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Sei Owners Club

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#124
As Matthew alluded to - we are an exclusive bunch here. Here is the current listing

1 - Matthew Foote
2 - Rusty Chainsaw (formally XO-Bionic)
3(w) - 7String
4 - little old fat boy me
5 - mapfbadger
6 - BassPlayer2106
7 - Thonk
8 - Peik
9(w) - Howie

(w) for waiter

Some extra people have turned up on the thread so PM me guys lets get the numbers up a bit. And update your sigs as well if you haven't already done so.
 
#125
Can you identify these tops for me?

SeiF6bucka.jpg


flamboyant6.jpg


flam5hbut.jpg
 
#127
Damn that Howie. I don't know - he comes over for a chat and we start talking fretless. Can you see where this is heading yet? I should never have tried Matthews 7 string either.

You only live once and I'm going for it. I know there are plenty of other really talented luthiers out there but I honestly can't think of anyone I would rather work with than Martin. His work is outstanding, he listens to your thoughts and anyone who can put up with my wittering on for months can't be bad.

OK people - I need some thoughts. Here are the definites.
  • 5 String Fretless
  • Headed
  • Schack circuit
  • Lined (possibly only on side of neck)
I'll work out the body shape with Martin when I see him - probably another offset Flam. I'm looking for a very traditional fretless tone and looking for brighter and more figured woods to compliment what I've already got. Any and all opinions welcome on the following
  • Fretboard Wood
  • Body Woods
  • Pickups
Here we go again...
 
#128
Paddy said:
Damn that Howie. I don't know - he comes over for a chat and we start talking fretless. Can you see where this is heading yet? I should never have tried Matthews 7 string either.

You only live once and I'm going for it. I know there are plenty of other really talented luthiers out there but I honestly can't think of anyone I would rather work with than Martin. His work is outstanding, he listens to your thoughts and anyone who can put up with my wittering on for months can't be bad.

OK people - I need some thoughts. Here are the definites.
  • 5 String Fretless
  • Headed
  • Schack circuit
  • Lined (possibly only on side of neck)
I'll work out the body shape with Martin when I see him - probably another offset Flam. I'm looking for a very traditional fretless tone and looking for brighter and more figured woods to compliment what I've already got. Any and all opinions welcome on the following
  • Fretboard Wood
  • Body Woods
  • Pickups
Here we go again...
Click to expand...

i assume by traditional tone you mean Jaco-ish?


to obtain what i would call a "traditional" tone i would think that alder as the body wood is a start, or maybe walnut if you want a bit more articulation a tighter low end.

for me at least Ebony is a must for the fingerboard.

and neck wise if you went with maple as the dominant wood rather than wenge this time that is gonna make things sound a little more Fender-y, but not overly so, a maple/purpleheart neck would be great for stability and i hear they sound great as well. pickup wise i would say singles i guess, you should checl out Nordstrand pickups, like the Big singles or the Fatstacks, they are both real nice pickups, im gonna get some Fatstacks in my Fodera.

as far as tops go you cant go wrong with a bit of Buckeye, or even spalted/quilted maple.


Dave
 
#129
fretless Bob said:
well the top one is buckeye burl, and the second could be the same or maybe chestnut, not a clue about the last one though, its insane.


Dave
Click to expand...

I would agree with Buckeye for the first two, the third is either Thuya burl/root or amboina burl, my spelling might be a little off.

If I remember the third is quite hard to get hold of especially bits with good contrast.

Regards

Matthew
 
#131
Paddy

I like the sound of your specs. For body wood I would say swamp ash or alder with an ebony fingerboard. Neck flame maple with stringer of your choice. A sort of classic wood combination and I don't think you can go far wrong with it.

The offset flamboyant body is one of the nicest around and I think I would have gone with it if it had been around when I was having mine made.

I know you have had a little go on my fretless so you have some idea of how it sounds. Its woods are as follows. Swamp ash body with flame maple neck with wenge stringers and an ebony board. The body facings are Buckeye Burl

I have the schack 18v pre in it which I love and the pickups are now Kent armstrong custom wired in series. In the bridge I have piezo's with a John East 2 band pre.

Regards

Matthew
 
#132
Regarding my case, I'm getting extremely nervous and enthusiastic as the day approaches... I have made a really long list of features and I hope most of them can be done with no extreme upcharges - if the cost excedes my financial abilities, my second choice is a friend's used Dingwall Voodoo... it's certainly a win/win situation, but I'd really love to walk the custom path for the first time.
 
#133
Dragonlord said:
Regarding my case, I'm getting extremely nervous and enthusiastic as the day approaches... I have made a really long list of features and I hope most of them can be done with no extreme upcharges - if the cost excedes my financial abilities, my second choice is a friend's used Dingwall Voodoo... it's certainly a win/win situation, but I'd really love to walk the custom path for the first time.
Click to expand...


I presume you have costed out your bass to some extent using the price list on the website. This is farly comprehensive so unless you want some features that are unique and require Martin to make special one off pattens you should be ok.
I would however suggest that you make two lists the first of things you must have and the second of those you would like but are not show stoppers. I think it would be a shame if you did not go for a Sei because of a single feature.

Anyway good luck with it and do keep us informed via this thread and your own build thread.

Regards

Matthew
 
#134
The 'van' brought back my fretless Sei to me today. :hyper: It had been with Martin to sort out a problem with my pickups. After discussing options with Martin I went with a new set of Custom Kent Armstrongs to replace the Barts.

