First time showing off your bass in public

[Desmund Nichols]

My first time showing off my bass was at my church. The other bass player has a Tobias Classic (the good ones) and I tried to keep it a secret that I was getting a Smith. But you know, you tell the wrong person and when in the room with everybody, he blurts it out. Well anyway, when I did it, it was before a service so we was just in the church talking, and I went out to my car and bought out a case. And inside the case was my bass. I told him to open it and he laid the case down and opened it slowly and you can hear the "aw" from everybody. He was afraid to play it too. He was saying that some people buy cars, but i bought a Smith. But the second time was when I went to go look for a new cab, so I went to Guitar Center to try out a new cab, and I had my Smith with me. 2 weeks old and brand new, so I am playing it and people are just coming around looking at me play. The sales persons are coming up to me and taking their stares and it was just nice. I bet someone else thought that it was a bass that they was selling so they was waiting for me to put it down, but that wasnt happeneing. But mostly, I get a lot of stares and "aw's". Whats your story

[Alejandro Zorrilla]

Well, the first time I used my ken live was in a gig with plenty of guitar players (I don´t know it in english but it was a guitar duel ? duelo de guitarras) You know, we just fool around with Hendrix, Zeppelin and Purples stuff where guitar players show off (Of course I had my bass solo )

But many of them said: WTF!!? Thats a pretty cool bass, very nice in apearance.

The best part was, that as you said when you start talking you have a Ken Smith everybody goes OHH youve got a Smith bass! congrats! People were more exited than me, cause i didn´t really know what I had purchased. I have toy say I baught it second handed!

Thats about it... who else?

[Paul Phillips]

Been playing Smiths for over 12 years now and have many gig`s and recording sessions with my Smith basses and alway`s have someone to comment what a sweet sounding bass i have!!, regulars that are at gig`s ask me where is the other bass you alway`s play? when I have my 62 jazz with me!!, know what you mean to have people alway`s asking about the bass, Have had the same thing happen to me people at stores asking can i have the bass next!!! Not happening......sorry!!My freind!!!!!!

[Paul Phillips]

Hans play the you know what out of that bass,Yes you may have saved a while but wear that bad boy out!!, My fretted Smiths have already had fret work done to them. Ken made them for that reason play it it won`t hurt it it will make you love it that much more!! laters Gators

[Steve_M]

I remember thinking the new (then) BSR shape was particularly attractive and had lusted after a Smith 6 string ever since hearing John Pattitucci play 'Our Family' on a Guitar Player cover disc in the mid-late 80's.

Eventually my career picked up (about 15 years later) and I bought my BSR5 from Bob at the Bass Palace. I was working in China at the time and so had the bass shipped to the company offices in Hong Kong for me to collect on my way through to Nanjing.

The bass had been kept in the office of the Asia-Pacific director himself and although he was out when I called, I remember viewing the bass all boxed up and thinking "Wow! This is it! I finally have a Smith". Of course when I took it out of the case, the smell of the polish and sheen of the quilted maple turned it into a near reverential experience. I took it over to China on the next flight and I just got kicks from looking at it. (No amp in the hotel so I couldn't hear it until I got it home to the UK.)

The Smith 6 was next about 9 months later. I'd left the job in China, and sold my house in Plymouth, UK and pretty much tripled my deposit in about 18 months with how crazy house prices were getting at that time. So to celebrate selling the house, I bought my Smith 6 new from the Bass Gallery. The bass had been sitting in their shop for about 6 months so I made them an offer on it and they accepted. Again, the same reverential experience when I got it home only I had TWO to look at this time. Playing it was pretty awe inspiring listening clear, sweet treble and growly warmth.

Liquid honey.

So I made do with those two basses but my band needed fretless bass for some of the songs and I couldn't find a fretless Smith anyway for sale for a long time. There were a couple of near misses with a fretless 6 at Bass NorthWest going shortly before I'd made my mind up. In the meantime I made do with a Pedulla Pentabuzz but the tonal differences between it and the Smith made it difficult to swap instruments mid-set without some serious knob twiddling on the amp. I tried matching the Pentabuzz with an MVP and the fretted Modulus Quantum 5 sweetspot I had with a matching fretless but none of them were consistent enough.

Then eventually I spotted my Smith fretless last year at BassNW again and a couple of emails later, the bass had been paid for and my credit card was groaning slightly!

All three instruments have slightly different tonal characters but the differences are not significant enough to need tweaking on the amps. So now I'm a happy bunny with my workhorses - nothing else needed for the neo soul band I'm in.

I can record pretty sweet sounding tracks with all the basses because they need so little eq into the desk - producers love them for how fat they sound. In short they've all been very satisfying to own and play, and I guess that's where its at for me.

[Tim Bishop]

I never thought of it as "showing off my bass". I was more concerned as to whether or not it was the right bass for me at that time, however, I can understand ones inclination to want to show-off a masterpiece such as a Smith bass.

