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Ken Smith Burner 6.............


voxpop
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Hi Guys,

I thought I would share my latest acquisition. I really wanted to go from a 5 to 6 string but was put off by the very wide finger board that most six stringers have. Most seem to have standard 19-18mm string spacing, this really would be to wide for my bumpy little girl hands.. :)

So I started to look for a narrow spacing six string and came across Ken Smith. His Burner range form the late 80's - 90's have a narrow 16mm spacing on the 5 and 6 string models.

I really did not know much about Ken Smith basses other than they cost a fair wedge of money and have a very clean but warm tone. After checking out You tube for various examples I came to the conclusion a Burner is what I needed as my first six stringer.

So here it is..............

a Ken Smith Burner 6...................


[attachment=61582:DSC_0009.JPG] [attachment=61581:DSC_0008.JPG] [attachment=61577:DSC_0004.JPG] [attachment=61578:DSC_0002.JPG]

[attachment=61579:DSC_0006.JPG] [attachment=61580:DSC_0003.JPG] [attachment=61583:DSC_0010.JPG] [attachment=61584:DSC_0013.JPG]

[attachment=61585:DSCN1086.JPG] [attachment=61586:DSC_0014.JPG] [attachment=61587:DSC_0001.JPG] [attachment=61588:DSC_0012.JPG]

It is in great condition considering it is 18 years old with just a ding to the back of the upper horn.

Has any Basschatter owned this............I would love to know its history. Burners are very rare, someone must know??

Edited by voxpop
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[quote name='lozbass' post='990990' date='Oct 17 2010, 11:48 AM']Very lovely - much the most aesthetically pleasing of the KS designs for me[/quote]



Even though it might be considered a "budget" model by some Smith owners and it lacks the WOW factor of the more exotic wood finish models, I love it because it retains the typical Smith sound, has wonderful build quality and feel.

A real quality bass without all the 'flash and bling'.

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[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='991098' date='Oct 17 2010, 01:53 PM']Excellent. Is this the one that was on eBay. I was also very tempted, but out off by the awful photo's (if it isn't the one, then there was one in the same finish up recently).

With your photographs it looks fantastic![/quote]


It is the very same one.

I had a real shock when I went to see it.

The bass looked as if it had been put in its case 10 years ago. It was filthy, I have never seen a finger board so dirty. The strings were so old that two snapped when I started to play it. :)

So I stripped it down, gave it a clean and put it all together again.

What surprised me the most was the electronics, they are nearly 20 years old and the pots work as if the bass was new. Not a crackle from them, just smooth and tight. This is a real sign of quality. I have had high end basses that within six months started to crackle every time a pot was turned.

The neck is smooth and the body shows very little wear. The only 'issue' is the ding at the back of the upper horn. Looks as if it was damaged a very long time ago and it was repaired by sealing the exposed wood with a little varnish, apart from this it could pass for a very lightly used bass.

The string spacing is tight at 16mm, it takes a little time to get the fingering right but when you adjust it feels good. :lol:

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[quote name='Stingray5' post='991057' date='Oct 17 2010, 01:06 PM']Nice catch! Looks a beast of a bass. :)
I like that bit of sculpting on the rear neck/head join.
Any chance of a full-length shot - just to get things in perspective? (I know -- I'm weird that way :lol: )[/quote]



Not such a good picture as the others but it give you an idea of the basic shape.

[attachment=61653:DSCN1108.JPG]

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very very nice indeed!!!!! i thought from your profile that it was black, but its a nice trans blue, i almost bought a burner 5 back in 98 which was pretty much the same as yours, i didnt as i had a yamaha nathan east at the time, so i bought a warwick with the cash, which started a ten year stint playing nothing but warwicks, i wish id bought the smith as they are quite rare as most smiths are, and probably a better bass :) ,
very lovely if i was a 5 id be talking smith trades with you!! :lol: - lee

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I have always loved that body shape, it is excellent. I always find these ones strange to look at though, without the typical ornate wooden tops typical of Ken Smith basses! I particularly like the Burner basses with the wood tops, these are a real find! They seem to be more scarce than even the top line KS stuff!

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