Kens electric?

[Joshua Phelps]

Curious. What type & how many electric smiths do you have at home? While on the topic what amps do you own?


Thanks ken

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Joshua Phelps

Curious. What type & how many electric smiths do you have at home? While on the topic what amps do you own?


Thanks ken

Josh, I do not play much electric these days. Once in awhile, I get called for a gig and need one. Maybe once or twice a year or less.

All of the Smith basses that are 'family' owned include a BSR4M/quilt, 5M/walnut, 4GN/walnut-maple, a 1985 BT5G and 3 Burners, a 4, 5 and 6. The 5/artist and 6/standard-natural are the prototypes and the 4 is a BSR'B'/deluxe trans-blk.

All of these basses belong to my son Jon with the exception of the 5M/walnut which is his favorite so he's got that too.

The last gig on Electric was nearly 2 years ago at a Girls College, 5 nights with rehearsals doing the show Fame and I used the Burner 4/dlx. Maybe 2 years before that I did a big band job and played DB on most of the tunes but used the Smith 5M/walnut for the RB stuff the last set.

A year before that I played a party and used the 5M as well. Before that a year or two I was called to play a show one town over for about 2 weeks with rehearsals and they asked for Electric. After hearing the tape that came with the book ('Always Patsy Klein') which was a BG on the recording, I suggested playing DB on it for more authenticity. We agreed that I would play the DB at the first rehearsal and then see. At the first break I asked the singer if the Upright was making it for her and she said 'yes, play that'. So, I was able to switch to my preferred instrument for that venue.

All, of these gigs mentioned tally up to less than a months work within several years. So, if I need a bass, I just ask my son which one is available to use. As simple as that. When I was a full time working player in NY (retired in '87/88), this much work would have been less than a months worth. I would have been doing sessions during the day, shows at night and squeezing students in when I wasn't on a gig. Also, running the business in the '80s as I took less work and worked more than I ever had trying to do everything.

The thing I hate most of all after driving long distances to play is carrying an Amp. Once on the gig, I will play as long as needed. I currently use one amp for gigs, an EBS Drome 15. Under my Bench is an SWR Redhead, serial #48, 1988. It has been back at least once for repairs and has been modified closer up to the newer model or the Redhead II but she stays in the shop and has never been used out. It was moved from NY to Perkasie in 1995 and the 3 years later to the current and final building 4 blocks up the street.

I have an original SWR Baby Blue as well, now partially modified to a BBII from repairs but that is used mainly by my son for practice. He has some other amps as well. A couple of time I used his EBS 350/2-10 rig. Once in a Concert Band Park concert because my Amp died and he got it to me by the 3rd or 4th piece and once on a recorded concert with the same 60-piece concert band.

I turned the treble down all the way or mostly, the horn off and then did some EQ work. I was using then on all the mentioned gigs my Batchelder bass. That was my main bass when I went back to playing after 2001. On that concert, we did 2 classical pieces Tchaik. 4th and Shostak. 5th and was playing with the bow and amp. Walking on broken glass there. We also played 'when the saints' which had a few chorus duet with a clarinet and bass/me in which I soloed in an intermingled way with the clarinet in the last half of the piece. There were some standard concert things that bands play and a big band number or two. On one of the rehearsal nights with had a nasty storm, cold, rainy on and off and super high winds. This kept nearly a 3rd of the members from showing up that Thursday night and at the last minute, borrowed my son's Burner 5er/artist-16mm spacing. I had an old Sunn amp head and a custom 15" cab I used with it that I usually just left at the rehearsal hall. When I showed up with the Burner bass, one player said to me, "what's that?". I said, "it's either this tonight or I stay home!" Even with the electric, the wind was blowing me side to side as I walked a few yards from my car to the building and up the few steps till I was in the front door.

So, I don't play the electric all that much these days. I just make sure they get made for you guys because I am sort of done gigging on them and carrying amps around IF I can help it. Playing the DB is what I do now personally when I do play. In my 20 years of working in NY on Bass, I played mainly Electric because of the call. I loved when the gig was on upright. Doubling was good too but a bit of a juggling act sometimes or most of the times. I preferred one or the other personally. I used many of the various models when I was playing during the first 8 or so years of the business.

One last story on this post. Have you (or any of you) heard of Ginger Rogers (from the GR and Fred Astair fame)? Her last big stage performance before fully retiring a few years later was in 1980 at Radio City. I was the bassist at the Music Hall then and used the first Smith Electric Bass with the full gold plate electronics panel on board. On one ballad, the downbeat wad a C so I slid into it on the A-string from a G. G4-----------------C1 2, 3, 4 (counting the beats and trying to show you the long lazy slide.) The conductor (Don Pippin) whom I had worked on B'way with in 1973 and once after backing a singer (his wife at the time) said that Ginger asked, "what instrument is making that sound on the intro?". At the end of the 3 or so weeks there was a party upstairs for her and I was introduced to her by the conductor as "the guy making that sound". The note I don't think was written in or at least not as a glissando but never the less, this is what happens on stage sometimes. You try it and it sticks or it doesn't. It stuck that time!

Here's a couple of clips I just found and it must be me playing because I never took a night off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcE4jQLfTO4 (I am left of the conductor and not so close but it's dark. I barely remember doing the gig but it was me.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lZVc-ZglUQ (this I have no memory of but I was there then so I probably just blanked out the staged and followed the conductor plus, being below and in front of the stage we can barely see 3 feet on to it.

Also a small read here on her.

[Joshua Phelps]

Those Clips are Great. Neat to Hear an Old School Smith Too. Ive always Wanted to Try one with the Gold Plate.

Wasnt aware your Son was a Player too (very cool). Thats a Nice Collection of Smiths he Has also.