Thanx admin for accepting me. Much appreciated finally i might get some direction. I’m seriously considering purchasing a Ken Smith. I’m at a point where I can afford one , problem is that I live in Australia and with the current exchange rate,import tax , customs etc..these basses cost easily more than double . I’ve been fortunate enough to play both 4 & 5 strings briefly and they are nothing short of amazing. But my mind is ruling my heart and find it difficult parting with AU$11k-$14k. I know I’ll always yearn for one if I don’t. Has anyone played anything that comes close to a Ken Smith? Tia.
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Ken smith
- Thread starter vegemite
- Start date
A Sadowsky Modern is similar sounding.
Smiths do what Smiths do. There are certainly lots of great basses that come close, but they’re expensive too. Why spend a bunch of money to get something that’s not quite what you want?
Buy what you want and cry once. No regrets.
Buy what you want and cry once. No regrets.
I have a Chris Larkin Reacter that scratches the Ken Smith tone itch (has handwound Kent Armstrong pickups like a Smith). I guess if you can pick one of those up for less it might work for you, but I am not sure they are going to go for that much less (if less at all). That being said, I haven't felt that itch in almost ten years. I've converted to the fender tone thing pretty exclusively.
No, no and no. LOL.
Let's put this crying thing in proper perspective.
You'll buy and cry multiple times. You'll cry because you can't afford one. You'll cry because you FINALLY have the money to afford one and the thought of parting with that money that you COULD spend on it and could also spend on so many other things will make you cry, anew. And if you don't buy the Ken Smith, once you've already cried twice, if you make it that far, you'll cry a third time because you bought some other legitimate competitor instrument that was also painfully expensive in its own right, no matter how less-expensive it was as compared to the Ken Smith.
There's no crying once here. It's a fallacy at this price point, and "buy once cry once" is always spending advice about a high-dollar item coming from someone who's actually not buying the thing. LOL.
I'd like a pristine 1989 Ferrari 412i with a manual gearbox and chances are I'll shed this mortal coil before I can obtain one. Dying may save me from crying once. At least about a Ferrari. LOL.
I'm a believer in buy once, cry once...assuming it's a responsible purchase.
What is it about Ken Smith that you just have to have? If you were blindfolded, would the sound alone blow you away? Is it the aesthetics? Workmanship? I don't think anything sounds like a KS, but you can make a $250 Squier play with action just as low (or lower) with a good Plek job.
I bought a brand new Ken Smith in the early 2000's. Turns out that I was more in love with the way they looked and played than how they sounded.
Still, If I was a rich man I would buy one. And I don't think anyone can build a higher quality electric bass than he can...if he is still actually building them.
What is it about Ken Smith that you just have to have? If you were blindfolded, would the sound alone blow you away? Is it the aesthetics? Workmanship? I don't think anything sounds like a KS, but you can make a $250 Squier play with action just as low (or lower) with a good Plek job.
I bought a brand new Ken Smith in the early 2000's. Turns out that I was more in love with the way they looked and played than how they sounded.
Still, If I was a rich man I would buy one. And I don't think anyone can build a higher quality electric bass than he can...if he is still actually building them.
I was watching a video of a Grateful Dead show and was curious about the bass being played - it sounded great, but it definitely wasn’t an Alembic.
Turns out it was a Ken Smith…with the pickups swapped to EMGs.
I’ve read that Sadowsky Moderns have a somewhat similar tone. I’ve not experienced that based off of YouTube videos. But I’m getting the chance to play some Modern 5’s tomorrow. People have said the older versions of Peavey Cirrus basses sound somewhat similar and I’d agree with that based off of YouTube lol. I’ve also read that G&L humbucker basses sound similar and based off of YouTube videos, I do not agree.
That being said, I’ve not played any of these instruments including a Ken Smith or even seen or heard one in real life so I’ve no basis for comparison… though there are some choice videos and recordings of Ken Smiths I’ve seen/heard and it’s the closest instrument I’ve heard to what “my” tone is in my head.
It would seem Smiths are in a league of their own. Hopefully someday I’ll at least get a chance to play one.
That being said, I’ve not played any of these instruments including a Ken Smith or even seen or heard one in real life so I’ve no basis for comparison… though there are some choice videos and recordings of Ken Smiths I’ve seen/heard and it’s the closest instrument I’ve heard to what “my” tone is in my head.
