.

Previously bought an epiphone les paul from Steve and am very happy with it- set-up brilliantly! Bought a rather sad looking strat in about a year later, and this has been shined up to play/look as go ...moreod as new (minus a few scratches from the previous owner). Really very happy 10/10 all round =D

Bought in a 7 string Ibanez with monster fret buzz and a schecter 6 string with minds of replacing the hardware. Steve was able to order in all the replacement parts promptly and at a reasonable cost ...moreand set the 6 string up in drop C. They play better than they have ever played before! Also purchased a DBZ guitar which Steve had already expertly set-up. Nothing bad to say about the store or his service- am happy to buy/set-up all my stuff from here and will certainly continue to do so in the future! =)

I've had a number of guitars, both electric & acoustic in for fretwork/setups. Each time Steve's done a top job.

I have had numerous setups on most of my guitars done by Steve at BBZ guitars and i have been very impressed with the quality of them. I am always impressed with sheer quality of Steves setups and how ...more he gets my guitars to play exactly how i like them to. I would highly recommend Steve at BBZ's guitars for guitar setups to anyone!!

I took my bass guitar earlier this year to Steve for some TLC which he administered faultlessly, and he has just set up my electric guitar in similar outstanding fashion - and on both occasions with a ...moren impressive turn of speed. Both guitars were ready before I was! Thank you! BBZ Guitars is an oasis of great service and knowledge, and a pleasure to visit.

Just over a year ago I came across a newspaper ad' for BBZ. As I was in a full leg plaster-cast I asked my wife to drive me over to a small corner of the "Cressex Business Park" in Wycombe. ...moreFor me it was like walking in to a sweetshop as a child. None of the 'standard' guitar shop fodder here! no young 'rock god' to make you feel old and talentless. Just a nice chap and a room full of well priced beautiful guitars, not one of which is anything other than perfectly set up, to a point where they will almost play themselves. As a hobbled round on crunches, Steve watch with amusement while I dripped over the stock, some names of which I would not have first thought to find in a quality Axe Palace. If he was nervous about my potential to damage this precious collection with cast or crouch; he did not show it, but was happy to get down and show me guitars that I might like, and more importantly could afford. In my heart I purchased every one I tried, but in these hard times I felt no pressure to do anything other than enjoy my brief time with them. What more can I say other than over the last 18 months I have had most of my guitars set up by Steve; which has not only made a good guitar great but has also made (what I always thought) were poor guitars, amazing. (Ibanez Iceman IC400 - Epiphone SG400). While dropping off yet another of my beloved guitars, I was greeted with a welcoming and warm acknowledgement and handed a 2nd hand guitar that he thought I might like, which I did, and I bought, not a brand new hand made £2k + guitar, just a well balanced £130 stunner which included BBZ's legendary set up. perfect day! Thanx for everything Steve.

-Swapped out the Seymour Duncan's in my ESP for Bare Knuckle Nailbombs and coil tap them.

Top notch, fast, friendly service from Steve at BBZ as always. I don't like entrusting my favourite guitar ...more to just anybody but you can rest assured it will be very well taken care of and carefully set-up/modded to your playing requirements.

I have no hesitation in recommending BBZ Guitars to anyone looking for an honest, reliable music shop or in need of modifications or a repair. Cheers BBZ!

I found BBZ Guitars on the internet when I googled 'guitar setup in Buckinghamshire'.

Steve at BBZ Guitars did an amazing job on my USA strat and Tele.

Firstly he fitted my Strat with a new Sey ...moremour Duncan SH-4 Humbucker and added in a push pull coil tap to the tone control, and then set the guitar to play beauitfully.

Regards to my telecaster, Steve replaced the original bridge and saddles with a wilkinson compensated version and again set the instrument to play so much better.

I will now be a regular customer at BBZ guitars

James Manders
Guitarist

Brought in a Brian Moore guitar for a set up. The guitar was choking off past the 7th fret with a buzzy action to boot. Steve worked his magic and the guitar came back beautifully set up and played su ...moreperbly. Quick service and a very reasonable price. I'll definately be coming back. Thanks BBZ!!

Big shout to Steve for putting my axe together, with his expertise and dedication this Beast now roars like a mutha######!!
Great job!!

Mako

Steve did an excellent job setting up my American strat, fret redressing and neck bridge adjustments. It was like having a new guitar. On my amp repair it was the same, like having a new amp. it buz ...morezed real bad and sounded horrible. He replaced all the valves and rebiased the amp. Thanks Steve, I highly recommend BBZ guitars for all your guitar needs, Leroy Sears, 40 yrs of playing

Took my cherished 80's Blade RH4 to be fixed and setup after years of abuse and she came back better than ever,I will be returning with my other guitars for the same treatment..top man .Larry.

I bought a Faith electro acoustic from BBZ and am really happy with. BBZ provided excellent service - even opening up on a bank holiday to complete the sale! Many thanks!

