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Why do people not like Ken Smith basses.

#41
I just saw this at zZounds. Nice looking bass. I'm sure it's overseas. I'd still be willing to try one if it was available lefty.

Never had a chance to play the real ones... but they remind me of jazz rigs.. .I love them even though I'm an 80's two finger kinda guy ;)

I'm going to follow this discussion. Its a good one... :bassist:
 

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#42
I have seen some Smiths up close and the workmanship is fantastic. They sound very good and there are many functional innovations. But to me it is like evening wear an excellent tailor who hasn't got the eye, TRIED to design. Ditto to the poster who observed that their website is poor visually.
 
#43
iwearpumas said:
After reading some threads, i notice people really don't like Ken Smith basses. Why do people not like them?
Click to expand...

Do you want one?
Are you shopping for one or something similar?
Do you have access to playing Smiths?
Did one come available used?

Remember only you know what's right for you.
Your touch and what you want to hear are paramount. The feel, looks, and performance either fit you or they don't.

Even if every poster here loved them, they could be the worst basses you ever touched. This paradox unfolds as it says nothing, nothing, about the instrument.
 
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#45
I owned a nice bolt on Smith once. Awesome bass. Stunningly beautiful. I have no idea why anyone would call it a "backyard build", that is just ridiculous to me, but to each his own.

It had a great, unique tone and the tightest B string I have ever used, better than my Lull or Modulus or any US or non-US Lakland I have played. The only reason I let it go was because it was too heavy for me to gig with.
 
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#46
My opinion :
Smith basses are incredibly well made and consistent.
They play great.
Tone is subjective , and like most brands ,they have a distinct personality.
Good / bad ? That is up to each player to decide.

Ken himself can be prickly at times , and he can be nice at times - like many people I know.
There have been times when I called his shop and he'd engage in conversation for an hour or more. I could not get off the phone !
ALWAYS helpful , though.

Back in the mid '80's Summer NAMM was held in Chicago.
I was in my early 30"s . I wanted to play one of his basses.
This day he was prickly - he said " No, just buy one, you will love it " - he was concerned I might scratch the bass. I was put off by this, and for years I wanted nothing to do with Smith basses. My mistake.

Bottom line - do not let the personality of a builder influence your objective view of his / her work.

My 3 cents.
 
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#47
chadds said:
Do you want one?
Are you shopping for one or something similar?
Do you have access to playing Smiths?
Did one come available used?

Remember only you know what's right for you.
Your touch and what you want to hear are paramount. The feel, looks, and performance either fit you or they don't.

Even if every poster here loved them, they could be the worst basses you ever touched. This paradox unfolds as it says nothing, nothing, about the instrument.
Click to expand...

I have one and have another one on order. For me, its perfect to my liking. I just wanted to know why others don't like them.
 
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#48
Kwesi said:
I don't know about 'people' but I don't like them because they take a very measured technique to sound really good. I know of exactly three people that make Smiths sound killer, John Patitucci, Ed Friedland and Bassran (a youtube dude).
Click to expand...

Any time I've done gigs with people playing Smiths, they always sound killer. Of course, the guy playing them on those gigs is Ken Smith, so I guess he knows how to get a good sound out of them.
 
#49
Their aesthetics aren't my ideal, number one. As far as tone goes, the only Smith I've heard in person belonged to a friend of mine who has since moved away. She was a phenomenal bass player but I could not stand her tone. I think it mostly had to do with her Markbass rig (I've now heard three of them, played through two, and they are just not for me), so I'm really not sure if I'd like the tone of a Smith or not. That said, her bass was AMAZING to play. The neck on it was just fantastic.

So why won't I ever buy one? Price, look, and I'm a stick-in-the-mud, boring, cliched, Fender sunburst/rosewood Jazz kinda guy.*







*Although there are some really weird/funky odd basses out there that I'd love to own and someday I WILL have an RA MB-2...
 
#50
Jaco Taco said:
Never played one, but they look ugly to me, and why would I play an ugly bass when I can play something that looks good and sounds good?
Click to expand...

Try that ugly bass as you say..." Maybe you will end up liking it..!

Guys...! Guys...! It's all about fingerstyle playing....some of you are confused that if you can thumb or slap ...you will say..." something is wrong with this...bass" well,...I don't agree with that...
Most of our music playing is fingerstyle...you see Jaco..he conquered the World with his Unique Fingerstyle technique....I am sorry guys...It's not about the bass...its about you...the Musician...
The problem is that many of you will keep changing basses ....until you find the right sound to your ear... ..MM said once that we all need to get to know our bass...what it does...how it plays...how it sounds....
The confusions when through the years all of these big musicians started playing thumbing and slapping on bass....and have truely forgotten that fingerstyle playing....Jazz is a fingerstyle technique....it's not about thumbing and slapping....so...your bass will do alot...even if you have a Ken smith...!
"..Something in Music to Learn and Think about..."
 
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#55
I own a ksd 706. And there is really nothing "Smith" about it other than the headstock shape. But, I was looking for an inexpensive 6 string Jazz and I really like it.

I have tried many real US made Smiths. I think they play well and sound very nice and are made fantastically well. I have tried to like them to the point of buying one several times. But, I am just not into the shape or the sound. For MY money, I would prefer other offerings.
 
#56
I've tried one at a gtg and didn't like it. I went to a music store last year and they had about 4 or 5 of them. I tried 3 of them (different woods) and only one sounded good to me. So, for me, it would absolutely be a try before buy.
 
#57
I don't have enough hands-on experience with Smiths to know how they play (only played one for a couple of minutes once) but I've heard them being played by others on more than one occasion and they sounded great to my ears. I also love the bass sound on the live tracks from Kirk Franklin's The Rebirth Of Kirk Franklin album and the bassist was using a Smith on those.
 
#58
Definitely some unique 'Smith' tonal ranges that I'd find a wonderful addition to my eclectic imaginary :( collection. And I think they are beautiful basses, like Alembic but more pleasing as they don't suffer that TOO retro styling.
 
#59
BASSPLAYERS4HIM said:
Try that ugly bass as you say..." Maybe you will end up liking it..!

Guys...! Guys...! It's all about fingerstyle playing....some of you are confused that if you can thumb or slap ...you will say..." something is wrong with this...bass" well,...I don't agree with that...
Most of our music playing is fingerstyle...you see Jaco..he conquered the World with his Unique Fingerstyle technique....I am sorry guys...It's not about the bass...its about you...the Musician...
The problem is that many of you will keep changing basses ....until you find the right sound to your ear... ..MM said once that we all need to get to know our bass...what it does...how it plays...how it sounds....
The confusions when through the years all of these big musicians started playing thumbing and slapping on bass....and have truely forgotten that fingerstyle playing....Jazz is a fingerstyle technique....it's not about thumbing and slapping....so...your bass will do alot...even if you have a Ken smith...!
"..Something in Music to Learn and Think about..."
Click to expand...

Mind clarifying?
 
#60
BASSPLAYERS4HIM said:
The confusions when through the years all of these big musicians started playing thumbing and slapping on bass....and have truely forgotten that fingerstyle playing....Jazz is a fingerstyle technique....it's not about thumbing and slapping....so...your bass will do alot...even if you have a Ken smith...!
"..Something in Music to Learn and Think about..."
Click to expand...

I have no idea what this means. What??
 

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