0:35 One - the battery plastic cover 1:18 Two - a budget bass stigma 1:46 Three - the pots 2:27 Four - 18v pre-amp / EQ 3:19 Five - a cheap bass stigmatization part 2
He should say...”if you’re insecure and you care what other people think about more than sound , playability and value, don’t play a Sire.” I’ve been playing a Sire almost exclusively for 4 years and I still get constant compliments.
I’ve played a first gen V7 for about three years as my main instrument and have had no problems. I’ve been an active bassist for 25 years, owned lots of instruments and the Sire is easily the best Jazz bass I’ve owned.
Dude, you you think it is the best jazz bass you've had in 25 years of playing, you probably also think that McDonald's serves gourmet hamburgers. Some people like prime steak, others are OK with hamburger.
I just got a 2nd gen p7 5 string and I absolutely love it! I have a $2,000 strat with upgraded pickups and a $3,000 7 string kiesel and I needed a bass for the album I'm working on. I knew this was a budget bass, but man was I blown away by how good it feels and sounds. Feels like a professional bass. I don't know TOO much about basses, but I know quality when I feel and hear it!
According to Marcus Miller, the Sire basses were designed to be excellent, full-featured instruments available at a cost reachable by beginners. I think they definitely achieved that goal.
Yep. Also I don't think MM promotes these basses purely for the money. His reputation is on there too. He said when approached about making a signature range etc, they had to build one that he was happy to put his name on. That took several prototypes to achieve and as you mention, your getting a lot of bass at lower a price. Cheers
@@marklowe7431 yeah agree, their great especially at the price point. I have a 2004 Fender MM and Sire M7. The Sire isn't up to the Fender, but isn't far behind though.
Yo, good vid. Though for #4, I hope that you understand that the sole reason why this is such a beastly pre-amp is because it runs off of 18v instead of casual 9v, which makes a huge difference on the sound and the ability to produce a wider EQ range which Sire is famous for. I know it's still a pain and more expensive to replace 2 of them, but I change my only every 6 months and I play multiple times a week at gigs and practices.
I've been a gigging and recording bass player since 1984. A year ago, I purchased a 2nd gen. Sire V7 Fretless. The downsides to the Sire I own: 1. Out of the box and at stage stage volume, ground noise when touching metal.(solution: Copper foil shield the pickup and control cavities -no more grounding noise) 2 The tuners were not very precise. Not bad, just not great. (solution: upgraded the tuners - now tunes better and is significantly lighter weight) 3. Opening it up to shield everything revealed an issue that is really more a preference than a problem...The wiring is a disorganized rats' nest under the control plate. A zillion wires all just recklessly crammed in there, and the pots have really loose fitting "push-on" connectors that are really sort of held in place by the big bundle of wires crammed underneath. 4. The output jack is a cheap plastic box-type, and it will break. (solution: replace with a Switchcraft jack) 5. The stacked Volume/Tone pot bent and flat out quit working. 5a. Too many knobs that are too close together. Difficult to just plug in and quickly get a good sound for a session or show. Go to turn the tone knob, and the volume spins with it, go to turn the mids, and the frequency turns with it. 5b. The control layout just feels cramped and un-intuitive in general. 5 pots/7knobs and a switch all nearly touching. (solution: Removed the entire electronics package and installed EMG J-Set pickups and V-V-T with a three-hole Fender plate. It sounded good, was always quickly ready to go and easy to make micro adjustments by feel, but not much mojo. - Solution to the first solution: Install DiMarzio Area J pickups with CTS pots in a fully passive V-V-T circuit. - Lots of growly mojo/vintage Jazz bass vibe, more dependable, no batteries, and I can solo either pickup with no single coil hum. The upsides to my Sire V-7 Fretless Gen.2: 1. Incredibly great neck and fingerboard. I love the feel of the Edgeless fingerboard. The neck sets up easily for low action and lots of MWAH. Holds adjustment really well. Truss rod only needs adjustment when I change string gauges. Neck is nice and true with no dead spots whatsoever. 2. The finish and fit of the body and neck are entirely flawless. It is a beautiful instrument. 3. The bridge is actually really nice. Plating is nice and shiny. Plenty of mass withoiut being too heavy. High level of setup accuracy. They must have improved them over the first gen. 4. Weight. After the tuner upgrade, my Gen2 V7 Fretless balances very well and is plenty light enough. It feels significantly lighter weight than my Fender USA Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, my CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, and all of the other Fender Jazz basses I have owned over the years. 5. Price. Even with the upgrades and mods, I spent a lot less on it than the current price of a MIM Fender Player 2 Jazz Bass. It is a great playing and sounding fretless that would be significantly less expensive to replace or repair than my Pedulla should anything unfortunate happen to it on the road or at a gig. In my opinion, it also sounds as good as my '82 Pedulla Buzz.
With 18 volts, the preamp has a better signal to noise ratio. Essentially, there will be less distortion (noise) when boosting the signal of your treble, mid and/or bass knobs. That being said, most players will not hear the difference.
3 years after you released this and I think the reputation thing is even less an issue. They are standing the test of time and releasing new models all the time. Thanks for the vid! How is the weight of the instrument btw compared to say, a Fender active Jazz V?
Agreed! the Sires are killer basses man. If I'm being honest I didn't notice a difference in weight, but I was also never looking for it. I've always played relatively heavy basses.
Awesome review. I absolutely agree, I've got one Sire too. As for its price range it is definitely a budget bass. But tonewise is much better everybody might expect initially. All the best!
Agreed Adam, super impressed with these basses and because of the sound and value for money they now sit in a weird middle ground that means they get compared to much more expensive instruments
Usually that’s the case but it definitely depends on the gig my man. I use my Sire for TV work but first impressions count and some fixers, MDs and artist management only want to see a 4 string P bass or a fender logo on the headstock. If they don’t like or recognise what gear you have they might already be critical before you play a note. My mentor told me this (plays for Dire Straits, Nik Kershaw, Mary J Blige at a point and more) and I’ve found it to be true Does it mean you can’t get a gig with a Sire? Of course not, I got my TV work with a Sire. Does it mean that you could give yourself a disadvantage by turning up with one? Very possibly, depending on who’s involved, especially if it’s a mainstream pop gig It can get as superficial as “do you have a black bass?” The gear you bring sets the tone for the people auditioning you. It can effect how seriously they take you. And in the UK there’s only a handful of people who can put you on a big gig if you weren’t already playing for the artist (and you could be dropped when the artist gets signed if they want to use an in house MD & team) So making the right first impression for the gig you are going for is important and gear is one of the aspects that will set that first impression as you walk through the door.
Caleb Wilson totally agree. It sucks, but it’s very much a thing. And it’s not just with high visibility like tv work. Sooooo many session engineers, producers etc will REALLY appreciate if you show up with a Fender P. Words to live by if you want to work in large swaths of the industry: “a Fender Precision isn’t always the right choice, but a Fender Precision is never the wrong choice.” So no matter what, if I’m playing a show or laying tracks for pre-pro or anything, I’ve got a passive bass with a split coil pickup, strung with flats (and usually another with rounds) within arms reach, and at least 70% of the time, it’s what ends up being used in final recordings. Luckily, I’ve fallen in love with that vintage vibe and tone over time. Doesn’t mean I’m shelling out twice the cost of my car for a 64 P, but I have instruments that are like quirky versions of classics. Cheers!
@@The_official_c 100% agreed. I got turned down to perform a late night show with this upcoming pop artist when I showed up with a headless bass. Quite odd too since she was releasing a very 80's sounding single but I get it. Live and learn when I bought a Fender P and J bass after that, hoping to land another opportunity soon...
Marcus Miller - is famous - so when you see that on stage - people see Miller, not Sire. Producers know they are great - and not THAT cheap ($700 to$1400), so feel free to show up with this. Better than Fender.
Don't get me wrong, I do love this bass and it gets most of the play time and gigs but there are situations where I'd be better off turning up with a Fender - even though I prefer to play the Sire 🙌
Good summary of how these basses fare over time (and of course the video itself is a few years old now). I purchased a P8 recently and initially loved it… until it cut out on stage. _Not_ because the batteries died - I was already playing in passive mode - but because of a bad terminal pin contact inside the jack. Sire uses a weird jack housing I've never seen before, but the pin itself is really thin metal and bends easily… to the point that it doesn't make proper contact with the plug on the cable. I could replace the jack, but… I shouldn't have to do that on a nearly new instrument! It's extremely disappointing because I love (almost) everything else about it. You hit on the other main annoyance I have - how tall the stacked pots are.
