LeftyBassist.com

I called and talked to Ken Smith today about this bass and he told me that a conversion back to standard lefty would be at least $400.

They literally cut, tap, and plate the bridge saddles individually per order... they would be about $25 a piece. The nut would also be fabricated from scratch, costing about $200. Then, set-up, strings, shipping etc. would make up for the remaining $50 or so, I guess.

The eBay seller also told me that street on the bass is "over $5500" but according to Ken's website, street on that exact bass would be $4575... when I asked him about that he said, "Ken considers this a highly-figured top... I know when I called him last week he said a new bass like this would be about $5500... I'm not sure how he got that price."

Honestly, it doesn't look like a highly-figured top to me, but... I guess it's still a pretty decient price as long as there's nothing wrong with it.

It's very interesting though... basses like that don't come around often.

Yep, the nut cannot be reversed. They are cut individually per instrument. If you flipped it, it won't work properly. The angle will be reversed. The bridge saddles... well, you could mod them yourself but there is a string fitted gap in the bridge where the string fits and you cant just move around the bridge saddles on these. This bass is nice but don't think this exact one is worth 5500 street. If Ken made you a new one now, it would surpass the quality for $5500 street.

My fear of a righty conversion to lefty is with neck-thru basses, there is tension for a certain time that might never go back if the strings were reversed for a period of time. It's a chance you take but its a nice bass regardless. If you were to get it, the electronics should be upgraded to the series/parallel model preamp with adjustable dim switches. Mine has this preamp and its awesome.

Is this a Jimmy Haslip bass?

Another Smith 4 the Road

Sure - wonder how long it has been out in the yard?

slybass3000 wrote:Is this a Jimmy Haslip bass?

No... it was a trade from a friend of the seller who owns some kind of music shop I guess.

In the description he says it's strung "Jimmy Haslip style"... but it's not one of his basses.

Addison wrote:

slybass3000 wrote:Is this a Jimmy Haslip bass?

No... it was a trade from a friend of the seller who owns some kind of music shop I guess.

In the description he says it's strung "Jimmy Haslip style"... but it's not one of his basses.

Thanks for the info.

It could have been,

Sly

Just sold for $2200. Somebody got themselves a nice bass at a great price.

Alright... Who got this...? Thumbslam or Addison ??? Inquiring minds want to know.

... no... it wasn't me. He did give me first dibs, though.

There was no way I was going to pay $2500 for a used bass, only to have to send it off to Ken Smith for 4-6 weeks to have an additional $600 worth of work put into it (conversion + updated electronics)... so I decided to pass. If it had the set-up I need, however, I probably would have bit.

Unless, by some miracle, a perfect used SKB3006 or MTD 635-24 falls into my lap, the only used bass I'm interested in right now is your Ken Smith 25th Anniversary.

[/quote]Unless, by some miracle, a perfect used SKB3006 or MTD 635-24 falls into my lap, the only used bass I'm interested in right now is your Ken Smith 25th Anniversary.[/quote]

Ken Smith 25th Ann. is "SOLD" to the man for Oakland.....! Ha!!!! Your 100% right. too much lost time and money doing the conversion unless you normally play stung righty. Cool bass but sight unseen, could be not so pleasant.... Good luck to whomever snagged it tho. I would like to hear the playability of it. Always was interested in a Smith 6er. Mine plays like buttah!!