Back of the neck
 

Beautiful looking bass Roy. Got mine a few months ago. I can't
put it down. Plays like buttah is putting it mildly. The level of
comfort and playability is exceptional, not to mention the wood
and fretwork. Worth every penny.

Very, Very nice Roy. What is the core, my eyes are getting old and I can't see like I used to.

Core?
 

The Core is Walnut! ;)

Very nice Roy!

I recently traded my 5EG for this KSA-5 20th Anniversary in Flamed Redwood. I'm very pleased with it! It's not to heavy, balance is perfect. It has some playwear but it sounds and plays like a dream (what did you expect?... it's a Smith :-)

http://home.scarlet.be/%7Epin85493/201.jpg
http://home.scarlet.be/%7Epin85493/202.jpg
http://home.scarlet.be/%7Epin85493/203.jpg
http://home.scarlet.be/%7Epin85493/205.jpg

Hey Hector, sorry to take so long to respond I just noticed the post. As you know tone is very subjective and what sounds good to me may sound like crap to the next guy. I like a big warm tone with a lot of bass on the bottom end. While I like plenty of highs I like them in the background and mids to be present but not to overwhelming. The selection of the Series/Parallel switch in this position seems to help me achieve these tones.
Keep in mind both my basses sound very different from each other but the setting still works for me. For this conversation I would say that my Melvin Davis 7 string bass sounds similar to what you might hear from Nathan East and my Ebony 6 would be similar to what you might hear from Stanley Clarke. Of course these comparisons are just my evaluation but I think this is close.
I have been dealing with carpal tunnel in both hands and some other nerve damage so I have not been playing much just teaching. If anyone else is dealing with or has dealt with carpal tunnel please chime in on remedies or exercises that have helped you. Hector, I hope this information helps but as I stated in the beginning tone is very subjective.

Rory

Dirk
You have a very beautiful bass my friend, I am sure it sounds amazing.

Rory

Wow! Congrats Dirk :)

Love that redwood top. I'm curious to know how many of the 20th Anniversary basses were built and also the year it was offered? Mr. Smith, could you do the honors in chiming in with an answer.

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/models...niversary.html

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/models...hruserial.html

Did you have a special reason to choose Redwood for these anniversary basses, Ken? I don't think this wood is very common and was not used much beside this model...

I had it this very old Redwood that I had recently purchased just laying around with no special place to use it. I also had a bunch of old tiger maple cut up for core sets, about 45-50 sets worth just stacked in the shelf so I glued them up together for this model and it was very well received.

WOW, that flamed redwood is AMAZING!

Indeed Jens! It is very eye catching and everything else you can expect from a Smith! Maybe even more :-) (The EVH was nothing for me! and it made me very clear dat a Smith is my thing!) Stil fancy your Ritter though :-)

Greetz,
Dirk

Just landed in "The Netherlands"
 

Just received my BSR EG with a 7 piece neck. Superb sustain, great balance and the known Smith sound. I used it tonight at the rehearsals and I can't afford myself anymore to make any mistake, because you hear every tone you're playing (haha). I played it in combination with my Mike Pope MPP-1 pre-amp and the Bergantino IP112ER.

Yes!
 

Bee! Uuu! Ttt! Full!

Wow! That's a wonderfull bass Hans! Beautifull neck & body, very unique!

Hear are my weapons of choice
 

my weapons of choice

Very nice "armory" Darelle :-)

BSR 6 Walnut Old School
 

I picked up this bass yesterday. My first 6 string.
Great tone and action.
The body is all walnut with a pau ferro fingerboard and maple neck.
Its from 1999. You dont see these much so I thought I should post.

Duco Romme
Holland

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

Beautiful walnut finish.

finish?
 

It's not a finish. It's just real Walnut!

LOL.

After watching your video that came with my bass and all the compliments
that I get about the beauty of the wood, well what can I say!

Here is mine, Ken Smith Burner Onyx from 98'

http://le.ste.free.fr/divers/Ken_Smith/KS1.jpg
http://le.ste.free.fr/divers/Ken_Smith/KS2.jpg
http://le.ste.free.fr/divers/Ken_Smith/KS3.jpg
http://le.ste.free.fr/divers/Ken_Smith/KS4.jpg
:cool:

Ahh yes!
 

