Double Basses - Ken Smith Basses, LTD

During my years as a Professional Bassist in NY I have bought, sold and collected many Double Basses from classics to modern makers as well as using them on my Jobs around town. Some of the Basses I have had then and acquired more recently include examples from Rivolta, Bernardel, Barbe, Gilkes, Hart, Loveri, Martini, Candi, Dodd, Prescott, Batchelder, Gemunder, Wilfer/Juzek, Lang/Juzek, Morelli (Pfretzschner), Pollmann, Schirmer, Bollbach, Lombardi, Sirleto and many others attributed to famous makers, from European and Asian Shops and even the occasional American Kay Bass. Besides the Basses I personally owned, used and sold I have played and examined countless other Basses from some of the great masters and some not so great. While many people throughout the world now associate me mainly with just the Smith Electric Basses we make and sell, the majority of the Bass population is unaware that had I worked as a Professional Bassist in New York for 20 years and that I had also dabbled quite heavily in the Double Bass field including some repairs and restorations of my own.

Currently we are selling only select Basses that I find to be superior in their class as well as one of a kind Master Grade Basses that have been restored and set-up by one of my favorite Bass Luthiers in the Northeast. As I have in the past, I also collect and sell choice Bass Bows as well as my own designs made for maximum playability within its price range for students thru professionals alike. Besides the Basses and Bows I have listed, I am always searching for more interesting instruments for Purchase and/or Trade-in.

I retired officially in 1988 from playing professionally but I did start back playing out again in 2001 to enjoy some Basses I had recently purchased. Currently I play in 2 Symphony Orchestras, an occasional Jazz gig as well as taking other calls for Shows and even Chamber Music ensembles. This way I get to 'road test' all of the Basses and Bows I bring in and get aquatinted with their capabilities. Although it's supposed to be ‘just business’ with my Bass/Bow testing, if often gets ‘very personal’. When an old relic comes out of restoration, I am never sure at first if it will get tagged as 'my one and only'.

All of the Basses offered are Photographed to show as many angles as possible displaying all the details of each Bass including any special features or markings. The measurents taken allow you to compare for size, comfort and playability. All Rib(sides) measurments are taken of the Ribs themselves and do Not include the thickness of Top and Back but just the actual Ribs themselves. Please enjoy looking thru our detailed Bass and Bow pages and feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have.