Bass sounds a bit weak in Sire

[Vegeta Alten]

I bought a new Sire Marcus Miller V7. The guitar is good and I love playing it. But the only concern is that the overall volume seem to be low compared to other basses which ideally shouldn't be the scenario since they have active/passive switchable preamp

Any suggestions to rectify it ? Would adjusting trim pot cause any impact ?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

If the bass is the same volume when active OR passive, leave it like it is.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I bought a new Sire Marcus Miller V7. The guitar is good and I love playing it. But the only concern is that the overall volume seem to be low compared to other basses which ideally shouldn't be the scenario since they have active/passive switchable preamp

Any suggestions to rectify it ? Would adjusting trim pot cause any impact ?

Are you sure that you completely understand how to operate the preamp? It should be louder in active mode. Check if your batteries are good too.

 

[Matty Koff]

If your EQ is flat, the active/passive should be about equal in volume. When you start boosting EQ that will be different. If anything, if you have a certain EQ setting you like, I'd imagine you'd use the trim switch to lower the pre-amp volume to be even with your passive tone.

 

[Vegeta Alten]

Are you sure that you completely understand how to operate the preamp? It should be louder in active mode. Check if your batteries are good too.

I did check them and they are good. Sire should be a very powerful bass but when I compare the overall volume of the active preamp of MM v7 with other bass guitars, it sounds to be a bit low. Not sure why. The tone quality is good but the overall volume seem to be less. I would have to boost my amp to max to get more sound which isn't the case with other basses. When I switch it to passive, we could see a huge drop in overall volume.

 

[Matty Koff]

I did check them and they are good. Sire should be a very powerful bass but when I compare the overall volume of the active preamp of MM v7 with other bass guitars, it sounds to be a bit low. Not sure why. The tone quality is good but the overall volume seem to be less. I would have to boost my amp to max to get more sound which isn't the case with other basses. When I switch it to passive, we could see a huge drop in overall volume.

Basses are not equal in output. Some have hotter signals than others, with less output signal from the bass you can get away with more input gain/master volume at the amp. I have a passive P-bass that runs pretty hot, and I had a passive J that was pretty quiet comparatively.

Unless it's just not loud enough when you up the volume on your amp it shouldn't be a concern. Boosting the EQ on my Sire P7 can have it pretty loud though.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I did check them and they are good. Sire should be a very powerful bass but when I compare the overall volume of the active preamp of MM v7 with other bass guitars, it sounds to be a bit low. Not sure why. The tone quality is good but the overall volume seem to be less. I would have to boost my amp to max to get more sound which isn't the case with other basses. When I switch it to passive, we could see a huge drop in overall volume.

The V7 has single coils which may not he as high output as soap bar or humbucking pickups on other basses.

 

[Vegeta Alten]

Basses are not equal in output. Some have hotter signals than others, with less output signal from the bass you can get away with more input gain/master volume at the amp. I have a passive P-bass that runs pretty hot, and I had a passive J that was pretty quiet comparatively.

Unless it's just not loud enough when you up the volume on your amp it shouldn't be a concern. Boosting the EQ on my Sire P7 can have it pretty loud though.

So there is no need for me to adjust the trim pots right ? Basically if I understand correctly, both the active when set to flat and passive mode should have equal volume. Please correct me if I'm incorrect. This is the first time I'm using a bass with active and passive switch.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

So there is no need for me to adjust the trim pots right ? Basically if I understand correctly, both the active when set to flat and passive mode should have equal volume. Please correct me if I'm incorrect. This is the first time I'm using a bass with active and passive switch.

The trim pots are there for you to set as you see fit. Adjust them and see if you like things better.

 

[James Collins]

Raise the pickups?

 

[Matty Koff]

So there is no need for me to adjust the trim pots right ? Basically if I understand correctly, both the active when set to flat and passive mode should have equal volume. Please correct me if I'm incorrect. This is the first time I'm using a bass with active and passive switch.

It's really a matter of personal preference. The preamp is your oyster. You can opt for a hotter signal with flat EQ, you can boost/cut certain frequencies and use the trim switch to even the volume out with your passive signal, so if you choose to switch between the two you aren't having to dance around volume levels with your amp or interface.

By default, I'm pretty sure Sire tends to send them out so that your flat active signal is the same as your passive signal.. and you can get a louder volume by boosting EQ's while the bass is set to active. Or, if you say boost lows and low mids way high for a certain tone, but want to even it out, you can lower the trim switch so that your desired eq matches the volume of your passive signal while keeping the tone you aim for with the active EQ

 

[Vegeta Alten]

It's really a matter of personal preference. The preamp is your oyster. You can opt for a hotter signal with flat EQ, you can boost/cut certain frequencies and use the trim switch to even the volume out with your passive signal, so if you choose to switch between the two you aren't having to dance around volume levels with your amp or interface.

By default, I'm pretty sure Sire tends to send them out so that your flat active signal is the same as your passive signal.. and you can get a louder volume by boosting EQ's while the bass is set to active. Or, if you say boost lows and low mids way high for a certain tone, but want to even it out, you can lower the trim switch so that your desired eq matches the volume of your passive signal while keeping the tone you aim for with the active EQ

Thank you for your detailed explanation

 

[Matty Koff]

Thank you for your detailed explanation

Enjoy your new bass. The Sire's pre-amp is a beast.

 

[BB Brian]

Raise the pickups?

My first question was going to be about pickup height.

 

[Vegeta Alten]

Raise the pickups?

Nope haven't raised it up. It's in the same way how I got it

 

[James Collins]

The closer the pickup is to the strings, the louder it is. Sometimes for example when you have a two pickup bass, one pickup has to be closer to the strings for the same loudness.

 

[BB Brian]

My rule of thumb for string height at the pickups is 1/8" on the bass side and about 3/32" on the treble side. I shouldn't say my rule of thumb as I have heard this from other people, but it works for me.

 

[Vegeta Alten]

My rule of thumb for string height at the pickups is 1/8" on the bass side and about 3/32" on the treble side. I shouldn't say my rule of thumb as I have heard this from other people, but it works for me.

Would give it a try and see

 

[eastcoasteddie]

There is another thread here with a similar issue. In that thread, it is mentioned to try increasing the gain on the preamp vis the blue cube-shaped trim pot.

Sire Marcus Miller V7 power doubt.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I think it's a good thing if the passive volume and active volume is even when the EQ is set flat.