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Post Ken Smith pics please!!!

#41
I haven't played a KS yet but I'm looking to buy one. My question is how are the low Bs on these 34" beauties? Excellent or pretty good for a 34"? I've heard the action can get quite low w/ no fret buzz. Thanks for your input.
 
#43
now that i'm in the boat, i can't find a reason not to play a 7!
blues cat, no two basses are alike, even by the same maker (heard that one before?)
but i will say that without a doubt the b on every smith i've played (or owned) has been excellent. they've all been capable of extemely low action also.
as lokire stated, they have amazing backs. the nt smith basses have imho the best heel in the business...practically none!
smithback1.gif

smithtop1.gif

cheers
doug
 
#44
Ken tells me that this is a BSR6 Elite G with a Morado Top & Back. It's got a gloss finish and the two dip switches for the pups (series or parallel)... All I know is that it's as funky as used diapers...

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Inside with flash:

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#46
2001 BSR-6P w/Ebony Fingerboard

Great basses.

And I actually favor the bolt-on's which is saying a lot being that I was weened on
Spector and Alembic neck thru's in the late 70's. With Ken's basses the quality between them (neck-thru & Bolt-On) is
equal and for me it's strictly a matter of feel. (My luthier's never seen a better ERB neck pocket implementation. No shims here folks.)

In my opinion Ken's construction methods and material choices and handling are what set his instruments apart.
If you're on the fence, I highly recommend the Factory Tour video. It's ten dollars well spent.
 
#48
Here are the pictures that I pointed to in my earlier post.

1990 BT6 Koa, Mahogany, Morado (as always, it was hard to capture the figure)

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#52
i'd rather be a geek than a poser. the quality of these basses is consistently amazing.
that said, it is funny how ken has stuck with the big dots and plastic control knobs....
kind of trade-mark stuff, i suppose, but goofy in a sense,
when all the rest of the lines and curves are heel are so sleek...
cheers
doug
 
#53
D.A.R.K. said:
that said, it is funny how ken has stuck with the big dots and plastic control knobs....
kind of trade-mark stuff, i suppose, but goofy in a sense,
when all the rest of the lines and curves are heel are so sleek
Click to expand...

i actually think that sometimes too much fancy wood and stuff just aren't worth it. ken just shows that his basses arenn't all fancy woodworking, but a perfectly awesome tool for the musician... as opposed to some basses which should be hanging on a wall somewhere, not in someones hands. i'm pretty sure that around the 2000 dollar point, most basses start to have the same quality and great sound and playability, and then you start paying just for the "look" and not for anything additional when it comes to the bass as a tool for making music.

i'm just a big fan of the more functional over art form, in all things. and i find ken smith to be perfectly functional art. one day maybe i can be one of the lucky ones who own one :smug:

found one at a local GC used, i believe it is still on EBay here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Like-New-Ken-Sm...oryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

last time i played it, it wasn't even working. so caveat emptor (buyer beware, for all you non-latin taking ppl).



doesn't even look that great, as far as wood is concerned. i'd give em 1100 for it.
 
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#54
a quick shot of my Black Tiger Elite 5:

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Now, I wonder how it would look with black hardware... you don't see many neck-through smith basses with anything other than gold hardware...

You guys have any idea of how much it would cost to replace the bridge and the tuners?
 
#55
That's smokin' Ari!
Two of my friends have 6-string Black Tigers and they're both amazing. I've always wanted one.

The neck-through Smiths have always seemed to work with gold bridges. I think the color of the neck wood and the hardware compliment each other well. I'm guessing that it'd be a couple hundred euros to get a new bridge and tuners in black. You should ask Ken about the prices. The last time I saw a price on one of his four-string bridges it was around USD$80. A new set of tuners are at least that much so you're looking at $200 easy just for the parts.

Another question is whether you would get matte black or polished black. I've never ordered hardware ala carte from Mr. Smith so I'm not sure if he offers more than one kind of black. IMO, a matte finish or powder-coated finish would look nice with the overall matte look of the fingerboard, pickup covers and knobs.
 

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