After seeing a thread on here about Sires on sale at Sweetwater, along with being very disappointed with a previously-purchased/returned Spector Euro, I took a chance on an M5.
Why the M5? I like the multi-piece neck, along with the boatloads of features, and of course, the gorgeous blue finish. That said Spector set me back over $2600, and considering how extremely disappointed I was (after my setup and tone-fiddling), SW gave me a return label (I've bought a lot from them, fyi). So, I figured I'd see if Sire was worth the hype. Well, it seems, at least with this bass, that it might be.
First off, the thing is beautiful and SOLIDLY constructed. There are no neck gaps, everything is tight (as opposed to loose/wonky), and just everything says that the bass should cost around 3-4 times as much as I paid. I was pleasantly surprised as to how the neck was almost straight out of the box. It has a nice ebony board with rolled edges, especially with ebony and how it can be finicky, and there are maybe 2-3 slightly high frets. It only took two 1/4 turns on the the rod, which felt smooth, to flatten out the neck (I don't like any relief). This automatically blew the Spector away. The Spector took many fairy tight turns to straighten out, and not as straight as the Sire. The mahogany stringers on the Sire's maple neck are pretty substantial, and the profile is asymmetrical. Plus, the wood truss cover and bone nut are cool touches. Granted, the B-string slot was cut too low, but nothing some electrical or gaffer's tape can't remedy. The tuners are typical generic Gotoh clones, but they work. I'lll put Hipshots on, anyway, and btw, very little neck dive on this instrument as stock...BONUS. Mission one accomplished.
Next, the bridge is beefy! The only other one that compares, ime, was on a Yamaha BBP35 that I used to own. I wish the Sire's had quick-release slots, but no big deal, as I hardly change my Elixir strings. The saddles look like Hipshot's A style, moved smoothly, and like Hipshot, have adjustable string spacing (default is 18mm). The bridge even has saddle tracks, further solidifying the hardware.
Again, miles better than the Spector (again, comparing due to cost), the pickups adjusted with no wobble up high (I like them close to the pickups). The pickups are seated level to the strings, too, as crooked/unlevel pickups drive me nuts. The Spector's were loose, crooked, and unacceptable. Yes, I've done the added-foam work before, but it's a pain.
The battery compartment with a door is preferred for me, especially with 18 volts (two batteries), because I hate needing to unscrew a plate just to change batteries. The door is a little tough to open, but works smoothly, otherwise. The jack is tight, and the wiring is nice. It's not Sadowsky or LEH-nice, but very nice for not even $800.
Now, the pickups and preamp? LowEnd Lobster's review from a few years ago describes it all in detail, because it can do A LOT. The only time there's noise, is in single-coil mode (yes, true single-coil). The active/passive level was set to even, so no volume drop with the active preamp set flat going into passive mode. There is a gain pot if you want to tailor overall volume level. What I like, besides the flexibility, is being able to use the tone knob in active mode. My preference in active mode, is the neck pickup in series, and bridge in parallel. That, combined with a nice dose of midrange, favoring more of the hi-mid side, and a touch of treble and bass (bass is POWERFUL), you can get some Spector-ish grind.
All in all, this is a very impressive instrument! I'm attending a Marcus Miller clinic next week, so maybe I'll bring the bass' cavity cover to get an autograph. Nice job, Sire!
Why the M5? I like the multi-piece neck, along with the boatloads of features, and of course, the gorgeous blue finish. That said Spector set me back over $2600, and considering how extremely disappointed I was (after my setup and tone-fiddling), SW gave me a return label (I've bought a lot from them, fyi). So, I figured I'd see if Sire was worth the hype. Well, it seems, at least with this bass, that it might be.
First off, the thing is beautiful and SOLIDLY constructed. There are no neck gaps, everything is tight (as opposed to loose/wonky), and just everything says that the bass should cost around 3-4 times as much as I paid. I was pleasantly surprised as to how the neck was almost straight out of the box. It has a nice ebony board with rolled edges, especially with ebony and how it can be finicky, and there are maybe 2-3 slightly high frets. It only took two 1/4 turns on the the rod, which felt smooth, to flatten out the neck (I don't like any relief). This automatically blew the Spector away. The Spector took many fairy tight turns to straighten out, and not as straight as the Sire. The mahogany stringers on the Sire's maple neck are pretty substantial, and the profile is asymmetrical. Plus, the wood truss cover and bone nut are cool touches. Granted, the B-string slot was cut too low, but nothing some electrical or gaffer's tape can't remedy. The tuners are typical generic Gotoh clones, but they work. I'lll put Hipshots on, anyway, and btw, very little neck dive on this instrument as stock...BONUS. Mission one accomplished.
Next, the bridge is beefy! The only other one that compares, ime, was on a Yamaha BBP35 that I used to own. I wish the Sire's had quick-release slots, but no big deal, as I hardly change my Elixir strings. The saddles look like Hipshot's A style, moved smoothly, and like Hipshot, have adjustable string spacing (default is 18mm). The bridge even has saddle tracks, further solidifying the hardware.
Again, miles better than the Spector (again, comparing due to cost), the pickups adjusted with no wobble up high (I like them close to the pickups). The pickups are seated level to the strings, too, as crooked/unlevel pickups drive me nuts. The Spector's were loose, crooked, and unacceptable. Yes, I've done the added-foam work before, but it's a pain.
The battery compartment with a door is preferred for me, especially with 18 volts (two batteries), because I hate needing to unscrew a plate just to change batteries. The door is a little tough to open, but works smoothly, otherwise. The jack is tight, and the wiring is nice. It's not Sadowsky or LEH-nice, but very nice for not even $800.
Now, the pickups and preamp? LowEnd Lobster's review from a few years ago describes it all in detail, because it can do A LOT. The only time there's noise, is in single-coil mode (yes, true single-coil). The active/passive level was set to even, so no volume drop with the active preamp set flat going into passive mode. There is a gain pot if you want to tailor overall volume level. What I like, besides the flexibility, is being able to use the tone knob in active mode. My preference in active mode, is the neck pickup in series, and bridge in parallel. That, combined with a nice dose of midrange, favoring more of the hi-mid side, and a touch of treble and bass (bass is POWERFUL), you can get some Spector-ish grind.
All in all, this is a very impressive instrument! I'm attending a Marcus Miller clinic next week, so maybe I'll bring the bass' cavity cover to get an autograph. Nice job, Sire!
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