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F-Bass or Ken Smith? Help

#21
I've played both and prefer the FBass. More tonal variety in the FBass to my ear. Both were very comfortable to play. The FBass was a 34.5" and the Smith a 35". I thought the FBass had a better fit and finish. George is a really cool guy to deal with. Not sure everyone would say the same about Ken.
PS - I'm looking forward to taking delivery of a Pete Skjold fretless any day now!
:hyper:
 
#22
Please don't read any tone here. I'm not trying to be rude. Have you been playing them both, or do you just have the money and your choices narrowed down. You should form your own opinion by playing them both as much as possible. Then pick your favorite based on sound and playability.

I own a Smith and love it, however, I have played many that I disliked. I've also played a few F-basses and found them to be in the same boat, a well crafted bass but an occasional bad egg. It all boils down to your preference. Play them and decide on what your hands and ears tell you.

I've played both and prefer the FBass. More tonal variety in the FBass to my ear. Both were very comfortable to play. The FBass was a 34.5" and the Smith a 35".
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As far as I know Ken Smith does not make 35" scale basses.
 
#23
Candybassed said:
I'm intrigued as to what fretless sound you hear in your head? A Gary Willis type? Jaco? Mark Eganesque? Or Marcus Miller on his Fodera fretless?
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Have heard AC play, and obviously he is coolness. But, that's not the tone I want. I hear a continuum from Jaco at one end and Pino at the other when I think fretless. From the BNF5 I have played in a local shop, it may not cover that whole spectrum precisely, but it was more than good enough to catch some of the vibe at points in between.
 
#24
FBass9902sm.jpg


I've owned this old neck-through swamp ash BNF-5 with passive single coils for eighteen years, and love it to death, but it's far more growly and aggressive than the currant crop of BNFs, which I find too polite and refined sounding for my tastes.

I've played at least half a dozen modern BNFs and they just don't pack the raw growl that I need so, much as I appreciate F-basses in general--I've owned three--I'd probably go with the Smith for its more aggressive midrange punch. Modern BNFs sing as sweetly as a choir boy, if that's your thing, while the Smiths have a bit of stank and some hair on their balls :D. Both are beautifully made and have excellent ergos and great necks, so it all comes down to your tonal preference.

Good luck. You'll end up with a fine instrument either way.
 
#26
One thing I really don't like on F Basses, IMO, is the finish. It's shiny and it looks nice from a distance, but it's kind of sticky and very soft and it will leave a mark if you just slightly press your fingernails against it. I asked George F. what kind of finish it was because it definitely wasn't poly and he said that it was some sort of a resin finish. I personally would prefer any other finish out there besides this one.

I wasn't crazy about the ergonomics of F Basses either because it had a lot of body dive (headstock naturally goes up; for an example, see Alain Caron playing his), and the scale length felt longer than a 34.5" to me. Having said all of this, if you're going for a fretless, get the F Bass over the Smith, but there are other good choices out there such as Rob Allen or even Clement. By the way, mine was a cherry burst spalted AND flame mapled fretted BN5 with birdseye maple board, probably the prettiest bass I've ever played.
 
#27
john nam said:
One thing I really don't like on F Basses, IMO, is the finish. It's shiny and it looks nice from a distance, but it's kind of sticky and very soft and it will leave a mark if you just slightly press your fingernails against it.

I wasn't crazy about the ergonomics of F Basses either because it had a lot of body dive (headstock naturally goes up; for an example, see Alain Caron playing his)
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My BN5 finish matches what you describe. Buffing it dry doesn't really work, but using polish helps. My VF5 is a harder, smoother finish and keeping it clean and shiny is not a problem.

Your comment on body dive doesn't match my experience at all. I've played 5-strings where the neck is too heavy and dives, and neither the BN5 or VF5 has this problem or the opposite problem. The BN5 neck wants to come up a bit higher than the VF5 neck, but to me it just wants to be in normal playing position. With both basses, I find that when you look straight at the neck, the frets somewhere around 10-12 are pointing straight at my eyes. Just about perfect.
 

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