high increase prices on use Ken Smith basses

[otto B]

The same reason vintage Ferraris go up in price. Are they "better" cars than new Ferraris? Objectively, no. But they are older, and that comes with it's own allure in the marketplace.

If someone wants to buy a retro "golden age" instrument from a builder, whenever that golden age may be, which is of course dependent on the opinion of the prospective buyer, then there aren't any more of them being made. The pool of instruments which may come on to the market is only getting smaller and smaller.

If Ken retired fully and had not passed his name and designs on to Kev Brubaker to keep building them, I think the prices would be even higher now. We still don't know what Ken will do after he retires, if he ever does retire that is. He has a son, so maybe he will take over the KS name and keep the basses coming through one means or another.

I agree with you. I though KS has a son, would he take over?

 

[steve4765630]

Supply and demand, inflation, higher cost of wood and materials (although he has decades of wood stored at his shop) and the extremely hot used market for all types of instruments. The internet has revolutionized the sale of everything, especially luxury products, of which high end basses are small, but popular section. When more people are aware of items for sale it, by default, drives up the competition. Overall, high quality items will always hold their value on the used market and KS basses are extremely high quality.

 

[Ric Vice]

I’ve only heard one player live using a Ken Smith bass and that was J.V. Collier with Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers. He’a a monster on his Ken Smith 6 string.

 

[L. L. Elwood]

I've owned a LOT of basses over the years. I had the good fortune to pick up a 2010 neck through smith 4 string "Black Tiger" in 2021. It is quite simply the finest bass guitar Iv'e ever owned. Not only is it flawlessly constructed and just incredibly beautiful, It JUST KILLS in every live setting I've played it in. Incredibly responsive, when you dig in, it snarls and gets real interesting tonally. The Neck Pickup Soloed gets into that P category but more defined and punchy. Sounds amazing for blues, jazz, funk, rock etc...Plus it is just effortless to play all the way up the neck. The string balance and note quality is more consistent than any other bass i've owned. Who knows, mayby I got lucky, but I suspect most Smiths would perform similarly. All that said, maybe if we go into a serious recession, they prices will come down, but the smith I have is worth every penny paid. It could be that they were a bit underpriced in the 2000s and 2010s considering what you get when you buy a smith.

 

[ClusterFlux]

I've owned a LOT of basses over the years....

You, uh, do know that this thread is over a year old, right?

 

[steveksux]

You, uh, do know that this thread is over a year old, right?

Over 2 years, actually...

Randy

 

[dbamta]

Ken Smith has moved his production back to Perkasie, PA. I don't believe the price will decrease anytime soon. The wood that was used on older Ken Smiths were well aged and the tone you are able to experience is second to none. I sold a 1997 Ken Smith 5 string a couple of years ago, now I have a 2002 6 string and holding on for dear life. I asked Ken about building some more 6 strings and he said that didn't have being built, that was in the spring

 

[dbamta]

Ken Smith has moved his production back to Perkasie, PA. I don't believe the price will decrease anytime soon. The wood that was used on older Ken Smiths were well aged and the tone you are able to experience is second to none. I sold a 1997 Ken Smith 5 string a couple of years ago, now I have a 2002 6 string and holding on for dear life. I asked Ken about building some more 6 strings and he said that didn't have being built, that was in the spring

I dropped by Brubaker's shop when Ken Smiths were being built there and there was only guy building them

 

[dbamta]

The moral here is think twice or three times before you get GAS, and sell or trade perfectly good gear in for the next new thing. The price for getting back what you miss might be a whole lot more than you want to pay.

You are dead on point, I learned that the hard way

 

[Jeff Sarsippius]

I had 2 Smiths and horribly regret it now

New 4s go for 9k….

 

[J Wilson]

Once something goes out of production (or in this case the many models KS USED to make, but now no longer or the new versions are much more expensive), the old ones hit the market, the prices seem really high, but the age old admonishment from most auctions is trotted out: "GO FIND ANOTHER ONE".

Cash or Credit?