Author Topic: Stanley Clarke Selling a personal bass on Ebay (Read 576 times)

jazzyvee · « **Reply #15 on:** July 29, 2013, 10:42:12 AM »

Seems like two offers have been made on the bass.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-1981-Custom-Ken-Smith-STANLEY-CLARKE-Flying-V-Bass-Guitar-MUST-SEE-/190819926555?pt=Guitar&hash=item2c6dc1021b

Jazzyvee

811952 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 29, 2013, 10:52:26 AM »

Graeme, I'm not a Ken Smith bass fan. ;-) He's the only guy I've ever met who told me I was playing the instrument wrong.

John

hifiguy · « **Reply #17 on:** July 29, 2013, 05:34:33 PM »

That is NOT an attractive bass, at least IMO, regardless of provenance.

jim777 · « **Reply #18 on:** September 12, 2013, 01:46:12 PM »

It's a Ken Smith. What more needs to be said?

John

At the time this bass was made, Vinnie Fodera was doing 95%+ of Ken's woodworking in NY. I think you can definitely credit Ken with the electronics package (filters galore) on this one but this bass was almost certainly built by Vinnie Fodera for Ken Smith, not by Ken himself.

pasewark · « **Reply #19 on:** September 12, 2013, 02:17:44 PM »

Ghastly

charles_holmes · « **Reply #20 on:** September 12, 2013, 04:54:18 PM »

Referring to the July 29, 2013 post,I'm unclear as to how you were playing the bass wrong. Were you playing it with your toes?

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #21 on:** September 12, 2013, 09:42:50 PM »

And what if he was? I saw John McEuan play banjo with his toes once; sounded pretty darn good!

Peter

jim777 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 13, 2013, 09:52:04 PM »

I know Ken can be a VERY opinionated guy, but honestly I love his basses. I think he was very influenced by Alembic on the visual side, and I think it has served him well. I would never turn up a chance to play one of his basses just because he can be so...persnickety? Yes, persnickety. You don't hear that word as much as you might, like 'zany'. He's also sort of a PITA lol

mtjam · « **Reply #23 on:** September 14, 2013, 03:49:07 AM »

I had a Ken Smith 5-string BSRM5 for a while, but I never got the sound I wanted from it. It was a very solidly built bass, relatively lightweight, and felt great. However, the sound just never did it for me. I have watched other people play different Smith models and make them sound excellent, though.

I always loved the look of Smith basses since I first saw them on their string packages I used to get when I first started playing bass in the 80s. Then my hero, Phil Lesh, played one for a while so that made them even cooler in my mind.

I have read before about Ken Smith's sometimes abrasive personality, but I never had to deal with him myself. Bringing my rambling back to Alembic, I am so glad I have finally found my sound with my Distillate, Orion, and Series 2 basses.

Also, I have found my dealings with Alembic to be the best! Those Wickershams make the ultimate basses, and are always a pleasure to talk to.

I suppose that's why we are all here...for life!

bassmanblue · « **Reply #24 on:** September 19, 2013, 11:14:31 AM »

after a good look at this bass it's not so much a flying v as a tulip a flower/ it is a one on a kind but there is something odd about it