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SKU SMITH-TN6-BSR

Ken Smith Black Tiger BSR 6-String Bass, Figured Walnut Top and Back, Maple Core, Ebony Fretboard - 6TN680117

$5,795.00
Free 2-Day Shipping
  • Ken Smith BSR Black Tiger
  • 6-String Bass
  • Rare Figured Walnut Top and Back
  • Tiger Maple Core
  • 5-Piece Laminated Aged Hardrock Maple and Ovankol/Shedua Neck
  • Graphite Inlaid Bars
  • Matching Headstock Overlay
  • Macassar Ebony Fretboard
  • 2 1/8" Nut Width
  • 24 Frets
  • 34" Scale (Best Low-B In The Business!)
  • Classic Hand Rubbed Dutch Varnish Over Stradivari Gold Oil (Ken's Secret Sauce)
  • Gold Smith Hardware & Dunlop Flush Mount Straploks
  • Ken Smith Custom Humbuckers
  • "NEW" Smith B.M.T. 3-Band EQ 18-Volt Preamp
  • Series/Parallel Switches for Each Pickup
  • Includes Hardshell Case
  • Serial Number: 6TN680117
  • Instrument Weight: 10.8 lbs.

Player's Perspective

Music Store Live is proud to offer up this Ken Smith Black Tiger 6-String bass! Step right up, folks! It doesn't get much better than this.

This bass is simply to-die-for! The weight is hardly noticeable as a result of a bass that is perfectly ergonomically designed and balanced. The playability is simply divine. The tone is punchy, defined, and articulate as can be. The figured walnut looks amazing and adds some nice growl to the notes. But, honestly, as gorgeous as this bass is, it's overshadowed by the immaculate craftsmanship, extraordinarily easy playability, and perfectly defined tone.

Ken Smith's basses have long been known for having an extremely growly, punchy, tight/focused, and modern sound. They're hugely popular in the R&B/Soul and Funk worlds but then again, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead also used one for a while. The tone of this bass is aggressive and in-your-face. The bass growls like a hungry tiger. It's a thing of beauty! It feels like having a Ferrari under your fingers. It is possible to tame the aggressive growl into a mellower purr with the re-designed pre-amp. All of the classic hi-fi Smith tone is still available, but with the ability to tame the tiger, if you so choose to. Slapping on this beast is pure blissful joy! Fingerstyle lines feel like they carry a punch to the face with each note. You couldn't make this bass sound muddy if you were trying to! Everything about it is designed for clear, tight, articulate, defined, punchy, and growly thumping.

Having had the luxury of playing some of the greatest basses in the world, made by some of the greatest bass luthiers, ranging in all sorts of price points, I have to admit to never having had the sort of emotional response (of pure joy) that happened when I first picked up the first Ken Smith White and Black Tigers to review them. This is no B.S.! It was love at first sight.

If you're going for that more modern and hi-fi kind of tone, it just simply and truly does not get any better than this! There's a reason we're barely even talking about the way it looks... As you can see in the photos, this bass looks stunningly beautiful. The figured walnut top and back are gorgeous and matching headstock is a beautiful touch. We think it really says something when, despite how awesome the bass looks, all of that can be easily outdone by the immaculate playability and impressively powerful tone that this badass instrument can provide. But we aren't the only ones that feel this way... Stanley Clarke, Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller, Gary Grainger, Phil Lesh, Freddie Washington, Melvin Davis, and so many more big-name, professional players all have Ken Smith basses in their arsenals. These guys are choosing with their ears and their fingers, not their eyes. Luckily, with one of these, they look as incredible as they sound so you don't have to make any compromises.

Manufacturers Details

We purchased dozens of Black Walnut trees (logs) about 12-15 years ago, sliced them up and air dried all the Lumber here in our building. Only about 1% of Walnut Lumber has figured sections (Black Walnut is usually unfigured). On occasion, a piece is discovered with Rare Crotch Feather, Circular Grain, Criss/Cross Figure, or a Flame Pattern. Ken has “cherry picked” pieces of this rare Figured Walnut to make this special model. The enhanced beauty, construction, and tone is a perfect match for this rare Limited Edition Model.
Because of the limited amount of this Rare Figured Walnut, only a small number of “Black Tigers” can be made in proportion to other models.

Overall Condition

Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized dealer for Ken Smith Basses. This Black Tiger BSR 6-String is 100% brand new and is being sold with a full manufacturer's warranty. Photos are of the exact bass you'll receive.

Our in-house guitar tech has inspected, tested, set up, and cleaned all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.