My Experience with the "Ken Smith Tone"

[Kmrumedy]

I've had friends mention how much they loved the old Pbass sound I used to get back in the day when I played professionally.

My answer..."Err...that was the front pickup solo'ed on my Ken Smith bass with my fingers positioned closer to the neck..."

Ken made me a BT5 bass in late 1989 and for the longest time it was my only bass as a professional player. I HAD TO make it work for a variety of musical situations. It is still the only bass I bought new that I still own today.

Having 35 years of play time on a Smith...a few observations.

I keep reading on TB about the "Distinctive Smith Tone". They're for gospel players. They are fusion basses. It's almost become folklore.

And absolutely YES...they do have a wonderful distinctive tone...IF....you EQ them that way.

But...you can easily EQ that specific tone away.

Smith's are not "one trick pony" basses.

I've lost count of how many sessions I got because a producer heard a recording and thought I was playing a more mainstream instrument.

Smith's are incredibly versatile instruments sound wise if you put the time in...plus get a distinctive tone when you need it...it's easy to find your own voice on a Smith.

They may not "look" the part for certain genres or musical situations...but they can certainly SOUND the part.

It is a shame that the prices have jumped on them in recent years making it harder for many to experience.

But if you are in the fortunate position to consider one...Don't sell these basses short.

The instruments are much more than what you read on the internet.

 

[scubaduba]

Very true. I am currently in the market for a 5 string Black Tiger, and you are right, prices have taken quite a jump.
With the dip switches and panning more toward the neck pickup brings on a world of personality different from the stereotypical "honk" and "ping".

 

[Ggaa]

Yep, lots of people hear with their eyeballs. And I miss my Burner.

 

[red_rhino]

I’ve never owned one, but always kinda wanted one. I played a beautiful Smith 5-string in a music store once. Don’t remember the model, but I remember the woods (cocobolo top, walnut back) the weight (11-ish lbs) and the tone (amazing). Sometimes I still think about that bass and somewhat regret not buying it.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

I own a 1993 CR5 actually this one: . This thing is as versatile as described in the OP. Also, CR stands for Crunch Resonator as per what Ken himself mentioned in one of his videos.

 

[Cleezmo]

Waaaaay back in 2002 when I was shopping for a 'nice' 5-string, a local store had Ken Smiths. I played one, it was a Burner but no idea what model, and it was really, really good. I ended up going with a N.O.S. Modulus Q5, in part because it was a great deal, but man that Smith sounded and played great. I've only seen one 'in the wild' at a gig once, at a small-ish club, and the bass player's tone was fantastic. I talked to him after the set, mentioned how great his tone was, and he said "That's all the bass - the amp is set completely flat".

But as a few others have said - the price gap today is much more than it was back then...

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

I've had friends mention how much they loved the old Pbass sound I used to get back in the day when I played professionally.

My answer..."Err...that was the front pickup solo'ed on my Ken Smith bass with my fingers positioned closer to the neck..."

Ken made me a BT5 bass in late 1989 and for the longest time it was my only bass as a professional player. I HAD TO make it work for a variety of musical situations. It is still the only bass I bought new that I still own today.

Having 35 years of play time on a Smith...a few observations.

I keep reading on TB about the "Distinctive Smith Tone". They're for gospel players. They are fusion basses. It's almost become folklore.

And absolutely YES...they do have a wonderful distinctive tone...IF....you EQ them that way.

But...you can easily EQ that specific tone away.

Smith's are not "one trick pony" basses.

I've lost count of how many sessions I got because a producer heard a recording and thought I was playing a more mainstream instrument.

Smith's are incredibly versatile instruments sound wise if you put the time in...plus get a distinctive tone when you need it...it's easy to find your own voice on a Smith.

They may not "look" the part for certain genres or musical situations...but they can certainly SOUND the part.

It is a shame that the prices have jumped on them in recent years making it harder for many to experience.

But if you are in the fortunate position to consider one...Don't sell these basses short.

The instruments are much more than what you read on the internet.

I'd love to try one, but the'yre hard to find and even harder to afford, no matter new or used. My recollections of trying one more than 20 years ago was very vague, but also positive.

 

[ole Jason]

I'm not a fan of the "distinctive tone" you usually hear people get with Smith basses. I agree they're way more versatile than people give them credit for though.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Waaaaay back in 2002 when I was shopping for a 'nice' 5-string, a local store had Ken Smiths. I played one, it was a Burner but no idea what model, and it was really, really good. I ended up going with a N.O.S. Modulus Q5, in part because it was a great deal, but man that Smith sounded and played great. I've only seen one 'in the wild' at a gig once, at a small-ish club, and the bass player's tone was fantastic. I talked to him after the set, mentioned how great his tone was, and he said "That's all the bass - the amp is set completely flat".

But as a few others have said - the price gap today is much more than it was back then...

Back in 1995, when I bought a bolt on six, it was cheaper than a Fender Ultra is now.

 

[Element Zero]

I’ve never held one, but I know I want a BSR White Tiger 5 string.

 

[BASSDROID]

Back in '95 a CR6 became my first sixer. I really liked the super shallow and very wide neck profile. I played the bejeezus out of it for about 6 years and then moved on to greener (at the time) pastures. Would I own another one given the chance? Probably.

 

[songwriter21]

I've had friends mention how much they loved the old Pbass sound I used to get back in the day when I played professionally.

My answer..."Err...that was the front pickup solo'ed on my Ken Smith bass with my fingers positioned closer to the neck..."

