FS: FBB Custom #1100-05 - Moderna - Beautiful elm burl, pale mun ebony & more woods

zadillo · #1 02-16-2013, 06:48 AM

So - I had put this bass up for sale 4 years ago, but enough people convinced me at the time that this was a really special bass and I'd regret selling it, so it never did end up getting sold. I have decided to put it back on the market though, because I am just not playing bass any more (mostly playing french horn and trumpet in my current band, and just not finding any time for bass).

Part of me still doesn't want to sell it if for no other reason that, even without playing it, it's still a work of art. However, I think it's just too nice and beautiful a bass and it actually makes me feel guilty owning it but not doing anything with it. I am hoping this time around that I can find a buyer for it who will really love and appreciate and play it.

So, onto the bass. As a broader note, I searched and haven't seen a lot of these FBB basses up for sale, so if you have been looking for one, this is probably a good opportunity to get one.

This is FBB Custom Bass #1100-05 in the Moderna style made by Matt Schmill of FBB Custom Bassworks . Here are the specs:

Quote:

model
4 string fretted Moderna
body
elm burl over butternut
neck
7 piece wenge/canarywood/wenge/maple neck-thru
fingerboard
34" scale pale mun ebony
headstock
elm burl
pickups
Nordstrand J in brazilian ebony shells
preamp
Aguilar OBP-3
hardware
Hipshot A aluminum bridge, Hipshot Ultralite tuners
weight
8 pounds

If you go to http://www.fbbcustom.com and click on Gallery, it's #1100-05 - the first bass you'll see actually.

In terms of condition, I'd say it's still in generally very good condition - I've noticed a few things that look like indentations in the body wood which have always been there, but they're pretty hard to see. Some nicks/scratches/indentations on the back as well. There are some very minor nicks on the back of the top of the headstock as well from hitting my music stand, but again, very hard to see. Possibly the frets could stand to be redressed (pointbass pointed out for me that they could probably use some attention since this hasn't been done since the bass was made). But overall, this is a beautiful instrument.

I'm asking $1400 shipped in the CONUS, or best offer

Bass is sold!

Willing to offer 30-day return policy if you aren't happy with it for any reason (sound, appearance, whatever) - would only ask that you cover shipping costs back to me.

EDIT: Update to add, since there are so many questions about the sound of this bass, I tried to do a quick recording - this is just straight into my Propellerhead Balance audio interface hooked up to Reason on my PC - this isn't great (I'm not really a good bass player, to say the least), but I just played a simple riff a few times with the knobs in different positions, and then played a chromatic scale - hopefully this will give you some sense of the sound of this bass:

http://afterverse.com/FBB-Bass-Demo.wav

Here's what the bass looks like (note, these are older pictures - mine are from 2009 and the FBB official pics are I assume from 2005) - bass is still in the same condition though (update: I should mention that I had Michael Manring autograph the back of it after a masterclass a couple of years ago, just added a picture of this):

My pics:

And here's a pic showing where I had Michael Manring autograph the back:

And here's the Aguilar OBP-3 with the backplate off if you want to see what the electronics look like:

FBB Custom's Official Pics:

Finally, some highlights from various questions and comments the came up last time I put this bass up for sale:

I was asked about the tone, and my response was:

Quote:

In terms of tone, I've heard people use the word "fat" to describe the tone of other FBB basses, and I think that seems accurate for this one as well - it's a pretty fat, buttery, smooth thick tone - although, as noted, it isn't overly aggressive or super loud, which I think is what at least one of the previous owners had an issue with. Generally I play it with the volume and EQ knobs mostly all the way on.

People asked about the width at the nut, neck shape, string length, etc.:

Quote:

The width at the nut is 1.5" - or at least, that's the width of the nut itself..... not sure if the proper way to measure that is actually from string to string - if it's string to string it looks more like about 1.2".... I have to confess that I'm not totally clear on what designation to use for the neck shape, but I can say it is fairly rounded - I believe that is the C type?

If it helps, I recorded some video turning the neck around, so hopefully that should give a better idea of the neck shape:

http://www.mandroid.com/MVI_0106.AVI

(btw, if anyone was curious, this movie shows the dotmarkers that Matt put on the side, since there are no dotmarkers on the fretboard itself)

Having trouble measuring the string spacing - from my ruler the space between each string seems to be in the area of 12-13mm at the nut, but closer to 18 or 19mm (maybe even 20mm, since it seems to be about .8") I think at the bridge. For what it's worth, it's a Hipshot A-style bridge and the string spacing apparently is adjustable. I've gone ahead and taken a picture with a ruler at the nut and bridge, figure someone more knowledgeable than me can properly interpret it:

http://www.mandroid.com/IMG_0108.JPG
http://www.mandroid.com/IMG_0109.JPG

pointbass later followed up to confirm this (and also the availability of these basses in general):

Quote:

A beautiful piece here, excellent woods and yes, a very fat tone would be the best description. The neck is a C shape for sure, but as with most of the more recent (past 5 years) FBB's the C is a bit flattened down. If the frets have never been redressed since the bass was purchased it's likely time for some minor attention ....

