Maple and Ebony

[Bryan L Williams]

How common is it to find a Smith bass that is entirely Maple with an Ebony top and fingerboard?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bryan L Williams

How common is it to find a Smith bass that is entirely Maple with an Ebony top and fingerboard?

Where did you see something like this? No bass is all maple unless it's a bolt-on M model with 3pc neck or an MS with the same in a neck thru and Ebony top over Maple wings? I am confused.

How common? A plain model with a rare Ebony top? Probably never that I can recall.

[Bryan L Williams]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Where did you see something like this? No bass is all maple unless it's a bolt-on M model with 3pc neck or an MS with the same in a neck thru and Ebony top over Maple wings? I am confused.

How common? A plain model with a rare Ebony top? Probably never that I can recall.

I don't think I have ever seen a Smith bass like this; I am surprised that no one has ever ordered an all Maple with Ebony top/fingerboard combination. Perhaps an Ash body, Maple neck, and Ebony top/fingerboard?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bryan L Williams

I don't think I have ever seen a Smith bass like this; I am surprised that no one has ever ordered an all Maple with Ebony top/fingerboard combination. Perhaps an Ash body, Maple neck, and Ebony top/fingerboard?

Are you asking about a neck thru or bolt-on? Also, all necks are multi-laminated. Ebony is an expensive top wood so it would usually be on no less than a 5-pc neck or maple (3pcs) and an exotic (2 quarter inch strips).

We have made many basses with ebony tops but they are usually 5-pc bodies as well, and rarely 3. We do not usually do single laminated tops on higher end models.

Read over the models we make and maybe get a better idea of what we do here.