Bench Tests: Alternative Jangle

Fury BBM 6- and 12-Strings

Guitar Player Magazine December 1998

Reviewed by Joe Gore

Miller Freeman Inc.

These Canadian-made solid bodies are packed with offbeat design details. The BBM 6-string is loud and bright, with an ultra-defined low register. The BBM 12 string nails the classic jangle while producing a taut, balanced tone.

Blessed are the mavericks, for they keep life interesting. Two models from Canadian builder Glenn McDougall (who has been in the electric guitar business since 1962) prove that it's possible to put new twists on the bolt-on-neck solidbody formula.

The Six

BBM's 6-String ($1449 including hardshell case; $1549 as tested with transparent finish) is packed with unique details: custom-made nuts and bridges, pickups with tubular magnets, and knobs that could have been appropriated from an 8-track tape deck. Whether due to the rugged maple body, the unusual two piece bridge/tailpiece assembly, or the macaroni-shaped magnets of the "Zero Pole" pickups (McDougall says they offer less magnetic resistance for increased output and sustain), the BBM 6 string is uncommonly loud, bright and articulate. Its most distinctive tonal feature is the chiselled definition of its low register. Close intervals played on the fifth and sixth strings have a remarkable piano-like clarity, and you can discern the pitch of every string, even in dense, six-note chords. These crisp tones suggest a Tele, an early G&L, or the Gibraltar-like solidity of a graphite-necked instrument.

The BBM 6 string's bright, stable sustain is evident even when unplugged. Some players may appreciate the guitar's clarity, while others may find the response overly clinical (One staffer commented that the guitar has "plenty of highs and lows, but it never gets juicy."). A toggle switch cuts the bridge humbucker's outside coil, affording seven possible pickup configurations. The full-bore humbucker setting is big and aggressive - those who like a "gun it" option that's markedly louder than the other pickup combinations will dig it. The tone pot has a dramatic, wah-type sweep, and there's no loss of highs when you turn down. The neck's roundness and the fretboard's relatively sharp edges also evoke a good Tele. The big, wide frets feel nice, though not all the tangs were perfectly seated in their slots - we spotted many pinhole-sizes gaps on the treble side. (Fury says that the fret slots are intentionally cut .015" deeper than the fret tang in order to improve neck stability during extreme climatic changes.) Also apparent are slight imperfections in the wood and some finish unevenness, but the neck and pickguard are superbly fitted. The cutaway is smooth and speedy, with the body slightly recessed from the edge of the neck. Tuning stability is excellent, though you can sometimes hear the clink of a treble string sticking in the acrylic nut, especially when bending at the lower frets.

The BBM-6 string really shines in situations where brightness and definition are crucial. Those likely to be enchanted by it include fingerstyle electric players eager to project maximum detail, rhythm guitarists seeking extra slice in a multi-guitar ensemble and pop players who want their hooks to sparkle and shine.

The Twelve

Everyone loves the jangle and shimmer of a 12 string, and the BBM 12 string ($1499 including hardshell case) excels at the classic pop-rock tones defined by Rickenbacker, Vox and Fender. In this context, it's easy to adore the Fury's definition and brilliance.

The 12-String's ZP pickups are less loud and aggressive than those of its 6-string sibling. And, for whatever reason, the guitar also bypasses some of its brother's more offbeat design aspects. The bridge is a large one-piece unit - this time with individually height-adjustable saddles - and the nut is glued, rather than screwed in. The resulting tones are beautifully balanced. They shimmer with high-end detail, yet never become unpleasantly edgy (even when tested through a Fender Twin with JBL speakers). The guitar's treble clarity captures a remarkable amount of the subtle phasing activity between the unison -and octave-tuned strings - at times you'd swear you were playing through a phase-shifter. We're talking maximum psychedelia here, especially when combined with a wah-inflected tone pot.

Meanwhile, the low end is more focused and manageable than on most vintage 12 strings. The BBM's tone is balanced, stable and taut - it almost sounds as if the guitar is patched into a compressor. (Roger McGuinn has noted that the genre-defining jangle of the Byrds' Rickenbacker 12 string hooks relied on large doses of compression. Also, on Rickenbaker 12 strings, the lower-pitched of the octave pairs sit closest to the bass side of the neck. The Fury - like most 12 string electrics - places the higher pitched string toward the bass side.)

Workmanship is comparable to that of the 6-string BBM. The wiring is terrific, and the staff dug the British racing green finish. The neck is sleek and manageable despite its width and those accustomed to Fender-style fretboard curvatures may feel more at home here than on relatively flat-surfaced Rickenbacker. However, the pickup selector is awkwardly placed between the volume and tone pots - it's almost half an inch taller than the adjacent knobs and prone to inadvertent switching.

The BBM 12 string is one of those guitars that makes you sound like a better player. Those enamoured of classic electric 12 string colors will find the Fury most satisfying.

THE RATINGS GAME

out of 5 picks	Tone	Workmanship	Innovation	Value
BBM 6-string
BBM 12 string

Reprinted with permission from Guitar Player Magazine, December 1998 Miller Freeman Inc.