Ken Smith Basses

Ken Smith basses are some of the finest bass guitars in the world. Each is made under the watchful eye of Ken Smith himself, who picks out the wood and carries out the final adjustments. For these reasons, a Ken Smith is not a cheap instrument, nor are they quickly acquired. The factory tends to get behind because of the attention to detail.

A new series of ken smith basses is the MS model line. These bass guitars are made with the high quality neck-through design of Smith's better basses. The neck is made of three pieces of hardrock maple. The bars are inlaid and made of graphite. Hardware is chrome, with an extra charge if you want black or gold.

The fingerboard features mother of pearl side dots and is made of Morado/PauFerro wood, just one of the exotic woods used in these basses. Tiger maple and quilted maple are options for the body of the bass, but the more highly figured quilted maples add several hundred dollars to the price. Base prices, including a hardshell case, start at $3300.

The scale on a Ken Smith is long, at 34 inches, and is reported to provide the best low B of any bass guitar. The pickups used are Humbucking soapbar pickups, which are a custom feature famous around the world. The tuning gears are custom made, and the brass nut is individually fit by hand. The solid brass bridge is called a Smith QSR, which stands for quick string release.

Ken Smith basses are available in left handed models as well as fretless versions. They are made in a variety of styles with four, five, six or seven strings. These high-quality bass guitars come equipped with a variety of accessories including a leather strap with a sheepskin shoulder pad. Polish and a lint free polish cloth are included, too, as is a wrench kit for any adjustments that need to be made.

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