Sire Bass Club!

[SmokinJazz]

I agree that the source doesn't really matter as long as the quality continues. Hopefully the SIRE staff reads this forum. There are a lot of people buying multiple basses and odds are people on this forum will have instruments from both factories (assuming they did need to outsource to China) - So they will be able to compare the two. If the quality varies, the folks on this forum will be sure to talk about it. So far, all the talk has been glowing (for the most part - some didn't care for the bass and sold, and some who sold have ended up regretting it). Be sure the quality controls are in place to keep the basses awesome (regardless where they are manufactured and keep us happy and the party will continue! I would like to see more consistent sunburst coloring - that can be standardized - just come up with the color mix formula and make them only use that recipe. I know I'll be in the market for another J and hopefully a P - heck maybe even an M3 to round out the stable - but only if the quality is able to be maintained.

 

[jim nolte]

I agree that the source doesn't really matter as long as the quality continues. Hopefully the SIRE staff reads this forum. There are a lot of people buying multiple basses and odds are people on this forum will have instruments from both factories (assuming they did need to outsource to China) - So they will be able to compare the two. If the quality varies, the folks on this forum will be sure to talk about it. So far, all the talk has been glowing (for the most part - some didn't care for the bass and sold, and some who sold have ended up regretting it). Be sure the quality controls are in place to keep the basses awesome (regardless where they are manufactured and keep us happy and the party will continue! I would like to see more consistent sunburst coloring - that can be standardized - just come up with the color mix formula and make them only use that recipe. I know I'll be in the market for another J and hopefully a P - heck maybe even an M3 to round out the stable - but only if the quality is able to be maintained.

Yeah, there was a perceived difference between the made in Korea Skylines and the ones made in Indonesia, don't know if it was a valid difference or not. it will be interesting to see if from now on they are only made in China or if this is the beginning of 2 separate factories building them or just to get through a major crunch time. Jim

 

[Plutonium244]

So, just wanted to drop this off, as a reflection on Sire quality:

A bass player came to the gig last night, a seasoned pro out of Brooklyn who was in this band 6 to 8 years ago, stopping through town (Madison WI). Very knowledgeable. Plays mostly African, reggae, and r&b, on a 5-string. I just listened to a track this morning that has both him and Bakithi Kumalo on it.

He said he really loved the tone of my bass (5-string Sire V7 ash natural), and asked, is it a Sadowsky? (in addition to great tone, their headstocks are somewhat similar). I told him it was a MM Sire. Light went on for him, someone had told him about Sires for the first time a few weeks ago. I told him what it cost, he said "man, I am going to get one of those right away." He asked to play it a little between sets. Apparently, he uses Marcus Miller's bass tech / set-up guy in Brooklyn. He could not stop talking about the great tone of the Sire, the first one he'd ever seen/heard in person.

So, yeah, Sire, people. It's like a Sadowsky, only cheaper.

 

[FlaCharlie]

Yeah, there was a perceived difference between the made in Korea Skylines and the ones made in Indonesia, don't know if it was a valid difference or not. it will be interesting to see if from now on they are only made in China or if this is the beginning of 2 separate factories building them or just to get through a major crunch time. Jim

Yeah, I'm curious if anyone else besides Charlie Blue has a Sire V7 made in China. If yours is from China, not Indonesia, how about letting us know.

Having just ordered one recently I'm a little concerned that a change in factories will affect the quality. Startup issues are not uncommon in such situations. I think we may be seeing that already. Charlie Blue mentioned that his pickguard and control plate don't match up and, looking at his pics, it's clearly visible. Out of curiosity I scanned through all the earlier pics posted on this thread and I didn't see any with such a mismatch between the pickguard and control plate. Anyone else have a mismatch like this? He said he wasn't bothered by it, but I know I would be.

 

[Charlie Blue]

FlaCharlie, I too looked at every pic I could find regarding the pickguard and not a one is mismatched like mine.
I got the bass Friday night as I was walking out the door, yesterday was super busy and I have not had a chance to hear it yet. I dont know anyone in Nor Cal I could compare sound to. I will talk to Mickey Cho Monday.

 

[FlaCharlie]

Definitely give him a call. Be sure to ask him if all production has moved to China now or just certain models/configurations.

