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Have not had experience with Smith non-tapered, but I can tell you what I've found regarding Smith tapered compared to other non-tapered strings.
The taper core have a more vocal quality to them. The higher strings almost sound like they are singing a different vowel than the lower ones, if that makes any sense.
The taper core strings seem to sustain longer.
The taper core strings sit a bit lower because only the core passes over the saddle, so if you change from one to the other, a saddle height adjustment may be needed.
As far as tension goes, I didn't really feel a difference.
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Beautiful, is it heavy? I had a zebra/maple/alder Spector that weighed almost 13lbs
Damn it, now I'm twice as jealous!
How about that Wick in your avatar?
That's an image I sto... er borrowed from the ole interweb
I've got an fna jazzman 5-string and streamer stage I gps 5 banger too. The G&L is Indonesian, I got it as a giggable bass for inclement weather.
Just saw you are from Amsterdam, now I'm three times as jealous!!!
I’d better not show pictures of my wife...
You have a great set of Basses too by the way.
Beautiful Smith! But 10.3 is not heavy? What do you consider heavy? This is the only reason why I no longer own a Smith 5.
Not heavy - definitively not a feather-weight either
Any 5 string neck through with exotic woods bass under 10.5lbs seems reasonable to me.
Hi from Finland
I'm back in business with my new Hadrien Feraud model. Soooooo easy to play and sounds very good.
- Mikko
First rule of TB. No brag without pics...
You have a great set of Basses too by the way.
NBD! Ken Smith - BSR5 GN - Zebra - 1999.
Super nice man, congrats and enjoy! I've always had a thing for zebrawood. This was a 2000 BSR5 PE I used to own.
Yes you could feel all the laminated joints quite well.
I did not mind for the body, but at the back of the neck my thumb could feel it all the time.
That got annoying pretty quick. I could have fixed it maybe by sanding and re-finish, but I did not bother.
It's definitively not a judgement call on KS. Heaven knows what climate conditions the bass has been through over the last 18 years.
Hello everyone, just got my new (to me) BSR6MS, built in 2007. Walnut body wings, maple neck, morado(pau ferro) fingerboard. The previous owner sent the bass back to Ken Smith to have the electronics upgraded to 18v, and have DIP switches and series/parallel switches added. Crappy pic warning...I'm excited, but I'll post better pics tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the owner before him had some kind of laminate/lacquer sprayed on the finger board. The finish has worn through between the 2nd and 12th frets, with some spots higher up on the neck. Any ideas on completely removing the finish will be welcome.
I love physical representations of a bass's funk and mojo, but there was a little too much on the fingerboard, so a quick cleaning with Murphy's and #0000 steel wool brought back the shine of mordado. I didn't have any lighter fluid, so I used a lot of paper towels to soak up the Murphy's. Some lemon oil/Smith wax on the board, and wax on the body has her looking right!
Needless to say this bass sounds amazing!! The closest I've owned is the Peavey Cirrus I sold to finance this bass. Still, the difference is night and day! I love the Cirrus and will purchase another one later, the Smith is another animal! Once the DR Fat Beams go dead on her I'll try the Ken Smith TCRM strings he suggested in my emails to him.
Not quite the dream bass yet. The dream is a maple body, figured walnut top, maple fretboard (hopefully, I don't see it as an option on the site), Black Tiger Elite with upgraded electronics and pickup switches. One day....
P.S. The Smith Classic Wax Polish is the cleaning/polishing product I've ever used
Unfortunately, the owner before him had some kind of laminate/lacquer sprayed on the finger board. The finish has worn through between the 2nd and 12th frets, with some spots higher up on the neck. Any ideas on completely removing the finish will be welcome.
I love physical representations of a bass's funk and mojo, but there was a little too much on the fingerboard, so a quick cleaning with Murphy's and #0000 steel wool brought back the shine of mordado. I didn't have any lighter fluid, so I used a lot of paper towels to soak up the Murphy's. Some lemon oil/Smith wax on the board, and wax on the body has her looking right!
Needless to say this bass sounds amazing!! The closest I've owned is the Peavey Cirrus I sold to finance this bass. Still, the difference is night and day! I love the Cirrus and will purchase another one later, the Smith is another animal! Once the DR Fat Beams go dead on her I'll try the Ken Smith TCRM strings he suggested in my emails to him.
Not quite the dream bass yet. The dream is a maple body, figured walnut top, maple fretboard (hopefully, I don't see it as an option on the site), Black Tiger Elite with upgraded electronics and pickup switches. One day....
P.S. The Smith Classic Wax Polish is the cleaning/polishing product I've ever used
You only find Ebony or Morado fingerboards on US made Ken Smith basses, and it's a good thing. Congrats on your new bass!
