Smith Bass Design and its History (The on-line Book in the making)

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by frederic vidal

+1 for a wonderfull book with lot of pics and history to our favori brand

I order one copy

frédéric : 1

I order 10 copies..

Where do I order them? Who's writing this book??

[frederic vidal]

If you can speak to us the story of the john patitucci collaboration ken.

I remember the first time i saw a Ken Smith bass...

It's on John Patitucci eponyme album, it was in 1988

What a sound ! terrific !

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by frederic vidal

If you can speak to us the story of the john patitucci collaboration ken.

I remember the first time i saw a Ken Smith bass...

It's on John Patitucci eponyme album, it was in 1988

What a sound ! terrific !

It was different than usual. Chick Corea called me up to tell me about his new bassist to be and that he wanted a Smith Bass. I knew Chick thru Stanley Clarke and even got to play with Chick one day so he had my number. He asked that I help this new young player to get the bass he was looking for.

John came over shortly after and tried a Maple 6-string with gold hardware. He was still on the road with Dave Sanborn and had to finish that tour up before starting with Chick. He said if this one sells he would get the next one which I had in production. It was Walnut and maple with Chrome Hardware. We made so few 6s back then and had only that one bridge for a 6 in stock put aside for the 2nd bass, the walnut. Both with our Oil finish we used then.

Shortly after, he called and the first maple bass was sold so he bought the 2nd one, the walnut, sight unseen. The rest is history I guess. People tell me he never sounded better than when he played his Smith 6. The model was a BT back then like today's oil finished neck thrus, GN/BT and Black Tiger models.

I think these basses then sold for under $3k. He paid the regular asking price but did get to reserve the bass while he was out on the road.

[frederic vidal]

And what a great history !

I'm totaly agree with myself

The wonderfull, marvelous, smooth, full and precis sound when he played a KSB miss me a lot.

I can say it, I don't like the sound that it had when it changed instrument but i'm not rancorous, i'm a big fan of his work

Thanks for this piece of history ken.

[Tim Bishop]

That's some cool history there.

[Ben Rose]

How have neck shapes changed over the years in terms of spacing and profile (if at all)?

Also, your basses have a very unique tone. What influenced your pursuit of this sound? Yes, they are capable of a wide variety of sounds, but they always sound like a Smith bass.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ben Rose

How have neck shapes changed over the years in terms of spacing and profile (if at all)?

Also, your basses have a very unique tone. What influenced your pursuit of this sound? Yes, they are capable of a wide variety of sounds, but they always sound like a Smith bass.

How have neck shapes changed over the years in terms of spacing and profile (if at all)?.. Slightly as you can see if you look at basses 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years old. Sometimes it's the wood, the carver, the design. Too broad of a question to really answers because of the variables involved. No two necks are 100% alike. They are made by hand. Spacing however is done with the Nut and Bridge. That stays the same but different periods in the beggining we had somewhat of a learning curve to go through.

What influenced your pursuit of this sound?.. Playing a 300 year old Italian Bass that was superior in its class inspired me to find its mate in an Electric bass. I ended up starting this company to do so. The rest is history.

[Larry Elwood]

Hi Ken,

Not sure if this quite fits in this History of KSB forum but i think it would be interesting to hear about it and it does seem like a pretty significant part of the KSB past.

Can you talk about what lead up to the conception and development of the original Burner Series and how the process unfolded?

How were you able to maintain such excellent quality control with a large part of the building process happening half way around the world - it seems like other instrument manufacturer's can't duplicate what you were able to do when they cross the water.

Thanks!

Larry Elwood

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Larry Elwood

Hi Ken,

Not sure if this quite fits in this History of KSB forum but i think it would be interesting to hear about it and it does seem like a pretty significant part of the KSB past.

Can you talk about what lead up to the conception and development of the original Burner Series and how the process unfolded?

How were you able to maintain such excellent quality control with a large part of the building process happening half way around the world - it seems like other instrument manufacturer's can't duplicate what you were able to do when they cross the water.

Thanks!

