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FBB Custom Bass Works 7 String #1112
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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None indicated
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10.0
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Description:
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7 string fretted bass
35" scale, 18mm string spacing
FBB pick-ups, Audere Z-Mode preamp
5A Quilted Maple Top
African Quarter Sawn Mahogony Back
5 piece Rock Maple/Bloodwood neck-through
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Author
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pointbass
Official Bass Player of the NY Giants
Registered: November 2004
Location: Monroe Twp, NJ
Posts: 5775
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Review Date: Wed September 27, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Immaculate hand crafted custom construction
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Cons:
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None
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Before I even start, I have to put in the disclaimer that I am a stone-cold, fanatical FBB supporter. FBB’s are my 1st bass of choice every time. But I have held off on writing this for a bit in order to give an impartial review (or at least as impartial as I can be) 
Build Quality 
This is an impeccable example of the extremely high quality of the basses Matt Schmill builds. Every single joint, seam, junction is flawless …. you can run your hand over this bass anywhere and not feel so much as a dimple or edge. The back is quarter sawn African mahogany, the neck is rock maple with bloodwood stringers, and the top is a deep maple quilt with matching headstock veneer.
The fretboard is Morado and is bound in birdseye maple. The fretwork is absolutely flawless, surely the nicest of any bass I have ever played. It’ll be interesting to see if there is any significant movement of the wood as the seasons change here in NJ.
The body is oversized by FBB standards, and she’s got some weight to her … about 11.5 pounds on my crummy bathroom scale. But considering the size, it’s a fairly light bass. A big part of the weight reduction comes from the deep sculpting on the back. It serves the dual purpose of reducing weight and giving me a place to park my less-than-trim waist line. It is extremely comfortable and I can easily handle a two hour set without any weight-related problems.
Hardware 
I really like the look of the black hardware against the maple, I feel like it was a great choice. The bass has Hipshot Ultralite tuners and a Hipshot A bridge. The knobs were supplied by THG. Functionally, the hardware words like a charm and I’m really pleased with the adjustability of the bridge. Matt had set it up pretty well, but I had to make a few minor tweaks here and there and the bridge responded beautifully.
Electronics 
To be truthful, I was a bit concerned about the electronics on the bass, but I highly value Matt’s opinion and went along with his recommendations. I had initially requested a straight passive bass with Master Vol/neck-Vol/bridge-Vol only, since I tend to play in the passive mode with everything flat. I had ordered Bartolini’s since I knew exactly what to expect from them after so many years of use. I figured this set-up would give me a very comfortable arrangement.
Matt initially suggested that I be the guinea pig for his new FBB pick-ups (actually Dingwalls carrying the FBB brand), with the caveat that he would switch to the Barts if I didn’t like them. Very shortly after that, he also suggested that I consider putting the Audere Z-mode pre into the bass. The Audere only provides the 3-mode (Hi-Z, Mid-Z, Low-Z) features with no on-board EQ, so a kick into the active mode gives me three configurations.
Thanks to a fairly busy playing schedule immediately after getting the bass, I have had a chance to try out these differing combinations. I do find that I prefer the passive-only setting the most, but I can see where the Audere pre will be useful for some of the more aggressive gigs I do.
The FBB pups are clean, giving me a very clear sound that I can control with my playing style. It is the first bass I have ever owned that is as clean and pure sounding as I had always hoped for, especially in the passive mode. The thing I really like is that the Audere doesn’t get in my way for day-in, day-out playing, but I still have that option in the event I need to get some hard punch. I’m really pleased with Matt’s choices, and I’m very glad I took his recommendations.
Playability 
This bass is, without any doubt, the single nicest playing axe I have ever had in my hands. It was instantly comfortable and familiar feeling as soon as I picked it up. No adjustment period, no change in technique, no changes in hand positioning …. just perfect right from the start.
It has a great low-end feel, with an excellent B string. The B response up in the 14th fret & higher range is sheer perfection, unlike many other 7’s I have played that required me to back down a bit to get a strong response.
Access to the upper frets is terrific, the nice lower horn cut-away makes the reach very easy. The extended single cut shape is very, very comfortable to me, especially when doing some tapping or neck fingering.
General Impressions 
During the time I have been playing FBB basses, I have come to expect that quality and craftsmanship will be top shelf, and I also always expect the sound and playability of the bass to be equal to anything else available in the bass community. But this 7 string exceeds anything I could have ever hoped for at the time I ordered it.
As I said above, I’m likely not the most impartial judge of these basses, but I have tried to be as impartial as possible. I don’t believe that FBB’s are for everyone, since tastes will naturally vary from one person to the next. But I do believe that any bassist considering a custom built instrument will be doing themselves a great disservice by not at least entertaining the FBB option. Try one out, you may be very pleasantly surprised.
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Ed Goode
Pointbass Home Page | FBB Bass Works | Barker Bass | YouTube Channel | Private Instruction via Skype
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