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Why do people not like Ken Smith basses.

#367
M.R. Ogle said:
Question: Why do some people HATE the (admittedly very good) Dave Matthews Band?

Answer: Dave Matthews.
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I won't go so far as to say "hate" but I remember when they were simply the Tuesday night band at Traxx in Charlottesville, VA. They did pretty well though? Funny, everyone thought that the Boyd Tinsley Band was going to be the one that took off.
 
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#370
two fingers said:
I don't get that at all. I used to work in MI sales. We carried all kinds of basses. I have owned and liked all kinds of basses.

My customers would play a Smith bass and say "It looks and sounds amazing! But it feels weird". I agree. Pretty much the only guys who drooled over every aspect of a Smith were gospel players. In the late 90s and early 2000s gospel guys thought the Smith was the end all be all of basses.


But it has nothing to do with not being a Fender (or feeling/looking/sounding like a Fender).

The feel of a Smith is "extreme". It's not extremely "wrong". But it's VERY different from most basses. So, even if you're coming from an Ibanez, Sadowsky, F bass, etc. it's going to feel odd.

I think everyone agrees that fit, finish, and construction of Smith basses are superb.
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Just cause we don’t like Ken smith basses don’t mean that not great basses. They just don’t appeal to us . Sorta like Warwick some love em and some hate em it’s wonderful having choices isn’t it ?
 
#373
craigmack1979 said:
Only if you love Ken Smith basses . I would buy Alembic before I’d buy Ken Smith . They extremely heavy especially 6
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Still very nice, high quality instruments though. They may not be your (or many people's) preference though, and there is zero wrong with that. I haven't owned a Smith in close to 20 years. I have basses I like better.

Alembics are fantastic. One day I'll add one to the collection.
 
#374
I was lucky to own a BSR- 4EG (probably the last 4 string), top of the line, for a couple years. First off, the bass was like art. Absolutely gorgeous top to bottom. Nice neck, easy to play. Every reason to keep it forever. My issue was the tone. I played a lot of different venues - sometimes the bass was like manna, other times I twiddled knobs all night. After a while I found I wasn't reaching for it much, so it was time for someone else to love it.
An amazing instrument in a lot of ways, just not for me. It joined a boatload of other fine basses that passed through my hands.
 
#377
nukes_da_bass said:
I own a four string Smith from the early 80's- I think it's #41.
My only disappointment is that it's a 4 string. The look, the tone, and the playability are phenomenal.
As for Ken himself, well... He has a strong personality. I also have a strong personality. Part of the Wussification of the western world is lack of tolerance for anyone who's different or stands out.
I know he can be rude- I have experienced it. Stop being a bunch of wussies. Strong people have strong personalities!
I have read all about what an ***hole I am as well on my companies' Google review page. The vast majority of my former customers who hate me, wouldn't accept the fact that I refuse to block out a timeslot in advance for a taxi ride which is so short that the transaction will lose me money. This would be poor parenting on my part, my twins need a daddy who can successfully feed and house them.
The modern world has no forgiveness for people who stand their ground on principle. Ken has carved out a niche by not giving in and by not being a milk toast wuss.

Go back to your "we hate Ken" love fest.

Carry on!
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He's just making and selling basses , so what is the cause of his sure footed arrogance towards customers ,what are they asking of him to cause such arrogance other then to purchase his products its almost like saying my products are so dam good people are going to buy inspite of my attitude proves this .. i wouldnt stand the thought of arroganted hot head mechanic doing any repairs on my car , no matter how professional .one would hope for a great product a long with its builder to go hand and hand . the out come for both parties would be a pleasent experience .
 
#378
I’m an outlier I guess , as Ken has been great with me and I love my CR4M bass. Bolt on neck , sustain for days , and weighs much less than my Alembics. I had some harmonic dissonance when I first bought my bass - Ken reached out and told me how to adjust it to eliminate it ( and it worked ). The CR basses have humbuckers as opposed to jazz style pickups , which is closer to my personal sound. I’m sorry that others didn’t have the great experience that I had
 

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