Got to play a very special Smith....

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by SongJinYoung

Oh!! How beautiful she is!!!

Hey Ken!!
Someone told me that KS was made by S.Spector #001~#032
Is it true??

The parts for the first 16 were glued up there at the old Brooklyn Spector shop where Vinne worked. Then they were sent out for carving at another place, the same that carved the Spector Basses. When they came back, the machine marks were scraped off, final carving and Fingerboard work were done and all sanding and Oil finishing. Then I picked them up and to them to my place for the set-up work of all the parts. The Fret work was not so good and some needed touch-up. For the second 16, another Luthier and myself made and glued up all the Parts, took them to Spector where they prepped them for the Carving machine company and so on till they were done the same way. Then, I opened up a shop (mid 1980) with Fodera as my first employee as he left Spector to work with me.

Most of the History written about me is accurate. Some of it is other peoples point of View. NO SMITH BASS was EVER made without me, ever! I personally worked on every Bass and still do so saying that someone MADE my Bass is an INACCURATE statement! On those first 32, all the Maple for the Body and neck parts were personally picked and purchased by me and shipped to the Shop from the Lumber company. I was involved to the point that I turned down jobs as a Bassist when ever I was needed in the Shop or at a trade show.

[SongJinYoung]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

The parts for the first 16 were glued up there at the old Brooklyn Spector shop where Vinne worked. Then they were sent out for carving at another place, the same that carved the Spector Basses. When they came back, the machine marks were scraped off, final carving and Fingerboard work were done and all sanding and Oil finishing. Then I picked them up and to them to my place for the set-up work of all the parts. The Fret work was not so good and some needed touch-up. For the second 16, another Luthier and myself made and glued up all the Parts, took them to Spector where they prepped them for the Carving machine company and so on till they were done the same way. Then, I opened up a shop (mid 1980) with Fodera as my first employee as he left Spector to work with me.

Most of the History written about me is accurate. Some of it is other peoples point of View. NO SMITH BASS was EVER made without me, ever! I personally worked on every Bass and still do so saying that someone MADE my Bass is an INACCURATE statement! On those first 32, all the Maple for the Body and neck parts were personally picked and purchased by me and shipped to the Shop from the Lumber company. I was involved to the point that I turned down jobs as a Bassist when ever I was needed in the Shop or at a trade show.

I see Ken!! Thanks for answer!!
After electric bass was invented, Many basses and luthiers have been an enterance and closed!!
Though it was expensive high-end model,
KS basses is one of the company which has loved for long time!!

Every loved thing has the resson be loved!!

Thanks ken for the great basses!!

[Dennis Michaels]

Ken,

Can you fill me in on the control panel. That is a lot of knobs and switches.

[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.

[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!