Would you change a Smith?

[Bob Faulkner]

Originally Posted by Mike Jenkins

I don't know if this has been mentioned because I didn't read every post but why not make a separate compartment for the battery that pops open for easy access instead of hiding it under the back plate which has to be screwed off? I have two non-smith's with the feature and it came it handy one night when my batteries went dead.

To expound on this, I wouldn't necessarily want a separate compartment as I've found them to generally involve lousy plastic covers or otherwise be prone to problems.. Also, the less wood carved out of the body of my bass, the happier I am..

To implement something like this I would say make a metal access door in the metal backplate over the battery with a slotted metal latch that can be actuated using a key or screw driver. You get the convenience factor with less risk of damage from minor abuse.

The plastic, spring loaded battery cover on my Dean was broken off by my guitar player when he went to put the bass on to mess around and accidentally bumped the battery compartment, causing the cover to pop open. It was then wrenched out of it's socket by his leg. That compartment was convenient, until a minor bump which is very likely to happen in normal use made a situation where the battery would fall out and dangle from the bass under normal use.. I eventually gave up and fixed it.