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Old 12-22-2009, 06:21 PM
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Ken Smith Ken Smith is offline
Bassist, Luthier & Admin
 
Join Date: 01-18-2007
Location: Perkasie, PA
Posts: 4,851
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Arrow >>> Czech article continued..

1. Are you still active bass player?...do you play bands or orchestras?.. I play in 2 orchestras now. One is my main gig and the other I use for sight reading practice but if I have any other gigs, I do them instead of the second orchestra because that orchestra is just for the community. The main one is a paid regional orchestra. I play principal/1st bass in both. I also get calls to sub in other similar orchestras in the area as well. I do jazz gigs from duos to big bands and shows like those on B'way. I did B'way in NY when I worked there so I am no stranger to the pit.
2. Your company has long history with many accomplishments but what is biggest success for you and for your company? ..humm.. making the 1000th bass.. no.. 2000th.. no.. 5000th.. gee.. my fingers hurt.. Maybe seeing all the other companies copy what I do all over the world was the biggest except they don't pay me, they just steal. I have done some design consult for Brooklyn Gear KSDs, KSD Burners and Sleek Elite KSD Brooklyn and new Burner Japan basses. the Japan basses are hand made in Japan and of high quality. They use my wood for the necks and fingerboards. The BG KSDs are Chinese imports now, b4 there were from Korea. (Note; Brooklyn Gear turned over the KSD line of Basses to D'Andrea Mfg. earlier this year. They are now made in China instead of Korea, KS.)

3. We can find many different wood combinations on your instruments but I think these two are most popular (for body) : maple/mahogany core or walnut/maple core…can you tell as differences in sound of these two wood combos?.. humm.. most popular? Says who? (me Wimpy :-) ).. To be specific the most popular depends on the model. The Elite Neck thru I can say Quilt maple or tiger over mahogany. Now we use a lot of low figure quilt or western tiger (same wood) for cores. It balances the lows better I think and we don't have to buy it. We just use whats not pretty enough for the Tops.. Conservation.. Walnut or maple is another favorite for all level models.. Differences? Walnut to me has more highs or audible mids spread by the maple core. The Quilt over mahogany has more low crunch and tight sizzle highs.. Both winners..

4. Which combination of woods on your instruments is best for fat groovy sounding instruments and which combination is better for let say jazz-bassist „soloist“?.. The Walnut top basses scream out more so that for the funk and stuff.. Jazz to be smoother I love the maple.. It's the mellower of the two. Cores can color to a degree.. but 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 pc bodies.. more variables..
5. Do you prefer ebony or morado/pau ferro for fret board? …ebony is nice but maybe morado/pau ferro is better for lower frequencies delivery... Morado has a slower decay and ebony peaks faster.. Drop them both on the floor and listen. Like tone tap.. Just using the floor.. lol.. Morado is smooth and more stable from shrinkage or cracking than ebony. The ebony we have for the last 15 years is the best I have seen.. It is the king for fingerboards for high end. It is just more childish and needs attention..
6. We can see your offer old double basses from different countries (Italian, English, French, American, German & Bohemian) Which of these old instruments are your favorite?.. wow.. shhh.. my Storioni is the king.. The big Gamba is BIG but unless I get them side by side, I don't know which is better. The Storioni has Italian money so it should be the best. It has sloped shoulders so easy to play. The Gilkes is the classic of gods workmanship. Almost looks half its age till its examined close, real close.. The Hart is a rare classic but the Martini goes out more. At a lower value and a newer sturdy made bass, the Martini is a safer bass for me to bring out to orchestra rehearsals and concerts. Some times I take the Martini out and then I decide i want more bass and bring the Gilkes or Hart to the last rehearsal or concert. Many of my basses are in restoration now and these are mostly inventory. My personal ones that I play most are the Martini, Gilkes, Hart sometimes and the Storioni when it was here. After it is fixed, I will still go out with the Martini and take the Storioni for the concert or 1 rehearsal. I have the best basses of all the players in the orchestra usually so showing off by drowning everyone out is not a nice thing. In my main orchestra if I am so loud, the other players just sit back and play half.. then I end up working harder and the conductor screams at them. The Martini is a great bass but doesn't wipe out the rest of the section.. For jazz gigs, I take what is safe depending on where I play and usually but not always with a bass fitted for a pickup for the amp., More Questions? this is fun.. lol.. You didn't ask me about Bows.. (the Gilkes and Big Gamba mentioned above have since been sold. My main Basses for all my Orchestra work now is my Martini or the Hart but I also have a Jacquet I'm preparing, KS.)
7. It was pleasure for me to see over there instruments from our country how do you like these old Czech/Bohemians instruments? Czech/Bohemian basses here are manly the lower grade ones made for export on the last 50-150 years. I have seen some nice handmade basses from your area but they are usually kept locally and the players don't sell them. For orchestra basses most of the better ones are the Italian and English but I have seen some big Germans and Viennese that fit right in. The jazz players love the smaller 3/4 type commercial Czech basses. The amplify well but sound too small for the orchestra. Like student grade basses I call these for orchestra.
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