Got to play a very special Smith....

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Michael Stram

If memory serves :

theres obviously volume and tone, I think theres a filter sweep style tone control..similar to a tonal balance...maybe like a fender tone stack?

Theres a mutron inside it too.

Its funny. you plug it in and it lights up..wich is cool, but Ramsey Lewis who Billy played with at the time, didnt like the lights..got in the way of his stage importance , so I think either ken or someone ended up making a box for it to shut the lled's off.

Another silly side not, in Billy's first vidoes featuring the 6, youll hear the filter kick in during a solo or 2, its by accident..when he goes, he goes and anything in the way gets knocked over

Hey Bob, are those the origional pups? Do you know if Bill Lawrence did those? billys bass has Barts in it.

Bill's Bass had some special made Pickups and not form either of those companies. I have no idea about any box for the lights you mentioned.

[Michael Stram]

Hi Ken,

When Billy showed me the bass, I didnt ask about the box's origination. but right now it has bartolinis in it and the box wich looks kinda like an old radio shack project box would kick off the leds. Eh, if it works, it works..

Have you ever thought of doing a limited run of the origionals or is that something you dont really want to touch? Just wondering.

I really dug the brass(?) back plate for the electronics. That was unheard of back then.

Thank you for making the basses that you do. No other bass plays like a Smith and no other bass sounds like a smith.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Michael Stram

Hi Ken,

When Billy showed me the bass, I didnt ask about the box's origination. but right now it has bartolinis in it and the box wich looks kinda like an old radio shack project box would kick off the leds. Eh, if it works, it works..

Have you ever thought of doing a limited run of the origionals or is that something you dont really want to touch? Just wondering.

I really dug the brass(?) back plate for the electronics. That was unheard of back then.

Thank you for making the basses that you do. No other bass plays like a Smith and no other bass sounds like a smith.

Not cost effective in many ways. The Plates on the Bass, 4 or\f them are all Gold plated Brass. That includes the back cover, truss rod cover and logo as well as the control plate. Each circuit back then with tooling cost me almost as much as I charged for the Basses. We only made about 60 of them and the tooling expense was over 10k for the electronics alone.

Thanks but no thanks on the re-issue plan!

[Michael Stram]

YEOW! Yeah keep those limited ones limited and very special.

did you do any other relief carving or is the 4 string pictured in this thread the only one? Its really nice.

[Ken Smith]

First off, Vinne Fodera was working for me at that time (1980-1983) and he did all the Pearl work and that relief carving. I don't recall any others with carvings but it's possible. It was only 4-strings we made back then with the exception of the two 6s we made. One for Anthony and the second one found its home with Bill Dickens.

[Michael Stram]

Sorry about the confusion. How did you meet Billy? Was it a trade show or was he playing somewhere?

I apologize if my questions are trite or bothersome. I've always been interested in how and where things start.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Michael Stram

Sorry about the confusion. How did you meet Billy? Was it a trade show or was he playing somewhere?

I apologize if my questions are trite or bothersome. I've always been interested in how and where things start.

I don't recall exactly but I think he called me and was playing at the BlueNote or FatTuesdays. I saw him at both places there with Ramsey Lewis. I forget which was first.