Where did all the Ken Smiths go?

[Nakoatron]

Eternally grateful to own my 2017 wte

 

[Killing Floor]

Just a hunch. Is it possible that owners like them? I own several things that I like and won't sell and I own several items that I do not like as much and I am willing to sell. Perhaps the same attachment applies to Smith basses. I doubt there are fewer of them in existence.

 

[conttador]

I had an ‘01 BSR Elite w a Mac Ebony top which I ended up trading for an ‘86 or so BT about a month or so ago. I also have a pretty rare ‘97 BMT. I only let go of the BSR because I was receiving another Smith.

I don’t think I’ll ever sell or trade those as they are keepers! I rarely sell instruments, I play them all and I don’t really have a #1. You just have to be on the lookout, there are deals to be had but patience is the key.

Here are mine:

 

[singlemalt]

Grab a Peavey Cirrus.

 

[burgerdj]

Smith + Brubaker = me very interested.

 

[truand85]

The same place all the good times went - rich guys' music room walls.

 

[mmbongo]

Ken seems very involved in the day to day at least according to his Instagram. I certainly hope they are not being built by brubaker as the one and only brubaker I played qualified as the worst "boutique" instrument i have ever played due to poor build quality.

Brubaker took over the construction 3 years ago.

Ken Smith USA Basses to be Produced by Brubaker Guitars

 

[Nakoatron]

Big sad. I'm sure most bbs are fine basses but the single cut I played you could see through the gap between the neck and the body and it put me off the brand permanently

Brubaker took over the construction 3 years ago.

Ken Smith USA Basses to be Produced by Brubaker Guitars

 

[Samatza]

Like Pedulla 100% going kaput.

Yes, exactly. going the route of passing on the production to another reputable builder at the very least provides access to the products for Ken Smith fans, and there are a lot of fans out there.

Pedulla is a great example. Michael decided it was time to retire, production ceased and now are only available on the used market. I'm not blaming Michael here, he's done a great job for the longest time and deserves to enjoy the fruits of his labour. I was very pleased that he ended business in a nice and tidy fashion, fulfilled all existing orders, sold all prebuilt instruments etc. He did the right thing and you can't ask for more than that. Will he be missed? 100% for sure.

 

[Clark W]

I should have said extended range.

I couldn't help myself, the door was left wide open

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I couldn't help myself, the door was left wide open

I know.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Big sad. I'm sure most bbs are fine basses but the single cut I played you could see through the gap between the neck and the body and it put me off the brand permanently

Was it a Brubaker or a Brubaker Brute?

 

[mikeswals]

I’m looking for my old walnut 5 string with 19 mm string spacing .... the only bass I wish I would have never sold.

I had a solid walnut BSR5 with gold hardware, probably 18 years ago bought used here. It went to the middle East after that.

 

[Jesuguru]

Some might argue that Smiths were undervalued for quite a while. Mid-2000's you could still get a new 5-string BSR for about $2k street, while other boutiquey instruments were going for 2-4x that (or more).
Now that more people recognize their quality "fair value" relative to MTD/Alembic/Fodera etc, along with recent inflation, they are priced accordingly (or overpriced, if you check Reverb right now...)

Also, no disrespect to Brubaker as he makes fine instruments. But they're no Smiths. Time will tell if he can live up to the legendary standards set before him. I'm guessing more and more Smiths will be listed at a premium and described as "pre-Brubaker".

 

[Dr. Cheese]

The moral is keep your cool basses! Like I said in another thread, mortality is real. These great makers won’t be around forever, if you treasure a bass made by one of them, you better keep it, come hell or high water.

 

[Nakoatron]

Brubaker with a killer burl top and the works.

Was it a Brubaker or a Brubaker Brute?

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Wal too

 

[tb-player]

I haven't played the new ones, but they certainly don't look like the same quality of the old KS production crew.

I’ve been in Kevin Brubaker’s shop. The last time I was there, he had six 6-string Black Tiger Elites on his finishing table. I’ve seen a number of Smiths over the years and nothing about these basses were sub-par. I also played a couple of the Brubaker/Smiths at Chuck Levins outside of DC. They were perfect.

If folks are holding onto the older Smiths because the newer ones aren’t made by the Ken Smith crew, that would make perfect sense. However, build quality is not the issue, even though the perception may be otherwise.

 

[GTHintz]

I'm going to be optimistic and say that I hope Ken has a great retirement and that all the guys at Brubaker absorb every ounce of wisdom when he steps in and provides his input. If they are half as good as the crew making Wal basses then they will be awesome instruments. I throw the guys that Carl Thompson mentored in there too. Outstanding talent taking on the legacy of the most prestigious builders in the world.

 

[fretlessbass]

Any time I read all the praise for Ken Smiths, I have to wonder if I simply l had the misfortune to have purchased—over 30 years ago—a six “built on a Monday.”
And, just to put a bit of salt in the wounds, my band members would tell me they liked the sound of my Carvin 6er much better:
Worst part was that I agreed with them...although it definitely wasn’t as pretty!