NBD: Sire Marcus Miller V5 24 Fretless

[Zoot H Rollo]

 

[Zoot H Rollo]

 

[nonohmic]

Dang that's pretty!

These are awesome

(except the binding, hate binding).

 

[Zoot H Rollo]

Dang that's pretty!

These are awesome

(except the binding, hate binding).

It came with flats

I hate flats

But they sound amazing on this

I'll have to give Sire some serious attention after getting this one in my hands.

 

[Zoot H Rollo]

after a day with this and DR Sunbeams, the Sire V5 fretless 24 definitely scratches my Pedulla itch with the coated board as well as my Gary Willis sig Ibanez GAS.

i always wanted the GW sig but a 4 string version.

and boom,

here it is. with 24 positions.

PLUS it has the Sadowsky Modern 4 deep cutaway and deep neck pocket.

the fingerboard flatness rivals my Sandberg Custom 5 fretless.

and roasted neck.

and the headstock - i've grown to like it.

something i noticed about Sire, models come and go.

especially their fretless models.

this one is on sale now at the big music store - it's a crazy deal.

highly recommended.

 

[damnlamb]

Does you know if they coat all their fretless necks? I, too, have always lusted over pedulla/GW and really like my gen1 sire even though I don't play it much anymore...

 

[pb9717]

CONGRATS!!!

Everything you said is dead on. Sadowsky Modern deep cut. Great sounding and FEELING neck. The gloss finish is very nice with rounds. Pedulla recipe. Not only that, the pickups are excellent alnico V tone. Punchy, clean. I’ve modded mine quite a bit. Installed fret position markers thru the white binding ( you can’t see the fret positions because they put this white binding on the neck, so you need to crane forward to see the lines) .

I also added a John East J-tone pre to mine ( 10 min install, no mods required….HIGHLY recommended) turns the instrument from great to spectacular

I found the bridge to be more than adequate. But a word of caution……..the tuner collars are cemented into the headstock. If you try and swap the tuners you may damage the clear coat removing the collars from the headstock. The tuners are adequate, Ive had no issue with mine.

But yes…..this model flies under the radar, and is very different than other Sire’s. Lighter weight, no problematic electrics, and the neck? Rolled, very skinny, its just wonderful. And ash/maple/rosewood? For this price?

I think theres maybe 3 or 4 left at Sweetwater for $499 per. I paid $669 when I got mine and added a $300 pre, but its worth it.

Very excited for you. I’ve found mine to be a joy to play. Again, congrats. Great choice.

 

[Zoot H Rollo]

View attachment 7499774
CONGRATS!!!

Everything you said is dead on. Sadowsky Modern deep cut. Great sounding and FEELING neck. The gloss finish is very nice with rounds. Pedulla recipe. Not only that, the pickups are excellent alnico V tone. Punchy, clean. I’ve modded mine quite a bit. Installed fret position markers thru the white binding ( you can’t see the fret positions because they put this white binding on the neck, so you need to crane forward to see the lines) .

I also added a John East J-tone pre to mine ( 10 min install, no mods required….HIGHLY recommended) turns the instrument from great to spectacular

I found the bridge to be more than adequate. But a word of caution……..the tuner collars are cemented into the headstock. If you try and swap the tuners you may damage the clear coat removing the collars from the headstock. The tuners are adequate, Ive had no issue with mine.

But yes…..this model flies under the radar, and is very different than other Sire’s. Lighter weight, no problematic electrics, and the neck? Rolled, very skinny, its just wonderful. And ash/maple/rosewood? For this price?

I think theres maybe 3 or 4 left at Sweetwater for $499 per. I paid $669 when I got mine and added a $300 pre, but its worth it.

Very excited for you. I’ve found mine to be a joy to play. Again, congrats. Great choice.

this is a gem for sure.

thanks for sharing.

i have a feeling, once these are gone and not built again (as Sire does) they will become sought after.

i'm tempted to grab another, expecially at $499.

i owned both a Sadowsky Modern 24 and a Pedulla Buzz - fully regret selling both.

but not anymore.

 

[pb9717]

I’ll go to the grave owning this modern. Another under the radar instrument. Japan Sadowsky’s RULE!!!

 

[pb9717]

this is a gem for sure.

thanks for sharing.

i have a feeling, once these are gone and not built again (as Sire does) they will become sought after.

i'm tempted to grab another, expecially at $499.

i owned both a Sadowsky Modern 24 and a Pedulla Buzz - fully regret selling both.

but not anymore.

Honestly, If you don’t have a dislike of active instruments, i cannot recommend the East J-tone pre in this instrument enough. The 2 band with always on tone control , no solder install is the cherry. Not sure if you’re familiar with east pre’s but they’re absolutely fantastic. I have three of them installed in my stable.

 

[Zoot H Rollo]

Honestly, If you don’t have a dislike of active instruments, i cannot recommend the East J-tone pre in this instrument enough. The 2 band with always on tone control , no solder install is the cherry. Not sure if you’re familiar with east pre’s but they’re absolutely fantastic. I have three of them installed in my stable.

i have an East J-Retro solderless preamp.

monster unit - sitting idle at the moment.

half my stable is active.

my current fave is the Trickfish IPA in my Lull fretted 4.

next would be the preamp in my Ibanez SRH-500 fretless.

 

[Zoot H Rollo]

View attachment 7499834

I’ll go to the grave owning this modern. Another under the radar instrument. Japan Sadowsky’s RULE!!!

Glad you like it

 

[Zoot H Rollo]

The neck/fingerboard on the Sire V5 24 is remarkable.

I can get the relief very straight and the string height Willis low with ZERO buzz - full neck.

This rivals any of the fretless basses i've owned over the years.

The pickups are PUNCHY - i'm a fan of Fralin Hum Cancelling pickups, but I like these so much, I'll live with the solo bridge noise.

They remind me of the Duncan Heavy Weather pickup set.