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Sire Bass Club!

What color/wood combination do you own?

  • Bright Metallic Red/ Ash

    Votes: 17 1.6%

  • Bright Metallic Red/ Alder

    Votes: 33 3.2%

  • Natural/ Ash

    Votes: 173 16.7%

  • Sunburst/ Ash

    Votes: 104 10.0%

  • Sunburst/ Alder

    Votes: 165 15.9%

  • White/ Ash

    Votes: 86 8.3%

  • White/ Alder

    Votes: 122 11.7%

  • Black/ Alder

    Votes: 104 10.0%

  • M3

    Votes: 28 2.7%

  • M7

    Votes: 85 8.2%

  • I'm a heretic - I don't own one yet, but I'll see the light soon enough!

    Votes: 243 23.4%
  • Total voters
    1,039
  • Poll closed .
#3,061
Hey fellow Sire Bassists.

I'm a bass player from Portugal and recently ordered the Ash TS 4 strings from Thomann Europe. The bass flew off the shelves last year and I managed to grab one just before it sold out again. The new batch will come only in March. Mine is on the way, still in Germany but arriving soon to Lisbon.

I know most of you are from the US but if anyone here ordered one from Thomann can you tell me if the bass comes with the extra knobs and the pickup guard also?

And, if anyone who has the ash with de Tobacco Sunburst finish has changed the white pearl pickguard to another, like black or tortoise. If so, some picks would be nice.

Thanks, and as soon mine arrives I will show it heres and review it too.

Keep groovin!
 
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#3,062
PortlandBass77 said:
Am I the only one who prefers the plastic knobs to the metal one lol?
Click to expand...
Me, I like my QParts knobs:
QPart Knob closeups 004.jpg
QPart Knob closeups 002.jpg
QPart Knob closeups 005.jpg
QPart Knob closeups 003.jpg
QPart Knob closeups 001.jpg
 
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#3,064
chinjazz said:
Hey @bholder, these look nice! They do seem more sturdy looking than the stock black ones. I'll browse over to QParts to see what other options are available. :)
Click to expand...
These are the mini-domes - a little tall for top concentric use, but the looks are worth it to me. I keep suggesting they make a proper set of concentrics...
 
#3,066
chinjazz said:
Thanks for the info! I'll also look around for any other whole sets of concentrics as an option. I'd like them to be basically the same. Find any others in your quest?
Click to expand...
I haven't looked much further since I found these. FWIW, the bottom knobs on the M3 work as is, but on the V7s, I switched the bottoms to EMG concentric bottoms I got from bestbassgear, they sell them without the tops.
 
#3,069
Snibborwocky said:
Yesterday at NAMM - Billy Sheehan demonstrating his updated pedal on a Sire V7 4-string...

Click to expand...

I know he's talking about how the effect works and sounds, but you have to have a good signal to begin with. And it looks like he's enjoying playing it! ;)
 
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#3,071
stingray69 said:
It's been many years since I've owned the LEJ - I remember the preamp sounding nice, but way too much time has passed to make any accurate comparisons I think. I will say that the Sire preamp is the best sounding preamp that I have experienced since a boutique type instrument. It definitely has much more flexibility with the midrange sweep than I remember the LEJ preamp having. It's definitely not your average, just okay, passable, token onboard preamp they could have thrown into an otherwise outstanding instrument to keep the cost down. It was clearly a major design focus of the instrument & as many have stated - the preamp kills.
Click to expand...
I owned a LEJ 5 Exotic & let it go last year. I felt like it was weak in the mids. Brian Barrett said he could add a mid control to the electronic package. I had the active/passive, passive tone, treble, bass w/ slim double coils. Quiet, crisp, scooped and tame. I was struggling a bit with the neck profile on that particular bass , so I chose to let it go. Like you, I'm impressed w/ this preamp. I've had some issues w/ the single coil hum (in certain rooms) because I like favoring the bridge pickup for throaty, articulating finger style. I love the sound of single coils though, so replacing w/ humbuckers is not an option. I was impressed to find the pickup cavities covered in shielding paint w/ ground wires screwed to the bottom of the cavities. I went ahead and used copper tape shielding on top of that (overkill if you will). There's a lot of tones in the preamp controls w/ both pu's on full. I'll keep experimenting w/ different control settings to get that throaty growl I crave while cancelling the single coil hum when playing in a "noisy room". Unfortunately, our band rehearsals are held in "noisy room" due to lighting & old wiring....
 
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#3,072
Humberto Silva said:
Hey fellow Sire Bassists.

I'm a bass player from Portugal and recently ordered the Ash TS 4 strings from Thomann Europe. The bass flew off the shelves last year and I managed to grab one just before it sold out again. The new batch will come only in March. Mine is on the way, still in Germany but arriving soon to Lisbon.

I know most of you are from the US but if anyone here ordered one from Thomann can you tell me if the bass comes with the extra knobs and the pickup guard also?

And, if anyone who has the ash with de Tobacco Sunburst finish has changed the white pearl pickguard to another, like black or tortoise. If so, some picks would be nice.

