Ken Smith Chat - (NBD inside! Black Tiger 6)

[FLoydElgar]

When it comes up used I'll consider it!

👀

I love the sycamore 5 string he has.

 

 

 

 

[Al Krow]

Scott playing @ped's old KS...

 

[AndyTravis]

Finally. Back in the club.

 

A (not battered) burner. 1993.

 

Looking forward to arrival.

[ped]

4 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Finally. Back in the club.

 

A (not battered) burner. 1993.

 

Looking forward to arrival.

Nice. One of the best Smiths I’ve played was a JJ Burner like that. Enjoy 👍🏼

[AndyTravis]

2 minutes ago, ped said:

Nice. One of the best Smiths I’ve played was a JJ Burner like that. Enjoy 👍🏼

I had one for about 4 seconds in 2009.

 

I arrived home to play it and the ex had quit her job and we had to pay back maternity leave pay…it was a deluxe walnut like this…

[OliverBlackman]

On 15/08/2022 at 22:44, AndyTravis said:

Finally. Back in the club.

 

A (not battered) burner. 1993.

 

Looking forward to arrival.

Nice, is that the one from Switzerland? There’s someone selling a 6 in England but wanting a stupid price for it.

[AndyTravis]

3 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

Nice, is that the one from Switzerland? There’s someone selling a 6 in England but wanting a stupid price for it.

Yeah that’s the one.

 

the six is now at 2500, obviously nobody wanted it at 2900 🫣

[LewisK1975]

On 15/08/2022 at 22:44, AndyTravis said:

Finally. Back in the club.

 

A (not battered) burner. 1993.

 

Looking forward to arrival.

 

That's stunning Andy! - I wonder if that will arrive before I come to collect the Yamaha from you...

 

And if so will I be allowed to even look at it?!?!

 

Seriously tho - Beautiful Bass!

 

 

 

[CookPassBabtridge]

On 15/08/2022 at 22:53, AndyTravis said:

I had one for about 4 seconds in 2009.

 

I arrived home to play it and the ex had quit her job and we had to pay back maternity leave pay…it was a deluxe walnut like this…

That is lovely. Like how it matches a lot of the walnut BSRs…it would go with mine very nicely anyway 😬

[Gwilym]

Anyone know the difference between the HF and CR models? Apart from the HR being built/assembled in Japan.

 

[Guest]

On 17/08/2022 at 10:32, AndyTravis said:

Yeah that’s the one.

 

the six is now at 2500, obviously nobody wanted it at 2900 🫣

The one on Reverb? I get the impression that many sellers on there are in dreamland about what their bass is worth. It was a steal but I picked up a Dingwall AB2 6 that started up there at £3,500. I paid just under £1800 for it in the end!

Burners, especially a 6, are a bit tricky to price. They’re not the boutique US elite quality, but I’ve heard great things about playability. Still wouldn’t pay a penny more than £1500 for it

 

[Gwilym]

10 minutes ago, FDC484950 said:

The one on Reverb? I get the impression that many sellers on there are in dreamland about what their bass is worth. It was a steal but I picked up a Dingwall AB2 6 that started up there at £3,500. I paid just under £1800 for it in the end!

Burners, especially a 6, are a bit tricky to price. They’re not the boutique US elite quality, but I’ve heard great things about playability. Still wouldn’t pay a penny more than £1500 for it

 

2.5k is very punchy price for that. (I recently bought a BT5G for not a great deal more!) The seller seems to think it's a US model just cause KS signature is in the control cavity, but I think that's just cause he did the setup/QC on them. Still it's an early-ish Burner model with the older headstock shape. 

What's the difference on the Burner pickups vs the US pickups?

[Gwilym]

Here's my Smith 

Now I'm gassing a little for a CR5

 

 

[Kiwi]

2 hours ago, FDC484950 said:

The one on Reverb? I get the impression that many sellers on there are in dreamland about what their bass is worth. It was a steal but I picked up a Dingwall AB2 6 that started up there at £3,500. I paid just under £1800 for it in the end!