Previous posts concerning customer service seem to indicate a genuine concern for customers. I'm sure he would want to know if there are quality issues. I'm curious if individual instruments are inspected once the arrive in the U.S. I'm guessing they are not, since that would require them to be repacked. They probably just unpack the shipping container and ship the individual orders out without opening any of the boxes.

Looking at your pics, at least the grain seems to be well matched. Personally, I wouldn't be concerned if the body was 3 pieces of wood as long as the grain match wasn't obvious and it sounded good. Everyone has their own preferences, though. As I mentioned, I have seen pics of a couple where the grain was not well matched, including a natural ash one that sold on TB recently. I know a lot of folks don't care about that and I've certainly seen Fenders and other more expensive basses that had poorly matched grain.

 

[stingray69]

FlaCharlie, I too looked at every puc I could find regarding the puckguard and not a one is mismatched like mine.
I got the bass Feiday night as I was walkinh out the door, yesterday was super busy and I have not had a chance to hear it yet. It is a theee piece top which bugs me the more I look at it and it will make a difference in sound. I dont know anyone in Nor Cal I could compare sound to. I. Talk to Mickey Cho Monday.

Something tells me Sire's response to you will be the most anticipated reply within this thread. I definitely have plans to purchase another, but I'm a bit anxious at this made in China news. I agree wholeheartedly with Jim in the fact that so long as the quality is not sacrificed - I'm good with it. But having an Indonesian one in hand already and seeing the level of quality already established, I worry that could be asking a tall order from a 2nd, unrelated factory with a different set of employees. I guess i am just echoing the concerns already posted by others. Regardless if this is going to be a permanent thing and not a 1-off incident or temporary supply/demand situation, then the quality of anything coming from a 2nd factory needs to be highly scrutinized by Sire QC to maintain the bar of excellence that their Indonesia factory has clearly set. Curiously waiting Sire's reply to this situation...

 

[voodoobassist]

Waiting for my first V7 to arrive. 5 string alder/rosewood in white. First I've heard of the China move. My original shipping date was 12-5, now closer to the end of the year. Will report on where the production stamp originates. I'll admit to being a little leery now,...but hopefully, I'll fall in love with her.

 

[chinjazz]

The strings on the Sire are the ones I use normally, XL 45-130 so I have a lot of experience with them. Tried running the B string through the body of a 55-02 and didn't like the break angle of it at the saddle so restrung them all on top. Don't know if that would affect intonation but when I get my V7 I'll probably just re-string it topside. Way up on this thread somebody else was having that issue and Mickey sent him some longer screws and that seemed to cure the problem. I thought he said that the longer screws would be standard from now on, maybe that customer will chime in as I don't remember who it was. I have one boutique bass, Fbass BN5, and one vintage, '65 L series Jazz, if the Sire is as good as I'm hoping it will be that trio of basses will be pretty much all I'll need for years as I don't have much interest in fretless. Edit: maybe it was shorter screws so they wouldn't bottom out in the saddle before the saddle was all the way to the back of the bridge. The only bass I've had the issue was an '80s G&L L 1000. Similar design with the screw bottoming out inside the E string saddle before it was intonated, even took the spring off to get a little closer to the back of the bridge but was still a little sharp both by ear and tuner. Jim

Mine is made in Indonesia as well.
Apart from my phone never seeming to capture the depth of the colors quite dark enough, I've noticed that the appearance of the edges vary quite a bit in different types of lighting (direct, room, sunlight, etc). For example, in most normal indoor room lighting or darker, a black edge is seen (perceived I should say). In more direct light or direct sunlight, the more red hues are seen around the edges. Technically there is no black in the finish as i can tell - the edges are a very deep cherry/maroon like color that reflects light in most lighting situations so as it appears as a black edge. In any case, I love the finish on mine and wouldn't change a thing if I could.

Georgeous! I'm digging that combo!

 

[chinjazz]

I'm pretty much sold on one of the alder sunburst rosewood 4stringer.
Read as much of this thread and some others, Sire USA Facebook, and some YouTube.

Few brief questions to help me rule IN or OUT a 5 string. Preface it with something that's stuck in my head
that the majority of 34" scale 5 string basses don't come close to the punchyness or taughtness so the B can be Slapped on without sounding floppy (compared to a 35"). How does this bass fare on that front for th B string? Say a comparison with a Squier or Fender' or maybe Lakeland DJ5' etc....