On opening the case it was great to see everything was as normal. Arron Armstrong had even used the cases from the Bartolini's so that Martin could just slip them straight into the bass without having to cut the facings etc. Avery nice touch

Straight off, the sound is quite different with a much higher output and a clearer tone. It was like my Bart G6's had been muffled and the muffler had now been removed. It still has the low end growl and Mwah all over the fretboard but it is going to take me a few days to find 'the tone'. That said I will still take it to band practice tonight and see how the bass sits in the mix. Having to spend time finding out how the new pickups sound is really made easier by the Schack 18v pre comes into its own in this sort of situation. This pre amp has such a huge tonal range that I will be able to get any tone I want, it will just take a bit of time to find out where they all are!

Any way another cracking result from Martin sorting out my problem with his usual attention to detail and excellent service.

I will post again when I have given it a bit more of a go.

Regards

Matthew
 
#135
Well, what I'd love to have is a recessed back body, like the Streamer's or the Thumb's. I don't know how much that would cost, as it would need a fatter piece of wood, and I don't know if a top and back will be possible... but it would be much more comfortable for me, as because of my belly regular basses feel like a piece of firewood against my body... this might up the cost quite a bit. After that there are some other more minor features, like wooden knobs (no idea how much), side leds (site says "from 210"), figured facing (site says "from 50"), 8.5mm string spacing at the nut (which I don't know if can be done as it will be headless), a height-adjustable ramp... most (or all) of these features I can do without, but still it won't be the same bass that I have in mind (and after all that's why I wanna make a custom, to have all the small stuff I can't find in production models), and if I'm gonna spend more than 2000 GBP for a "basic" configuration and wait for 10 months, while OTOH I can have instantly a great bass with the same specs (more or less) for less money, then it's a tough decision... we'll see.
 
#136
Dragonlord said:
Can you identify these tops for me?

flamboyant6.jpg
Click to expand...

My guess is Spanish Olive. I think this bass was on the previously owned section of the Sei website for a while.

With regards to your question Dragonlord, I wouldn't worry about the body contouring like a Streamer (and they nicked it from Spector, if I recall !!). That's something which I always liked, but playing a Sei is totally different from a Warwick.

We all know that buying a Sei is a big financial commitment (those here with more than one know better than I do !!). My Sei will have a wooden volume control (which I have from THG Knobs). The LED's price depend on how many you want and whether they are for the side or front or both. The price for the facings is heavily dependent on which wood type you go for.

I totally understand the question you face. Do you wait 10 months for a custom or get one (for more or less the same money) now?? I think Paddy or Matthew are more qualified to answer this, but I really feel that the wait will be worth the result and I'll end up with a bass that is not only unique but perfect for my musical needs and playing situation.

Going to speak to Martin for the first time about having a Sei built is a highly enjoyable experience. I went with a big list of ideas, spoke with Martin and he really focussed in on what I needed and what ideas were good or bad. At the end when everything was written down and priced, I had total confidence that the bass would be the one that I will be playing for many, many years to come.
 
#137
Matthew - Great to hear that the bass arrived safely and that no major surgery was needed. How did it sound in a band setting ??

Paddy - Well it had to happen didn't it :hyper:

I'd agree with the others with regards to your specs. Alder/swamp ash body, ebony board. As to the top, well the madrona was unusual and really cool. See what else takes you fancy in Martin's wood store !!

At least you have the fretted Sei to keep you company during the wait this time !!
 
#138
7string said:
I think Paddy or Matthew are more qualified to answer this, but I really feel that the wait will be worth the result and I'll end up with a bass that is not only unique but perfect for my musical needs and playing situation.
Click to expand...

I've finished an 8 month build last month. I am stepping back into a 10 month build now!!!! I could buy an "off-the-shelf" fretless but after having my Sei for a couple of months (nearly) I'm going to put up with the wait again.

Possibly the best answer I can give. I am NOT a patient man.
 
#139
Dragonlord said:
Well, what I'd love to have is a recessed back body, like the Streamer's or the Thumb's. I don't know how much that would cost, as it would need a fatter piece of wood, and I don't know if a top and back will be possible... but it would be much more comfortable for me, as because of my belly regular basses feel like a piece of firewood against my body... this might up the cost quite a bit. After that there are some other more minor features, like wooden knobs (no idea how much), side leds (site says "from 210"), figured facing (site says "from 50"), 8.5mm string spacing at the nut (which I don't know if can be done as it will be headless), a height-adjustable ramp... most (or all) of these features I can do without, but still it won't be the same bass that I have in mind (and after all that's why I wanna make a custom, to have all the small stuff I can't find in production models), and if I'm gonna spend more than 2000 GBP for a "basic" configuration and wait for 10 months, while OTOH I can have instantly a great bass with the same specs (more or less) for less money, then it's a tough decision... we'll see.
Click to expand...

I doubt Martin will make you a concave body, but the Sei body shapes are so well contoured anyway that hopefully it shouldn't be an issue. I think nowadays that Martin rarely builds instruments that deviate from the seven or so established Sei designs (original, Flamboyant, Flamboyant offset, the two singlecut designs, the Millennium and the J-bass). The nut spacing is obviously limited by the available hardware for a headless bass (although I'm sure there's different nut widths available), and I'd imagine a ramp wouldn't be hard for him to make - Neil Murray's old Flamboyant (one of the first) had a ramp between the pickups, and that was over 10 years ago.

The best thing to do is to actually go down and sit with Martin, and talk about everything you're looking for. You can look at the woods there and then, and, once you've picked your options, you can get it fully priced up.

I know how enticing it is to spend all that money on a great instrument now, but there's nothing like the anticipation of waiting for your new bass to be crafted, knowing all your ideas and input are coming to fruition in an instrument that will be truly yours... it's a gestation period, just like having a baby. :D
 
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