CamdenRob Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) So after nearly a year longĀ waitĀ myĀ new build Smith has arrived! Very pleased with it Ā The sound isĀ very tight and focusedĀ and the EQ is very subtle. Reminds me of a Glockenklang amp I had in the days before the sizeĀ and weight of my amplification became the primary driver behind what I use...Ā Not 100% on the strings I'll swap those out for Newtone Diamonds this weekend, but all in all very glad I've added it to the arsenal Ā It's my understanding thatĀ Kevin Brubaker and hisĀ team do the woodwork on Smith Basses these days and this example is credit to the work he's doing over there in Baltimore.Ā Kevin has a very fine range of his own basses which are no doubt also built to this level of quality. I no longer seem to be able to link to stuff from imgur for some reason (it's been a while since I posted anything) so have had to attach these. I need to do some better ones in natural light to fully show off the figuring, but I snapped these shortly after it arrived Ā Ā Ā A different tonal option to add to the stable Ā A big thumbs up for Mark at Bass Direct as well for organizing the build. I did try to order one directly from Ken but I couldn't seem to get himĀ to agree to build it for meĀ š *update Better pics in natural light... Edited December 12, 2020 by CamdenRob 11 Quote
Grahambythesea Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 Very handsome woodwork. Will it be an improvement on Fodera or Wal, or is it just the need for an extra string? Quote
ped Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 Amazing bass - what a collection!! All with too many strings!Ā š If it's any help I always found Elixir strings sounded amazing on a Smith; the nickel warmth and everlasting brightness really suited the character of the bass. Looks like a satin finish, that's new isn't it? Quote
Al Krow Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) Congrats on the new bass!Ā 7 minutes ago, ped said: Amazing bass - what a collection!! All with too many strings!Ā š If it's any help I always found Elixir strings sounded amazing on a Smith; the nickel warmth and everlasting brightness really suited the character of the bass. Looks like a satin finish, that's new isn't it? Is it theĀ ELIXIR Nanoweb Nickels you're recommending in particular? Edited December 10, 2020 by Al Krow Quote
ped Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 1 minute ago, Al Krow said: Is it theĀ ELIXIR Nanoweb Nickels you're recommending in particular? Ā Yep, lovely things! I have't tried the steels in years though as they don't come in my size. The nickel ones just sound perfect on hi-fi basses IMO. Quote
CamdenRob Posted December 10, 2020 Author Posted December 10, 2020 Thanks chaps Ā Regarding the finish I have been given a bottle of Kenās polish which I have yet to research the best way to apply... the finishĀ looksĀ very similar to my Wals. Quote
Al Krow Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 1 minute ago, ped said: Yep, lovely things! I have't tried the steels in years though as they don't come in my size. The nickel ones just sound perfect on hi-fi basses IMO. Ok will make a mental note of these for my KS. The rest of my herd can make do and mend with D'Addario EXL170s nickelsĀ which are 60% cheaper! Ā 1 Quote
ped Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 Just now, Al Krow said: Ok will make a mental note of these for my KS. The rest of my herd can make do and mend with D'Addario EXL170s nickelsĀ which are 60% cheaper! Ā Ah but you barely have to replace Elixirs, so they work out cheaper! Quote
ped Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 1 minute ago, CamdenRob said: Thanks chaps Ā Regarding the finish I have been given a bottle of Kenās polish which I have yet to research the best way to apply... the finishĀ looksĀ very similar to my Wals. The polish is great too! Yeah I think the satin finish is a new option, although I believe it was offered a while back the more recent Smiths are high gloss. Looks great. 1 Quote
Mrbigstuff Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 What a collection! Glad for more Smiths in the UK.Ā 3 Quote
CamdenRob Posted December 10, 2020 Author Posted December 10, 2020 29 minutes ago, Grahambythesea said: Very handsome woodwork. Will it be an improvement on Fodera or Wal, or is it just the need for an extra string? I wouldnāt say an improvement,Ā just another option really. Adding something different to what I already have. I usually use a six (the Wals are sixers as well) as I do a lot of chordal stuff when messing around with solo stuff andĀ recording bitsĀ and bobs with others. Im so used to it, after so many years,Ā thinner necks feel strange now. The band Iām currently playing with is very simple rocky stuff so Iād getĀ away with a 4 BEADĀ and Iād probably only use 3 of those... in fact if Iām honest I could probably do a passable rendition of the set with just a B š Quote
Lfalex v1.1 Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) 51 minutes ago, ped said: Ah but you barely have to replace Elixirs, so they work out cheaper! Very true. I punish stringsĀ and use Elixirs. They last ages even with the way I play.Ā Eventually,Ā they start to mechanically die; the cores lose their resilience and the coating will also start to fray off above the frets and where your right hand plucks/strums/slaps. Don't let that piece above put you off. It takes about 18 months to 2 years for that to happen! (Not that mine are on anything as exotic as Wals or Smiths. Vigier, Warwicks and Ibanez stillĀ sound great with them on) Ā Edited December 10, 2020 by Lfalex v1.1 2 Quote
Jus Lukin Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) - Edited March 10, 2022 by Jus Lukin 1 Quote
Guest Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 Crikey! I had a BSR Elite G 6 with Clark Walnut facings many years ago. Fabulous bass. I shudder to think how much that collection cost... Quote
philparker Posted December 11, 2020 Posted December 11, 2020 What a lovely looking bass! It'sĀ kind of understated in terms of saying 'I'm so good, I don't need to look fancy'. The build quality looks superb. I must also comment on the finish of the Wal-6, fretted; I thought mine was special in figured black walnut, but that finish is sublime.Great collection! 1 Quote
Jason Karloff Posted December 11, 2020 Posted December 11, 2020 A truly amazing collection. Although I have to say my first thought was for your back š 1 Quote
visog Posted December 11, 2020 Posted December 11, 2020 Gassing for your basses... that Wal 6 is something - frets I mean. 1 Quote
CamdenRob Posted December 11, 2020 Author Posted December 11, 2020 4 hours ago, Jason Karloff said: A truly amazing collection. Although I have to say my first thought was for your back š YesĀ thatās the reason Ive been consideringĀ Ā aĀ chambered US Sadowsky to use in the band... My back isnāt great after years of desk jobs š I actually donāt struggle with weight of basses too much ifĀ they are balanced... Neck heavy is more of an issue... I had a Thumb NT 6 for a while which sounded absolutely awesome but was unplayably unbalanced... gave me back ache standing with it after about ten minutes š Quote
akabane Posted December 12, 2020 Posted December 12, 2020 Beautiful, beautiful instrument, congratulations! Those tiger stripes Ā Quote
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