Ken Smith Burner Question *Triggered Content*

[drumrtommy]

My first bass is a Ken Smith burner I purchased from a friend about 2014. The bass is from 1993 if I remember correctly.

I went through a period of buying and selling basses obsessively about 2019/2020. I had enough foresight to “sell” the Ken smith to my father in law so that I wouldn’t lose that bass.

He passed away in 2021 and I’ve received the Ken smith back earlier this year. Which is great because it’s can “never be sold” by request of my mother in law.

I play my 50’s style P bass for everything. It’s the sound and feel I enjoy and fits my style, I enjoy using pedals and my P bass is an excellent platform for effects and by itself.

I’ve never really enjoyed the sound of the Smith, feel is good but the sound I don’t care for. In my opinion, it doesn’t take effects well, and I’m not into a high fi sound.

The heart of this post is this:

I’d like to change the pickups and remove the electronics so it is a passive bass, but for whatever reason I’m having paralysis by analysis. Since it’s a “Ken smith” I don’t want to essentially turn it into a fender jazz bass, but it is sentimental and I would like to enjoy playing it.

The bass either sits at my teaching studio or at home, so it is played regularly. I’m curious what others experience or feelings are, and if you’ve gone through a similar situation.

I may just be putting too much “juju” in the Ken smith name. Thoughts?

*The post is trigger warning because I know it may be offensive to some to modify this bass AND I know I will receive the “don’t ask the internet for advice” folks* but I am for the sake of curiosity and discussion

 

[Callused Finger]

I had one, bought new in ‘93.
It was stolen, never to be seen again. The neck was too flimsy for my style of play but it held its own live and recorded an album with it. Every time I see the price they go for these days I get sad.

Good luck with it
!

 

[drumrtommy]

I had one, bought new in ‘93.
It was stolen, never to be seen again. The neck was too flimsy for my style of play but it held its own live and recorded an album with it. Every time I see the price they go for these days I get sad.

Good luck with it
!

Bummer to hear that! Sorry it got stolen

 

[albertus]

do you know you can pull the volume and make it passive? I have one and that works when I want a more traditional tone

 

[drumrtommy]

do you know you can pull the volume and make it passive? I have one and that works when I want a more traditional tone

Yes I do, I just want it to sound different overall

 

[caasi91]

I had a 1993 standard in black I bought in 2010.
I traded it a year later and regretted it since.

3 months ago I finally found one in good shape and this time it’s a BSR-B deluxe.

The output isn’t too great. The sound itself gets close-ish to Smith soapbars but definitely missing that bottom end.

The only way I’d mod this bass is if I find a pair of USA Smith J pick ups. As you’ve noted the prices on all Smiths are insane.

I’d leave it alone OP just in my opinion.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

OP, your bass is a Burner, not a USA Smith. Your bass has value, but nothing like an American Smith. I know Hadrien Feraud started out on a Burner, but he has his own model Smith and Mayones as his main basses now. The one guy I know of who regularly plays a Burner now is
Evan Marien.

If you want to go passive, you should save the original electronics because when you no longer have this bass, the next owner may want to revert to the original set up.

 

[drumrtommy]

I had a 1993 standard in black I bought in 2010.
I traded it a year later and regretted it since.

3 months ago I finally found one in good shape and this time it’s a BSR-B deluxe.

The output isn’t too great. The sound itself gets close-ish to Smith soapbars but definitely missing that bottom end.

The only way I’d mod this bass is if I find a pair of USA Smith J pick ups. As you’ve noted the prices on all Smiths are insane.

I’d leave it alone OP just in my opinion.View attachment 7531732

Twinsies!

Il”missing bottom end” I would whole heartedly agree with that actually, just doesn’t sound or feel “full”

 

[drumrtommy]

OP, your bass is a Burner, not a USA Smith. Your bass has value, but nothing like an American Smith. I know Hadrien Feraud started out on a Burner, but he has his own model Smith and Mayones as his main basses now. The one guy I know of who regularly plays a Burner now is
Evan Marien.

