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Sei vs. Jerzy Drozd ?

Dragonlord

Dragonlord

Rocks Around The Glocks
Aug 30, 2000
2,573
464
46
Greece, Europe
#1
OK, european luthiers fans, which would you say that are the pros and cons of Sei and Jerzy Drozd? Which one would you prefer? Tonal/quality differences? Which one is more ergonomic, which sound more even up and down the neck, etc etc etc. I hope there are a few members who have tried both, to make this thread interesting..
 
#2
Dragonlord said:
OK, european luthiers fans, which would you say that are the pros and cons of Sei and Jerzy Drozd? Which one would you prefer? Tonal/quality differences? Which one is more ergonomic, which sound more even up and down the neck, etc etc etc. I hope there are a few members who have tried both, to make this thread interesting..
Click to expand...
Sorry...never tried a Sei. But, I'm a huge Jerzy Drozd fan. I own a Mastery VI, which is he first bass with more than 4 strings that I was comfortable on. The neck is super-slim (front-to-back) with 19 mm (I think, but it's adjustable) string spacing. Very comfortable to play, just like a hot knife through butter. It's a 34" scale with a low B that kills my 35" Lakland DJ5, which has a great low B, in its own right.

Anyway, when you get into basses at this price range, tone is more based on combinations of wood choices, as there tends to be a lot more variety. Jerzy's got a few tendencies, however, such as using woods such as Etimoe (mine is actually Walnut, but it's similar) as a body wood and an incredibly thick ebony fingerboard. It makes for a warm tone with enough bite to give each note good definition. Etimoe, IME, has good blossoming lows, strong and rich low mids, and a little bit of treble bite.

Jerzy's also got new proprietary pickups that he's using frequently now. I don't have them in my Mastery, but asked him to make me a pair of pickups that will drop in to the current routings. They tend to be hotter and brighter than Barts and have more harmonic content, which bring out more of the instrument's character.
 
#3
+1 to everything RAM said.

I've never played a Sei, but I hear good things.

I have a JD Signature V, a JD Mastery V fretless, and a Mastery VI is currently under construction. In case you can't tell, I love Jerzy's basses. For me, they just fit my body and playing style. The neck is extremely flat and easy to play, and the body balances perflectly. I am graduating chiropractic school in the spring, so I guess I consider myself an authority on ergonomics -- the Drozd is perfect in that sense (for me anyway). It is very comfortable both standing and sitting down. I highly suggest playing one before you decide to buy. Like ROM said, when you get into this price range, it's a matter personal preference and talking to the luthier about your needs. I would suggest emailing the builders and discussing what you're looking for in a bass. Im sure both builders will be able to make your dream bass!
 
#5
I've never tried either, but I'd love to! It's a very hard choice, both luthiers are brilliant, and some of the worlds best. However, looking at some of the Sei's I've seen, I might be tempted to lean more towards them, especially those Headless basses...

But then my eye catches a glimpse of a Jerzy Drozd. Truley, one of the hardest choices ever, and I havn't played either!
 
#8
Not sure what the answer to your question would be. Both are top class but really you have to decide who you could work with on your project to give you what you want. I own two 7 string Sei basses but I have never tried a Jerzy Drozd but from what I have heard they are very good.

I can say with confidence that Martin at Sei bass will work with you so that you get the tone you are after. ie woods preamp and pickups can all be of your choice and from within reason any manufacturer. He will also get one off custom wound pickups made from companies if needs be.

As I said above for me it is a personality thing and I would go with the one I felt most comfortable with.

Regards

Matthew
 
#10
oh and ive had a strum on a flamboyant 6, the electronics were too overboard for me to even begin to understand it at a reasonable level- coil taps, piezos...it caused me great pain. However the action was astonishing, barely any need to press at all on the fingerboards just tickling it produces awesome natural resonance.

Between that and Jerzy its a tricky one, I love jerzy's through-neck basses but he only really does one body design. I'd say sei is the place to go if you want a bit of personal flexibility (even in standard models: have a look at the offset body on a flamboyant at www.seibass.com).

I'd be happy to own either!
 