All your points are valid. I own a first gen P7 5, and I could see that it was not going to be a Fender or G&L in the steez and bells n whistles initially... But the build quality is on point so I used it as a template to customize. $650 for the bass, $750 in upgrades, and its now my dream Pbass variant.
right after I posted this comment, the precision pickup died... 😐 Dropped a Nordstrand in there and loving it! Not an upgrade/fix I planned on, however.
I play out 4X each month. I alternate between a Sire V7 2nd gen alder body 4 string and a Fender American Professional Series Ii Precision bass 4 string. My band members couldn't care less which bass I use. The approximate 300 people in the audience have no clue about my guitars other than the Sire is a sunburst and the Fender is Olympic white. The bottom line is I know how to play very good and that is all anybody notices or cares about.
Play the instrument you are happy with and screw the short-sighted! Sound engineers love Precisions for example but YOU are the player - don't be bullied. If a Fender-style set up isn't you, don't waste your time. Find an instrument you like and love it to death - your sound will come. The rest is cosmetics.
Massively agree with you pal. My main gig bass is a 2015 Gibson Thunderbird, I had tried numerous thunderbirds in the past and hated all of them, any of the jazz style basses I was looking at at the time just didn't sound or feel right. That one did, everything felt exactly how I wanted it. At the same time one of my favourite bass guitars I have played this year was this 30 Yamaha SA75 when we did a retro gear set in my gear guys shop. Almost bought that cheap ass vintage bass there and then because it sounded so good and felt so nice to play.
I own 3 of these basses. I agree with you on the battery covers. I replaced the battery covers on my gen 1 V7 with plastic covers for under $10 with ones I got on Amazon, and they've held up. I also agree with you on the height of the pots. Lower profile dual concentric pots are made, and Sire could probably shorten them. As for the "stigma" of playing a Sire, I've never had anyone complain, and if it's that important to someone that you're playing a pricier bass than I'd say they're the problem not you and your Sire. Who cares? I'm only concerned with sound, playability, and durability over time. I do over 100 shows a year and my Sires have held up fine. The only thing I will add to your list of complaints is the input jack and wiring is cheap and dodgy, and will need to be replaced or rewired over time.
Great comments 🙌🏾 I still use my Sire for various BBC work but there are just some auditions where you’ll make a better first impression with a fender 😅
My input jack on M2 became intermittent. I wrote to Thomann. It was tricky for them to get me a spare. I realise I could bend the internal jack and it was back to new again. I guess eventually it will fail.
I picked up my first Sire a few days ago and gigged last night with it. Absolute great bass, I have and still own o number of "high" end basses. This is comparable, to high end, I agree with your statement of "budget bass stigma," , as I felt the same way until getting my V7 v2 5 string Marcus Miller
Love the way you did this video. Also the you're doing it after actually playing for a while. Dude the 18v preamp in terms of what it's doing sound wise is grand. It's a really good thing. I have a US Fender 75 J bass with a 2 band bart and the Sire will have better electronics. I've had my US Laklands, Sadowsky and numerous US Fenders and at the end of the day the Sires hold up. I think it would be fair to say that as well as the beginner market they also cater extremely well in the working players market. Sire and Marcus grossly underestimated how good they have turned out.
Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts, there is a lot of hype on these bass's and it's good to hear what the downside is from someone that has routinely played one. I play both lead and bass, one area I would respectfully sort of agree but also disagree with you is the perceived stigma of Sire being a budget brand - Personally I would not make any negative judgements on a bass player turning up to an audition with this bass (if you are working with musicians that judge you on your bass rather than your bass playing it's time to find another band😀) Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I have a V7 on order and I'm looking forward to playing it
Well i came to a video stating reasons why someone dislikes a certain aspect of X item, and i leave more convinced than ever of buying that item. I guess that's how good they are! Thanks mate, great video! New sub here
I have a sire bass p7 2nd gen 5 string , I just bought it a couple days ago and am in love with it , before I was playing a fender jazz bass and I can honestly say the sire bass is amazing , it’s sounds incredible and for the price I paid it’s unbelievable
Once I borrowed an OLP Musicman when my main bass was getting repaired. While the band took a break, that borrowed bass took a fall and one of the tuners shattered- same one's as Sire uses. Replacing those is on my to-do list.
@@laurencecousins7727 well of course he would say that, I’m sure they don’t care what brand it is, they just want a good Jazz Or P bass they don’t care if it’s fender, sire, lakland, etc…
I ended up selling mine after 2 years : great sounding pickups but crappy fretwork with annoying high action, really too heavy, battery consuming preamp. Now l play passive squier basses and l'm happy with them😉
Glad you like your new bass! Every instrument is different even if it’s the same model, my action was fine but with a couple tweaks it was great! I actually traded a squier vm precision 5 string for my sire with a friend of mine so I went the other way (I couldn’t work with a passive 5 string p bass, there was near no point in having the low b on it) A tasty P bass is definitely next on the list for me 🤙🏾
Nice. I see a lot of comments saying those points you put are over reacting etc. But the fact that if those are the biggest negatives about the bass, then I'm on my way to buy one, knowing the sound and quality are all great :)
I visited Sadowsky in NYC, got a quote of $5500 for what I liked. And I had the $$ to get the build started. But I returned to my hotel, and placed an order for my Gen 1 V7. It took about 3 or 4 weeks to arrive, but the sound of that bass was superb. Unfortunately it was destroyed in a terrible car accident (car rolled 3x after a rear-ender on freeway). I got my Gen 2 and while it is a little heavier I love it- and at least the battery cover won't break. I'm 69 years old, and I've been playing 52 years. And while I'm not the best, the best know me.
It’s comfortable for me! I think if you know you prefer 19mm spacing and you get anything that’s not, you’re definitely going to feel like something's “not right” Try one out when you get the chance, play it both unplugged and plugged in so you get the real feel of the instrument 👊🏾👊🏾
@@The_official_c I think I am gonna get a player series plus p bass from fender... I just like well made, beautiful and solid instrumenst and I think that this is just a very solid way to go. Not to say Sire is bad but I really couldnt live with neckdive and the eqing on the sire is too much, as I have a board with a lot of eq especially for midrange
Just found out about this. I'm originally a jazz bassist but now I play in a punk band. The only stigma I would get is that my bass looks too expensive lmao.
I played many basses over the years , from Fenders to Musicmans to exotic basses , mostly in the € 1000- € 3000 range always let them be serviced at the shop as they were too expensive to do it myself ( i thought) One day had to sell my basses due some financial problems so i had to start from scratch again. I got a second hand Sire MM v3 1st gen 5 string for like €125 i had to give it a new set of strings and a good setup, sanded /polished the neck and side of the fretboard and it turned out to be one of the best basses i have owned , now added a v7 5 string 1st gen Which is an upgrade on the v3 so i have 2 basses for on the road. If people crying about playing big stages with a sire and callin this a budget” bass and feeling a bit ashamed of it are imo quite narrow minded . With a few adjustments and tweaking here and there these basses are absolutely high-end level! 1thing is true dough , a few really early 1st gen basses had a weak preamp and electronics . Something to check if you want to buy an 1st gen .
I have a 1st Gen V7. Probably got the1st Gen V7 bass number 12 hot off the press. Not really I'm just making a number, but I am one of the early V7 holders of this bass. I love this bass, and from day 1 of me having it, it's my main bass I play. My other arsenal of basses are Sire 2nd Gen P7, Fender jazz MIM, Sadowsky Metro. I did have an issue with my battery compartment and it was replaced immediately. Other than that no major issues.
Really great basses man! I sold my MIM jazz v deluxe after I got the Sire, of course my Mayones plays better but there are many times I’ll choose the Sire over it for gigs or recording Oh and the Mayones was at least 5 times more expensive 😅
I’m trying to finally fulfil my old dream of playing the bass and I’ve honestly fallen head over heels for the Marcus Miller V7, now I just need to find all the other suff I’ll need (I’ve only had acoustic guitars up until now and I’m mostly self taught)
You’ve got this! You can get by with most things with the HX stomp as a stand alone pedal. I prefer practicing through a small amp but honestly if I’m tight for space/weight and travelling then the hx stomp is all I NEED
The reason I've been looking around youtube to find some reviews on the Marcus Miller Sire Basses,is,that I'm planing to purchase a Sire 5string bass.Well,I think I'm convinced now.Time to save up some dosh and get me one.
