Modern bass went into a whole new chapter in the 80s, music industry was in its peak back then, with very high demands for live and studio musicians everywhere.  The need for electric bass also evolved.  In the late 70s there were a lot of instrument makers building some very thought after basses and became today’s classic.  Ken Smith is one of them. 

Background
Ken is a working musician and started his bass making company in 1978 .   By putting his player thoughts and experiences into bass building, with the highest expectation in every details.  He has made some of the most innovative, practical and efficient electric basses that IMO represents the 80’s bass sound.  And his basses still holds the highest standard in today’s expectation. 

Specs

• 5pcs Neckthru construction
• Maple neck
• Macassar Ebony fingerboard
• Walnut wing with Cocobolo top and back
• 34" / 24 frets / 6 String (low B to hi C)
• 18mm string spacing
• Grover tuner
• Proprietary Humbucker pickups
• Proprietary preamp, Controls are - Vol / Pan / Hi / Mid / Lo ,  push/pull Vol for active/passive switch
• 12lbs

Playbility
This 20+ years old bass has a dead straight neck with low / buzz free action .   It’s pretty crazy consider the size of the neck/fingerboard .  I did the string change once with Smith brand steel strings, no adjustment required and everything remains dead on. 

All 6 strings are very well balanced, the entire fingerboard is easy to reach.  It’s a heavy bass at 12lbs, balance/play well in sitting position, but I found the neck dives slightly in standing position, having a short and sturdy strap can address this so call issue.   The later BSR models with longer upper horn balances better (in standing position) . 

Sound
To me Smith basses represents the bass sound of the 80s .  Often that thick growly bridge finger sound in jazz/fusion music .  It focus and cuts so well with the pan rolling toward the bridge and some mild mid/low boost, and it’s pretty dope .. 

But this bass can do a lot more than that ..  naturally(passively) it’s combination of walnut wing(warmth), maple neck(raw punch) and ebony fingerboard(upper-mid ping)  brings a very open / clear , signature sound.  It sounds like a piano to my ears; With the variations from the active preamp, it can do everything ….  Pickups and electronics are very quiet .  It’s a dream come true and still very enjoyable in 2022 .    Believe it or not, I think Sadowsky basses are very Smith influent in terms of sound and overall approach. 

Thoughts
This bass is Ken’s answer to how modern electric bass should look/feel/sound like , and he has proven himself throughout these years .    I’m very lucky to acquire this bass that was built in mid-late 90’s in dead mint condition.     The varnish finish on the Cocobolo top is sinking in nicely with lots characters.   Eventho I’m not a 6 string player primarily.  I use this bass quiet a bit for practicing because of the extended range of the fingerboard. 

Gallery

Video