[Martin Duarte]

Hi,
I just bought a BSR Elite 6 string, and haven't been able to play it. I'm going to study at Berklee, and I'll be arriving on Monday, and I have the bass there waiting for me!!!! I'll tell you what people think once they see my bass!!! But for everyone out there, congrats on your axes, and long live Ken Smith Basses!!!

Martin

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Martin Duarte

Hi,
I just bought a BSR Elite 6 string, and haven't been able to play it. I'm going to study at Berklee, and I'll be arriving on Monday, and I have the bass there waiting for me!!!! I'll tell you what people think once they see my bass!!! But for everyone out there, congrats on your axes, and long live Ken Smith Basses!!!

Martin

As my brother Tim has previously stated I too mainly desired a Ken Smith Bass on the strength of the sound it produces. Its overall beauty is just icing on the cake. Ken is a world renown Luther and he pours his heart and soul into each and every Bass he creates, not produces, but creates, their is a resounding difference.

[Martin Duarte]

Albert,

I totally agree, specially after seeing the factory tour video, you realize that for Ken building basses is not just business: it's a work of a lifetime that shows dedication and passion.

By the way, how does your BSR sound? I haven't been able to play mine yet.

Take care,

Martin

[Dennis Michaels]

When I bought my 5M in Indy the strings were dead. I bought it at around 5 o'clock in the evening. I bought strings and changed them. A few minor tweaks of the bridge to correct the action after string change and the tiger maple 5 made it's debut that night in the pit of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". I didn't tell the F.O.H. sound man of the change before the show. I set up my Eden preamp gain to be at the same level so I figured it really wouldn't matter to him anyway because he was seeing the same feed. He found me at intermission and said "What the F*** did you change down there. The focus and tightness of the change is astounding". I figured I would have to play with it for a week or so before it saw duty. You know, the tweaking and getting comfortable with a new bass and all that. Fresh strings and boogie baby. It was an old friend immediately. I can not imagine my career without Ken Smith basses.

[Desmund Nichols]

Any more stories?

[Joshua Phelps]

Does anyone else ever feel like when you pull out a bass like a smith that people expect a certain something from you? Like some crazy slap/tap solo with a 1000 notes? Kinda sketches me out when people (non bass players) approach me about a bass especially if i have the butterflies & have just arrived at the gig.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Joshua Phelps

Does anyone else ever feel like when you pull out a bass like a smith that people expect a certain something from you? Like some crazy slap/tap solo with a 1000 notes? Kinda sketches me out when people (non bass players) approach me about a bass especially if i have the butterflies & have just arrived at the gig.

In the beginning (KSB), I was still gigging for a living. I had this small amp on stage for this gig and a Smith bass in hand. One of the guys in the band came over and said "wow, that sounds great. What amp is that?" .. I said, "it's not the amp, it's the bass". He looked at me like I was crazy. This is what I went thru in the beginning. Clueless people around me that had no idea a bass itself could be made and sound better.

[Joshua Phelps]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

In the beginning (KSB), I was still gigging for a living. I had this small amp on stage for this gig and a Smith bass in hand. One of the guys in the band came over and said "wow, that sounds great. What amp is that?" .. I said, "it's not the amp, it's the bass". He looked at me like I was crazy. This is what I went thru in the beginning. Clueless people around me that had no idea a bass itself could be made and sound better.

I agree 100%. Smith basses are works of art in every way even to sit & look at but just like our uprights at the end of the day these are the tools for our trade & the best ones in the business in my opinion & I bring these basses because they sound the best & that's what matters. I'm sure some guys do buy certain basses to wow people but I will never understand that. The beautiful presentation of smith basses is just a bonus to me. Having a smith as a collectors piece is ok I guess but it seems like putting a tiger in a cage (no pun intended) & these basses are built to be played.

[Frederick Schurger]

Originally Posted by Joshua Phelps

I agree 100%. Smith basses are works of art in every way even to sit & look at but just like our uprights at the end of the day these are the tools for our trade & the best ones in the business in my opinion & I bring these basses because they sound the best & that's what matters. I'm sure some guys do buy certain basses to wow people but I will never understand that. The beautiful presentation of smith basses is just a bonus to me. Having a smith as a collectors piece is ok I guess but it seems like putting a tiger in a cage (no pun intended) & these basses are built to be played.

Not quite in public, but I remember the weekend that I got my CR5G as well as one of Tobias' MTD's, comparing and contrasting them trying to figure out which one spoke to me, as this was my first 5-string. I got together with some old friends for a jam session, going back and forth between the basses, as we were comparing styles & sounds. Hands down it was the Smith that had the best punch. And even tho I'm not realizing that I need to be using BSR's for how I like to play (the CR5G is a vintage style), I don't plan on giving it up any time soon!!