Paul Smith — Builder, Player, Lifer

Some people grow up wanting to play guitar. Paul Smith grew up and did it.

At 20, he traded the local scene for a tour bus, spending his 20s and early 30s on the road as a lighting director and guitar tech for Seven Mary Three, The Verve Pipe, Tonic, and Train. With 7M3, he stepped out from behind the rig entirely — recording and touring as a guitarist/vocalist, capped off by a six-week run opening for Aerosmith on their Little South of Sanity tour. Back home in Orlando, he held down the stage at Hard Rock Live and played with local acts including Dynaride, VonRay, and Megaphone — the last of which landed a direct opening slot for AC/DC on their Rock & Roll Train tour stop.

For Paul, a guitar has always been two things at once: a tool for making art, and a work of art in itself. That belief is what eventually pulled him off the road and into the workshop.

It started with a Mexican P-Bass collecting dust in a closet — a personal challenge to transform it into something worthy of a high-end American build. By the time he was done, the only original parts left were the body and the pickguard screws. One build became many, and before long, half his garage had become a fully equipped guitar workshop, complete with CNC machine, paint booth, and enough tools to make any luthier jealous.

F&B Guitars builds instruments that inspire — on stage, in the studio, or just in your living room at midnight. If you've got an idea, Paul would love to hear it.