Fact is, you pay a premium for a fender logo on your bass. I sold my fender J and bought 2 Sires with the money. I have a V3 5 and a V7 4 fretless. Both kill it.
Love my Sire V7 5-String but the biggest downside for me is that they are freakin' neck heavy. I played a PRS SE Kestrel before and that one was perfectly balanced and I really miss that - BUT it doesn't do what the Sire does, so the Sire wins in the end.
Sim, eu tenho o mesmo problema, um 5 cordas que pesa muito no pescoço, estou pensando em trocar os reguladores por gotoh, mas nao sei se realmente vale a pena
@@Lportos To my experience, lighter tuners only have a marginal effect on the neck dive. If the overall construction didn't adress this, it is hard to counter. What actually helps is moving the rear strap lock from the bridge to a higher point and shifting the pivit point. But that only helps when playing standing with a strap. When seeted it will still have the same neck dive.
Reasons 1, 2, 4, and 5 do not apply to the Marcus Miller P5 passive P Bass. There are no batteries or Preamp, and if you introduce it not as "my Sire bass" but as "my Marcus Miller bass" that disarms any snobbery pretty effectively.
Nice review! I am a Luthier. That said, I do not build Fender clones, copies, or Fender 'looking' basses like so so many famous boutique builders do. I work on some client's Sires, and was impressed with many points. I needed a five string Fender style bass for some gigs. So, I bought two Left Handed Sire V-7 Second gens last year. The bridges are better, the tuners are much better than many people say, (they even have a tension Allen head screw like Hipshots) and the basses sound as good, or a little better than the five string Fenders I have worked on and setup. Sire, LISTENS to us, and continues to do regular improvements to their instruments. That said, the points you make, are correct. The single biggest weakness on these basses, is the durability, or lack thereof, of the preamp assemblies. The plus? They're only $75.00 new direct from Sire. There's only eight wires to unsolder and solder in a new one. Other preamps are available, and as with the Audere, are a significant upgrade. The other issue- is the fingerboard shrinkage will leave very sharp fret ends, worse than an un rolled edge, because of HOW they file the ends at the factory. As a repairman, I've had to file my fret ends twice- on both basses. But, I live in Nevada, and drying of woods is common here. So- my conclusion- Sires are a great deal, better than a lot of other basses- especially in the price range. Issues? Sure- but all easily correctable. Oh, I almost forgot, I just ordered a lefty P-5 5 string. It'll be here in five days from order to delivery- from Germany!
I have the 4 string v7 first gen. Over 30 years I've owned around a few basses. 2 Fender Jazz. Deluxe MIM active. American passive. Padulla Rapture. Stingray. Ibanez soundgear. Ibanez mezzo (underrated short scale bass). Lakland 55-02. Fender acoustic. Ovation acoustic. 1979 Fender PBass that I stumbled on in high school at a garage sale... Sandberg California TM configuration... and the Sire V7. My Sire V7 is probably the most versatile bass I have. Even moreso than the Sandberg. The Fender deluxe was the bass that earned the most hours of time in my hands learning on it. Sire is the first Jbass I've ever preferred over that early 2002 deluxe in my hands and overall tonally. Agree yes if someone is gonna pay me or audition me for anything substantial. I'm bringing the Sandberg for the expression of seriousness but I also bring the Sire. It slaps so much better omg. I don't think there is a better slapping JBass. Great instrument. Note Sire was 500$ and Sandberg was 3000$ and although the craftsmanship and component quality is better with the more expensive bass... when I plug them in I get the same sound quality out of my hands. I'd say the sandberg is a little better with fingerfunk and Sire is better with slap obv.
This is it man, the Sires are great basses and have held up over the years 🙌🏾 I’d agree that it’s the best sounding bass I have for slap. Although I recently stumbled on a passive mark bass glory 5 string and that thing absolutely rips through a marinas set up.
As far as I’m aware you can’t buy the parts directly from Sire but you’d have to email to contact their team first. Many people say that a lot of the 9v battery cover replacement for active bass and guitars fit so I’d do that. Costs about £2/3
So the stacked dials on the active pre amp (the controls on the side) are a little weak and mine have bent. Also the black plastic actually cracked on one of my pots which I’ve never had happen to me on a bass before
Yes, because the general word about Sire is ' a great value FOR THE PRICE', there IS a stigma...but I own and have toured professionally with Fender Jazz 4 and 5 string basses, now I own a Sire P7 and IT'S AN INCREDIBLE INSTRUMENT...and I can't believe they only ask a few hundred bucks for them! It's not just a great value, it's an AMAZING bass...
So basically it’s awesome but not a name brand haha How often do you think the brand on your guitar will affect you getting gigs? I played for years on an Epiphone LP and didn’t have any issues but I wasn’t playing super fancy gigs. Now I’m trying to choose between a passive Fender J5 and the active Sire V7(5string). I feel like I get way more bang for my buck with the Sire.
The only complaint I have about the controls is that the top of the stacked pots are too high which would cause them to easily get bent. And regarding the 18-volt system, the double voltage allows for more preamp headroom. The S3 has the four screw plate for the batteries as opposed to the plastic 9-volt door design,(which I hate by the way). If you think about it from a budget standpoint, you are really getting a lot of bass for the money. I'll take a SIRE 3 over a Fender anyday.
Dead on. I have a v1 now with a broken battery cover and with the bendy pots as well. I bought a soft case and it would have benefitted from a hard case.
Lol. 4 yrs later and the price has gone up. Thank god I picked one up as soon as they came out. Mine's heavily modified though. Which I kind of regret because the bass didn't really need anything.
I owned a Sire V7 5 string. In general, it is a very good bass. To nitpick, my V7 weighed 10 3/4 lbs. I did not like the 7 knobs which made it difficult to change tones without fiddling around between songs on a live gig. I went back to my USA Stingray 5 which has a 5 way pickup selector switch. Battery covers will not break if you know how to open it properly.
you forgot to mention that the neck of this bass lives his own life, I always put the same strings the same way but each time I have to readjust the trussrod a little bit, otherwise I don't think they suffer that much from being "cheap" I see a lot of people gigging with sire ,even v3 sometimes
If you buy one of these be prepared to start repairing and replacing parts. I got my V10 DX in January and I'm already working on a second replacement part. Great sounding basses but definitely not boutique build quality. Waiting for sweetwater to send me a new battery compartment with wiring.
Reason 3 isn't Sire's fault! I currently have 2, 2nd gen V7 and P7. I've owned a 1st gen V7 and an M3. They retired my Fender MIJ Jazz from gigging. Had that from new (1992). That's now strung with flats and on and used for recording.
Try it out and see how you feel! I’ve owned both and unplugged I preferred the fender but when plugged in the Sire came through 💪🏾 Bare in mind the fender will probably set you back a couple hundred more at least but you’ll never have a problem turning up to a mainstream gig audition with a fender 🤷🏾♂️ For 95% of people I’d say the Sire probably wins if you have £400-£600 top budget Second hand v7 are floating between £250-£400 from what I’m seeing I might do a video on best basses I can find for a particular price range
☑ I really like that you downgraded from 5.0 to 4.5 _makes it seem more like an application version thing gone awry , than anything seriously wrong with the bass 🤓 anyhoo i know not much about bass , but gonna invest in the Sire V7 Ash body burst maple fretboard ; i suspect it will pretty much defeat my Fender MIM P bass or my Squire 40th Annv Jazz bass❗❗😝😊
Great video man keep it up but disagree w/ #2 "people think you have a cheap bass" so?? Lol if it feels great and sounds great why does it matter? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to say i own a "Fender" strat, but I also own a "Squire" classic vibe that plays and sounds great too and I'll play either depending on what i want out of the guitar.
100%, for the record - I gig the sire far more than any bass but there are some cases where turning up with a Fender CAN leave abetter first impression
It’s hard for a two thousand dollar Fender Jazz bass to beat a seven hundred dollar Sire Marcus Miller V7 or P7 in tones, I will take my Sire to the biggest gigs ever and be proud to play it because I know it’s giving me the tones I want and need. Keep tucking yours away if you want, I’m laying mine in the case and heading for the next gig proudly. 😎😎😎😎
Well, Jazz basses have always been chunky from what i've heard. I would still appreciate a heavier bass, than one that weighs fuck all, it doesn't feel right.