It would seem Smiths are in a league of their own. Hopefully someday I’ll at least get a chance to play one.
I played Ken Smiths, played NYC Sadowskys, Foderas... They didn't really feel that much special, apart from the brand fame. Fodera was perhaps my biggest disappointment, given all the attention it gets...
Don't get me wrong, they're great and amazing instruments, there's nothing wrong with them per se... but I'd definitely not spend that much on an electric instrument because none of them convinced me to spend that amount of money on them.
Edit: If I were to spend such money on a bass I'd probably go Ken Smith too. I found they felt the most special of these.
Don't get me wrong, they're great and amazing instruments, there's nothing wrong with them per se... but I'd definitely not spend that much on an electric instrument because none of them convinced me to spend that amount of money on them.
Edit: If I were to spend such money on a bass I'd probably go Ken Smith too. I found they felt the most special of these.
Maybe take a look at Jones Basses, which are made in the UK. I think they are regarded a very close to Smith basses in terms of Tone.
I had a Smith, have a Sadowsky Modern and own a Peavey Cirrus. I wanted the Smith because it was the thing for Gospel music and a few other things at the time. The playability and workmanship are impeccable. I never quite got the sound I was looking for with it. I actually had 3. Don't sleep on the Peavey if you can find one. It really get close to the Smith thing, but is a little bit fuller sounding. The Smith could sound nasally to me.
What changed my mind to move away from the Smith is I had a gig that had in the rider, that I play a 6 string Smith bass. I used it for 2 songs and switched to my Sadowsky and everyone commented on how much better it sounded!
What changed my mind to move away from the Smith is I had a gig that had in the rider, that I play a 6 string Smith bass. I used it for 2 songs and switched to my Sadowsky and everyone commented on how much better it sounded!
I have owned 3 Peavey Cirrus and Lots of Sadowskys.....I would say if your budget is lower get a peavey but note that it is 35" scale...you will feel it.... Sadowsky Moderns are amazing, I would get a Japanese (2000s era) or if you can afford a NYC get one......german metros would be my last option
Ken Smiths do what they do, in large part because of where the pickups are - the pickups are shifted towards the bridge when compared to a Fender Jazz. Rickenbackers do the opposite - the pickups are moved further out from the bridge. Smiths have less low end - they have less fundamentals than a Fender. My preference is actually for more, not less, fundamentals, so I'm not a fan of Smiths, even though I play a lot of church music. Here's a couple of my basses (I build my own):
That one (above) uses Rickenbacker spacing (justified to a 34 inch scale). The one below is like 60's Jazz spacing, but with each pickup moved 15% further out (there's a reason for that number)
Smiths also have dual coil pickups - they listen to the string at two points. That means (there is no way around this) they have a suckout in the upper mids (which is at a different frequency on every string). They get their treble content by boosting treble above that suckout, where the pickup doesn't cancel the string's signal. Some folks love that response, I don't - the pickups I use listen to the string at 1 point, so I get my articulation from the high mids, not the true treble region. I find that higher treble content "harsh" or "bitey".
So, why do I mention all of this? You asked if anyone has played anything that "comes close to a Smith". For my taste, I have basses that I definitely like better. Anyone who loves their "flats on a P bass" will also not be a Smith fan - they want something COMPLETELY different than what a Smith does. For you? you may like a Smith better than one of mine, you may not. Before you pull the trigger, you should make certain that a Smith is what you want - a lot of folks love them, but they do a very particular thing.
P.S. Smiths are not lightweights - they weigh several pounds more than what I will tolerate. The woods they use for bodies are pretty dense stuff.
That one (above) uses Rickenbacker spacing (justified to a 34 inch scale). The one below is like 60's Jazz spacing, but with each pickup moved 15% further out (there's a reason for that number)
Smiths also have dual coil pickups - they listen to the string at two points. That means (there is no way around this) they have a suckout in the upper mids (which is at a different frequency on every string). They get their treble content by boosting treble above that suckout, where the pickup doesn't cancel the string's signal. Some folks love that response, I don't - the pickups I use listen to the string at 1 point, so I get my articulation from the high mids, not the true treble region. I find that higher treble content "harsh" or "bitey".
