When it comes to the electric Bass, who will go down in history as its inventor? Of course, everyone knows the name Leo Fender, who created the Precision Bass, the first model of the electric Bass.

There is no need to explain now just how revolutionary the Precision Bass and Jazz Bass were. In the 1970s, more than a decade after their debut, the electric bass Bass broke free from the era of Fender’s dominance and entered a period of development.

Rick Turner (Alembic), who built the first active electric guitar in 1972 for Jack Casady

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

Stewart Spector (Spector), who teamed up with Steinberger to invent the compact modern electric guitar

And Ken Smith (Ken Smith), who developed the innovative through-neck construction and tapered strings—features that are now standard

1972
Alembic, founded by Rick Turner, Ron Wickersham, and Bob Matthews,
manufactured the first active Bass for Jack Casady and Stanley Clarke.

1975
A year before the 5-string Bass was introduced, Carl Tompson built a prototype 6-string Bass for Anthony Jackson, but it had narrow string spacing that made it difficult to play, so it never became his primary instrument.
After that, Anthony primarily used the “Career Girl Bass,” which combined a 1970s Jazz Bass body with a 1970s Precision Bass neck, for a while.

1976
PRS built its first 5-string Bass for Tony Van, but around the same time, Alembic had delivered a 5-string Bass built for Jimmy Johnson; due to this slight difference, Alembic became the first brand to bring a 5-string Bass to market.

1977
Stuart Spector hired Vinnie Fodera as his first employee.

1978
Ken Smith left Spector and started his own Ken Smith workshop.

1980
Vinny Fodella moved from Spector to Ken Smith.

1981
Six years after the debut of the first 6-string model, Anthony Jackson—who had been primarily using the 4-string Career Girl Bass—acquired a 6-string Bass once again.
He teamed up with Ken Smith, and that Bass was named the Contrabass Guitar.

1983
Joey Lauricella, who had been the marketing manager for both Vinnie Fodera and Ken Smith, teamed up with them to launch Fodera Guitars.
(He also worked at Ken Smith’s workshop until around 1986.)

Looking at this timeline, it becomes clear that modern electric guitars have been largely shaped by the events and inventions listed here.
Among them, the builder and brand I particularly adore is “Ken Smith.”

Even before establishing his workshop, Ken Smith had gained a reputation as a double bass and electric guitar player, making a living by composing jingles for commercials and radio.
He was also highly skilled at repairing and modifying instruments for fellow musicians, and many artists in New York City reportedly sought him out for his services.

Although Ken himself had not initially planned to launch a brand, the first bass created in collaboration with Carl Thompson served as the catalyst, leading him to start his workshop in New York in 1978.From then on, his client list came to include top-tier bassists active in jazz and fusion, such as Anthony Jackson, John Patitucci, Felix Pastorius, and Melvin Davis.

Since opening his workshop, he has produced numerous inventions that would later have a major impact on the electric Bass world. Let’s take a look at some of his most notable achievements.

1978
First to adopt the lock pin on an electric Bass.

1979
Developed the printed circuit board, which is now standard.

First used graphite for neck reinforcement.

Developed the pickup balancer and introduced an EQ control with a center click.

1981
Launched the wide-neck 6-string Bass.

1983
Invented tapered core strings.

Just then, a curious email arrived at our shop, accompanied by a photo.

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

The photo that arrived was different from the current Smith models, and I can’t deny that its appearance raised some doubts. The headstock was very pointed, a metal plate was attached, and a Badass bridge was installed.

“Made during Vinny Fodera’s time with Ken Smith.
Original bridge; Ken used a Badass bridge at the time. The bass is in great shape, and the truss rod works just as it should. Very little wood oxidation—almost none. The bass is currently at the Ken Smith shop.”

I see—so it’s a truly incredible Bass offer.
Since it’s currently at Smith’s shop, is it undergoing maintenance?

“I’m offering this to your shop because a friend of mine who visited your shop a few years ago—maybe in 2018 or 2019—said you had an Anthony Jackson Ken Smith 6-string. So I thought of you for vintage basses.”

Our shop has previously received and sold a prototype of a contrabass guitar.
Given this history, I assume this offer is based on trust in our shop, but we must proceed with caution when dealing with international transactions.
Therefore, as we were discussing the matter and exchanging questions, the other party suggested we try talking via video chat.

We felt that seeing their face and hearing their voice—and thus verifying their identity—would provide a sense of reassurance. He’s surprisingly humble for an American.

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

“Huh?”
The sender’s name was Jon Smith, but I never imagined he was actually Ken Smith’s son.
Strangely enough, I had just acquireda Ken Smith BSR5 myself, so my love for Ken Smith was at its peak. I immediately set up a video chat and spoke with Jon.

Now, let’s get to the main point of this post: the instrument that was offered to me.

Therefore, below I will describe the instrument’s history using Jon’s own words, accompanied by photos.

The video chat with Jon began, and after we introduced ourselves, he started telling me his own story.

“I bought a four-string Ken Smith Burner.
I know the Burners are kind of popular, right?
So I messaged them—it was like Guitar Center. So I was like, ‘Hey, I’m interested in this place.
‘How much is it?’ And I thought it was in really nice, great condition.”

To my surprise, he told me he owns a Japanese-made Burner, not a USA Smith.
When I heard this, I secretly wondered if it was a form of rebellion against his father.

After that, Jon gave me a tour of the Ken Smith workshop.
The walls were lined with photos of famous musicians holding Ken Smith guitars and guitars in various stages of production. What a precious experience! If I lived in the U.S., I’d want to visit the workshop right away.

Once the tour was over, we finally got to the main topic: the Bass he had 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 Switch / Pre-Amp Switch
WEIGHT : 4.45 kg
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. Can you see that bad-ass bridge?
He used it until he started making his own bridges.”

I see. It really does look completely different from the Smiths of recent years.
I’d seen it in photos, but seeing it in person really drives the point home.

“This is how you know it’s from the Vinny Fodera era—because of this part 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 sense of the size, right? On this one, it’s narrower, right? It’s smaller. This bass here is the first one where a customer made a specific request. He said, ‘Hey Ken, can you move the bridge pickup away from the bridge and closer to the neck?’ So Ken moved the bridge pickup farther away from the bridge. The original pickups were Bill Lawrence pickups.”

“RG 4. That was the model name.

The first one is, like, from his prototype all the way up to maybe the first few. Now, I think there was a batch where he may have used Bartolini pickups on four or five 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.”

The 1992 BT6, which falls between these two, retains some of that sharpness but is gradually becoming more rounded.

Regarding the sound impression: Compared to the current Smith Bass, the tonal balance is set relatively low, so it doesn’t sound overly polished. Rather than being geared toward jazz, it has a playful character that seems well-suited for pop, rock, and funk.

Also, while phase switches are rarely seen on the Bass, on the'82 BT4, turning this phase switch on thins out the low end but allows you to fully experience the "croaking" quality that is synonymous with the Smith sound, clearly demonstrating that it forms the foundation of today's Smith Bass.

With Fender-style Basss, the sound varies significantly betweenthe4th, 5th, and 6th strings, but with the Smith Bass, that difference is virtually negligible. The fact that you don’t have to compromise by choosing the 4th string just because you want that specific sound is a truly wonderful feature.