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Marcus Miller V vs American deluxe V (2010+)

Low End Bottom

Low End Bottom

Aug 31, 2013
131
79
#1
So Ive been eyeing these 2 and was wondering if you guys can give your insights. I live literally on an island where the best guitars that get sold here are of american standard level, and rarely I come across those. Most of them circulation around here are copies.

Im goin after a 5-stringer coz thats what Ive grown up with since 94'. I have a stingray 4, washburn 5, and a squire vm 5. I love the sound of my squier but I guess im turned on by anything fender nowadays. Used to love the stingray sound but i guess that was just a phase back then.

Listening via youtube, seems like the mm sounds like the mids are scooped while the deluxe is generous with it. I would like to know these are quiet, hows their passive sounds, the playability of their necks, basically things I cant check out in youtube.

I never really saw a comparison of the newer deluxe models vs the mm. I read that the mm has a nice neck, but the newer deluxe are said to be easy to play.

Hope to hear from owners or peeps who have demoed both. tyvm :)
 
#4
Low End Bottom said:
Yup, seems like the neck is what people say they like bout the mm5 usually. Can you describe it? I mean I know its thin, but what bout the fret board? Flat? I read that its curved?
Click to expand...

It is wide and thin front to back. The fretboard is round like 70's Fender. The string spacing is wide. It helps to have long fingers. It is one of my favorite basses.

The preamp is transparent and not brittle, it is pretty nice for a stock pre. I think it would be better served with a Nordstrand preamp and pickups. The passive sound is a bit thin, which, again, would be remedied with some Nordstrand pickups.

It is a resonant bass. Mine is under 9 pounds. Well balanced, no neck dive. It is a percussive and bright instrument that is very mid forward when the preamp is flat, can be scooped with the bass and treble up. The bridge pickup soled with a little bass and treble boost is pretty sweet.

It is one of the best made basses I've played. It is as well made as the Sadowsky Metro RV5 I borrowed. Perfect frets, stable neck, perfect finish.
 
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#8
Are the pickups of the mm noisy when the bridge pickup alone is used? What about the newer (2010) american deluxe? How is it compared to the mm5? Like i said above, i love the sound of my squire vm 5. Peeps seem to describe it as a 70s vibe. Can the american deluxe do 70s vibe too? What about the mm5?

Sorry for asking so many questions, Im about to pull the trigger on one of these but it's frustrating that i cant demo them live. Tyvm
 
#9
The MM neck is awesome. The new ADV necks are thinner than the 2009 for example. I'd choose based on tonAL differences. The American Deluxe probably has a compound radius, different feel. Great bass the ADV.
 
#15
Hehe, thats the thing, Im afraid that having a mm5 bass people just equate you to Marcus Miller or expect you to solo stylistically like. I mean sifting through youtube, majority of mm jass bass demos are slaps. Ive been looking for a good jaco fingerstyle funk demo with just the bridge pickup on the mm jazz V specifically. Was looking which of these 2 basses can nail that tone or get close to it without mods.

And yeah, the vid is awesome, its what I usually play when i get up in the morning. Starts off relaxing then the solo gets your pumped for your day in music... hehe
 
#16
Nice vid; lots of chops. Very hip.

So, what bass is that? Is that one of the newer Am Deluxes?

I gigged a MMV for several years. Very cool bass. But, I will say this: there is a lot of variation in those basses, especially in the weight/resonance. For that tone, you may want a heavier bass, as the heavier ash bodies tend to have a more solid hit. My MMV was way on the lighter side, around 8 lbs 12oz. Very resonant for pizz, but not so solid on the hit. The neck was to die for; maybe my favorite 5 string neck I've played. Very vintage feel with the 7.25" radius. The preamp sounded fairly decent, but was actually a big mess. Had I kept the bass, I would have definitely refitted with a Sadowsky preamp.

If you are purchasing a Fender bass sight unseen, you could end up with any kind of instrument weight/tone-wise. Purchasing a Fender sight unseen can be a lottery ticket result. I have done it; but don't think it is generally a good idea. You can also get that tone out of a Sadowsky Metro; which would be a much more predictable instrument via mail order, IME. Just sayin'. If you go for the Fender, try to get an approval period so you can return it if the bass doesn't work for you.
 
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#17
Thank you for this, didnt think there would be a significant difference from one bass to other on the same line. Looking into the Metro now, any place selling 5 string natural colors?

Oh, were the pickups on the mm5 noisy? I mean just bridge/neck alone?
 
#19
Low End Bottom said:
Hehe, thats the thing, Im afraid that having a mm5 bass people just equate you to Marcus Miller or expect you to solo stylistically like. I mean sifting through youtube, majority of mm jass bass demos are slaps. Ive been looking for a good jaco fingerstyle funk demo with just the bridge pickup on the mm jazz V specifically. Was looking which of these 2 basses can nail that tone or get close to it without mods.

And yeah, the vid is awesome, its what I usually play when i get up in the morning. Starts off relaxing then the solo gets your pumped for your day in music... hehe
Click to expand...

That soloed bridge pickup growel I think you want can be had with the MMV, even with stock pickups. You just need to adjust the EQ on your amp. You might want to look at a Music Man Sterling V, it has the best growel I've heard from a bridge pickup.
 
#20
Low End Bottom said:
Thank you for this, didnt think there would be a significant difference from one bass to other on the same line. Looking into the Metro now, any place selling 5 string natural colors?

Oh, were the pickups on the mm5 noisy? I mean just bridge/neck alone?
Click to expand...

Regarding a Sadowsky Metro, I had a RV5 at my house for two weeks and compared it directly to my MMV. The Metro is a great bass. The neck is fatter but not fat, more rounded like an elongated C, flat(ish) fretboard. I like the MM neck better. The Metro is built as well as the MMV. The string spacing is a little closer on the Metro, but not tight. Physically they are on par. One isn't better than the other, they are just different.

The MMV is much more percusive than the Metro. I've rarely heard a bass as percussive as the MM5. Its obvious when played acoustically, and when played through an 810 with a high current amp like a Thunderfunk, well, its an intense experience.

The Metro, of course, has the Sadowsky preamp and pickups (single coil), with the vintage tone control. This beats the MMV. It makes the Metro much more flexible than the MMV.
 

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