Who will go down as the inventor of the electric bass? Of course, everyone knows the name of Leo Fender, who created the first model of the electric bass, the Precision Bass.

There is no need to explain how revolutionary the Precision Bass and Jazz Bass were. In the 70's, more than 10 years after their appearance, the electric bass had broken away from the Fender monopoly and entered a period of development.

Rick Turner (Alembic) built the first active bass for Jack Casady in 1972.

Ned Steinberger (Steinberger) who invented the headless, graphite neck

Stewart Spector, who teamed up with Steinberger to invent the compact modern bass

Ken Smith, who developed the revolutionary through-neck construction and tapered strings that are now commonplace

1972
Alembic is founded by Rick Turner, Ron Wickersham and Bob Matthews
built the first active bass for Jack Cassady and Stanley Clark.

1975
A year before the five-string bass was introduced, Carl Tompson built a prototype six-string bass for Anthony Jackson, but it did not become a mainstay instrument because of its narrow pitch between strings, which made it difficult to play.
For a while after that, Anthony mainly used the "Career Girl Bass," a 70's Jazz Bass body with a 70's Precision Bass neck.

1976
PRS made the first 5-string bass for Tony Bang, but at the same time Alembic delivered a 5-string bass made for Jimmy Johnson, and by this small margin, Alembic was the first brand to bring a 5-string bass to market.

1977
Stuart Spector took on Vinnie Fodera as his first employee.

1978
Ken Smith left Spector to start his own Ken Smith workshop.

1980
Vinnie Fodera moves from Spector to Ken Smith.

1981
Six years after the first 6-string appeared, Anthony Jackson, who had been using a 4-string Career Girl bass as his main instrument, once again acquired a 6-string bass.
Ken Smith joined forces with him, and the bass was named Contrabass Guitar.

1983
Vinnie Fodera and Joey Lauricella, who was in charge of marketing for Ken Smith, teamed up to start Fodera Guitars.
(He also worked in the Ken Smith workshop until about 1986.)

This timeline shows that the modern electric bass has been largely shaped by the events and inventions listed here.
Of these, I am particularly fond of the builder and brand "Ken Smith".

Before establishing his workshop, Ken Smith had made a name for himself as a double bass and electric bass player, earning his living by writing commercials and radio jingles.
He was also skilled at repairing and modifying the instruments of musicians around him, and many artists in New York City turned to him for help.

Ken himself did not initially plan to start a bass brand, but his first bass, created in collaboration with Carl Thompson, inspired him to start his own workshop in New York City in 1978. Since then, his customers have included top-notch jazz and fusion bassists such as Anthony Jackson, John Patitucci, Felix Pastorius, and Melvin Davis.

Since he started his workshop, he has created numerous inventions that would later have a major impact on the electric bass world. Let's take a look at some of his major achievements

1978
First to use locking pins on electric basses.

1979
Developed the now commonplace printed circuit board circuit.

First use of graphite for neck reinforcement.

Pickup balancer is developed and EQ control with center click is introduced.

1981
Commercialization of a wide-neck 6-string bass.

1983
Invents tapered core strings.

Then, we received a mysterious email with a picture.

"Are you at all interested in purchasing a vintage Ken Smith?"

The photo we received was of a currentSmithThe bass is different from the current Smith bass, and its appearance may raise some suspicions. The head of that bass is very sharp, with a metal plate attached, and the bridge isBadasswas attached to the bridge.

"Made during Vinny Fodera time with Ken Smith.
Original bridge, Ken used Badass bridge at the time.Bass is in great shape, truss rod works the same. Very little wood oxidation, almost none.Bass is Bass is currently in Ken Smith shop.

Okay, I get that it's a terrific bass offer.
Now.Smith.store, is it under maintenance?

"I am offering to your shop because a friend of mine that was visiting your shop a few years ago, maybe in 2018 or 2019 said you had Anthony Jackson Ken Smith 6 string. so I thought of you for vintage basses."

Before in our store,Contrabass GuitarWe have previously received and sold a prototype of the Contrabass Guitar
We assume from this history that this offer was made with confidence in our store, but we need to be cautious when dealing from overseas.
Therefore, as we proceeded with questions, the other party suggested that we talk via video chat.

