ped

New bass day for me - and quite a special one for me personally. I've always loved the 'Smith Sound' and grew up listening to John Patitucci playing his early six string Smith. I recently realised my dreams of owning one when I bought a beautiful BT5 from Basschat last year. However I'm not really a five string player, but I can adapt. Smith basses tend to be 5 or 6 string so there wasn't much choice. But then I saw this. Not only is it a 4 string, but it's a very early one built just two months after I was. It was finished in January 1984. The serial number is 151. Early Smith basses have a few differences from today's models - first of all the brass fittings on the headstock, especially the 'S' logo in a brass disk which I remember seeing on those early Chick Corea vids, whilst my brother watched and analysed every move Dave Weckl made. I got some info from Ken about the bass who said the neck joint is a hidden mortise which I believe was inspired by a damaged double bass from a car accident in the 70s. The preamp is made by Haz Labs; it has volume, balance, treble, bass (not sure of frequencies but the treble control always feels very musical) plus a phase switch which Ken said they subsequently removed because it's not very useful. It's quite unusual to see Smith basses without an exposed centre block like my 5 string - I think some of the Hadrien Feraud models have a solid top like this one. It has a walnut top and maple back with an ebony fingerboard. The whole bass has a very light satin finish which feels great and shows minimal wear except usual playing in. It's been well looked after! I wasn't able to play the bass first so I was kind of nervous but Smith basses are so consistent I needn't have worried - the neck is dead straight and the action was pretty bang on right away. I've got the G string a little higher than my 'strings painted on' Vigier because I find it makes double stops on the G string more pronounced. As usual have the neck with almost zero relief and the other strings very low. Someone described the sound of their Warwick Thumb as 'digital' here the other day; that's quite a good way to describe this. I'll do some sound clips asap to show you. So yeah I'm really pleased. I think that's my bass buying escapades over for a while. Some pics!

Hi guys Popped into Kings Cross Station today to pick up something I’ve been after for a long time. I went straight to a pub and gave it a thorough looking at plus a new set of strings. A guy sitting nearby was on the phone for a while but when he finished and got up to leave he said he was a fellow bass player. I think everyone else thought it was weird me sitting there with my tools, pack of strings, Polish and rags. Full NBD coming soon!

The best option IMO is to file down the string saddle - go further than you need to then raise it to taste. You can get special files for that.

People say a credit card thickness but I like it literally a hairs width above 👍🏼 Go by feel, not numbers.

Here's one I had made (not the same brief as yours) https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/343694-nsd-custom-leather-strap/

Have a look at Etsy. Find something that looks similar and contact them with a custom order. Most leatherworkers on there will make anything you want

No probs send me your address and I’ll post them tomorrow

Excellent!! It’ll be interesting to hear how it sounds. I’ve got an old set of Cobalt flats you can have to try if you like, they’re a bit rusty but sound fine!

Yeah perhaps the wrong expression!

Crikey! It does look like they are pretending there isn’t a problem. I’ve left my second set in because they still sound good and it seems a waste to change them now - I’ve kept the new ‘checked’ pack for a rainy day

20% off tickets with the code BASSCHAT20

The Marcus Miller slap thing is fun and all but it’s better having your own sound. I always get bored of the ‘perfect Marcus sound’ after a while, you hear it everywhere. IME though the sound is something you can only get with the right spacing, for that clear raspy slapped E string - move the rear pickup towards the neck and it gets a bit more rounded and burpy.

Lucky for you in more ways than one - it could have been delayed or kept by customs for that. I wonder! Anyway nice move Pega!!

Who's Pega Fadowsly? 🤣

Photographers have had the same problem for a long time - normally offered the 'opportunity' to photograph some idiot's wedding for 'Instagram exposure' - usually by people who say things like 'wow that camera takes great pictures'

The internet has been failing nice guys like Gerald since 1983

Sorry! If it’s any help I’ve found most sellers on that site are non communicative or do not ship to the UK 👍🏼

Yeah the output is pretty crazy isn’t it! It’s my loudest bass, I think.

I missed this reply - shame I couldn’t make that bash but you’ve got me looking at those!

This bass just inspires me to pick it up and play. Since getting it I’ve played it almost every day ‘for ten minutes’ - next thing I know my wife is tapping me on the shoulder saying she’s going to bed! It sounds sooooo good. I haven’t even missed my Ken Smith much yet - I’m still planning on replacing that with a four string but this bass is just so much fun I’m wondering what’s the rush? Leo might have got it all wrong with Fender but he nailed it at last 😂

Thanks for the flight number, now I know which luggage carousel to wait by

Great stuff so far people - do me a favour and share the competition of FB and so on if you can?