Single Cutaway Series 1 Flamboyant
Intro and Background
A number of different ‘iconic’ basses have been showing up on the market recently and the latest has been the 5 string single cutaway Fodera model popularised by Matthew Garrison. London based luthier Martin Petersen has been creating top of the range custom made basses for the UK and worldwide market for many years now and one of his most recent orders bears more than a passing resemblance to the Garrison model…
I always state this disclaimer when I review any custom made bass, but it’s important to remember that someone has provided a specific design brief. My review will state how this bass performs and how well it is built, not how much I personally like it.
Build Quality and Features
Buckeye Burl facings cover the front and back of the instrument and it looks breathtaking. The various knots and grains throughout the wood are visually striking and give a real feeling of ‘activity’ to the facings. Anyone who has seen a Sei flamboyant will be familiar with Martin’s neck-through designs, where he builds a neck made up of two or more woods and then attaches two ‘wings’ to either side, meaning that you can see the neck all the way through the instrument.
Although Martin’s design process remains unchanged, he has used a facing to cover the entire back of the bass and to see this beautiful piece of wood uncluttered by pickups and hardware is even more impressive. The control cavity and the battery compartments are both cut into the wood, so other than the small screws that hold them in place, the facing of the back looks seamless.
The bass also has two strap pins on the back placed almost parallel with the top and bottom of the pickups. It’s a very simple option and something of a no-brainer but it means you can wear the bass in two different positions (depending on which is more comfortable for you) and more importantly – you can lean it up against the wall / a chair / anything solid and it won’t fall over!
The neck feels great and every note rings clear and true, from the open strings right up to the 24th fret. The Honduras Rosewood fingerboard looks great and feels smooth, allowing responsive, even tones from every register. The string spacing was moderate and comfortable and I could switch back and forth to my Fender 4 without trouble. The back of the neck had a gentle curve, and this, with the pleasant spacing makes reaching the B string effortless and also helps keep hand injuries at bay.
The setup was a little low for my liking, but it did allow for some ridiculously fast playing and my hands never felt tired, strained or sore. A quick adjustment of the truss rod and a slight change of the action and I was ready to really lay into this bass. Minor setup tweaks like this are extremely quick and easy, with the Sei allowing clear access to the truss rod from the headstock directly below the A string.
The headstock itself had the familiar curves of a Sei Flamboyant and the subtle, unobtrusive Sei logo helps to maintain a feeling of class. The gold Gotoh tuners are arranged in a ‘3 & 2′ configuration and provide a smooth tuning action while ensuring that once this bass is tuned, it stays that way. The fret job was immaculate and I really couldn’t find anywhere on the fingerboard that felt awkward to access or unresponsive.
Electronics
Petersen has opted for Nordstrand Dual Jazz Customs and these pickups have quite a lot of personality. They sounded more ‘woody’ and aggressive than I was expecting. I thought such a beautiful bass might be a gentle soul. Not so. They pack some serious heft in the bottom end and I particularly liked the definition in the low mids – low end power, as opposed to just sub-bass rumble.
There’s enough sizzle in the high end to give a very respectable slap sound, and the midrange control helps bring out harmonics and chord voicings. The back pickup full on with a little mid and low boost gave a seriously punchy funk tone and I also enjoyed just slightly toward the front pickup with a low boost for some thumbstyle reggae or with a touch of high boost for rock pick playing. In each of these situations the bass delivered power and cut through the mix nicely.
The white LEDs fitted in the side of the neck as position markers are an extremely useful addition. For a bass that looks and feels as classy as this, flashing LEDs in the fingerboard could have looked extremely tacky and detracted from the overall feel. However, because the position marker LEDs are mounted in the top of the neck, you can clearly see where you are on the neck regardless of the stage lighting and the audience is none the wiser. A triumph of practicality over flash and extremely useful too.
The LEDs use fibre optics housed behind small circular ‘windows’ on the top of the neck. They are powered by a 9v battery and can be switched on by pulling up on the volume pot.
The battery compartment in the back panel holds two 9v batteries (one for the active electronics and one for the LEDs) and the control cavity houses a Demeter BEQ1 circuit. The control cavity is sleek and uncluttered with no excess cabling used and everything fitting snuggly into place. All the wiring and joints felt nice and stable and the pots all turned silently without a fizz or crackle to be heard. Sturdy, clean wiring. We like.
Impressions
This bass is certainly striking to look at, the blend of deep autumnal colours making it feel very ‘natural’. Aside from the gold hardware and black controls used throughout, the predominant feel is very organic – with woody tones used on the body, the neck, headstock and even the pickup covers. It’s great to see a builder utilising a feel or theme that runs throughout every aspect of the design – it really adds to the identity and personality of the instrument.
The bass balances well on the body with a strap, although I found it a little tricky to play seated with no strap – the curve along the bottom of the bass (that sits over the top of your leg) is just beyond the 24th fret, meaning that the whole neck feels quite far back – access to the 24th fret is effortless when standing but I found it a little trickier when sitting, because my elbow would get wedged in my stomach and the whole angle of my fretting hand had to change.
This is something I’ve encountered on a few single cutaway basses and I believe it’s simply a matter of compromise – the design has inbuilt advantages and is aesthetically very pleasing but the issue of balance is ever present.
It’s worth remembering that this kind of issue will always be felt relative to the other instruments that you use and to the shape and size of your own body – my main bass provides clear access to the twenty fourth fret from any playing position, so I suppose I’m a bit spoilt. I’ve also played some Fenders that only have eighteen frets and it’s still a nightmare getting up there! Also, most musicians spend ninety percent of their time playing in a standing position anyway, so this is a minor grumble for me.
I used this bass in a number of settings – on a funk gig, playing latin grooves with a 25-piece percussion ensemble and in the studio for a couple of pop tunes. It performed admirably in all settings and I could quickly and easily find workable tones for each job. On the gigs, those who liked the look of the bass loved it and those who didn’t were usually complaining that it doesn’t look like an old Fender P Bass. The eye of the beholder I suppose….
Test Results
As bass builders go, Petersen seems to create instruments that tick all the main boxes – they feel good, sound great and whether or not they are to your taste, they are beautifully crafted, visually striking instruments. The single cutaway makes the bass feel a little different at first, but after a while of playing it I stopped noticing and from there on was simply enjoying a beautiful looking, highly responsive, tonally versatile bass.
A word of warning – as with all custom bass builders, make sure that you know what you want from an instrument before you go in. I felt this bass was beautifully made and a great instrument but not exactly the bass for me. A clear idea of what you want from a Sei bass can guarantee you an instrument that you will want to own and play for life.
☺☺☺☺☺ Class leader; you can purchase in confidence
Specs
Price: £2030
Colour: Natural
Body: Buckeyeburl full facing front and back with mahogany wings
Neck: 7-piece Flamed Maple & Mahogany. Neck thru design
Pickups: Nordstrand Dual Jazz Customs
Bridge: ABM 3D Bridge
Controls: Volume; Pan Pot; Bass; Treble; Mid; Pull pot for LEDs
Electronics: Demeter circuit – BEQ1- runs on 9v – LED 9v
Made in: London, England
Nut Width: 45mm with 18mm string spacing
Fingerboard: Honduras rosewood
Scale Length: 34″
Frets: 24
Tuners: gotoh gb 7s
Extras: White Leds mounted in the top of the neck, comes with DR strings fitted.
