Looking at a Vintage Ken Smith...Questions...

[Quadzilla]

Looking at this bass, but it does raise some questions..

Appears to have G&L MFD pups? A BadAss II bridge.

I dig the bass, but those things along concern me a bit. Seller says it's an 85 Smith. I don't know enough about vintage Smiths to know if this is legit, original and what it's worth...

 

[GTHintz]

I definitely see the aftermarket parts. Best I can advise is that if you can see it in person and play it first it'll be best. Since the pickups are not smith's it might change the tone a bit. The bass looks really great though I really like the wood grain.

 

[shwashwa]

overall a great bass. the old neck joint, which may be kind of collectable these days. part of what makes a smith a smith, to me, is the pickups... even passive , without the preamp, the pickups give the smith tone, to my ear.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I would not touch unless it was pretty cheap and I had access to the original proprietary electronics. That said, I would not be surprised if those MFD’s sound a lot like Smith pickups.

 

[kesslari]

1. It is a really beautiful bass.
2. It would be worth asking Mr. Smith about it. It's early enough that he might not yet have standardized his pickup design. Might he have used MFD's on a few of his earliest basses?
Or he might sell you the KS pickups/electronics, given that bass.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

1. It is a really beautiful bass.
2. It would be worth asking Mr. Smith about it. It's early enough that he might not yet have standardized his pickup design. Might he have used MFD's on a few of his earliest basses?
Or he might sell you the KS pickups/electronics, given that bass.

I’m no expert, but I am pretty sure that Ken Smith never used MFD’s.

 

[BuckeyeBassman]

I noticed the same bass for sale but too many red flags. It is listed as a PasII model but appears pickups and bridge are not original. Also major wing separation on the back of body. I have 1985 Ken Smith bass and it is awesome instrument and all original.

 

[james condino]

Call up Ken and ask. He's very approachable and...... let's just say he will definitely give you an unfiltered, honest answer!

 

[mindwell]

Even beyond the hacked electronics and hardware, that is the strangest Smith maybe ever. The grain on the body wings makes them look like they consist of multiple strips glued together, which is emphatically not the usual Smith pattern. I don't doubt that it's a Smith, though, and I imagine it feels and plays incredible. Can't hazard a guess as to how it sounds.

 

[Nenor]

Maybe it's a Smith, but, I never saw this kind of wood arrangement on a Smith bass before. No "coat of arms" on the back of the headstock. Bottom body shape is not like any Smith design I know. The cavity cover on the back is larger than usual. All that aside, it looks very cool. Email Ken for a definite answer.

 

[bongostealth]

I personally do not believe this is a Smith. I think this is just some copy.

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

If it was a real smith

even with those pickups
Hell I’d take it

 

[Gormsgade]

The saddle is an umistakenly Ken Smith detail you'll see on later models as well, i.e. the groove cut in the material between the strings. Keep in mind though, Neckdive and notoriously poor ergonomics are known trademarks on older Smith basses, despite they sound really nice.

 

[TrustRod]

Scarf joint headstock? You can see the seam between the E and G key on the back of the headstock.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

Nobody special chiming in. I've never bought a bass because I thought about it's resale value, loss or break even, or that it would go up in value. I've never bought a bass purely based on all original parts. I indeed look for upgrades or mods that appeal to me. The ability to replace pick-ups and not re-route the bass is a concern to me and there will be plenty of MFD's around in the future. This is a nice looking instrument. If it has the feel you like and the truss rod works and the price reflects the mods, go for it and smile.

 

[InhumanResource]

Scarf joint headstock? You can see the seam between the E and G key on the back of the headstock.

After looking at a couple of comps on reverb I am thinking this might be a salvage with a remade body. Not a Smith expert but seeing a lot of differences…especially said scarf joint.

 

[Reedt2000]

I'd immediately write this off as totally fake were it not for the neck joint. At minimum it's been heavily modified. I agree with others, email pics to KS directly.

 

[Quadzilla]

Thanks all, I'll reach out to him!

 

[Mastodon2]

It looks extremely suspect. The neck joint looks correct for the early to mid 80s, but everything else looks like a copy of a Smith. No raised carved section on the back of the headstock, no Ken Smith bridge or pickups, the body looks like a load of bits of mismatched wood glued together and the difference in gain is really obvious.

If the bass plays and sounds nice then that is one thing, but if it is priced as if it were a genuine vintage Smith, then it is likely far overpriced. A classic Smith is like a classic Ferrari. Copying a Testarossa and putting a prancing horse badge on it doesn't make jt a Ferrari, it doesn't have the provenance. As a vintage Smith owner myself, I recommend you proceed with extreme caution and only of Ken himself can vouch for the bass.

Secondly, good bass or not, I just couldn't bring myself to play something I believed to be a counterfeit. I couldn't be proud to own a fake.

Maybe Ken will clear all this up and this is all a misunderstanding and the bass is genuine, but I strongly suspect this won't be the case. Ken will surely answer though- people may not like his manner of speaking, but he always gives his customers what they need.

 

[bobfarabaugh]

Scarf joint headstock? You can see the seam between the E and G key on the back of the headstock.

My ‘84 Smith has no such joint. Neck wood continues to headstock point. Mine also has sn stamped in the back of the headstock.