If you want to go passive, you should save the original electronics because when you no longer have this bass, the next owner will like want the original set up.

Thanks I know it’s burner. And this bass can not ever be resold, it’s just a matter of making it to my liking or keeping it as is

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I had a 1993 standard in black I bought in 2010.
I traded it a year later and regretted it since.

3 months ago I finally found one in good shape and this time it’s a BSR-B deluxe.

The output isn’t too great. The sound itself gets close-ish to Smith soapbars but definitely missing that bottom end.

The only way I’d mod this bass is if I find a pair of USA Smith J pick ups. As you’ve noted the prices on all Smiths are insane.

I’d leave it alone OP just in my opinion.View attachment 7531732

Beautiful Bass!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Thanks I know it’s burner. And this bass can not ever be resold, it’s just a matter of making it to my liking or keeping it as is

It’s your bass, I just say keep the original electronics because we don’t live forever, and when you are gone, someone might want to restore it.

 

[JamesGrant]

Wall hang it and get a bass that you do want to play (looks/feel/tone)?

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

Why not just add a active passive switch

That won't hurt

 

[groovaholic]

If I'm reading correctly...it's your bass - and you don't have any plans to sell it.
The simple answer is to make it sound like you want it to sound.

There are reversible ways to do so:
1) remove the active electronics and install passive pickups
2) string it with less-hi-fi sounding strings

You say that you dislike the "hi fi" sound.
IMO "hi fi" bass sound means lots of lows and highs, and scooped mids.

So install pickups with good midrange (I really like the DiMarzio "Relentless" Jazz).
Then install strings with rich mids (I'm partial to the GHS Balanced Nickel).
You'll find the sound of the bass is MUCH more "rootsy".

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

I would leave it alone. Don't try to make a Miata run like a pickup truck. It will never be something else. The Smith, even the burner, is it's own thing. It's not a motown bass to play brown eyed girl, it's a fusion shred machine.

Of course it's your bass, but it makes me sad when someone puts a tele pickup in a Gibson L-5 because they can't get the Brad Paisley sound out of it. Not what it was designed to do.

 

[Mighty Thumb]

I am a tinkerer/modder by nature, but in this case I would leave it as is. Lean into what the bass is instead of focusing on what it’s not.

 

[Topkat13]

Gonna go way out on a limb here but Sadowsky makes a boost only 2 band pre-amp you can plug into. Very popular and little bass boost can damage your house’s foundation. Definitely a bottom end fattener upper.

 

[poochiecheeks]

i have a similar ish situation, my first bass is a parts pj that has remained the same for almost two decades. but i hate everything about how it sounds, just dont want to change it after all this time.
i think the answer to both questions is you wont use it if you dont like it. i would change one thing at a time until you can get along with it.

and no way will that sound like a jazz bass. i have a gibson rd standard bass that should sound like a jazz bass for all intents and purposes but absolutely does not. way different mojo. go for it

Lean into what the bass is instead of focusing on what it’s not.

also very true.

 

[drumrtommy]

Hey yall that was some great feedback. My initial feeling is to leave it as is, but it’s a bummer to not enjoy it as much as I would like to. That said, yea I guess it is most definitely not the brown eyed girl machine!

Leaning into it something I’ll try more. I’ve been hesitant to take it to any gigs because I know what to expect from my P bass and don’t want to be caught with my pants down; however, maybe putting myself in that situation would be best

 

[BowserGriff]

I honestly don't know why you don't just sell it. Someone out there would really appreciate the bass for what it is. You could take that money and buy something you actually like. You'll probably always be chasing something you are never going to get with the smith. Sometimes it's impossible to shake that gut feeling with a bass, i tried to love a 70s reissue jazz, changed the pickups, added a preamp etc. But no matter what, it was still the bass I couldn't quite get on with sound wise even though I REALLY wanted to. As you said the 50s p is your jam. And thats tasty jam.