Inside Belforti’s S1 Ziricote: Inlaid Top, Private Stock Woods, and Gold-Touched Detail

In the suburbs of Paris, Beforti Instruments is hard at work crafting basses that are as inspiring as the city itself. This week, we’re checking out their S1 Ziricote, which is a prime example of their flagship S-Series basses. The playable piece of art gets its name from the ziricote wood used for its striking top and fretboard.

“Ziricote (Cordia dodecandra) is a dense hardwood native to Central America and Mexico, prized for its dark brown tones contrasted by intricate black veining that creates a natural, almost marbled appearance,” Belforti shares. “The grain is typically straight to slightly interlocked, often forming unique spiderweb or landscape-like patterns. With a naturally high oil content, ziricote develops a smooth, polished surface with minimal finishing. Its striking visual character and density make it a highly desirable wood for fine woodworking and instrument making.”

As part of the series, they’re crafted with some extra attention to detail.

“S-Series tops are inlayed in the body, and outlined with a 3 ply purfling,” Belforti explains. “This creates a seamless integration of the top in the instrument’s design, gives it a natural contoured binding look, and did we mention it still follows the curve of the armrest?”

Belforti used a selection of other woods from their Private Stock selection for the bass, including flamed ash for the body and flamed Norwegian maple for the neck. The fingerboard, which has a modern compound radius, is adorned with rounded block inlays and matching side dots.

For electronics, the company fits the S1 Ziricote with AURA IV-J handwound pickups in matching pickup shells and an Aguilar OBP3 preamp. Its control set has volume, blend, and mid knobs with a stacked bass and treble pot. As a final touch, they strung the bass up with Optima 24K Gold strings.

Belforti Instruments S1 Ziricote Specs: