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JUST ORDERED A SEI 7 !!

#221
:hyper: nothing more need be said!
Matthew
7string said:
As previously arranged, I called Martin today to see the state of play with my new baby.

All is well. The compartment covers are arranged, just final things to do such as the signature inlay and wiring. The bass has been settling in after being strung up with a set of DR's based around a 40-100 set.

As Martin is really busy, I have offered to collect the bass on Monday if necessary, so this looks like the probable collection day. My next call to him is Friday morning...

So close now.....:bassist:
Click to expand...
 
#224
I was just thinking about my bass....

Have I measured everything right, will everything be in right place, what will it sound like.....??

I think half the thing is that it's a once-in-a-lifetime instrument (well hopefully it won't be if I get well again !!) and I so want everything to be perfect. It's a very nervy time and I suppose everyone who buys a custom bass goes through the same thoughts of "have I thought of everything" and "will it be alright ?".

I am extremely excited though, no doubt about that and it definately doesn't seem like 11 months ago when I went and ordered it and chose the lacewood facings.

If I still lived in London and could pop in every month then I suppose it would be a little easier. Being in Scotland, I've only seen the actual bass once and that was before it got sent away to get it's shiny coat done.

Luckily, members of the S.O.C. (Sei Owners Club) have been kind enough to keep me posted on it's progress and what they thought of it. This has been invaluable really and has helped with the waiting no end.

This has all been a really exciting process. All the more exciting I think as I've wanted one a Sei bass for so long. I really should have won that competition to win one in 1996 :bawl:
 
#226
Mark, NO, NO, NO that 1996 competition should have been won by ME and it was a travesty of injustice….;) ;) ;)

Seriously, let us know when you intend to be at The Gallery on Monday and I will do by very best to meet you there and buy you a beer to celebrate your new baby…:hyper: :bassist: :hyper:
 
#228
....and at this point I was going to post many pics of my new Sei.

Unfortunately, the rear compartment covers to my Sei have been lost in transit. Martin even used DHL's guaranteed next day delivery to get the bass ready for me to take back to Scotland.

For those who have not seen a Sei bass, the compartment covers are cut from the facings. The covers are then finished, as per the rest of the bass and are then replaced back in the same place they were cut from. This gives the rear of the bass a impressively clean look (head over to the Sei owners thread (link in sig) to see what I mean).

It's not just a matter of just getting the covers and screwing them down either. There's still some tricky woodworking to be done before the covers are ready to be fitted.

The bass though is truly, truly awesome and, for me, it's absolutely perfect. The lacewood is simply wonderful and is complimented by the gold hardware. I know some people might think gold is a bit ostentatious, but on this bass it just works. The Kent Armstrong humbucker is perfectly positioned (we agreed that it would be moved back 15mm from the normal position) for me. The birds-eye maple board is just beautifully figured and just works perfectly with the colour of the lacewood. The inlay is my signature in black on a M.O.P. rectangle which is slightly smaller than the space between the frets.

Plugged in, it sounds as good as it looks !! As someone who plays a lot of rock stuff, this bass has real punch. Not only that, but the higher strings have a singing, lyrical quality. The 'B' sounds solid and not flabby or half-hearted (remember this is a single pickup, passive instrument !!). Just a pure joy to sit and play.

It's 'my' bass both in looks and sound. All my pre-London paranoia about is everything right and have I remembered everything are totally dispelled :D :D

..and so we wait for the covers to arrive. If the worst comes to the very, very worst and the covers do not show up at all, Martin will make some more. Saying that however, this has never, never, never happened before and I think would take much of Martin's considerable skill to pull it off. However, we're not thinking negatively and are pretty sure that the covers will turn up soon.:D

I'm not going to post pics of my bass until it's completely finished !! I know that Mike Flynn has some post-finishing photos of the bass which were posted then taken off when he realised I wanted it to be a surprise. :D I've told Mike that it's OK to post them now when he has time !!

The bass has been named 'Jezebel' by the way :D :D :D
 
#229
Just had an e-mail from Alex to say that Martin is making some new covers for Jezebel. He also said "sod's law that the old ones turn up as the new one's are ready" !!