Thanks, and as soon mine arrives I will show it heres and review it too.

Keep groovin!
Click to expand...


I am in the US and so don't order from Thomann, but my understanding (perhaps wrong?) is that 1) Thomann Sires do not come with the gig bag, which is a shame; 2) The extra knobs are only a bonus gift for those who had to wait months for back-order basses to arrive, I didn't get any; 3) Just a guess but it seems like it ought to come with the pickup cover, regardless. 4) As far as I know, they are not yet selling any pickguards separately, I do hope they hurry up and start offering them for sale soon, their pre-sale info and pictures of new pick guards look nice. Some other fellows on here have gotten pick guards elsewhere and installed them with minor modification, if I recall correctly. I forget who, though.

We expect your report when the new Sire comes in!
 
#3,073
Plutonium244 said:
I am in the US and so don't order from Thomann, but my understanding (perhaps wrong?) is that 1) Thomann Sires do not come with the gig bag, which is a shame; 2) The extra knobs are only a bonus gift for those who had to wait months for back-order basses to arrive, I didn't get any; 3) Just a guess but it seems like it ought to come with the pickup cover, regardless. 4) As far as I know, they are not yet selling any pickguards separately, I do hope they hurry up and start offering them for sale soon, their pre-sale info and pictures of new pick guards look nice. Some other fellows on here have gotten pick guards elsewhere and installed them with minor modification, if I recall correctly. I forget who, though.

We expect your report when the new Sire comes in!
Click to expand...

Same with my order I received a few weeks ago. Chrome knobs were not included, neither was a t-shirt because (as stated) they are/were a special thank you bonus for customers being patient with delayed orders. I'm OK with that because I kind of like the black knobs on my 5 string anyhow. I had a feeling I wasn't getting a pickup cover either (which wasn't in the case) so I ordered a Fender MM 5 string cover but have yet to install it. I'm still debating whether I really want to drill holes in my pickguard or not. I'm leaning towards liking my bass just the way it is I think... for now. I agree it would be a nice option to sell both the knobs and covers on the site as well for those wanting the choice. MM Sire t-shirts would be awesome as well, I really want one now.
 
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#3,074
Snibborwocky said:
Same with my order I received a few weeks ago. Chrome knobs were not included, neither was a t-shirt because (as stated) they are/were a special thank you bonus for customers being patient with delayed orders. I'm OK with that because I kind of like the black knobs on my 5 string anyhow. I had a feeling I wasn't getting a pickup cover either (which wasn't in the case) so I ordered a Fender MM 5 string cover but have yet to install it. I'm still debating whether I really want to drill holes in my pickguard or not. I'm leaning towards liking my bass just the way it is I think... for now. I agree it would be a nice option to sell both the knobs and covers on the site as well for those wanting the choice. MM Sire t-shirts would be awesome as well, I really want one now.
Click to expand...
If I could buy a tshirt, I would, and I'd wear it proudly! :D
 
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#3,076
bholder said:
If I could buy a tshirt, I would, and I'd wear it proudly! :D
Click to expand...

Almost - what's the word...unrepentantly? :D

Just kidding - I'd wear one too, they look like a nice music-based tee.

I recall some people saying that the sizing seems to run quite a bit on the small side regardless of stated size. Hope they get that straightened out if/when they start selling them.
 
Last edited:
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#3,077
Humberto Silva said:
Hey fellow Sire Bassists.

I'm a bass player from Portugal and recently ordered the Ash TS 4 strings from Thomann Europe. The bass flew off the shelves last year and I managed to grab one just before it sold out again. The new batch will come only in March. Mine is on the way, still in Germany but arriving soon to Lisbon.

I know most of you are from the US but if anyone here ordered one from Thomann can you tell me if the bass comes with the extra knobs and the pickup guard also?

And, if anyone who has the ash with de Tobacco Sunburst finish has changed the white pearl pickguard to another, like black or tortoise. If so, some picks would be nice.

Thanks, and as soon mine arrives I will show it heres and review it too.

Keep groovin!
Click to expand...

I haven't ordered from Thomann yet, but I will be when they are back in stock, most likely around May. From what I've heard Thomann doesn't include any of the extras (gigbag, pickup cover, knobs, ect.) that the US store does, which is why the Thomann price is lower.

bholder said:
Me, I like my QParts knobs:
View attachment 779078 View attachment 779079 View attachment 779080 View attachment 779081 View attachment 779082
Click to expand...

Woah those are cool

Snibborwocky said:
Yesterday at NAMM - Billy Sheehan demonstrating his updated pedal on a Sire V7 4-string...

Click to expand...


LOL nice to see Billy Sheehan slappin' da $$$$ out of a Sire
 
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#3,079
stingray69 said:
Almost - what's the word...unrepentantly? :D

Just kidding - I'd wear one too, they look like a nice music-based tee.

I recall some people saying the sizing seems to run quite a bit on the small side regardless of stated size. Hope they get that straightened out if/when they start selling them.
Click to expand...
I got a XXL with my Sire. I wear a small. :(
 
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