NBD Sire V6 7.65 lbs. FAIL

[five7]

He just called me and is going to look at other ones they have and see if they all have this problem. He said they will get to the bottom of it.
I also told him that I posted this on talkbass. And that concerned him.
I will update when I hear back

 

[FretRiff]

He just called me and is going to look at other ones they have and see if they all have this problem.

After he initially said it's the 'way it's made' it's suddenly a problem.

 

[five7]

That was the service guy. This was the sales associate.

 

[Brandon Shea]

Cosmetic issues aside, I still have pretty bad GAS for the candy apple red V6. Obviously it’d be nice to have the best looking bass possible, but a big reason I’m looking at these in the first place is so I can have a second five string bass that I don’t have to feel too precious about. We’ll see though… might not be the worst idea to hold off until some time next year after they’ve shipped a couple more batches.

 

[bandchef]

How much does the V6-5 weigh? 8.2, 8.3lbs?

 

[EagleMoon]

How much does the V6-5 weigh? 8.2, 8.3lbs?

Looks like quite a few of them are under 8 lbs.

 

[UNICORN BASS]

I have seen other makers using this "open pore" type of finish, Fender, Sandberg etc. Never seen anything as rough as that. That's a deal breaker if it were mine.

 

[Jim C]

This looks like an empress body. My Sandberg has a very slight outline of what is shown in the picture; not nearly as bad. Glary's have a super thick paint coat so you can't see this. I think this is the characteristic of the empress wood body.

 

[five7]

From Sire usa
Body Material: Mahogany with Solid Ash Top

 

[five7]

Anywho, I returned the bass to sweetwater and it is back up for sale as new.

 

[bandchef]

On monday, 27th of October I purchased a brandnew Sire Marcus Miller V6-5 Sandblasted OTB at Thomann (I am from germany). And I am really excited, because the sales man has weighed the bass in front of my eyes. The bass only weighs 3,34kg (around 7 pounds and 5.82 ounces).

The build quality is absolutely worth the price. Trussrod works perfectly and the frets are better leveled as the frets of my Fender Flea Jazz Bass which costs around twice as much.

 

[ElectricBass72]

I bought my Sire fretless direct from Indonesia.

 

[OldShark]

On monday, 27th of October I purchased a brandnew Sire Marcus Miller V6-5 Sandblasted OTB at Thomann (I am from germany). And I am really excited, because the sales man has weighed the bass in front of my eyes. The bass only weighs 3,34kg (around 7 pounds and 5.82 ounces).

The build quality is absolutely worth the price. Trussrod works perfectly and the frets are better leveled as the frets of my Fender Flea Jazz Bass which costs around twice as much.

So we can assume its body does NOT look like one the OP has had (cf. post #6)?

 

[dabbler]

I have seen other makers using this "open pore" type of finish, Fender, Sandberg etc. Never seen anything as rough as that. That's a deal breaker if it were mine.

Yep, it's a thing. Looks fine to me.

 

[five7]

My V6 did not look like that, nice bass there!

 

[bandchef]

So we can assume its body does NOT look like one the OP has had (cf. post #6)?

The build quality is almost perfect (in relation to the price!). Also no problems with the edges of the body and also the neck and the leveling of the frets is better maid as it is made on my Fender Flea Jazz Bass. But what I find unnecessary, however, are the 18V (2x 9V block batteries). I do not hear (or feel) any differences to other active 9V Basses.

My V6 did not look like that, nice bass there!

Couldn't be better described and also for me: Nice bass there!

 

[bandchef]

Here a few pictures of the build quality of the body:


As you can see: For a price of 710€ (I was granted a discount of 39€) and the fact that, the bass was set-up out-of-the-box with DR Strings Dragon Skin+ DBQ5-45 strings (alone these strings cost around 50€!) and the weight of 3,34kg, I think it is the "best bass" I've ever purchased in regardin to quality<->price offset.

But I also want to clearly state, that the sound of the V6-5 is more rude and not so "tidy" (as Jazz Bass are sounding - the V6-5 is a clear Jazz Bass derivative) as it is doing my Sandberg TM5 SL. But maybe it could change with other strings. I do not know. ... but for me the sound is working.

 

[bandchef]

Yesterday I had my first rehearsal with the Sire V6-5. For me, it's a great piece of gear that's only behind the Sandberg in a few respects; apart from the fact that the TM5 SL <-> V6-5 are difficult to compare anyway. The two instruments are difficult to compare in terms of their basic voicing.

What you really notice, though, is that the Sire isn't "plekked" like the Sandberg; in some places it's not as comfortable to play, and you can also feel the extra 490g compared to the Sandberg.

All in all, though, it's probably the best backup bass I could find at the moment – at that price.

Oh, and I also discovered that these DR Strings Dragon Skin+ DBQ5-45 are actually really good strings. If you're thinking about trying coated nickel strings, I can really recommend these.

 

[five7]

I found a 8 lb. v3p with better finish and tone to replace the terrible v6 I was sent. I am happy for you finding a good v6.

 

[bandchef]

Congrats on your white beauty! How does it sound? Probably like a Jazz Bass Is the same Pre-Amp in it as in this new V6-5? Which strings?