I get what you mean about the stigma of the name. But, I'm a drummer of 30 years and new to bass. I've bought a Sire V3 Gen 2, and I love it. But back to the drums. I bought a Mapex kit as my first kit in 1992, which was an unknown brand, but is now recognised. So I'm not worried about stigma
I Got my 2004 MIM Fender IV string stolen at the end of 2018, got to LA and I Second hand purchased a SIRE V7 V String 1st Gen, It's been with me ever since as my main axe and as much as I Love Fender, this one serves the purpose of a Working bass pretty well, just to add something to this review, this bass specially the 5 string one, tent to be quite Heavy so bear that in mind when you get one, apart from this its really a cheap, cool affordable and nice bass to work with, and you won't need no fender at all enjoy it If you have it!
Man, stolen gear is the worst! I've always played heavy basses so I didn't notice the weight difference but I've done a set of filming gigs that required standing around 4-5 hours a day with the bass on my neck for 2 weeks and needed physio after!
NO DISRESPECT BROTHA, BUT THIS VIDEO SHOULD'VE N E V E R BEEN MADE! You Get a ton of tonal options with these bass guitars! The prices are all great no matter which model you get, Very light weightIs With the best, I mean THE BEST preamp in the business!!! In fact when I'm through with this message I'm going to purchase another one! Keep rocki' Marcus!! 🎵😎🎶
Clear enough to me. The pots would get me down if they didn’t stand up to the road. Seems they’re not the best way to impress, but probably excellent studio basses. I really do think that if you own a P and / or J Bass, you can’t go wrong.
Yes the 2 x 9v battery is a pain for sure, but maybe you like that preamp because it runs in 18v, more headroom, and other than putting a rechargeable lion battery in it I don't think there's a ways to get around the 2 x 9v batteries I'm looking at buying one of these the M3 actually, just at home for my song making (i'm a guitarist) and i'm liking the offering especially as i would buy it second hand for 230 euros (and yes with fucked up battery compartments lol)
I baught a Mexican fender jp with preamp that I really liked , 2 days later I ordered a sire p7 because ya can't find one to try out in stores , after playing the sire I returned the fender , I feel like I got way more guitar for a less $, budget bass yes but bang for buck is way better for the money it feels and sounds amazing.. I will admit though I don't care for the head stock shape but I enjoy it enough to never mind that lol
@@The_official_c , curiouse, ive noticed my p7 doesn't have much sustain anywhere on the B string, especially compared to EADG strings, everywhere is 6+ or more seconds but the B is like 3 seconds if lucky I some spots. Is yours like that???
1. If you touch a Sire's battery cover...It will Break! 2. If you breath on a Sire's battery cover...It will Break! 3. If your belt buckle rubs against Sire's battery cover...It will Break! 4. If you look at a Sire's battery cover...It will Break! 5. If you put a piece of tape as a precautionary measure on a Sire's battery cover...It will break! 6. Your Sire's battery cover will one day spontaneously combust!!! 7. No I don't want to unscrew my battery cover, every time I need a battery change. (Second gen V7 Sire, I'm looking @ you!!! 8. For heaven's sake Sire, It's time for a magnetic battery cover!!! Pretty Please??? 9. With all that being said , I LOVE MY SIRE V7!!!, but that damn battery cover...Ugh!!!
The only problem I've had with mine is the volume pot being too loose and I have turned in down to zero a couple of times when I've been playing. However a very small blob of blu-tak has fixed it!!!!!! However I have the five string version and it's my go to gigging bass even over my American standard fender jazz, although it could be lighter!!
@@The_official_c Would be nice to be able to be around $300, if the differens in what I get is realy big, I could wait a bit and go up to $500, but around that is max (I'm only a hobby player). You know anything I chould look into?
honestly, at around 300, you can't regret getting a V3. If you recorded a v3 and a v7 and asked people to tell them apart, most people would struggle! I actually accidentally picked up a v3 in Andertons and thought the price tag was for a second hand v7 Having said that I do notice a difference in hardware quality & I prefer maple fretboards so I'd pay the extra for a v7. The v7 does feel more substantial in my hands but 1. I don't think anyone will notice the difference in sound when you're playing 2. It will blow any other bass at that price point out of the water IMO
love them i'm a pro player from the N.Y.C .THEY SOUND GREAT AND I HAVE A FIRST GEN I'VE BEEN ON BIG TOURS AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS.You have to take care of your bass if your a guy that beats your bass up it's not gonna last.Been in the studio with it it's killer the video is wack great bass for the money.And the second gens are a beast.Go and get one you'll be more than happy.
You can get a v3 u5 a m2 how much money do you have?It's the same preamp in all the basses you cant go wrong ,many pro players are using them.WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO YOU.
0:35 One - the battery plastic cover
1:18 Two - a budget bass stigma
1:46 Three - the pots
2:27 Four - 18v pre-amp / EQ
3:19 Five - a cheap bass stigmatization part 2
He should say...”if you’re insecure and you care what other people think about more than sound , playability and value, don’t play a Sire.”
I’ve been playing a Sire almost exclusively for 4 years and I still get constant compliments.
I’ve played a first gen V7 for about three years as my main instrument and have had no problems. I’ve been an active bassist for 25 years, owned lots of instruments and the Sire is easily the best Jazz bass I’ve owned.
It’s a great bass man, especially for the money 💰
Str8 up I had mind 3 years to every practice and gig Don’t know what this cat talking bout
Dude, you you think it is the best jazz bass you've had in 25 years of playing, you probably also think that McDonald's serves gourmet hamburgers. Some people like prime steak, others are OK with hamburger.
yeah, us bass players needed this brand a looong time ago
@@longdongbongchong do you also think that the best food are being served in a prime restaurant?
Skill will never be a stigma .. what ever is in your hands, play the shit out of it.
Absolutely!
Well said
I like this statement
Best comment.
🎯🎯🎯
I just got a 2nd gen p7 5 string and I absolutely love it! I have a $2,000 strat with upgraded pickups and a $3,000 7 string kiesel and I needed a bass for the album I'm working on. I knew this was a budget bass, but man was I blown away by how good it feels and sounds. Feels like a professional bass. I don't know TOO much about basses, but I know quality when I feel and hear it!
According to Marcus Miller, the Sire basses were designed to be excellent, full-featured instruments available at a cost reachable by beginners. I think they definitely achieved that goal.
100% I think they exceeded that goal!
Yep. Also I don't think MM promotes these basses purely for the money.
His reputation is on there too.
He said when approached about making a signature range etc, they had to build one that he was happy to put his name on.
That took several prototypes to achieve and as you mention, your getting a lot of bass at lower a price. Cheers
Hahahah only prob is it backfired and so many pro bass players use them too. What's not to like?
@@marklowe7431 yeah agree, their great especially at the price point.
I have a 2004 Fender MM and Sire M7. The Sire isn't up to the Fender, but isn't far behind though.
@@mrbungle7586 Really? I want to buy one because are a little cheaper than a Mexican Fender and some people said that are really begginer friendly
Yo, good vid. Though for #4, I hope that you understand that the sole reason why this is such a beastly pre-amp is because it runs off of 18v instead of casual 9v, which makes a huge difference on the sound and the ability to produce a wider EQ range which Sire is famous for. I know it's still a pain and more expensive to replace 2 of them, but I change my only every 6 months and I play multiple times a week at gigs and practices.
Thank you 🙏🏾 it’s a fair comment and it’s why I still play the bass a LOT, it’s a minor gripe but annoying none the less
I saw on another review that the 18 volt circuit makes battery changes less frequent.
I've been a gigging and recording bass player since 1984. A year ago, I purchased a 2nd gen. Sire V7 Fretless.
The downsides to the Sire I own:
1. Out of the box and at stage stage volume, ground noise when touching metal.(solution: Copper foil shield the pickup and control cavities -no more grounding noise)
2 The tuners were not very precise. Not bad, just not great. (solution: upgraded the tuners - now tunes better and is significantly lighter weight)
3. Opening it up to shield everything revealed an issue that is really more a preference than a problem...The wiring is a disorganized rats' nest under the control plate. A zillion wires all just recklessly crammed in there, and the pots have really loose fitting "push-on" connectors that are really sort of held in place by the big bundle of wires crammed underneath.
4. The output jack is a cheap plastic box-type, and it will break. (solution: replace with a Switchcraft jack)
5. The stacked Volume/Tone pot bent and flat out quit working.
5a. Too many knobs that are too close together. Difficult to just plug in and quickly get a good sound for a session or show. Go to turn the tone knob, and the volume spins with it, go to turn the mids, and the frequency turns with it.
5b. The control layout just feels cramped and un-intuitive in general. 5 pots/7knobs and a switch all nearly touching.