This was because it was thought that by actually seeing their faces, hearing their voices, and confirming their true identities, we would be able to gain a sense of security. Humble for an American.

"want me to ask Ken Smith to join as well?"
"Sorry. How do you know each other?"
"He is my father"

"What?"
The sender's name isJon Smithbut he is actuallyKen SmithI had no idea that he was actually the son of Ken Smith.
It is strange that I myselfKen Smith BSR5I just got a Ken Smith BSR5Ken SmithThe timing was right for my love affair with Ken Smith to be at its peak. We immediately set up a video chat,Jonand we were able to talk to Jon.

Now, we will touch on the important point of this event, the instrument that was offered.

Therefore, below is a photo of the instrument, as well as its historyJonThe following is a description of the history of the instrument, along with photos of the instrument, in the words of Jon

Jonand began a video chat with him, and after we introduced ourselves to each other, he told me his own story.

"I bought a four string Ken Smith burner.
I know the burners are kind of popular, right?
So I messaged it was like guitar center. So I was like, hey, I'm interested in this place.
And I thought it was, like, very nice, very great condition."

How nice of him.USA Smithbut a Japanese-madeBurnerHe told me that he had a Japanese-made Burner, not a
When I heard this story, I secretly wondered if it was a rebellion against my father.

Then,JonwasKen SmithHe showed me around his workshop.
There is aKen SmithThere are photos of famous musicians with their basses and basses in the process of being made. What a precious experience! If I lived in the U.S., I would like to visit the workshop immediately.

After the tour was over, we finally got down to the main topic, the bass that we had been offered.

【SPEC】
BODY：Flamed Maple / Mahogany or Rosewood
NECK：Flamed Maple / Mahogany 5P
FINGERBOARD：Ebony
SCALE：34"
NUT WIDTH：37mm
P.U：Ken Smith Original Humbucker
PRE-AMP：Ken Smith Original 9V
CONTROL：2Vol / 2Band EQ / PU SW / Phase SW / Pre-Amp SW
WEIGHT：4.45kg
CASE : Hardshell Case

"So now, let me show you the bass.
At this point, do you see how there's no serial number on the fingerboard?

That's because it's so early. Let me show you the rest.
These pickups are modern pickups, but originally, they had the older Bill Lawrence pickups.

Here is the original bridge he used to use.
He used it until he made his own bridges.

Well, it is true that in recent yearsSmithIt looks completely different from the
I had seen it in pictures, but seeing it in person made me realize it more.

"This is how you know it's the Vinny Fodera era because of this back here, you know? Do you see that?
Look at the wooden back plate. It's the original back plate, made of Rosewood."

"So, for example, when he looked up number 64, it was actually made after number 94 because the plates already had the numbers.

So when he started making the new circuit, he still had the old circuit that he was trying to get rid of. The bigger number could be older, up until maybe almost 200."

"So, can you see the space from here to here? You get a feel for the size, right? On this one, it's narrower, right? He said, "Hey Ken, can you move the back pickup away from the bridge and closer to the neck? The original pickups were Bill Lawrence pickups."

"RG 4. That was the name of the model.

Now, I think there was a batch where he may have used Bartolini on four or five basses. basses."

"Vinny worked with my dad under a contract, I think, until 1986 or 1987. So this bass was made when Fodera was working for my dad."

In between92made in 1949 are rounded.BT6remains sharp, but it is gradually rounding out.

About sound impression. The currentSmithCompared to the current Smith bass, its center of gravity is set rather low, and it does not sound too clean, but rather has a playfulness that is more suited for pop, rock, and funk than for jazz.

Also, in basses, though, we rarely see phase switches,82Year BT4In the BT4, the phase switch can be turned on to thin out the low frequencies and maximize the "kero-kero-kero" feel that is synonymous with the Smith sound, which is exactly what we hear in today'sSmithbass today.

FenderIn the type of bass,4/5/6The sound changes greatly depending on the strings,Smith.The difference is infinitesimally small at the base,4I want the sound of the strings4The fact that you don't have to compromise in choosing strings because you want the sound of the strings is also a very great point.