Favorite Top woods and why?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Keir Riggs

I myself prefer the zebrawood & mahogany combo. It just yields so much in tone when you need to cut through the mix w/o drastically adjusting your preamp. I also like the redwood tops too.

On Smith basses you mean? It takes the whole Bass to make the sound. The Top is only one part of many but an important one.

Different brands of basses will get different results in sound depending on the exact woods, construction and finish.

[Keir Riggs]

Of course Sir!!! This is the Smith forum. The bass that Don Boyette has is totally awesome in tone. I'm not sure of the neck woods, but just from looking at the body it appears to be zebra & mahogany, if I'm incorrect please let me know the correct wood combinations. I would love that bass in a 6 string version.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Keir Riggs

Of course Sir!!! This is the Smith forum. The bass that Don Boyette has is totally awesome in tone. I'm not sure of the neck woods, but just from looking at the body it appears to be zebra & mahogany, if I'm incorrect please let me know the correct wood combinations. I would love that bass in a 6 string version.

Ok, and yes, it probably was Zebra and Mahogany. One has to play the various basses in the same room, same amp and same day to judge the differences between them. Neck woods were probably Maple/Morado like they have been for decades.

We can easily make you a 6-string version of that bass. Of course, we have made 2 circuit revisions since Don's bass was made. Tonally, the circuits have the same and more than they did back then. It just looks different now with its current layout that came out around 1993.

[Keir Riggs]

Definitely looking forward to it !!!! Thank you for the info Sir !!!

[Carlis Hsu]

I have one with Shedua top and it looks, no, it is art, fantastic.

Now I am fascinated by the idea of tiger maple top+core because I love the dense figure so much. and I presume that a maple core+top will make the lightest Ken Smith bass?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Carlis Hsu

I have one with Shedua top and it looks, no, it is art, fantastic.

Now I am fascinated by the idea of tiger maple top+core because I love the dense figure so much. and I presume that a maple core+top will make the lightest Ken Smith bass?

Lightest in color maybe but not lightest in weight.

For weights of our woods, please take a little time and study the charts that I personally made from weighing several individual samples of woods in MY stock here in the building, dried and ready to use.

The information published in books are not accurate for our use because of the moisture level used and the possible variety of the sample, figured or not. Also, all other wood info I have seen published buy builders is either copied from a book or imagined but from what I have seen, not scientifically studied and weighed.

http://www.kensmithbasses.com/woodpa...econtents.html

[Bob Faulkner]

All the Koa hate!

I'm quite pleased with my BSR4EG with Koa as the core wood!.. The color of the wood mixed with the flame figure in the Koa really makes the edges of the bass pop to me, and I can't find anything about the tone of my bass to complain about!

I specifically requested Koa be the core wood in my bass!

My favorite top would be quilted maple, though the highly figured walnut tops Ken has come up with have almost converted me..

[Carlis Hsu]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Lightest in color maybe but not lightest in weight.

For weights of our woods, please take a little time and study the charts that I personally made from weighing several individual samples of woods in MY stock here in the building, dried and ready to use.

Do you remember any Ken Smith bass that was particularly light in weight?

I wonder how important the weight as a factor would be for a good tone, and if a light weight would compromise that tone.