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BGRA: Ken Smith Chuck Rainey 5 string Fretless (CR5GF)
| Manufacturer |
Ken Smith |
Model |
Chuck Rainey 5 string Fretless (CR5GF) |
| Reviewer |
Bill Bolton (billbolton@acslink.net.au) |
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| Experience |
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Item owned |
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| Review Date |
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Price paid |
Store tag said US$3000, paid US$2300 (late '94 pri |
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Neck Type | 3 piece maple + graphite bars, 4 screw bolt-on |
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Fingerboard | Not sure, fretless |
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Body Type | 3 piece, maple centre, koa wings |
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Finish | natural, satin finish of some sort (not oiled) |
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Pickup(s) | 2 x passive Ken Smith concealed pole soapbars |
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Controls | Pan pot (pull up for passive), Volume pot, |
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I've been playing this bass for 18 months since I bought it in
Seattle, so this is a review based on some in depth experience with it
for both live and studio session gigs.
This is a beautifully made instrument with a nice bolt-on neck
fretless *growl*. The headstock is angled back and has machine heads
in a 2 + 3 configuration. The visible brand indentification is a
large S inlaid at the top of the head stock and *Ken Smith* engraved
in small letters on the truss rod cover just above the nut. The bass
came with Ken Smith round wounds on it which I found a bit too bright
and had too much string handling noise. I immediately restrung with
Ken Smith Slick Round (ground wound) strings which took the edge of
the top end and eliminated string handling noise. Resetting action
and intonation for the ground wounds was straight forward and easily
done. The neck hasn't needed any adjustment in the time I've had it.
The low B string is reproduced well.
I haven't weighed the bass, but it's a bit lighter than my Fender Ash
bodied 4 strings basses. Both strap and knee balance is good, with
only a very slight tendency to neck dive. Battery consumption is low
and the active by-pass switch is nice comfort factor. The bass is
electrically very quiet, even with the tone controls cranked to
maximum boost, which has been a real plus for session work. There is
good differentiation in amplified sound between the two pickups, with
each being useful separately as well as in combination. The pickups
do accurately reproduce the nuisances of the *acoustic* tone of the
instrument.
The only dislike I have is that the positioning of the machine heads
makes it a bit difficult to use a string winder, it keeps hitting the
adjoining machine heads.
I have no hesitation in recommending this bass to anyone!
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| construction |
 | (95%) |
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| playability |
| (100%) |
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| sound |
| (100%) |
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| value |
| (100%) |
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| overall |
| (99%) |
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