figured walnut VS macassar ebony top on 25th

[jillcarol]

thank you KS for your professional answer on the difference between crotch walnut and claro walnut:p
KS is great bass, and IMO 25th is the greatest among alembic,fodera,ritter...because it supply customers with its best choice wood top and back, for example the exibition grade tiger maple, quilted maple or figured walnut...among these, figured walnut is my favourite because of its beautiful figure and dark color...
besides, the customer can also choose some exotic wood for a 25th's top:cocobolo, zebrawood or macassar ebony
ebony is much heavier and blacker than walnut, maybe it could give me a darker tone,so i love figured walnut, but ebony tempts me too:D
i konw that nice figured walnut is the badge of black tiger elite, and the ebony is a free choice for your another high-end bass:BSR EG, the two are both great, but on the pice list, if one wants to choose exibition figured walnut on a BSR EG top, he should pay $670, although you say macassar ebony is an EXTREMELY RARE and EXPENSIVE exotic wood
http://www.kensmithbasses.com/woodpages/ebony.html
one only pay $270, he can get a ebony top on fusion MS or GN &
BT G, so this means that your best figured walnut is much more expensive than macassar ebony?:confused:
another question confusing me is that the ebony on a 25th is the same as the one on a BSR EG or a little better(it seems that ebony doesn't have the AAA or AAAAA dividing line like maple or walnut）？
thank you，smith，best wishes;)

[Ken Smith]

Ebony is rare in wide pieces and expensive but all the Ebony we have is high grade Macassar (http://www.kensmithbasses.com/woodpages/ebony.html). Some like more black and some like more brown as the wood is mixed with both colors. There is no visible figure in Ebony for the most part.

In the Walnut figures, we can but 100 or 1000 trees and still not find a single piece of 5a figure. With Ebony, it is just Ebony. The figuring of Walnut happens naturally by nature and until you find it, you have to look long and hard. I have tried buying the best Logs and Flitches to get the figured material but very few pieces yield a 5a grade figure in the Walnut. It is a freak of nature, not a species.

The Ebony is not available on an MS model or a GN usually. It is not a good wood for Oil Finish. When you see the price as 'From' for the 3 woods listed, that means that they 'start' at that price. In this case it would be the Zebrawood but an MS is a solid bodywing so first you have top pay for a laminated model and then add the Zebra cost. The Cocobolo is more and the Ebony is even more. Do not try and buy the cheaper model and add all the extras to it. It will cost you more for a Bass with still less features. Order the model that has the features and woods you want. Then you will get the best we can offer all around for your money and our work.

Premium Exotic Tops (Zebra, Ebony, Cocobolo) (http://www.kensmithbasses.com/PriceandOptionsList.htm)
(J)N/A
(J-MW)N/A
(M)CALL
(MW)CALL
(P)from $270
(MS)CALL (The Fusion MS has been discontinued)
(GN) from $270

We make the Model packages the way we do for a reason. Trying to mix things up too much can result in a Bass that is over loaded with options so it's best to get the model that is the closest to your needs.

I usually tell people to send me a list of what the want within the Specs that we build. Then, I will tell them what the best packaged model will be. Trying to load up a Chevy to be a Cadillac may not be cost effective in the long run. Either scale back the options on the Chevy or go for the Caddy!;)