So, why do I mention all of this? You asked if anyone has played anything that "comes close to a Smith". For my taste, I have basses that I definitely like better. Anyone who loves their "flats on a P bass" will also not be a Smith fan - they want something COMPLETELY different than what a Smith does. For you? you may like a Smith better than one of mine, you may not. Before you pull the trigger, you should make certain that a Smith is what you want - a lot of folks love them, but they do a very particular thing.
P.S. Smiths are not lightweights - they weigh several pounds more than what I will tolerate. The woods they use for bodies are pretty dense stuff.
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Ken Smiths are indeed excellent basses, but you're wise to be concerned about such an expensive instrument given that it'll be such a huge hit to your savings (as it would be for most of us). Sure, maybe it would live up to or even exceed your expectations. But maybe it wouldn't, and in that case you'd be crying, as many have explained.
Took a decade, but I learned that it's normal for taste to change over time even if you're not particularly fickle. Even if I was unconditionally thrilled with an expensive custom bass I ordered, I would often become infatuated with something else after a certain period of time. Disappointment could also come after the honeymoon phase, from familiarity: "honestly, I prefer the neck profile on the [other] bass". And then there were times that the "dream bass" customized to my specifications did not live up to expectations from the get-go. No surprise, because the bigger the price tag, the bigger the expectations.
So for decades now my practice has been never to put a huge chunk of my savings into a single instrument. With that limitation, I can have both quantity and quality. Now maybe I'd be happier with that uber-expensive dream bass, but I don't worry about that, because perfection is the enemy of more-than-good-enough, to modify the cliche. Another benefit to a larger number of lower-priced instruments is that you can go through a lengthy audition process, flipping as needed (taking smaller hits on resale value) until you find the one(s) that best fit your comfort zone. That worked for me with four string, and again when I switched to five.
Best of luck, whatever you decide.
Took a decade, but I learned that it's normal for taste to change over time even if you're not particularly fickle. Even if I was unconditionally thrilled with an expensive custom bass I ordered, I would often become infatuated with something else after a certain period of time. Disappointment could also come after the honeymoon phase, from familiarity: "honestly, I prefer the neck profile on the [other] bass". And then there were times that the "dream bass" customized to my specifications did not live up to expectations from the get-go. No surprise, because the bigger the price tag, the bigger the expectations.
So for decades now my practice has been never to put a huge chunk of my savings into a single instrument. With that limitation, I can have both quantity and quality. Now maybe I'd be happier with that uber-expensive dream bass, but I don't worry about that, because perfection is the enemy of more-than-good-enough, to modify the cliche. Another benefit to a larger number of lower-priced instruments is that you can go through a lengthy audition process, flipping as needed (taking smaller hits on resale value) until you find the one(s) that best fit your comfort zone. That worked for me with four string, and again when I switched to five.
Best of luck, whatever you decide.
Get a Tune or Phoenix bass from Japan. They'll have a model that may sound close. Or get something from Europe. Is there a retaliatory tariff in Australia now for US made goods (Mods I am asking this without any political agenda or malice ) The reason I asked is that if that's the case. money wise maybe it will be cheaper for you to buy Japan or European or Canadian made bass that would be along the lines of that Smith tone. An F bass maybe and then you can save on taxes if that situation exists.
I have played some through body Tune Japan and a Phoenix bass that is along the lines of a Smith but I am no expert and do not have a Smith but I do have a Tune Japan bass.
I have played some through body Tune Japan and a Phoenix bass that is along the lines of a Smith but I am no expert and do not have a Smith but I do have a Tune Japan bass.
Is there any way you can get a plane ticket to america, buy the Smith then fly back?
Here's a clip of a Jones Bass i found earlier. From what I've read, the craftsmanship is top notch. This is the 6 string model being demo'd
I imagine there’d be some neck through Japanese models on the used market in your country that could be had quite reasonably. Look for similar pickup locations as on a Smith.
+1
This is a good idea!
Regarding whether or not buy such an expensive bass: this is not about what you need, this is about what you want.
Buying such instrument is like buying a jewel: you like the idea of owning it and there is not another one like it.
Whatever you decide, let us know in an NBD …. With pics of course