(solution: Removed the entire electronics package and installed EMG J-Set pickups and V-V-T with a three-hole Fender plate. It sounded good, was always quickly ready to go and easy to make micro adjustments by feel, but not much mojo. - Solution to the first solution: Install DiMarzio Area J pickups with CTS pots in a fully passive V-V-T circuit. - Lots of growly mojo/vintage Jazz bass vibe, more dependable, no batteries, and I can solo either pickup with no single coil hum.
The upsides to my Sire V-7 Fretless Gen.2:
1. Incredibly great neck and fingerboard. I love the feel of the Edgeless fingerboard. The neck sets up easily for low action and lots of MWAH. Holds adjustment really well. Truss rod only needs adjustment when I change string gauges. Neck is nice and true with no dead spots whatsoever.
2. The finish and fit of the body and neck are entirely flawless. It is a beautiful instrument.
3. The bridge is actually really nice. Plating is nice and shiny. Plenty of mass withoiut being too heavy. High level of setup accuracy. They must have improved them over the first gen.
4. Weight. After the tuner upgrade, my Gen2 V7 Fretless balances very well and is plenty light enough. It feels significantly lighter weight than my Fender USA Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, my CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, and all of the other Fender Jazz basses I have owned over the years.
5. Price. Even with the upgrades and mods, I spent a lot less on it than the current price of a MIM Fender Player 2 Jazz Bass. It is a great playing and sounding fretless that would be significantly less expensive to replace or repair than my Pedulla should anything unfortunate happen to it on the road or at a gig. In my opinion, it also sounds as good as my '82 Pedulla Buzz.
5 reasons: a 5:55 video
Nice timing ma dude
I wish I could say it was intentional
and 5 strings!
@@nickdimitrievski3392 So that makes 5 number 5s
Was thinking about getting a V7 Gen 2 when I found your video. Thanks man, now I'm even more determined to get one!
You should!
With 18 volts, the preamp has a better signal to noise ratio. Essentially, there will be less distortion (noise) when boosting the signal of your treble, mid and/or bass knobs. That being said, most players will not hear the difference.
Thank you for the honest video! Learned a lot.
You’re most welcome Tyler!
Let me know what other topics you’d want to see
3 years after you released this and I think the reputation thing is even less an issue. They are standing the test of time and releasing new models all the time. Thanks for the vid!
How is the weight of the instrument btw compared to say, a Fender active Jazz V?
Agreed! the Sires are killer basses man. If I'm being honest I didn't notice a difference in weight, but I was also never looking for it. I've always played relatively heavy basses.
As a guitar player I bought one of these and I love it. So versatile in Studio
They sound amazing!
Love this. Thank you!
Awesome review. I absolutely agree, I've got one Sire too.
As for its price range it is definitely a budget bass. But tonewise is much better everybody might expect initially. All the best!
Agreed Adam,
super impressed with these basses and because of the sound and value for money they now sit in a weird middle ground that means they get compared to much more expensive instruments
Your 2 & 5 are bull bro. If you show up with a Sire AND YIU CAN PLAY AND IT SOUNDS GOOD you're golden bro.
Usually that’s the case but it definitely depends on the gig my man.
I use my Sire for TV work but first impressions count and some fixers, MDs and artist management only want to see a 4 string P bass or a fender logo on the headstock.
If they don’t like or recognise what gear you have they might already be critical before you play a note.
My mentor told me this (plays for Dire Straits, Nik Kershaw, Mary J Blige at a point and more) and I’ve found it to be true
Does it mean you can’t get a gig with a Sire? Of course not, I got my TV work with a Sire.
Does it mean that you could give yourself a disadvantage by turning up with one?
Very possibly, depending on who’s involved, especially if it’s a mainstream pop gig
It can get as superficial as “do you have a black bass?”
The gear you bring sets the tone for the people auditioning you.
It can effect how seriously they take you.
And in the UK there’s only a handful of people who can put you on a big gig if you weren’t already playing for the artist (and you could be dropped when the artist gets signed if they want to use an in house MD & team)
So making the right first impression for the gig you are going for is important and gear is one of the aspects that will set that first impression as you walk through the door.
Caleb Wilson totally agree. It sucks, but it’s very much a thing. And it’s not just with high visibility like tv work. Sooooo many session engineers, producers etc will REALLY appreciate if you show up with a Fender P.
Words to live by if you want to work in large swaths of the industry:
“a Fender Precision isn’t always the right choice,
but a Fender Precision is never the wrong choice.”
So no matter what, if I’m playing a show or laying tracks for pre-pro or anything, I’ve got a passive bass with a split coil pickup, strung with flats (and usually another with rounds) within arms reach, and at least 70% of the time, it’s what ends up being used in final recordings.
Luckily, I’ve fallen in love with that vintage vibe and tone over time. Doesn’t mean I’m shelling out twice the cost of my car for a 64 P, but I have instruments that are like quirky versions of classics.
Cheers!
@@The_official_c 100% agreed. I got turned down to perform a late night show with this upcoming pop artist when I showed up with a headless bass. Quite odd too since she was releasing a very 80's sounding single but I get it. Live and learn when I bought a Fender P and J bass after that, hoping to land another opportunity soon...
Lavalval Dragon where you living/working? East or West coast?
@@facedowngaming sometimes it really is like that!
Marcus Miller - is famous - so when you see that on stage - people see Miller, not Sire. Producers know they are great - and not THAT cheap ($700 to$1400), so feel free to show up with this. Better than Fender.
Don't get me wrong, I do love this bass and it gets most of the play time and gigs but there are situations where I'd be better off turning up with a Fender - even though I prefer to play the Sire 🙌
The cheapest marcus miller sire is the v3 at $369
@@kameronpeterson3601 Yeap all the way to 1600, which is like 4K in Fender terms , haha.
Good summary of how these basses fare over time (and of course the video itself is a few years old now). I purchased a P8 recently and initially loved it… until it cut out on stage. _Not_ because the batteries died - I was already playing in passive mode - but because of a bad terminal pin contact inside the jack. Sire uses a weird jack housing I've never seen before, but the pin itself is really thin metal and bends easily… to the point that it doesn't make proper contact with the plug on the cable. I could replace the jack, but… I shouldn't have to do that on a nearly new instrument! It's extremely disappointing because I love (almost) everything else about it. You hit on the other main annoyance I have - how tall the stacked pots are.
All your points are valid. I own a first gen P7 5, and I could see that it was not going to be a Fender or G&L in the steez and bells n whistles initially... But the build quality is on point so I used it as a template to customize. $650 for the bass, $750 in upgrades, and its now my dream Pbass variant.
right after I posted this comment, the precision pickup died... 😐
Dropped a Nordstrand in there and loving it! Not an upgrade/fix I planned on, however.
Really enjoyed your review! Thanks dude
Thank you John 🙏🏾🙏🏾
I play out 4X each month. I alternate between a Sire V7 2nd gen alder body 4 string and a Fender American Professional Series Ii Precision bass 4 string. My band members couldn't care less which bass I use. The approximate 300 people in the audience have no clue about my guitars other than the Sire is a sunburst and the Fender is Olympic white. The bottom line is I know how to play very good and that is all anybody notices or cares about.
Likewise! The sires are great basses and I still run mine to this day 🔥
Play the instrument you are happy with and screw the short-sighted! Sound engineers love Precisions for example but YOU are the player - don't be bullied. If a Fender-style set up isn't you, don't waste your time. Find an instrument you like and love it to death - your sound will come. The rest is cosmetics.
Massively agree with you pal. My main gig bass is a 2015 Gibson Thunderbird, I had tried numerous thunderbirds in the past and hated all of them, any of the jazz style basses I was looking at at the time just didn't sound or feel right. That one did, everything felt exactly how I wanted it. At the same time one of my favourite bass guitars I have played this year was this 30 Yamaha SA75 when we did a retro gear set in my gear guys shop. Almost bought that cheap ass vintage bass there and then because it sounded so good and felt so nice to play.
I own 3 of these basses. I agree with you on the battery covers. I replaced the battery covers on my gen 1 V7 with plastic covers for under $10 with ones I got on Amazon, and they've held up. I also agree with you on the height of the pots. Lower profile dual concentric pots are made, and Sire could probably shorten them. As for the "stigma" of playing a Sire, I've never had anyone complain, and if it's that important to someone that you're playing a pricier bass than I'd say they're the problem not you and your Sire. Who cares? I'm only concerned with sound, playability, and durability over time. I do over 100 shows a year and my Sires have held up fine. The only thing I will add to your list of complaints is the input jack and wiring is cheap and dodgy, and will need to be replaced or rewired over time.
