Sei Offset Flamboyant 7 string

[7string]

The only reason this review has been re-written is because I wasn’t happy with the first version. It tended to focus on the build process rather than being a review of the bass itself and this is the “bass reviews” section after all.

Sei basses have been around for 16 years or so now and their reputation for high quality, great designs and marvellous playability puts them up there with (and some might argue above), the likes of Fodera and Sadowsky et al. The brainchild of Martin Petersen, Sei basses are built in a small workshop in the basement of The Bass Gallery in London, the city’s premier shop for all things bass.

I first came across Sei basses in 1996. It was a 6 string fretless, which was the type of bass I was playing at the time, and it was light years ahead of anything else I’d played. From then on, every bass I played was compared to a Sei. I ordered my bass in 2006 and received it nearly exactly a year later. This was behind the 9 months schedule, but the problems were exclusively out-of-house.

The first stage in this build was to put a spec together and I did this with a combination of research and the views and opinions of the members of the Sei Owners Club on Talkbass. I had a basic spec together before I contacted Sei HQ and this was fleshed out during a meeting in The Bass Gallery a few weeks later. The spec was put to paper and this was used throughout the build to make sure that my bass would be as-ordered. Whilst at Sei HQ I was shown the lacewood and the birdseye maple that was to be used. Thinners were put on the lacewood to give an impression of the final result which was exciting too see. In the end, I went for quite a few optional extras above the “basic” Sei spec, which is already pretty special. There was no sales pressure for me to take anything though.



[i][b]First pic of the lacewood boards.[/b][/i]


Here’s the final spec (optional extras marked *):

[b]Model:[/b] Sei Offset Flamboyant
[b]Number of strings:[/b] 7*
[b]Headstock:[/b] Headed*
[b]Body core:[/b] Walnut
[b]Veneer:[/b] Bolivar dyed claret
[b]Facings:[/b] Full lacewood facings front and rear*
[b]Neck-thru: [/b]7 piece maple and wenge with carbon rods*
[b]Fingerboard:[/b] Birdseye maple* w/ purple side LEDs* & signature 12th fret inlay*
[b]Headstock:[/b] Capped with lacewood back and front.
[b]Hardware colour:[/b] Gold*
[b]Tuners:[/b] Gotohs
[b]Bridge:[/b] Individual ABM units
[b]Pickup:[/b] Custom wound humbucker by Aaron Armstrong at Armstrong pickups [b]Controls:[/b] Volume pot with pull for the LEDs. Series/parallel switch on lower edge*
[b]Outputs:[/b] 6.3mm jack and XLR*.


The optional extras increased the price of the bass, but as all costs are detailed on the Sei Bass website this wasn’t a nasty surprise. Martin has to be applauded for such a clear pricing policy.

The string spacing (17mm) and scale length (34”) were taken from my Conklin GT7, 7 string bass which I’d been playing for the previous 5 years or so. String spacing, number of strings and scale length can be altered to suit all customers. The pickup placement was decided by where my picking had normally lies, forward of a normal bridge Jazz pickup, more akin to a P bass placement in fact.

Whilst I was there, I signed my name on a piece of paper a few times and picked the one which looked best. The chosen signature would later be laser-etched onto mother-of pearl and inlaid at the 12th fret. A deposit was required to get the build underway with the balance due when I was happy with the completed instrument.

There were 3 problems during the build which no-one at Sei HQ had any control over:

[i][b]Sourcing the veneer in the required colour[/b][/i]

The colour I asked for was unusual and they really had their work cut out to find some. In the end, some bolivar which had been dyed claret was found. I was kept abreast of the situation and was offered substitutes just in case the product was a different colour than that printed in the supplier’s book or posted on their website.

[i][b]Delays finishing the bass. [/b][/i]

Due to restraints on space and the required equipment to spray a bass, this process is outsourced. However, if a bass is returned and is not up to the high standard that a Sei bass requires, it’s sent back to be done again. Several promised return dates were missed and I was just one of the customers caught in the logjam. The company involved does not handle Sei basses anymore.

[i][b]Control cavity covers lost.[/b][/i]

The covers for the control and battery cavities were lost by courier company, DHL. Usually the grain perfectly matches the wood on the rest of the rear of the bass. Due to this problem, mine are replacements, but they’re pretty darn close nevertheless.


During the build, I only saw the bass once and this was after all the woodwork was done. At this point, the neck profile can be felt and altered if necessary, but had no problem with the standard shape. It was simply great to see and hold the bass for the first time. There’s no problem with owners wanting to see progress more often, but I live in Glasgow and so can’t travel the 400 miles to London too often.