Burners, especially a 6, are a bit tricky to price. They’re not the boutique US elite quality, but I’ve heard great things about playability. Still wouldn’t pay a penny more than £1500 for it

 

It's actually a strategy to test interest out.  They can monitor the number of watchers and, if they're serious about selling, they'll lower the price for a quick sale.  Alternatively they will hang on an outrageous price to hook someone who is desperate and willing to pay above the odds...thereby setting a new precedent for others to use as the basis for yet an even more outrageous price.  It worked for Wal basses.

[obi 2 kenobi]

7 hours ago, FDC484950 said:

The one on Reverb? I get the impression that many sellers on there are in dreamland about what their bass is worth. It was a steal but I picked up a Dingwall AB2 6 that started up there at £3,500. I paid just under £1800 for it in the end!

Burners, especially a 6, are a bit tricky to price. They’re not the boutique US elite quality, but I’ve heard great things about playability. Still wouldn’t pay a penny more than £1500 for it

 

Do Burners not have super tight string spacing? I had a green 5 string bought from this parish many years ago. 16mm string spacing. Didn’t keep it long for that reason, though top quality luthiery. Still have a BT5 & 6 with much better 18mm spacing. 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Kiwi said:

It's actually a strategy to test interest out.  They can monitor the number of watchers and, if they're serious about selling, they'll lower the price for a quick sale.  Alternatively they will hang on an outrageous price to hook someone who is desperate and willing to pay above the odds...thereby setting a new precedent for others to use as the basis for yet an even more outrageous price.  It worked for Wal basses.

It’s a curious strategy with something that although interesting and reasonably rare, is a niche instrument (6 string with awful upper fret access, very tight spacing, and almost definitely north of 5Kg). Wal have a certain cachet that they got very soon after Pete the fish hung up his tools, and their unique electronics and celebrity users (Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee, JMJ etc) helped fuel the mystique. This seller may have some rich desperate clown hit buy but it’s more likely to sink a fair bit below £2K before it shifts.

[CookPassBabtridge]

23 hours ago, obi 2 kenobi said:

Do Burners not have super tight string spacing? I had a green 5 string bought from this parish many years ago. 16mm string spacing. Didn’t keep it long for that reason, though top quality luthiery. Still have a BT5 & 6 with much better 18mm spacing. 

 

They do indeed, great basses but that's the main reason I haven't looked at acquiring one. Then again I'm on the other end of the scale (I like 20mm spacing).

[Mikey D]

23 hours ago, obi 2 kenobi said:

Do Burners not have super tight string spacing? I had a green 5 string bought from this parish many years ago. 16mm string spacing. Didn’t keep it long for that reason, though top quality luthiery. Still have a BT5 & 6 with much better 18mm spacing. 

A 5 string burner in green. Seafoam green like Hadrien's?

 

I've been looking for a used one but convinced there are no others out there in that colour way. Or they never come up for sale at least. 

[obi 2 kenobi]

20 hours ago, Mikey D said:

A 5 string burner in green. Seafoam green like Hadrien's?

 

I've been looking for a used one but convinced there are no others out there in that colour way. Or they never come up for sale at least. 

It was translucent dark green. Nice colour. Tried to sell it on basschat for £800 but no takers sadly 

[OliverBlackman]

29 minutes ago, obi 2 kenobi said:

It was translucent dark green. Nice colour. Tried to sell it on basschat for £800 but no takers sadly 

Would be a different story today! I’ve not seen one that colour but so few come on the market.

[AndyTravis]

1 hour ago, obi 2 kenobi said:

It was translucent dark green. Nice colour. Tried to sell it on basschat for £800 but no takers sadly 

Yeah - if that popped up today…I’d be snapping your arm off.

[AndyTravis]

 

just found this on Pinterest…

 

it’s my old picture of my old smith burner deluxe…jeez 

[OliverBlackman]

5 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

 

just found this on Pinterest…

 

it’s my old picture of my old smith burner deluxe…jeez 

Yeh but you’ve had (and I assume still have) some incredible basses. I’m sure there’ll be many more nice ones in the future.

[AndyTravis]

Had an enjoyable evening with this.

 

Now…to find something to do with it.

[Gwilym]

A very nice '93 BT5G 4 knob on UK ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334571862675 for a pretty good price at the moment. (I've no affiliation with the seller)