Yes, you can rawk/rock out on a Smith Bass...

[John Tompson]

I always use Taper Core Burners on my Smith fretless, and now also on my second Smith, a fretted BSR4M. They tend to sound their best (to me) when the nickel plating dulls and turns gray where my right fingers have been plucking them. The BSR4M which arrived last Wednesday is, even with TC Burners, a very bright bass. I've been playing it an average of 90 minutes daily since it arrived to break it in...if a TC flatwound Smith string existed, I might use it on the BSR4M!