A bittersweet time to get this since no more gigs until ??
I've owned dozens of basses over 30 years from moderate to low price. Almost all were purchased as used since I'm a "bang for the buck" bargain hunter, as well as a believer in diminishing return on cost. As the years pass I find that I'm fully satisfied with lower priced instruments that sometimes require a bit of tweaking but end up playing and sounding fine.
My interest in the Sire brand was piqued last year and I finally decided to get one. This is the first new bass I've bought in a long time but at $475 delivered it seemed worth a try.
I'm not an authority on basses but I know what I like, and I like a fast Jazz neck, an instrument that is light-medium weight, low action without fret buzz, and pickups that sound full and clear. If the bass looks good, that's a bonus.
This Sire seems to check all of those boxes, other than the headstock shape is just OK.
I've only had the bass a week, and of course haven't played it with the band because of self-isolation, so I could change my opinion. But my current opinion is that this is a great value. I love love love the neck shape with rolled edges. The pickups sound as good as any I've heard, fret work is excellent, fit/finish also very fine, and good volume balance between the P and J. The preamp provides wide ranging tone shaping, although I find I prefer the passive mode.
This is likely because all of my basses are passive and I use external preamps that I can alternate as the mood or conditions dictate.
The only "mod" that I immediately performed was to smooth the edges of the pickup covers, which were sharp and my resting thumb didn't like.
I can hardly wait to play with the band to hear the Sire in the setting that matters most, maybe in June, or September, or next year, or .... ??
I've owned dozens of basses over 30 years from moderate to low price. Almost all were purchased as used since I'm a "bang for the buck" bargain hunter, as well as a believer in diminishing return on cost. As the years pass I find that I'm fully satisfied with lower priced instruments that sometimes require a bit of tweaking but end up playing and sounding fine.
My interest in the Sire brand was piqued last year and I finally decided to get one. This is the first new bass I've bought in a long time but at $475 delivered it seemed worth a try.
I'm not an authority on basses but I know what I like, and I like a fast Jazz neck, an instrument that is light-medium weight, low action without fret buzz, and pickups that sound full and clear. If the bass looks good, that's a bonus.
This Sire seems to check all of those boxes, other than the headstock shape is just OK.
I've only had the bass a week, and of course haven't played it with the band because of self-isolation, so I could change my opinion. But my current opinion is that this is a great value. I love love love the neck shape with rolled edges. The pickups sound as good as any I've heard, fret work is excellent, fit/finish also very fine, and good volume balance between the P and J. The preamp provides wide ranging tone shaping, although I find I prefer the passive mode.
This is likely because all of my basses are passive and I use external preamps that I can alternate as the mood or conditions dictate.
The only "mod" that I immediately performed was to smooth the edges of the pickup covers, which were sharp and my resting thumb didn't like.
I can hardly wait to play with the band to hear the Sire in the setting that matters most, maybe in June, or September, or next year, or .... ??
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