Great comments 🙌🏾 I still use my Sire for various BBC work but there are just some auditions where you’ll make a better first impression with a fender 😅
I just noticed one of mine broke. I will try to find ind on Amazon as well. Thanks, and take care.
My input jack on M2 became intermittent. I wrote to Thomann. It was tricky for them to get me a spare. I realise I could bend the internal jack and it was back to new again. I guess eventually it will fail.
I picked up my first Sire a few days ago and gigged last night with it. Absolute great bass, I have and still own o number of "high" end basses. This is comparable, to high end, I agree with your statement of "budget bass stigma," , as I felt the same way until getting my V7 v2 5 string Marcus Miller
where is the BEST THING ABOUT SIRE bass video?
You’re 100% right, need to do the follow up video 🙌🏾👏🏾
I totally understand what you're saying about the controls you got to be careful putting in and out of the gig bag...I had that same problem......
I have a 4 string V7 2nd gen Sire and i love it, it's so smooth and the pre-amp is a beast! A little bit heavy tho, but they're amazing!
Yeah I was surprised at how easy it was to get a great tone!
Love the way you did this video. Also the you're doing it after actually playing for a while. Dude the 18v preamp in terms of what it's doing sound wise is grand. It's a really good thing. I have a US Fender 75 J bass with a 2 band bart and the Sire will have better electronics. I've had my US Laklands, Sadowsky and numerous US Fenders and at the end of the day the Sires hold up. I think it would be fair to say that as well as the beginner market they also cater extremely well in the working players market. Sire and Marcus grossly underestimated how good they have turned out.
100% don't get me wrong, this is a seriously good bit of gear and the bass I'll take to most gigs 🙌
Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts, there is a lot of hype on these bass's and it's good to hear what the downside is from someone that has routinely played one. I play both lead and bass, one area I would respectfully sort of agree but also disagree with you is the perceived stigma of Sire being a budget brand - Personally I would not make any negative judgements on a bass player turning up to an audition with this bass (if you are working with musicians that judge you on your bass rather than your bass playing it's time to find another band😀)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I have a V7 on order and I'm looking forward to playing it
Why do you have your TC RH450 (or RH750 on a shelf)? That's one of the sweetest bass amps made in the past 30 years! I own two RH450s (for reasons).
Well i came to a video stating reasons why someone dislikes a certain aspect of X item, and i leave more convinced than ever of buying that item. I guess that's how good they are! Thanks mate, great video! New sub here
Are you sure the bass does not work with only one battery? worth checking before regarding that as a problem.
I have a sire bass p7 2nd gen 5 string , I just bought it a couple days ago and am in love with it , before I was playing a fender jazz bass and I can honestly say the sire bass is amazing , it’s sounds incredible and for the price I paid it’s unbelievable
they wipe the floor with any mexican fender I've ever played
Definitely the tuners! And the tone pot/ volume knob arrangement. Still love mine for the money mind- great basses for real world use.
My timers have actually been okay, I love the pre amp but I guess the materials there were one area they saved money as it’s fragile
Once I borrowed an OLP Musicman when my main bass was getting repaired. While the band took a break, that borrowed bass took a fall and one of the tuners shattered- same one's as Sire uses. Replacing those is on my to-do list.
You are definitely correct about people for studio sessions or something, wanting to see a good ol passive P or Jazz
According to Marcus, who has been one of the top first xall studio bassists, says the engineers prefer the Sire
@@laurencecousins7727 well of course he would say that, I’m sure they don’t care what brand it is, they just want a good Jazz Or P bass they don’t care if it’s fender, sire, lakland, etc…
I ended up selling mine after 2 years : great sounding pickups but crappy fretwork with annoying high action, really too heavy, battery consuming preamp. Now l play passive squier basses and l'm happy with them😉
Glad you like your new bass!
Every instrument is different even if it’s the same model, my action was fine but with a couple tweaks it was great!
I actually traded a squier vm precision 5 string for my sire with a friend of mine so I went the other way (I couldn’t work with a passive 5 string p bass, there was near no point in having the low b on it)
A tasty P bass is definitely next on the list for me 🤙🏾
Yup, can't beat passive and Squiers are still best quality bang per buck😎
So the 1st generation has a 18v 2 batteries and the 2nd gen has only one 9v battery?
Nice. I see a lot of comments saying those points you put are over reacting etc. But the fact that if those are the biggest negatives about the bass, then I'm on my way to buy one, knowing the sound and quality are all great :)
I visited Sadowsky in NYC, got a quote of $5500 for what I liked. And I had the $$ to get the build started. But I returned to my hotel, and placed an order for my Gen 1 V7. It took about 3 or 4 weeks to arrive, but the sound of that bass was superb. Unfortunately it was destroyed in a terrible car accident (car rolled 3x after a rear-ender on freeway). I got my Gen 2 and while it is a little heavier I love it- and at least the battery cover won't break. I'm 69 years old, and I've been playing 52 years. And while I'm not the best, the best know me.
that's great sir, I solute you! 🙌
they really are fantastic for the money!
The Sires remind me of the Peavy Cirrus when they first came out. I missed out on the Peavey Cirrus, but I won't miss out on the Sire V7.
100% Alex, I'd love me an American peavy Cirrus!
I see Sire basses with 2 battery spots and newer with only 1 battery spot. Does that make any difference?
Is the string spacing on the V7 5 string comfortable, in your opinion? I prefer wider (19mm) string spacing on a 5, and it's 18mm on the Sire.
It’s comfortable for me!
I think if you know you prefer 19mm spacing and you get anything that’s not, you’re definitely going to feel like something's “not right”
Try one out when you get the chance, play it both unplugged and plugged in so you get the real feel of the instrument 👊🏾👊🏾
How hard is the neck dive? I also read that it is heavy
I rarely suffer too much with neck dive because I like to angle my neck higher
@@The_official_c I think I am gonna get a player series plus p bass from fender...
I just like well made, beautiful and solid instrumenst and I think that this is just a very solid way to go.
Not to say Sire is bad but I really couldnt live with neckdive and the eqing on the sire is too much, as I have a board with a lot of eq especially for midrange
Just found out about this.
I'm originally a jazz bassist but now I play in a punk band.
The only stigma I would get is that my bass looks too expensive lmao.
Ahaha brilliant 😂😂 🙌🏾
I played many basses over the years , from Fenders to Musicmans to exotic basses , mostly in the € 1000- € 3000 range always let them be serviced at the shop as they were too expensive to do it myself ( i thought) One day had to sell my basses due some financial problems so i had to start from scratch again. I got a second hand Sire MM v3 1st gen 5 string for like €125 i had to give it a new set of strings and a good setup, sanded /polished the neck and side of the fretboard and it turned out to be one of the best basses i have owned , now added a v7 5 string 1st gen Which is an upgrade on the v3 so i have 2 basses for on the road. If people crying about playing big stages with a sire and callin this a budget” bass and feeling a bit ashamed of it are imo quite narrow minded . With a few adjustments and tweaking here and there these basses are absolutely high-end level! 1thing is true dough , a few really early 1st gen basses had a weak preamp and electronics . Something to check if you want to buy an 1st gen .
Why can't they make it USB charged battery? Charge your bass with your phone before the gig?
You might be onto something 💡 maybe it’s a cost thing
I have a 1st Gen V7. Probably got the1st Gen V7 bass number 12 hot off the press. Not really I'm just making a number, but I am one of the early V7 holders of this bass. I love this bass, and from day 1 of me having it, it's my main bass I play. My other arsenal of basses are Sire 2nd Gen P7, Fender jazz MIM, Sadowsky Metro. I did have an issue with my battery compartment and it was replaced immediately. Other than that no major issues.
Really great basses man! I sold my MIM jazz v deluxe after I got the Sire, of course my Mayones plays better but there are many times I’ll choose the Sire over it for gigs or recording
Oh and the Mayones was at least 5 times more expensive 😅
@@The_official_c Mayones have great basses. My three other basses gets some recordings time, but the V7 out ranks them. I love my B string on my MIM.
I’m trying to finally fulfil my old dream of playing the bass and I’ve honestly fallen head over heels for the Marcus Miller V7, now I just need to find all the other suff I’ll need (I’ve only had acoustic guitars up until now and I’m mostly self taught)
You’ve got this! You can get by with most things with the HX stomp as a stand alone pedal.
