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SKU SMITH-WT5-BSR

Ken Smith White Tiger BSR 5-String Bass, Flame Tiger Maple Top and Back, Walnut Core, Ebony Fretboard

$5,595.00
Free 2-Day Shipping
  • Ken Smith BSR White Tiger
  • 5-String Bass
  • Bookmatched Highly Figured Flame Tiger Maple Top and Back
  • Black Walnut Core
  • 5-Piece Laminated Aged Hardrock Maple and Ovankol/Shedua Neck
  • Graphite Inlaid Bars
  • Matching Headstock Overlay
  • Macassar Ebony Fretboard
  • 1 3/4" Nut Width
  • 34" Scale (Best Low-B In The Business!)
  • 24 Frets
  • 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/Parrallel Switches for Each Pickup
  • Smith QSR (quick string release) Solid Brass Bridge
  • Includes Hardshell Case
  • Instrument Weight: 9.8 lbs.

Player's Perspective

Music Store Live is proud to offer up this Ken Smith White Tiger 5-String bass! Step right up, folks! It doesn't get much better than this.

Every once in a while we get some basses here at the shop that make everyone just stop everything they're doing to check them out. That's exactly what happened when we got in our first shipment of Ken Smith basses. To say that these are the epitome of hand-made, boutique, expert lutherie is not even beginning to scratch the surface. Saying that every single detail, no matter how large or small, of this instrument is given the most meticulous attention really only begins to explain how precise the build quality of this bass is.

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 this Ken Smith White Tiger to review it. This is no B.S.!

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 flame maple 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 overshadowed 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 bassists all have Ken Smiths 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.
The Black Tiger now has a sister model, the “White Tiger”. The Tiger Maple used for the Top & Back has acclimated for many years in the building as well and is mixed with the same Black Walnut for the Body Core.

Overall Condition

Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized dealer for Ken Smith Basses. This White Tiger BSR 5-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.