Ken made me a BT5 bass in late 1989 and for the longest time it was my only bass as a professional player. I HAD TO make it work for a variety of musical situations. It is still the only bass I bought new that I still own today.

Having 35 years of play time on a Smith...a few observations.

I keep reading on TB about the "Distinctive Smith Tone". They're for gospel players. They are fusion basses. It's almost become folklore.

And absolutely YES...they do have a wonderful distinctive tone...IF....you EQ them that way.

But...you can easily EQ that specific tone away.

Smith's are not "one trick pony" basses.

I've lost count of how many sessions I got because a producer heard a recording and thought I was playing a more mainstream instrument.

Smith's are incredibly versatile instruments sound wise if you put the time in...plus get a distinctive tone when you need it...it's easy to find your own voice on a Smith.

They may not "look" the part for certain genres or musical situations...but they can certainly SOUND the part.

It is a shame that the prices have jumped on them in recent years making it harder for many to experience.

But if you are in the fortunate position to consider one...Don't sell these basses short.

The instruments are much more than what you read on the internet.

And to think, years ago, I could've bought a mint Elite G 5'er on here, for $2500.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I have only briefly played a Ken Smith at a Ken Smith booth at Bass Boot Camp. I pretended that I liked it because Ken was somewhere near and I didn’t want anything to tick him off. But to me the neck was like a baseball bat and the tone was incredibly muddy. I’ll try them again sometime because that couldn’t be typical.

 

[greenrositti]

I own a 1993 CR5 actually this one: . This thing is as versatile as described in the OP. Also, CR stands for Crunch Resonator as per what Ken himself mentioned in one of his videos.

I played a bass exactly like that one in a music store in L.A. back in about 1995. Richard Ruse and I were both there at the same time marveling at it. That one haunts me…I wonder if it’s this one?

 

[pb9717]

Had a CR5GMW, ( Chuck Rainey 5, Graphite Bar rods, maple/walnut) for a decade from 95 to 2005. Eventually sold it after the drummer I did club dates in NYC for 16 years constantly complained about it. He hated it. Kept saying “ Get a jazz bass!” …Finally discovered Sadowskys and never went back. Funny thing was, MY particular US made, high end Chuck Rainey never sounded as good as other Smiths did. Probably why I let it go so easily. Looked just like this one, but with the black face larger headstock..
View attachment IMG_1639.webp

 

[ModuMan]

Funny thing was, MY particular US made, high end Chuck Rainey never sounded as good as other Smiths did. Probably why I let it go so easily.

That's interesting, any idea why? Maple/walnut is a pretty common combo on Smiths.

If I could pick out my own Smith I think I'd like walnut with a mahogany core. That said, I don't expect I can be that choosy!

 

[pb9717]

That's interesting, any idea why? Maple/walnut is a pretty common combo on Smiths.

If I could pick out my own Smith I think I'd like walnut with a mahogany core. That said, I don't expect I can be that choosy!

My gut tells me it was me, not being able to finesse the instrument. probably would’ve sounded better in a different players hands. Maybe I’m being too critical. But I REALLY like the sound that comes out of my hands on my Sadowsky Japan Modern. Some basses are just more conducive to certain playing styles. Even when I lightly played the Smith, it didnt have the bell/piano like tone common to them on mine. Go figure.

 

[ModuMan]

I totally understand! I have a Sadowsky NYC Modern and it really took some getting used to on my part as its clarity is pretty unforgiving. Awesome tone though so it makes me more aware of my approach.

 

[FullumMusic]

People really like to compartmentalize and categorize.

It's really easy to dump a bass trend and a music trend into a category box in one's head. Meanwhile that bass & genre mix was really just a coincidence of timing or convenience.

In reality, most basses can be used for most musical situations with a little bit of EQ and Technique adaptations. Yes, playing a bass through gear associated with a certain genre will go a long way in sounding like that genre, but it's not necessary.

"Ken Smith basses are only for Gospel or Fusion." Except, listen to Freddie Washington play his KS on Phil Collins' "Two Hearts." Or Massive Attack's "Angel." Two drastically different songs, neither of which are Gospel or Fusion.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

I've had friends mention how much they loved the old Pbass sound I used to get back in the day when I played professionally.

My answer..."Err...that was the front pickup solo'ed on my Ken Smith bass with my fingers positioned closer to the neck..."

Ken made me a BT5 bass in late 1989 and for the longest time it was my only bass as a professional player. I HAD TO make it work for a variety of musical situations. It is still the only bass I bought new that I still own today.

Having 35 years of play time on a Smith...a few observations.

I keep reading on TB about the "Distinctive Smith Tone". They're for gospel players. They are fusion basses. It's almost become folklore.

And absolutely YES...they do have a wonderful distinctive tone...IF....you EQ them that way.

But...you can easily EQ that specific tone away.

Smith's are not "one trick pony" basses.

I've lost count of how many sessions I got because a producer heard a recording and thought I was playing a more mainstream instrument.

Smith's are incredibly versatile instruments sound wise if you put the time in...plus get a distinctive tone when you need it...it's easy to find your own voice on a Smith.

They may not "look" the part for certain genres or musical situations...but they can certainly SOUND the part.

It is a shame that the prices have jumped on them in recent years making it harder for many to experience.

But if you are in the fortunate position to consider one...Don't sell these basses short.

The instruments are much more than what you read on the internet.

With due respect, you can use it at will .. I’ll continue playing my P-basses which have got a mainstream and, seemingly, much sought after distinctive tone .. ehm ..