Show your Smith bass!

[Sirinat Pornvisutrakul]

This is my BSR M5 and P.A.P.A. from Bangkok Thailand.

Now , I 'm So Very Very Happy with my new Bass.

[Tim Bishop]

Hey Si, looks like you've got a nice set-up. Thx for the pic!

[Juliano Mourao]

Hello friends,
First let me say that I am very happy to join this forum made up of enthusiasts of Ken Smith basses, even more so to hear that Ken Smith himself participates in it.
By the way, to speak directly with the owner of a company that makes a world famous bass[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Notebook/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG] is really very rare.
My desire for a Ken Smith bass began in 2003, when I saw a show of Luis Miguel called LIVE (on DVD). I was amazed by the beauty and tone of that bass.
My first difficulty was to find out what the brand of bass. That time I had never heard of Ken Smith, neither the people I asked to. Three years later, after showing this DVD to several musicians, I found one that told me it was a Ken Smith.
The second difficulty was to find a Ken Smith to buy. I tried at the biggests stores of musical instruments and at MERCADOLIVRE (the brazilian ebay) and not found.
My dream only could be carried in December 2008, when I met Geisan Varne (he is on the Ken Smith list). He brought from USA to me this BSR-6GN (photos below).
Here you can see the “before and after”, because he had some marks of slap and I restored it here in Brazil.
BEFORE:







AFTER:







Yes JASON MENDELSON, I think that you were the previous owner of this bass. I realized this because i saw the same bad sheet in your photos.

Well, I would like to take this opportunity to ask some questions.
As I said above, which awakened in me the desire to buy a Ken Smith was the show of Luis Miguel. I thought that tone just wonderful.
Here you can see one of the songs from the show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB6K_HOIHps
However, I have tried all possible settings and I havent achieved anything like that sound. I was using a Peavey TNT 115 bass combo amp.
I spoke to Geisan Varne about it and he said that to get that tone I needed a valved amp and recommended me to buy a DAVID EDEN. And I believed it because I am fan of Spyro Gyra and I saw on their site that Scott Ambush uses a DAVID EDEN.
So I bought a David Eden WT 550 and I use it with a cabinet 1x15 (like a HARTKE).
However, I havent got the tone that I seek, and sincerely, I still prefer the sound of my old Peavey TNT 115.
Then I had an idea of searching on the web for somehow to met Gerardo Lalo Carrillo (another vip of Ken Smith list), bass player of Luis Miguel, to get more information about his rig. So, I found his page on Facebook and I left there my question. He answered a few days later but did not clarify nothing. His answer was basically this: "El sonido que usted busca esta en tus dedos y en tu corazon" (The tone that you are serching for is in your fingers and in your heart).
Unsatisfied with this answer I left another message asking if in that show (LIVE) he was using some effects module. He said no, that connects his bass directly to mixer (console).
The fact is that I've tried everything, but I havent got the tone that I am searching for.
Seeing this forum now occurred to me the idea that some of these specialists in Ken Smith basses might have the answer I need.
So I need the cooperation of you to help me to find the sound of my dreams.
Thanks everyone.
(Translated by Google)

[Tim Bishop]

The Eden WT-550 is one of Eden's best, if not the best, bass heads ever made; period. So, if your are looking for a bass head that can handle the job, congratulations, you've got it. Now it's up to you to learn how to use it; whether its the DI out and/or with the appropriate cabinets and speaker configurations.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Juliano Mourao

....Then I had an idea of searching on the web for somehow to met Gerardo Lalo Carrillo (another vip of Ken Smith list), bass player of Luis Miguel, to get more information about his rig. So, I found his page on Facebook and I left there my question. He answered a few days later but did not clarify nothing. His answer was basically this: "El sonido que usted busca esta en tus dedos y en tu corazon" (The tone that you are serching for is in your fingers and in your heart).
Unsatisfied with this answer....

"Unsatisfied with this answer"?.... Sorry to hear you are "unsatisfied" with this answer. There's much truth in this answer and spoken with experience to back it up. You should keep this in mind as you develop your ear, playing style and experience.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Juliano Mourao

....I left another message asking if in that show (LIVE) he was using some effects module. He said no, that connects his bass directly to mixer (console).
....

Not surprised at this answer.

In the end, what you are hearing is both an experienced bass player and sound engineer: It's a great mix for sure, however, it takes both individuals and experience to make it happen.

[Ken Smith]

Looks like that re-finished Bass has the wrong strings as well. Also, what finish is it if re-done? The finish has a sound too! If not my finish, it will not have all of my sound.

[Bob Faulkner]

I hate to say it, but the answer you got is not far off from the truth. While the bass definitely has a major role in the tone, the same bass sounds very different based on who is playing it. My bass sounds totally different to me when someone else plays it.

Tone is a product of the bass, the amp/effects, and the bassist. The clip you provided did seem to have a tube compressed sound to me, but a tone similar to that is definitely alive somewhere in that bass you have. I can get pretty close to that with my fretless Smith, and he's playing with frets, so it's living somewhere in those EQ knobs. I also play through a Peavey Firebass 700 amp which is solid state just like your TNT, and the tone is in there.

[frederic vidal]

It's time to show you my love









It' a 92 BT6

I bought this bass to a guy who change the preamp to a 4 knob glockenlang preamp...

I decided to buy and install the real and the only one Ken Smith 3 knob one and a luthier behind my place worked on it.

He had to make a little peace of wood and add on the hole.

Tell me what do you think...





To Ken,

what do you think about the work on it ?

[David Wolliston]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2313849...7623500694357/

[Bob Faulkner]

on both accounts!

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by frederic vidal

It's time to show you my love









It' a 92 BT6

I bought this bass to a guy who change the preamp to a 4 knob glockenlang preamp...

I decided to buy and install the real and the only one Ken Smith 3 knob one and a luthier behind my place worked on it.

He had to make a little peace of wood and add on the hole.

Tell me what do you think...





To Ken,

what do you think about the work on it ?

The repair from 4 knobs back to the original 3 look to be very well done.

[frederic vidal]

Thanks Ken, i was afraid about that but i'm very happy now, a very good job by an excellent french luthier.