Point of reference for those looking for an FBB .... Matt has been well overbooked for nearly two years now and has put the brakes on accepting any custom orders for this year. He only has a small amount of finished basses in inventory so this is a great opportunity to get a magnificent bass with gorgeous woods .... might not get this chance again for a while ...

And finally, some testimony from EBMatt, for whom the bass was originally built:

Quote:

This bass was built for me by Matt at FBB. It is an amazing bass. One of the best I've ever owned, and I've owned and played alot. The only reason I sold it was because I was starting to only play 5 strings. Awesome bass! Awesomer price!!

EduardoK · #2 02-17-2013, 01:33 AM

Beautiful ! I'm drooling.
Did you say it ain't too loud so you have to turn the 3 Aguilar controls all the way up???.....

the Nord-Aggie is a thunderous combo.

MarkA · #3 02-17-2013, 01:43 AM

Love the woods and colors.

zadillo · #4 02-17-2013, 04:46 AM

Personally I think the volume is fine, but I mentioned that a previous owner found it on the quiet side.... I'm not exactly an expert, to say the least, but I mainly do have the knobs all the way up and just adjust volume on my bass amp.

EDIT: I should add, I'm glad to offer a full return policy if the buyer isn't satisfied with the sound (I'd just ask buyer to pay return shipping) . I don't mean to make it sound more negative, and most people who have played this bass seem to love the fat tone. But since a previous owner did say they found it on the quiet side, I feel obliged to at least mention it.

Johnpjm · #5 02-18-2013, 11:38 AM

Bump!

MarkA · #6 02-18-2013, 12:07 PM

I haven't heard or played this bass so I can't attest to the sound, but I have observed that the hottest pickups/preamps aren't always the best sounding.

Some related questions on that front:

- Does the Aguilar have an internal trim pot to adjust the signal level? (I don't know, but many pres do.)

- How does the bass sound and feel unplugged? I've found some neck through instruments to be pretty quiet and some to be lively and resonant.

I've seen the odd FBB bass pop up here from time to time. Always found them at least interesting, with some being stunning. The "right" one for me hasn't popped up, but I have contacted Matt at FBB with questions about a couple and he's always been helpful and courteous in the extreme.

zadillo · #7 02-18-2013, 12:21 PM

Quote:

- Does the Aguilar have an internal trim pot to adjust the signal level? (I don't know, but many pres do.)

- How does the bass sound and feel unplugged? I've found some neck through instruments to be pretty quiet and some to be lively and resonant.

I unfortunately don't really have the technical expertise to answer the first question. Here's a page though with the technical details on the Aguilar OBP-3 that's in this:

http://www.aguilaramp.com/products_preamps_obp3.htm

As for how it sounds and feels unplugged - I'd say it sort of reminds me of the sound of an acoustic bass (best way I can describe it) - it actually manages to get out a pretty nice sound for unplugged. I guess natural and woody and earthy? I'm really pretty bad at describing it, but I would say I find it to be more on the lively/resonant side of things.

xush · #8 02-19-2013, 12:59 PM

This one's been on my wish list for a LONG time. Now I only wish I had the $.
Somebody snatch this thing!

MarkA · #9 02-19-2013, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zadillo

I unfortunately don't really have the technical expertise to answer the first question. Here's a page though with the technical details on the Aguilar OBP-3 that's in this:

http://www.aguilaramp.com/products_preamps_obp3.htm

I didn't see anything referring to an internal gain adjustment/trim pot, but if you pop off the control cavity cover, look for a little plastic "screw head" somewhere that you can turn clockwise or counterclockwise. That is how I've typically seen them, anyway. Turning one way reduces the gain, usually to unity (same, gain-wise, as passive), turning the other can bring quite a bit of gain.

I'm no expert, either, and I don't know that every pre has this adjustment, but, if the Aggie does, it would be a simple way to bring the gain in line with your other basses. But, again, some low-output basses sound great with the gain appropriately set at the amp.

zadillo · #10 02-19-2013, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkA

I didn't see anything referring to an internal gain adjustment/trim pot, but if you pop off the control cavity cover, look for a little plastic "screw head" somewhere that you can turn clockwise or counterclockwise. That is how I've typically seen them, anyway. Turning one way reduces the gain, usually to unity (same, gain-wise, as passive), turning the other can bring quite a bit of gain.

I'm no expert, either, and I don't know that every pre has this adjustment, but, if the Aggie does, it would be a simple way to bring the gain in line with your other basses. But, again, some low-output basses sound great with the gain appropriately set at the amp.

So, here it is..... as near as I can tell, nothing quite like that in here:

zadillo · #11 02-19-2013, 09:56 PM

Update to add, since there are so many questions about the sound of this bass, I tried to do a quick recording - this is just straight into my Propellerhead Balance audio interface hooked up to Reason on my PC - this isn't great (I'm not really a good bass player, to say the least), but I just played a simple riff a few times with the knobs in different positions, and then played a chromatic scale - hopefully this will give you some sense of the sound of this bass:

http://afterverse.com/FBB-Bass-Demo.wav