[b][i]The Sei 7 with the woodwork completed.[/i][/b]



[i][b]Unusually, the routing is done after the finish has been applied.[/b][/i]


The bass was completed nearly a year to the day that it was ordered and I opted to collect it in person. A courier service is available though and as Sei basses come with a Hiscox case (which can withstand 500kg of force) this helps to ensure a safe delivery. Later on, I would accidentally test the case and although it was bent out of shape, the bass inside was safe and sound.


[b][i]Sei 7 completed. Full front view.[/i][/b]



[b][i]Sei 7 completed. Full back view.[/i][/b]


When looking at this Sei bass, the sheer quality of the workmanship is undeniable. Every part of this bass just oozes quality and both the woodwork and the finish are top-drawer. Every part of the instrument just flows into the other and details like the veneer and the way the full facings are set into the body are just to be marvelled at. Personally, I have not seen this quality matched by another other luthier. The bass weighs in at 10lbs which makes it comfortable for long periods and it’s 4lbs lighter than my Conklin GT7.

The quality isn’t just skin deep either. Remove the cavity covers and you’ll find the inside clean, smooth and coated in conductive paint. The covers are backed with metal (aluminium maybe?) completing the shielding of the electronics.

As the dimensions were taken from a bass I already own, this Sei bass feels like ‘home’. Due to the slim profile of the neck, it’s easy to play and the finish on the back of the neck isn’t that sticky gloss which afflicts so many basses nowadays. The fretwork is top-notch and the 12th fret inlay is flawlessly created and set into the highly-figured birdseye maple fingerboard. As planned, the pickup is placed in just the right spot for me to play over.

The fretwork is top-notch, the nut well-cut and the action is low.. In fact, since I’ve had the bass, I’ve taken the action up slightly putting a tad more relief into the neck and raising the saddles slightly. Interestingly, when I changed strings for the first time I noticed that the neck actually back-bows with no string tension.. Not until the all the strings are nearly at pitch does the back-bow go away. With string tension, the neck has with the slightest amount of relief.

Shaping the tone was very simple. The bass came with just 1 volume control on the top of the bass as the series/parallel button and the 2 outputs are on the lower edge. This look gave the bass a clean, uncluttered look which I’d first seen on another Sei belong to member #1 of the Sei Owners Club. I did ask if I could use the idea before I put it on the spec sheet!



[i][b]Sei 7. Close up of body. Front.[/b][/i]



[i][b]Sei 7. Close up of body. Back.[/b][/i]


Initially, the bass sounded good,but I just wanted more rounded, more aggressive sound. It didn’t really have the rock tone I wanted and was a bit too polite. After 5 months, I had a Schack preamp installed, that slightly improved it and I had two more holes in the bass. 1 volume knob was now 2 concentric pots and a really tiny switch for the LEDs.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I decided to sort the sound once and for all so I wrote to Aaron Armstrong who wound the first pickup. His answer was that the pickup in my bass was really a bridge pickup and he wouldn’t have installed it at that position on a bass. Aaron really brought his “A game” to the table and wound a fantastic replacement pickup. While I was working on this, I found that the nuts that hold the pot on the front face of the bass are recessed into the facing itself. This shows the amazing level of detail on a Sei bass and again, something that I haven’t seen anywhere else.



The recessed nuts on the face of the bass.


I removed the Schack preamp as in its place went 2 CTS 250k pots and a Sprague .33 capacitor. New knobs came from Q-Parts [url="http://www.q-parts.com"]www.q-parts.com[/url] They’re gold, dome knobs with purple acrylic tops.



[i][b]The new Q-Parts knobs.[/b][/i]



[i][b]Close-up showing the veneer. The Bolivar, dyed claret has a pinkish hue.[/b][/i]


It’s only now that I feel that I have the bass that I always wanted. The sound matches the playability and it’s an unbelievable instrument to own. I compare it to owning a Saville Row suit or a dream sportscar. When I first collected the bass my Dad, who admits that he knows nothing about basses, asked if it was worth the money. Yes Dad it is. Every single penny.



[i][size=2]My thanks to Martin Petersen, John Chapman and Alex Carter at Sei HQ and Aaron Armstrong at Armstrong pickups. Thanks also to all members of the S.O.C., my family for putting up with my excited babbling and my wife for all her support and understanding.[/size][/i]

Edited December 21, 2009 by 7string

[barry44]

schwing!!!