Larry Elwood

What let up to it was seeing all of the Asian copies of American Basses. I was at the Frankfurt show in Germany in March of 1989 sharing space as a guest with Jim Dunlop. His good friend and mine now, Toshio Moridaira, owner and founder of MMI (Moridaira Musical Instruments) in Japan and also owner and founder of Morris Guitars. A maker and subcontractor that had made for many famous companies. In Japan, Morris is a famous brand as well. I witnessed that a month later when I went to Japan.. I will get to that.

I asked Toshio (I played golf with both these guys, Jim and Toshio) to walk with me to look at some basses from Japanese companies. One of them offered to make basses for me but then Toshio told me "they are not factory, only trading company". It was that walk on the show floor that opened my eyes as to how things are done. He then became my mentor instantly. He offered to make basses for me as his factory could do the job. A week later when back in New York I sent them a BT neck thru to copy as a bolt-on. The following month in April I flew to 'Frisco to meet with him at his Cali' house and play a little golf with him and Dunlop of course and then off to Japan for business. They were not quite done with the sample when I arrived but we finished it there at the Morris plant in or near Nagano.

The head maker could make Violins, Acoustic Guitars and even Banjos by hand. He was a real Luthier. He said in Japanese that HE must handmake the Artist Model himself and the other models Custom, Deluxe and Standard can be thru normal production. He was clear about that in not such a nice way BUT, he wanted the credit at home for being the Luthier he was. The bass that Hadrien Feraud plays is the Artist model Burner!

This was the start. That sample was an Artist model and we still own it. My son Jon had been playing that same bass since he was 4 years old. He is turning 22 this year. They made 6 more basses for the June Summer NAMM that year in 1989 as samples and then we made the first 3 runs of 40 basses, 40 basses and then 80 basses the third run and finally caught up with the orders from that first show. We had 5 left in stock after producing 166 basses.

Being a personal friend of the owner helps. One day in Tokyo on that trip he walked me around town to some stores. We walked into a Guitar store and the sales girl greeted us like customers, took a second look at Toshio and HIT THE FLOOR bowing to him as if God had just walked in. No Joke. I once saw a head of one of the most famous Japanese brand Guitar companies do almost the same thing in the lobby of the Nashville Convention Center one evening just after 6pm as we were all leaving. This guy (a famous Japanese CEO) was bowing and bowing and bowing as if asking for forgiveness..

My contact in Japan is a Powerful person in this business. I have nothing but respect for him as he started with nothing and built an empire in his own life time. While touring his factory he showed me his old office, now empty. He said "Ken San, (that's what he calls me) if you move to Japan, this can be your office".

Staying at his house with him and his wife and later meeting all 3 of his grown children (2 sons and a daughter) as well as being invited to his Daughters wedding Reception at a Namm show private party tells me he respects me as well.

So, it's not all business. It's people too. Gotta have people. We can't do without them. He taught me about business "first you give trust, and then you get trust". I taught him something we say when asked how things are.. "so far, so good". He loves that saying. He taught me a few words in Japanese as well while I was there.

[Larry Elwood]

Ken,

Wow! Thanks! What a fantastic story. I get it- the level of quality, care and respect that went into those burners... And on a side note - I'm ultra stoked now because only a couple of days ago I acquired beautiful walnut/mahogany/maple 1991 Artist burner 4 string that is in superb shape. Now I know it's back story too!

amazing...

[Tim Bishop]

Ken, you also performed final set-up on the Burner's as well, correct?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Ken, you also performed final set-up on the Burner's as well, correct?

That is correct. We also installed all of the Electronics as well from late 1992 and on. Top woods for all Artist models and the maple and walnut for the Customs were supplied by us as well. We also supplied the fingerboards after 1992 with Morado instead of rosewood during the first few years.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

That is correct. We also installed all of the Electronics as well from late 1992 and on. Top woods for all Artist models and the maple and walnut for the Customs were supplied by us as well. We also supplied the fingerboards after 1992 with Morado instead of rosewood during the first few years.

As for final set-up, etc.: I think this was a critical phase of production that contributed greatly to the Burner's success.