What happened to Ken Smith basses?

[Bassconbeatz]

As a matter of fact, a Smith is my next hot bass to a have right now,,, and that's for the 5th time

Smiths, MTD, Sadowsky, Fender, Fodera, Roscoe, Jerzy Drozd, Warwick etc... were all "the next hot bass to have" at some point. But, When the dust settles those who really appreciate a bass (whatever brand) for bass' sake stick with them. Everyone else moves on to "the next Hot bass to have".

 

[bottomzone]

Trust me-Ken Smith basses are still serious groove tools!!



I am very blessed to have one!!!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

 

[capnsandwich]

So I guess my Vampyre, Blackbird or crusty ole Pre bass wouldn't cut it on the Gospel circuit. Damn, guess I am going the other way :scowl:

Yep, you need to go the other way. The Mothman bass won't cut it in the churches although I'd give you a hundred bucks for a pic of you with it laying down the lows with that in an actual service.

 

[Darkstrike]

Yep, you need to go the other way. The Mothman bass won't cut it in the churches although I'd give you a hundred bucks for a pic of you with it laying down the lows with that in an actual service.

Not in a regular church, anyway....

 

[nostatic]

I think it is the interwebs as well. And actually I think Harry is talking more 20 years ago than 10 (we're both old). Back in the day there may have been as many boutique builders (though I think there are more viable ones now), but they didn't have the web for direct marketing and online forums for viral marketing. Instead it was a more traditional business model. Smith had a rep from magazine reviews and ads, and carved out a niche as one of a handful of "most desired" brands.

 

[Sadowsky]

People realized that a 34" (or less) scale was less than satisfactory and bumped it up to Spector and Ritter, who regularly use 35" scales for their 5+ string basses.

I know a whole lot of people who would disagree with this statement.

Roger

 

[mccartneyman]

I know a whole lot of people who would disagree with this statement.

Roger

I don't know anyone playing Spector or Ritter. I know at least 10 playing Smith.

 

[pedulla1]

People say the Smith tone is hi-fi but from the early gospel tones I know Smiths sounded warm, big and growly in the low end. I would not call that hi-fi. The cheaper Smiths I played tend to sound more middy but the higher end Smiths sound warm with great lows and low-mids. I have a BSR5GN that sounds big and warm.

 

[denchiq]

KEN SMITH BASSES USED TO BE IN STORES?
woah.
that's awesome. haha

pack of Tigers, please. and keep the change
JK

 

[denchiq]

Smiths are known for having a very distinct tone, modern and hi-fi, which is a sought after tone for bass in gospel. The B string must be HUGE and CLEAR, which is what the Smith basses give you. They're also very beautiful looking basses and gospel is all about looking good, especially on Sunday!

as much as I respect KS, my pal owns a transitiory BSR/Burner model 5. If anything, the B string is not even close to Zon Sonus of his or any of my Laklands (I've had 3 since he got the Smith)

 

[denchiq]

So I guess my Vampyre, Blackbird or crusty ole Pre bass wouldn't cut it on the Gospel circuit. Damn, guess I am going the other way :scowl:

you need an Ironbird or a Bich to rule in Gospel.

 

[capnsandwich]

as much as I respect KS, my pal owns a transitiory BSR/Burner model 5. If anything, the B string is not even close to Zon Sonus of his or any of my Laklands (I've had 3 since he got the Smith)

I love the B string on my Peavey Cirrus 6'er more than my $2000 Elrick too. B string tone is so subjective. I just know that, IMO, Smiths have nice B strings.

 

[denchiq]

ok

 

[gregwatts2008]

Having owned 5 different Smiths, IMO, they are incredibly beautiful and well built and have an incredible tone. That said, IMO, they are not very versatile which is probably why they are predominant in Gospel and non-existent in Metal. You don't see many Smiths in Rock and Roll. Just my opinion.

 

[sloasdaylight]

Bass Central's got a bunch of them.
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Regarding the whole 35" B string. I'm with Roger on this one.

 

[pedulla-2007]

as much as I respect KS, my pal owns a transitiory BSR/Burner model 5. If anything, the B string is not even close to Zon Sonus of his or any of my Laklands (I've had 3 since he got the Smith)

Do you honestly believe a jazz pickup configured Burner to be a good representation of the basses that Ken Smith builds?

 

[RoboChrist]

Smiths sound good if you know how to use the EQ. I actually hate the basic flat tone with both pickups on, way too nasal, like a bass with sinusitis.

 

[spade2you]

Regarding the whole 35" B string. I'm with Roger on this one.

I think they can be good, but I've heard enough duds that I can't say all 34" scale basses sound fine. My limited experience with Ken Smith stuff was with a Burner, which didn't have much of a B and a US model that had a decent low B, but I thought there was room for improvement.

Perhaps price might be an issue since there seems to be a bunch of small scale lutheirs making amazing stuff for a pretty good price.

 

[Breslin dp]

About 10 years ago I lived in Delaware and a local store called Accent music used to always have at least 2 or 3 Ken Smith basses on hand.

 

[john turner]

People realized that a 34" (or less) scale was less than satisfactory and bumped it up to Spector and Ritter, who regularly use 35" scales for their 5+ string basses.

all my conklin 7's are 34" scale length, and my ritter 7 is a 35", as are both my conklin 8's. i see no appreciable difference in the quality of the low b string between them. in my experience, the rigidity of the neck is a much bigger factor than that 1" in scale length in determining the quality of the low b (or lower - many of my conklins have at least a low F# on them).