My first Smith was a Burner 6 Onyx Black with Soapbar P/U's (in other words, just like this one except with 6 strings and Soapbar P/U's). Still have that bass today. It was actually THE LAST Burner 6 made. It was also the reason I came to love Smith basses over the last 14 years and to-date.

Thanks Tim
To me, it's like discover a new level of playability, tone, feel. I dig this thing ! :)

Understood.
 

I understand completely. ;)

Ken smith burner custom 5 1993
 

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...34409236_n.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...21517514_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...50927288_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...70978459_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...57458130_n.jpg

The BEAST
 

Ok here is my Beauty #79490...The BEAST!!....This is a 1989 (3 KNOB!) custom black walnut, maple & mahogony core I do believe...Not sure what the dark wood running through the neck is....But the fret board is the most highly figured Ebony? I have ever seen...is it quarter sawn to get that figure?
It has been my baby for the last 6 years & is MINT...now two baby's later I may need to unload this treasure soon..but only to a players home....if I can bare to part with it!

Thanks Ken & crew!

BK

79490
 

The number 794 90 is from 1990 unless it was numbered in advance which I doubt and was completed before the new year in '89. What is the actual date on the label? Can you show that?

The neck strips if dark brown are Morado.

The fingerboard is wavy grain ebony, possibly Macassar but could be Indian. Figure would be a pattern running across the grain like the flames in the walnut. Quartersawn grain would be straight up and down but can be wavy depending how the tree grew.

label?
 

Here is the stamp.
Thanks for any and all info!

Ok, but can we see the label from the back plate? That is where the date is to match that number.

Duh, all the times I have pulled off the back & changed the battery I have never noticed the label.....DA BEAST is a 1990..

Wow, so now you really now the date!.. ;)

Hector that's a beautiful bass.

Back in 96 I think, I went to a Yuri concert in Tijuana, I was part of the team that set up the stage and all the instruments. I had a chance to see the Smith of the bass player. I talked to him before they did a sound check and he said that Smith was not his, it was actually Hector Hermosillo's (former guitar player of Luis Miguel) Ken Smith bass. The Smith looked exactly like this:
http://www.kensmithbasses.com/models...a_avodire.html
but it was the CR version with 5 strings. That Smith had an agressive growl in your face that I really like. I even had a chance to play with it :D

I currently own a BSR6GN walnut top/back with tiger maple core, really love the sound of the walnut. I'm saving for a second Smith, and the wife just gave me permission to buy one :p. So that said I want a CR5M with flamed avodire wings and walnut center block with black hardware. My question to you is, how would you describe the sound of your bass?

Eyesore No More!
 

Bought this beautiful lady last year (1995 CR-5 in zebra with mahogany core), and finally got around to calling the shop for the $5 volume knob to bring her back to spec. A big improvement, wouldn't you say?

BEFORE

[IMG]http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/...lyadjusted.jpg[/IMG]

AFTER

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/...opy640x480.jpg

Yes...
 

Yes. As it should be.

???
 

...However, who did the mod on the pre-amp and body? It looks like someone replaced the mid control with a 1/4 jack.

If the seller is to be believed, all mods came straight from the shop. He claimed to have worked at KSB in the 1990's, and told me he had this bass built while employed there. His name is Scott He_ _ _ _d. It was sold without a case, btw.

The pics are interesting. First one is the lower bout: no jack plug hole ever drilled as far as I can tell.

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/...outresized.jpg

Next is the control cavity. Yes, jack plug goes through the rout usually designated for tone pot. Looks like pretty good work to me! And if anyone would like to chime in, I'd like to know whether this is the old 9v BT circuit, or if it's the BMT minus the mid.

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/...l--resized.jpg

And finally, here's the maker's mark.

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/...r--resized.jpg

So there you have it. I'd be interested to hear anything that Ken might recollect or have to say about the bass or the story that came with it. And I appreciate your eyes, Tim: I haven't spent enough time with enough different KS basses to be able to quickly discern something as noticeable as a jack plug where a tone pot should be!

ok..
 

I don't remember the exact order other then he wanted the Mahogany Core thicker for the sound and I guess from these pictures, the bass drilled for the BMT (5 holes) but only the BT section (4 holes) of it so the Top jack could go it its place.