Ken Smith and customer service ?

[bassbluestew]

[quote]Seriously man, he ain't going to give you a free bass.[/quote]

One lives in hope.............................

AFAIK Ken doesn't do ANY free basses, and tbh, I'm not surprised, it's not like he needs to eh ??

In fact a lot of the top guys don't, and lets face it the top players ain't exactly broke, they get a good discount as far as I understand, but still pay.

S

[originalfunkbrother]

[quote name='peteb' post='1270815' date='Jun 15 2011, 11:09 PM']after reading this thread I would definitely consider a Ken Smith…![/quote]


Me too!

[Vibrating G String]

[quote name='peteb' post='1270815' date='Jun 15 2011, 03:09 PM']If I was ever going to buy a boutique bass I always thought that it might be a Fodera, but after reading this thread I would definitely consider a Ken Smith…![/quote]
In the old days they were both built by one shop I forget who built whose but those 2 were closely tied once.

[waynepunkdude]

[Doddy]

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1271110' date='Jun 16 2011, 10:11 AM']In the old days they were both built by one shop I forget who built whose but those 2 were closely tied once.[/quote]

Vinny Fodera used to work for Ken Smith

[peteb]

[quote name='bassbluestew' post='1271038' date='Jun 16 2011, 09:22 AM']Hey Pete, just missed you guys in Scotland, but next time your in Glasgow with Paddy - or anyone else for that matter - look me up and we'll hook up.

S[/quote]
Hey Stew

Have you met Paddy then??

We haven’t got Glasgow in the book at the moment, but funnily enough we will be up in Scotland for the Dundee Blues Bonanza on Saturday 2 July. Also got a gig the night before in Edinburgh

Dunno who you play for or if you ever get to the big festivals but we’re also playing the Maryport Blues Festival on 30 and 31 July. I understand that we’re also the house band for a late night jam session on the Saturday

If you’re likely to be around for any of those drop me a PM and I will confirm venues & times and exchange mobile numbers and we can arrange to meet up for a beer…!

Cheers – Pete

[Ken Smith]

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1271110' date='Jun 16 2011, 05:11 AM']In the old days they were both built by one shop I forget who built whose but those 2 were closely tied once.[/quote]

Some time in 1983 after Vinnie had worked about 3 years with/for me in Brooklyn we made arrangements for him with 2 partners to buy the shop fixtures, machines and assume the rent/lease. I was still a full time Musician at that time but still came out to the shop almost every day and personally made most or the neck and body blanks as well as planing fingerboards, cutting up wood and so on. Every bass from the first to the current were set up on my bench which was then in my NYC Apartment/Studio.

In 1983 when we made our purchase/transfer deal I still had several neck and body blanks made up mostly by my hand that I wanted to have completed. There were not all that many made after the shop sale which by the way included a move 2 doors down because the landlord wanted my corner location for his son's Pizza shop so there was delay of several month's till Vinnie and his 2 partners could move everything as well as set-up a new shop. I would have to go back and look if possible and maybe count them up but no more than 100 basses in those 2 years is my estimate. Only about 200 basses were made in total in NY over a 6-7 year period. I think there were 16 bass blanks made in the Spector Shop (1979-1980) where Vinnie had worked and a 2nd 16 as well but not fully completed as I recall having to re-carve one. Spector used a shop called 'Valentine Wood Carving" back then for his basses as well as mine using a 16 spindle dupli-carver to make the instrument blanks. Then put together, finish carve, sand and finish. I think we made a run or two with them as well because our larger circuit went into them. Then we started just making everything in the shop as we didn't need 16 of one model as they would sit forever.

In 1984/85 while they were finishing up work that was already started, I began setting up shop in Pennsylvania. This was done gradually as again, I was still a full time musician. We made the first PA basses in 1985 with the set-necks known as the Dovetail but to be correct, these were hidden mortise joints. Here in PA I was able to find some great woodworkers and eventually, the Neck-Thru model was considered as easy or easier to make over the Set-neck so we stopped making those and only made the Neck Thru models.

We did things quite differently here in PA then we had done in NY and our Basses took off like wildfire. We were back ordered for a year of two in advance once the new models came out. That was only slowed by another world recession but by the early 1990's we were booming again so I made plans to move out to PA and work full time in the shop. I had already retired from playing by 1988 and was busy between the NY office/showroom with completing basses, shipping them and the String business as well as traveling out to the shop spending about half my time in PA the last 2 years before moving out the end of June of 1995.

So, from the 6,000 plus basses with the Smith name on them, Fodera 'touched' less than 200 of them. The way we make them here are different in many ways and we are proud of what we do. Being out of NY we don't have to charge anywhere near what they do hour for hour, pound for pound. Our prices from about 1988 till now in 2011 (23 years) have only risen at an average about than 3% a year, less than inflation over time. How do we do it? Simple, get out of NY and don't draw 2 or 3 executive NY expense level salaries and, make enough basses to fill your orders in a reasonable amount of time. As you might notice, Smith basses hold their value overtime in the used market as well because, they are very well and reasonable priced. We put as much and even more detail in the current basses as we did the older ones.

[stingrayPete1977]

Cool story Ken

[waynepunkdude]

Interesting.

[JTUK]

Yes.. thanks for sharing.

As a plug..I am currently liking Ken Smith strings..reasonable price in the UK and a tapered B at a decent...for me..gauge.

I think BC should set up a string shop outlet as well... it is a right bugger to get what I want without going all over the place.

[Wil]

Very interesting, it's great to hear this stuff from the horses mouth, so to speak

[waynepunkdude]

Probably why Shuker basses are so reasonable.

[xilddx]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1272975' date='Jun 17 2011, 05:19 PM']Probably why Shuker basses are so reasonable.[/quote]
And these [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=112080&st=0"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=112080&st=0[/url]

[JTUK]

Overheads are overheads..which is why people get builds in China and Korea

[Chris2112]

I'd probably buy a Smith CR 6 string if I lived in the US.