So it looks like she going to be ready fairly soon. :hyper: :hyper:

I'm really happy about Martin's approach to this problem. I mean he could wait a couple of weeks to see what happens. Instead he's making some new covers which, because of the matching involved, is not going to be easy !!
 
#230
Many thanks to Mike Flynn for taking these post-finishing pics of my Sei, and also thanks to Mike for taking them off when he knew I wanted seeing the bass to be a surprise !!

I know some of you managed to catch a glimpse for the short time that these pics were posted !!

Hopefully, you can now see why I'm so absolutely delighted with this bass. The finished instrument is even more awesome !! :hyper: :hyper:

7string1.jpg


7string2.jpg
 
#233
Frustrating this waiting lark eh?? :hmm:

My church had several special services last weekend to mark the 200 year of the abolition of slavery. I was playing bass and would really have liked to have had my new Sei 8 for that low C#0 string.

Oh well, at least all this waiting will make the end result all the sweeter! :ninja:
 
#236
Welcome back from the B'world Bash which looked like a great day out. I was disappointed that I couldn't get there.


Well the covers problem is just one of those things !!

DHL deliver thousands of packages daily with no problems, just happens that it's the package with my covers in that goes missing. Nothing I can do about it and, to be honest, I was very surprised that Martin took the tricky task of making new covers so quickly instead of waiting a couple of weeks (not that I'm complaining mind !!).

That said, now I've seen Jezebel so nearly completed, and playing and sounding so good I can't wait to go to London and collect her !!
 
#239
What's the problem with waiting? If you have taken your time ad decided upon a specific instrument, then it's something you're gonna hold on to for a LONG time to come, so a little patience while it is being completed to the finalised stage isn't any great burden surely?

If you want something "quick", then there are plenty of fast builds out there that use preshaped components. Sei is a fully customise-able operation with all the shaping done by hand.
 
#240
Hi Kevin,

I don't have a problem with the wait. The construction of my bass has had 3 problems, all of which cannot be blamed on the Sei crew (geez, I have been watching too much American Hotrod...).

First problem was the veneer material. I asked for something with a pink colour to it and when the product was delivered it was more beige !! I re-selected but that veneer couldn't be used as it wasn't smooth enough. Finally, the right stuff was found and it was Bolivar dyed claret !! Yup, claret I tell ya, but it's clearly pink :p

Second problem, and this has plagued all the builds is the problem with the finishers. As you know, this has been caused by the guys wife not being well and causing a backlog and some problems with the actual process. This has been a nightmare for all Sei customers, with no idea as to when items were going to return to the workshop.

Thirdly, is the latest problem with my rear covers being lost by DHL.

As I've said before, I agree that the delays (especially one at the finishers) could have been communicated to me better. However, after seeing the quality of the final product and how busy the Sei workshop is, I can understand it.

When I first contacted Sei HQ with a spec for the bass I was quoted 10 months, so even with the first 2 problems it was still on track for March, 1 month late. The problem with the covers might make it 2 months late. Which considering that the bass was away from the shop being finished for 3 months isn't too bad.

The wait is incredibly frustrating and I feel for all the other Sei customers, but it is at that point that you have to trust the luthier. I know Martin won't keep any customer waiting longer than he has to and no-one is more critical of the basses coming out of the workshop than him. He wants everything that he builds to be of as high a quality as possible and also he doesn't want to send photos out until the instruments are in a condition which is 'unflamable' !! This means that we don't get to see our basses for months !! Reason is, it seems that when pics go on forums when the bodies (for example) have just been shaped, some people heavily criticise the bass and do not understand that it's still in the early stages. To keep his reputation, pics of Sei basses are only given out when they are indeed 'unflamable'....have I just invented a new word :confused:

I know what you mean about there being plenty of faster builds out there, but I waited over 10 years just to place the order !! In all that time I have never played a bass that felt as good as a Sei. Sound-wise, for me, my bass is absolutely bang on the money and there is no-way that I either regret ordering a Sei or having to wait a couple of months more than was planned.

Being an M.E. sufferer and unable to work at the moment. means that I'm not in the position to say "I'll have Sei now, then save up for x bass and then a y bass". Because of this my choice of bass is critical, as there aren't funds for a replacement. :D

I'm proud to be a Sei customer and I'll be equally proud to be a Sei owner (and drop that darn 'w') :bassist:
 

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