Ken Smith USED S-II A 4-string '86

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Purchased from Amigo Guitar Show. Vintage Smiths with a built-in envelope filter! This is a rare early 4-string model featuring a body wing made of figured maple carefully laminate d in three layers with a veneer in between, and a similarly laminated, robust 3-piece maple neck-through construction. In the processing of the neck-to-body joint, the use of a tone block and the beautiful treatment of the morado sandwiched between them demonstrate artistic woodworking elements that would later be seen in Smith and Fodera instruments. According to the signature on the backplate, this instrument appears to have been completed in 1986, but the serial number is from 1985, suggesting that it may have been processed during Vinnie Fodera's time at the company and then finished and shipped the following year. It features a custom circuit specially made by HAZ (*1) that evolves a high-voltage driven preamp circuit reminiscent of Alembic, and converts the filter circuit originally intended for tone control into an envelope filter. The filter frequency can be selected from two types via a switch: manual (knob) and envelope (auto-wah). The filter circuit, designed by a former Musitronics engineer, is different from that of the Mu-tron™, but that alone makes it interesting. It's a truly fascinating instrument that exudes the energy unique to that era. While it is possible to supply high voltage power (*2) using a dedicated power supply and cable, since there is no power supply, it can only be powered by three 9V batteries. The circuit itself appears to be using a circuit board manufactured around 1980, one of the earliest models to feature this circuit, judging from the components installed. This particular circuit showed signs of modification and some component deterioration, so the previous owner entrusted it to a HAZ engineer for restoration, including recapping, wiring repairs, and replacement of faulty parts, resulting in a faithful readjustment to the original circuit. The neck condition and truss rod function are fine, and there is no fret buzz or other issues. Some of the potentiometers have a slight crackling sound, but it becomes smoother after turning them for a while. This is a rare instrument that gives you a glimpse into the history of high-end basses that flourished in New York in the early 1980s. Weight: ≈5.22 kg Original hard case, wrench x2 *1: Haz Laboratories is a custom electronics workshop founded by Henry Zajac, a former engineer at Musitronics, famous for the Mu-Tron. It is known for producing high-quality original circuits for companies such as Spector, Steinberger, Ken Smith, and Fodera, and is also famous as the manufacturer of the Mu-Tron III+. *2: Do not use the Alembic DS-5 power supply with this unit. The voltage, wiring, and other specifications may differ. If the circuit board or components are damaged due to the use of the DS-5, we may refuse to repair the product under warranty, or even charge a repair fee. Show more