I fell over BBZ Guitars when looking on Vox's website for someone who could fix my ailing Vox AD60VT (10+years old). Steve took the time fixing dry solder joints and replacing whatever else was wrong ...more with the amp and the amp is running better than ever with none of the weird cackle and hiss that it had had since new.

Since then Steve has fixed up a junk store guitar find that now plays like a dream, now with zero fret buzz when using a capo at high frets. Steve has also done wonders with my mid-80's Taylor guitar that needed a service and is back playing better than ever.

Finding a decent guitar repair man is hard, but Steve at BBZ guitars is who I would recommend.

Most impressed with Steve and BBZ guitars. He setup my new old stock PRS which now plays beautifully, and fitted a new tunomatic to my trusty old love rock. Both times the quality of work was very hig ...moreh, and certainly on a par, if not better, than several other luthiers (including the guys that make Matt Bellamy's guitars) that I have used.

Not only that, but there is a really interesting range of stock in the shop - stuff that you won't always see, from Gordon Smiths, to the surprisingly good Vintage stuff, as well as really good amps.

Easily the best shop in the area for sales and service.

I have recently bought two guitars from BBZ (a vintage Lemon Drop and a DBZ Mondial) and had a setup on a Epiphone Les Paul.

Steve's service each time has been second to none. He was very helpfu ...morel from the offset and seemed genuinely concerned that any purchase made was the right one for me. All guitars they sell have had a professional setup and I feel that BBZ's service really stands out from the crowd.

I would definitely use them again & have recommended them to several friends.

I had been popping in and out of BBZs for a while for the odd bits and pieces with the intention of buying a new guitar if something really caught my eye. It was a Washburn PRO E WV40V HM in BBZs that ...more eventually did. I discussed the details with Steve and as always he answered all my questions and helped me build up a better idea of whether the guitar would be for me. After some consideration and sorting out of money I decided the guitar would fit me perfectly and arranged to pop down and have a try out which as usual wasn't a problem with Steve. For whatever reason my playing was terrible on the day of trying the guitar and I discussed the possiblity of coming in again the next day with my own amp etc and Steve very kindly agreed to hold the guitar until then. The second try out went a lot better and I decided to go for it, the deal I recieved was awesome (bearing in mind Steve's standard 2 free set-ups within the first 12 months of having the guitar in addition) and I couldn't of been happier but only when I got the guitar home and playing did I really start to appreciate the amazing set-up the guitar had received from Steve.
The guitar is down tuned to drop C and has barely needed any tweaking of the tuning thanks to the Floyd rose bridge which is also received a brilliant set-up from Steve. The FR itself has remained perfectly level with the body of the guitar and has always maintained a perfect return to pitch.
In summary I would highly recommend BBZ guitars to anyone out there (particularly in the High Wycombe area), they have a range of guitars that will match up with any genre and I cannot recommend the set-ups Steve provides highly enough. Check em out guys. \m/

Since BBZ Guitars opened I have purchased 4 guitars. Each purchase has been made under the careful guidance and advice from Steve. He finds out what my needs are for each purchase and matches them to ...moreeach guitar perfectly. He is always available for advice on how to improve and upgrade them from purchasing and fitting specialised pickups, to specialised hardware and accessories.

I have never been disappointed with any purchase I have made from BBZ guitars, but I know that if I was Steve would bend over backwards to rectify any problems, for instance if I had any set up problems like buzzing strings or the neck went out when I got it home steve would be more then happy to sort it out and fix the problems I have.

The third guitar I bought from BBZ Guitars was a second hand stratocaster and it is one of the best guitars I have ever played and that is mainly to do with how amazingly well the guitar is setup by steve.

Going to BBZ Guitars is the best guitar buying experience you can have the service is great and the setups are amazing.

My two PRS Santanas required work, one required a replacement volume control the other PRS upgraded Pick Ups. The work was carried out in 24 hours and improved both guitars performace and the set up i ...moremproved on the factory setting from PRS. I use these in a group and everyone remarked on the upgraded PRS sound.
I also put an old VOX Cambridge amplifier in for service and again Steve has worked his magic and it sounds as good if not better than new.
As a guitarist of some year I would rate BBZ as the best all round musicians shop and having purchased guitars and pedals the best for service.

After several years of rock and roll abuse my Les Paul was getting a bit fret buzzy and some notes were choking out on bends, so I took it down for a setup.

The guitar was turned around in a few da ...moreys, it was much easier to play with no buzzing or choking. The pickup heights had been set so the output when switching between the pickups was much smoother. The intonation was set so double stops and chords high up the fret board sounded like they should. Electric wise, the volume and tone pots were cleaned so they stopped crackling and the jack socket was properly tightened and hasn't come loose since.

To top it all off the guitar was cleaned up really nice so come the finish the guitar had never looked, played or sounded so good!