#12
OK then :D here are some of my favourites from their sites:

Sei:

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flamboyant6.jpg


offset.jpg


SeiF6bucka.jpg



Jerzy Drozd:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

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#13
I've played a number of Sei's, all of which have been excellent to say the least, and I have an order in for one. It's taken me a number of years to get to the ordering stage !! It's always been my dream to own a Sei.

Even though I'm just a member of the public, Martin at Sei went over my ideas with me one afternoon. We discussed materials, had a look at wood which was in stock, body shapes, controls and electronics before settling on the final spec.

I've had a couple of questions since, both of which have been answered promptly and professionally.

I'm sure that Jery Drozd treats their customers in the same way and have no doubt as to the quality of their basses. I'm just trying to convey my experience so far...
 
#14
chris-piano said:
who owns the brethtakingly hot 7-string flamboyant on the sei website?
Maple top and back, maple fretboard, no knobs, darker wood neck and body, perhaps a walnut of some sort?

Its probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!
Click to expand...

That'll be Matthew's !! No doubt he'll fill you in on all the details !!

Seriously, Matthew was very kind in sending me photos and sharing his thoughts as I was getting my Sei spec together.
 
#17
Although I've never played a Sei, I've gotta go with Jerzy Drozd here. His basses are perfectly suited to me. It's almost like his basses were designed with my preferences in mind! Fantastic neck, very versatile tone-wise, and ergonomically superior to anything I've played. The body is very small, with most of the mass of the bass being in the neck, but because of the extended upper horn, his ~9 pound basses feel like they weigh 7! My Drozd has his split-coil pickups, which when blended equally sound very fat and warm, but with lots of growl. The neck is assymetrical; it's chunkier at the top to be more comfortable on the thumb, but thinner on the bottom for fast playing. It's also very flat, which is comfortable. The fingerboard radius is 20", which works very well for 5 strings, and makes string height adjustments at the bridge a breeze. The bridge is another nice feature of the bass. It combines beauty with functionality.

If you can take the 10-12 month wait, they're well worth it.
 
#19
Spencer! said:
Although I've never played a Sei, I've gotta go with Jerzy Drozd here. His basses are perfectly suited to me. It's almost like his basses were designed with my preferences in mind! Fantastic neck, very versatile tone-wise, and ergonomically superior to anything I've played. The body is very small, with most of the mass of the bass being in the neck, but because of the extended upper horn, his ~9 pound basses feel like they weigh 7! My Drozd has his split-coil pickups, which when blended equally sound very fat and warm, but with lots of growl. The neck is assymetrical; it's chunkier at the top to be more comfortable on the thumb, but thinner on the bottom for fast playing. It's also very flat, which is comfortable. The fingerboard radius is 20", which works very well for 5 strings, and makes string height adjustments at the bridge a breeze. The bridge is another nice feature of the bass. It combines beauty with functionality.

If you can take the 10-12 month wait, they're well worth it.
Click to expand...

I agree in general with your comments. When you are looking at a bass at this level, it is an intensely personal matter. Neither bass is better than the other, it is just a matter of which one rocks your boat looks wise, tone wise etc etc. It is the same with sports cars is is Ferrari, or Lamborghini, or Maserati etc etc

For me it is Sei basses for you Jerzy Drozd.

Both excellent choices

Regards

Mattehw
 
#20
chris-piano said:
who owns the brethtakingly hot 7-string flamboyant on the sei website?
Maple top and back, maple fretboard, no knobs, darker wood neck and body, perhaps a walnut of some sort?

Its probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!
Click to expand...

:oI am blushing!:o

Thanks for the kind words, it is a wenge body with flame sycamore front and back and a flame sycamore fretboard. The headstock is also flame Sycamore. The idea was to have a bass with continious flame going from top to bottom and Martin was able to achieve with all of the sycamore coming from one block.

The pickup is a custom Kent Armstrong Humbucker with a coil tap to give me SC or H. The pickup is wired straight to Jack so I have no preamp.

The whole thing works brilliantly and I have no complaints at all.

http://photobucket.com/albums/e220/Seibassman/

Here is a link to a photobucket giving some pickture of the bass as well as my fretless 7.

Must go now as I am playing a gig tonight with my two babies.

Regards

Matthew
 

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