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Early Smith......

#2
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#3
I'm shocked that someone put in a bid on that bass. The thing is destroyed.


I played a very early Smith BT-Custom at a NYC guitar show some years back. I was surprised how heavy it was. It was also much more crude an instrument than the Smith basses made only a few years later.
 
#5
I'm working from memory here--and it ain't infallible--but IIRC, in Bass Player's interview with Anthony Jackson he mentioned an early 6-string he had which was "destroyed in a household accident" (or words to that effect).

I wonder if this is it..?
 
#6
Ewo said:
I'm working from memory here--and it ain't infallible--but IIRC, in Bass Player's interview with Anthony Jackson he mentioned an early 6-string he had which was "destroyed in a household accident" (or words to that effect).

I wonder if this is it..?
Click to expand...

household accident? Looks like he got pissed at someone and threw it at them.
 
#8
smcd said:
I'm shocked that someone put in a bid on that bass. The thing is destroyed.


I played a very early Smith BT-Custom at a NYC guitar show some years back. I was surprised how heavy it was. It was also much more crude an instrument than the Smith basses made only a few years later.
Click to expand...

Jauqo has mentioned that he's played Bill Dickens' old Smith 6 (one of Smith's first 6-strings), and it was one of the heaviest basses he'd ever played. Those old Smith 6s look like neck dive city as well. Somewhat notable pieces in bass history though.
 
#10
I have a Smith 6-string FL and I can tell you, it's a battle-axe. Plays great, but you could slay a dragon with it if'n you needed to. If this were the result of a household accident, I wouldn't want to see the house!
 
#12
JAUQO III-X said:
Yes Bryan the bass was extremely heavy. I don't remember any neck dive and the overall craftsmanship really was top notch.
Click to expand...

I assume he had just the one Smith 6 (the one with the built-in envelope follower)? I got Bill's old bass VHS instruction tapes from the 80s about a month or two after beginning playing, and it completely sold me on 6-strings and solo bass playing.
 
#13
Bryan R. Tyler said:
I assume he had just the one Smith 6 (the one with the built-in envelope follower?
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Yes one Smith and yes the one with the built in envelope filter. He told me that he got it from Anthony Jackson.

Bryan R. Tyler said:
I got Bill's old bass VHS instruction tapes from the 80s about a month or two after beginning playing, and it completely sold me on 6-strings and solo bass playing.
Click to expand...

Me and Bill laugh at that video Bill had the big rock star glasses on, with hair :)
 
#14
smcd said:
I'm shocked that someone put in a bid on that bass. The thing is destroyed.
Click to expand...

I put the bid on it, and it is far from destroyed. "Destroyed" is Pete Townsend's guitar from the Monterey Pop Festival. "Destroyed" is that bass from the cover of the Clash's "London Calling". Those instruments are literally in pieces and cannot be played.

The Jackson bass plays, and it plays alright for what it is - an early attempt at a viable 6-string bass. It's missing a few knobs and a jack; an hour's worth of work could get that going.

Six stringed basses have come a long long way since this one...
 
#15
Ewo said:
I'm working from memory here--and it ain't infallible--but IIRC, in Bass Player's interview with Anthony Jackson he mentioned an early 6-string he had which was "destroyed in a household accident" (or words to that effect).

I wonder if this is it..?
Click to expand...

Not it. The instrument mentioned was the 2nd Carl Thompson that Jackson commissioned.

For the record, from Bass Player Dec 2008 - "I went back to Carl and had him build me another bass... it had no pickup... we extended the scale to 44"... it was destroyed in a home accident soon after." All this is written in a brief paragraph.
 
#16
Leo Smith said:
I put the bid on it, and it is far from destroyed. "Destroyed" is Pete Townsend's guitar from the Monterey Pop Festival. "Destroyed" is that bass from the cover of the Clash's "London Calling". Those instruments are literally in pieces and cannot be played.

The Jackson bass plays, and it plays alright for what it is - an early attempt at a viable 6-string bass. It's missing a few knobs and a jack; an hour's worth of work could get that going.

Six stringed basses have come a long long way since this one...
Click to expand...

This bass needs a lot more than a few knobs and an hours work -

smithfodera1copy.jpg


[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]


Far be it from me to question how another spends his money, but I would like to ask - what about this severely damaged bass made it worth $3,500 to you?? I would guess that if you sent it to the Ken Smith shop to be restored, it would cost at least $3grand.
 
#17
smcd said:
This bass needs a lot more than a few knobs and an hours work -
Click to expand...
That depends on what one is trying to accomplish. Do you want it to look pretty? Or do you want it to make sound?

smcd said:
Far be it from me to question how another spends his money, but I would like to ask - what about this severely damaged bass made it worth $3,500 to you?? I would guess that if you sent it to the Ken Smith shop to be restored, it would cost at least $3grand.
Click to expand...

Why do people spend $500,000 or even $60,000 on a car? It's just a car, right?

As I mentioned in another thread, I bought this instument because it has historical value TO ME, and also because I wanted to play it.

Ken Smith says that to restore the bass he would cut off the body wings and replace them with new material, then refinish the whole thing. See post #87 at this link - Invalid Link Removed

If he were to rebuild it like that, it would look nice again, but would it -really- be AJ's bass? The one he played and toured with? Not to me; all its historical value would be lost.

Yeah, I could have used that money to buy a Moog Voyager (or whatever), but I made my choice and am content with it.
 
#18
Leo Smith said:
That depends on what one is trying to accomplish. Do you want it to look pretty? Or do you want it to make sound?



Why do people spend $500,000 or even $60,000 on a car? It's just a car, right?

As I mentioned in another thread, I bought this instument because it has historical value TO ME, and also because I wanted to play it.

Ken Smith says that to restore the bass he would cut off the body wings and replace them with new material, then refinish the whole thing. See post #87 at this link - Invalid Link Removed

If he were to rebuild it like that, it would look nice again, but would it -really- be AJ's bass? The one he played and toured with? Not to me; all its historical value would be lost.

Yeah, I could have used that money to buy a Moog Voyager (or whatever), but I made my choice and am content with it.
Click to expand...

So you're not going to have the broken body wing replaced? (I'd say "repaired", but that is not possible) Without a new body wing, it's not playable. Are you going to mount it on the wall as a memento? (not that there's anything wrong with that)
 

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