I prefer practicing through a small amp but honestly if I’m tight for space/weight and travelling then the hx stomp is all I NEED
@@The_official_coh thank you then, I appreciate the advice 😊
True on pop gigs they do use Precision and Jazz basses, but haven't heard of too many Sire basses.
Honestly it really depends on the gig sometimes!
Really tempted but the harley benton is half the price and it's about the same price as a squire, any advice between the 3?
Sire without a doubt, if you're budget can't stretch to the v7, the v3 sounds great but if you can afford it then get the v7!
@@The_official_c cheers, import fees and tax added nearly 50% to my order for the harley benton, lesson learnt
The reason I've been looking around youtube to find some reviews on the Marcus Miller Sire Basses,is,that I'm planing to purchase a Sire 5string bass.Well,I think I'm convinced now.Time to save up some dosh and get me one.
I'm really love my first Gen Sire V7 bass with Marcus's signature.But the most reason bother me that the bass is really heavy.
That’s great man, I’m used to heavy basses so I don’t really notice it! They sound great though 🙌🏾
Where can I find the background track playing in the beginning?
Fact is, you pay a premium for a fender logo on your bass. I sold my fender J and bought 2 Sires with the money. I have a V3 5 and a V7 4 fretless. Both kill it.
100%
I rock a P7 5 string for reggae/dub. Can get pretty heavy with the preamp mode. I record with it and it sounds nice to me
They are great basses!
I have 2 V7s and 1 V3…checking out a P5R now. Marcus signed one of my basses so it stays at home!
Love my Sire V7 5-String but the biggest downside for me is that they are freakin' neck heavy. I played a PRS SE Kestrel before and that one was perfectly balanced and I really miss that - BUT it doesn't do what the Sire does, so the Sire wins in the end.
A lot of people have commented on its neck-heaviness!
Same here, with a V3 5-strings and it is an anchor
Sim, eu tenho o mesmo problema, um 5 cordas que pesa muito no pescoço, estou pensando em trocar os reguladores por gotoh, mas nao sei se realmente vale a pena
@@Lportos To my experience, lighter tuners only have a marginal effect on the neck dive. If the overall construction didn't adress this, it is hard to counter. What actually helps is moving the rear strap lock from the bridge to a higher point and shifting the pivit point. But that only helps when playing standing with a strap. When seeted it will still have the same neck dive.
Sire vs Yamaha BB735, which is better?
Great vid. very practical.
Thank you Dave 🙏🏾
Thanks for the great content.
Good Review. I own an M2. Same complaints. cheap pots, bad battery covers. That said, I LOVE the Bass!
Great reviw I also sold my fender deluxe made in Mexico to get the v7
Sir 18V - System requires two batteries?!
Yes. It's a powerful pre amp system though.
Reasons 1, 2, 4, and 5 do not apply to the Marcus Miller P5 passive P Bass. There are no batteries or Preamp, and if you introduce it not as "my Sire bass" but as "my Marcus Miller bass" that disarms any snobbery pretty effectively.
They’re awesome basses Rob 🙌🏾
Nice review! I am a Luthier. That said, I do not build Fender clones, copies, or Fender 'looking' basses like so so many famous boutique builders do. I work on some client's Sires, and was impressed with many points. I needed a five string Fender style bass for some gigs. So, I bought two Left Handed Sire V-7 Second gens last year. The bridges are better, the tuners are much better than many people say, (they even have a tension Allen head screw like Hipshots) and the basses sound as good, or a little better than the five string Fenders I have worked on and setup. Sire, LISTENS to us, and continues to do regular improvements to their instruments. That said, the points you make, are correct. The single biggest weakness on these basses, is the durability, or lack thereof, of the preamp assemblies. The plus? They're only $75.00 new direct from Sire. There's only eight wires to unsolder and solder in a new one. Other preamps are available, and as with the Audere, are a significant upgrade. The other issue- is the fingerboard shrinkage will leave very sharp fret ends, worse than an un rolled edge, because of HOW they file the ends at the factory. As a repairman, I've had to file my fret ends twice- on both basses. But, I live in Nevada, and drying of woods is common here.
So- my conclusion- Sires are a great deal, better than a lot of other basses- especially in the price range. Issues? Sure- but all easily correctable. Oh, I almost forgot, I just ordered a lefty P-5 5 string. It'll be here in five days from order to delivery- from Germany!
Thank for the big response, at the price point Sires are untouchable imo. Definitely punch far about their price tag 🏷️
I have the 4 string v7 first gen.
Over 30 years I've owned around a few basses. 2 Fender Jazz. Deluxe MIM active. American passive. Padulla Rapture. Stingray. Ibanez soundgear. Ibanez mezzo (underrated short scale bass). Lakland 55-02. Fender acoustic. Ovation acoustic. 1979 Fender PBass that I stumbled on in high school at a garage sale... Sandberg California TM configuration... and the Sire V7.
My Sire V7 is probably the most versatile bass I have. Even moreso than the Sandberg. The Fender deluxe was the bass that earned the most hours of time in my hands learning on it. Sire is the first Jbass I've ever preferred over that early 2002 deluxe in my hands and overall tonally.
Agree yes if someone is gonna pay me or audition me for anything substantial. I'm bringing the Sandberg for the expression of seriousness but I also bring the Sire. It slaps so much better omg. I don't think there is a better slapping JBass.
Great instrument. Note Sire was 500$ and Sandberg was 3000$ and although the craftsmanship and component quality is better with the more expensive bass... when I plug them in I get the same sound quality out of my hands. I'd say the sandberg is a little better with fingerfunk and Sire is better with slap obv.
This is it man, the Sires are great basses and have held up over the years 🙌🏾 I’d agree that it’s the best sounding bass I have for slap. Although I recently stumbled on a passive mark bass glory 5 string and that thing absolutely rips through a marinas set up.
Thanks for your video. Do you know if the piece cover battery have replacement??
As far as I’m aware you can’t buy the parts directly from Sire but you’d have to email to contact their team first.
Many people say that a lot of the 9v battery cover replacement for active bass and guitars fit so I’d do that. Costs about £2/3
@@The_official_c Thanks a lot
HA! The player makes the instrument. If you're worried about showing up to an audition with a "cheap" instrument, this tells me... Nevermind...
Bro, can you please explain the pickups because it is confusing.
So the stacked dials on the active pre amp (the controls on the side) are a little weak and mine have bent.
Also the black plastic actually cracked on one of my pots which I’ve never had happen to me on a bass before
I hope that helps
Yes, because the general word about Sire is ' a great value FOR THE PRICE', there IS a stigma...but I own and have toured professionally with Fender Jazz 4 and 5 string basses, now I own a Sire P7 and IT'S AN INCREDIBLE INSTRUMENT...and I can't believe they only ask a few hundred bucks for them! It's not just a great value, it's an AMAZING bass...
I still run my very own now!
So basically it’s awesome but not a name brand haha
How often do you think the brand on your guitar will affect you getting gigs? I played for years on an Epiphone LP and didn’t have any issues but I wasn’t playing super fancy gigs. Now I’m trying to choose between a passive Fender J5 and the active Sire V7(5string).
I feel like I get way more bang for my buck with the Sire.
The only complaint I have about the controls is that the top of the stacked pots are too high which would cause them to easily get bent. And regarding the 18-volt system, the double voltage allows for more preamp headroom. The S3 has the four screw plate for the batteries as opposed to the plastic 9-volt door design,(which I hate by the way). If you think about it from a budget standpoint, you are really getting a lot of bass for the money. I'll take a SIRE 3 over a Fender anyday.
Dead on. I have a v1 now with a broken battery cover and with the bendy pots as well. I bought a soft case and it would have benefitted from a hard case.
Lol. 4 yrs later and the price has gone up. Thank god I picked one up as soon as they came out. Mine's heavily modified though. Which I kind of regret because the bass didn't really need anything.
I owned a Sire V7 5 string. In general, it is a very good bass. To nitpick, my V7 weighed 10 3/4 lbs. I did not like the 7 knobs which made it difficult to change tones without fiddling around between songs on a live gig. I went back to my USA Stingray 5 which has a 5 way pickup selector switch. Battery covers will not break if you know how to open it properly.
you forgot to mention that the neck of this bass lives his own life, I always put the same strings the same way but each time I have to readjust the trussrod a little bit, otherwise I don't think they suffer that much from being "cheap" I see a lot of people gigging with sire ,even v3 sometimes
The sires have proved their worth for sure!
If you buy one of these be prepared to start repairing and replacing parts. I got my V10 DX in January and I'm already working on a second replacement part. Great sounding basses but definitely not boutique build quality. Waiting for sweetwater to send me a new battery compartment with wiring.
Reason 3 isn't Sire's fault! I currently have 2, 2nd gen V7 and P7. I've owned a 1st gen V7 and an M3. They retired my Fender MIJ Jazz from gigging. Had that from new (1992). That's now strung with flats and on and used for recording.
Hello! Should I go for the Fender mexican deluxe 5 string or the sire one? Which one is better in terms of build quality and tone wise? Please help!
Try it out and see how you feel! I’ve owned both and unplugged I preferred the fender but when plugged in the Sire came through 💪🏾
Bare in mind the fender will probably set you back a couple hundred more at least but you’ll never have a problem turning up to a mainstream gig audition with a fender 🤷🏾♂️
For 95% of people I’d say the Sire probably wins if you have £400-£600 top budget
Second hand v7 are floating between £250-£400 from what I’m seeing
I might do a video on best basses I can find for a particular price range
Excactly. The pots. Otherwise, for the money they are great according to me.
Excellent. Thanks
☑ I really like that you downgraded from 5.0 to 4.5 _makes it seem more like an application version thing gone awry , than anything seriously wrong with the bass 🤓
anyhoo i know not much about bass , but gonna invest in the Sire V7 Ash body burst maple fretboard ; i suspect it will pretty much defeat my Fender MIM P bass or my Squire 40th Annv Jazz bass❗❗😝😊
Great video man keep it up but disagree w/ #2 "people think you have a cheap bass" so?? Lol
if it feels great and sounds great why does it matter? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to say i own a "Fender" strat, but I also own a "Squire" classic vibe that plays and sounds great too and I'll play either depending on what i want out of the guitar.
100%, for the record - I gig the sire far more than any bass but there are some cases where turning up with a Fender CAN leave abetter first impression
It’s hard for a two thousand dollar Fender Jazz bass to beat a seven hundred dollar Sire Marcus Miller V7 or P7 in tones, I will take my Sire to the biggest gigs ever and be proud to play it because I know it’s giving me the tones I want and need. Keep tucking yours away if you want, I’m laying mine in the case and heading for the next gig proudly. 😎😎😎😎
I've had all 5 of those problems. What I hate most is how damn heavy they are.
I think I’m just used to playing heavy basses now 😂 my MIM Fender Jazz V deluxe was heavier than the Sire so this felt lighter to me
Well, Jazz basses have always been chunky from what i've heard.
I would still appreciate a heavier bass, than one that weighs fuck all, it doesn't feel right.
I sold mine because of the weight. Do you recommend any light ones?
I get what you mean about the stigma of the name. But, I'm a drummer of 30 years and new to bass. I've bought a Sire V3 Gen 2, and I love it. But back to the drums. I bought a Mapex kit as my first kit in 1992, which was an unknown brand, but is now recognised. So I'm not worried about stigma
They’re great basses, I use my Sire v7 on a TV show - I’d make a better first impression bringing a Fender to a commercial audition though
I Got my 2004 MIM Fender IV string stolen at the end of 2018, got to LA and I Second hand purchased a SIRE V7 V String 1st Gen, It's been with me ever since as my main axe and as much as I Love Fender, this one serves the purpose of a Working bass pretty well, just to add something to this review, this bass specially the 5 string one, tent to be quite Heavy so bear that in mind when you get one, apart from this its really a cheap, cool affordable and nice bass to work with, and you won't need no fender at all
enjoy it If you have it!
Man, stolen gear is the worst!
I've always played heavy basses so I didn't notice the weight difference but I've done a set of filming gigs that required standing around 4-5 hours a day with the bass on my neck for 2 weeks and needed physio after!
NO DISRESPECT BROTHA, BUT THIS VIDEO SHOULD'VE N E V E R BEEN MADE! You Get a ton of tonal options with these bass guitars! The prices are all great no matter which model you get, Very light weightIs With the best, I mean THE BEST preamp in the business!!! In fact when I'm through with this message I'm going to purchase another one! Keep rocki' Marcus!! 🎵😎🎶
Every active bass should have a passive switch. imo. 1 If batteries are dead it will still work 2 It can also be a great sound in it`s own.
A friend of mine saw MM in concert and he was playing a Fender ???????
The Sire V7 was a budget bass but not anymore since their popularity has grown.
They’ve always been great sounding instruments, when recording I chose it over my MIM Fender Jazz V Deluxe 🔥
Clear enough to me. The pots would get me down if they didn’t stand up to the road.
Seems they’re not the best way to impress, but probably excellent studio basses.
I really do think that if you own a P and / or J Bass, you can’t go wrong.
At its price tag, It’s definitely a great buy!
Only thing that bugs me about my Sire bass is that it is heavy, 5kg. Other, then that, fantastic bass.
I have V7 1rst Gen. consumes bit Quickly the 2 batteries and the plástic covers is cheap detail but no big deal to me , rest is prefect, amazing bases
Really good basses man, I’m glad you enjoy it!
Yes the 2 x 9v battery is a pain for sure, but maybe you like that preamp because it runs in 18v, more headroom, and other than putting a rechargeable lion battery in it I don't think there's a ways to get around the 2 x 9v batteries
I'm looking at buying one of these the M3 actually, just at home for my song making (i'm a guitarist) and i'm liking the offering especially as i would buy it second hand for 230 euros (and yes with fucked up battery compartments lol)
aha for sure the 18v helps with the sound! it's a pro and a con for me
I baught a Mexican fender jp with preamp that I really liked , 2 days later I ordered a sire p7 because ya can't find one to try out in stores , after playing the sire I returned the fender , I feel like I got way more guitar for a less $, budget bass yes but bang for buck is way better for the money it feels and sounds amazing.. I will admit though I don't care for the head stock shape but I enjoy it enough to never mind that lol
I should really add one of the sire P basses to my collection 🙌🏾
@@The_official_c , curiouse, ive noticed my p7 doesn't have much sustain anywhere on the B string, especially compared to EADG strings, everywhere is 6+ or more seconds but the B is like 3 seconds if lucky I some spots. Is yours like that???
how much Fender did paid for this video?
1. If you touch a Sire's battery cover...It will Break!
2. If you breath on a Sire's battery cover...It will Break!
3. If your belt buckle rubs against Sire's battery cover...It will Break!
4. If you look at a Sire's battery cover...It will Break!
5. If you put a piece of tape as a precautionary measure on a Sire's battery cover...It will break!
6. Your Sire's battery cover will one day spontaneously combust!!!
7. No I don't want to unscrew my battery cover, every time I need a battery change. (Second gen V7 Sire, I'm looking @ you!!!
8. For heaven's sake Sire, It's time for a magnetic battery cover!!! Pretty Please???
9. With all that being said , I LOVE MY SIRE V7!!!, but that damn battery cover...Ugh!!!
😂😂😂
The only problem I've had with mine is the volume pot being too loose and I have turned in down to zero a couple of times when I've been playing. However a very small blob of blu-tak has fixed it!!!!!! However I have the five string version and it's my go to gigging bass even over my American standard fender jazz, although it could be lighter!!
Can’t complain about the sound on these at all 🙌🏾
I have a G&L 2000 Tribute, I would like a Jazzbase (Type) (agein) Thinking about Marcus Miller V3 TS 2nd Gen, please edvice?
What’s your budget?
@@The_official_c Would be nice to be able to be around $300, if the differens in what I get is realy big, I could wait a bit and go up to $500, but around that is max (I'm only a hobby player). You know anything I chould look into?
honestly, at around 300, you can't regret getting a V3.
If you recorded a v3 and a v7 and asked people to tell them apart, most people would struggle!
I actually accidentally picked up a v3 in Andertons and thought the price tag was for a second hand v7
Having said that I do notice a difference in hardware quality & I prefer maple fretboards so I'd pay the extra for a v7.
The v7 does feel more substantial in my hands but
1. I don't think anyone will notice the difference in sound when you're playing
2. It will blow any other bass at that price point out of the water IMO
love them i'm a pro player from the N.Y.C .THEY SOUND GREAT AND I HAVE A FIRST GEN I'VE BEEN ON BIG TOURS AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS.You have to take care of your bass if your a guy that beats your bass up it's not gonna last.Been in the studio with it it's killer the video is wack great bass for the money.And the second gens are a beast.Go and get one you'll be more than happy.
You can get a v3 u5 a m2 how much money do you have?It's the same preamp in all the basses you cant go wrong ,many pro players are using them.WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO YOU.
The extra battery is suppose to make the electronic extra buzz fre and quite.