I've had a few higher end 34 & 35" 5 strings and hadn't found a Jazz 5 that I really liked the b string, so I kind of gave up and built my own but it's not really a full on Jazz bass on several fronts.

Also what's the string spacing in the 5?

Thanks!

 

[Plutonium244]

Also what's the string spacing in the 5?

Thanks!

String spacing is 18mm at the bridge. I am finding the B string to be quite satisfactory but I don't slap much. If you don't like Fender American Deluxe B strings, you might or might not like the B on the Sire MM, since I find those basses to be similar. Personally, I like it just fine, but that's just one man's opinion.

.

 

[Jamarvic]

String spacing is 18mm at the bridge. I am finding the B string to be quite satisfactory but I don't slap much. If you don't like Fender American Deluxe B strings, you might or might not like the B on the Sire MM, since I find those basses to be similar. Personally, I like it just fine, but that's just one man's opinion.

.

Exactly what I was going to say. I'll slap a little on my low B so
I experimented with different gauge B strings until I finally settled on .130 DR Fatbeams.

 

[chinjazz]

String spacing is 18mm at the bridge. I am finding the B string to be quite satisfactory but I don't slap much. If you don't like Fender American Deluxe B strings, you might or might not like the B on the Sire MM, since I find those basses to be similar. Personally, I like it just fine, but that's just one man's opinion.

.

Thanks Plutonium244! Much appreciated.

 

[chinjazz]

Exactly what I was going to say. I'll slap a little on my low B so
I experimented with different gauge B strings until I finally settled on .130 DR Fatbeams.

Thanks Jamarvic! I pretty much slap a b mostly on original songs I've been tinkering with. Sorta in the vein of how Alain Caron did on his Play Album, but of course not as good (LOL).

 

[Charlie Blue]

I emailed Mickey Cho this Sunday morning and he just called me, on a Sunday!!!

Sire/Dane owns a factory in China as well as Indonesia. Due to such a high demand they started useing their China factory.

He reassured me that they make all their own basses, nothing is outsourced.

Sire is owned by Dane guitars along with investors in multiple countries including China.

The same spec's and resources are used in both factories. Any varience in color are most likely photo issues, not the spray booth painter.

The pickguard issue on mine is a fluke and he is sending me another.

The basses come into Sire USA and are shipped out in sales order. Mickey has no control on what he receives in his warehouse.

Mickey said the basses they sell are the same basses a pro will use, nothing hot rodded when a pro recieves one. All are the same exact basses as we recieve.

Going forward, we will be recieving basses from Indonesia AND China. The shipping box does not say from where it comes from, its on the Serial Number Tag on the headstock.

We can all relax, I apologize if I spooked anyone but after talking to Mickey I am 100% satisfied with Sire.

Charlie Blue

(I am not in any way associated with Sire or Dane, just sayin)

 

[scazbass]

I took the plunge after reading so many positive reviews and ordered a Sire V7 Swamp Ash Maple 4 string in White Blonde. Only had it a day but WOW what an amazing piece of kit for £320!
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Used the Sire at rehearsal yesterday for the first time. Played through a Trace Elliot head and 4x10 cab. This bass has got tone for days! I use a Zoom B3 pedal and normally have some soft compression a bit of chorus and flanger. I only employed the compressor and used the preamp to adjust tone. I am blown away by the quality and clarity of this guitar. Played a whole variety of genres and styles from Wham (Last Xmas, well it is that time of year!) to Muse, Evanescence, Duran Duran and The Rolling Stones. Minor adjustments to the preamp make a massive difference so you need to be careful. But where the bass really showed its prowess was with Never Too Much (Marcus Miller bass line obviously) you can recreate that classic MM tone easily. It just made me smile. Can't wait to use at at my next gig.

 

[SmokinJazz]

No reason to apologize Charlie - It was a legit concern. I did see some nice instruments a while back about Dane basses and they look pretty nice, but they aren't available in the US. I figured they were the same company because these are very similar. Like many have said before, we don't really care where they source from as long as both adhere to the quality level Sire has set forth thus far! I trust the quality will be there, but I would suggest we monitor those from the China factory for a while to make sure these are consistent - not because of China vs Indonesia - but simply because there is a different set of hands that are now producing them in a different factory with different supervisors ... (albeit they are all with the same company). Just to make sure the issue Charlie experienced is truly a one-off fluke.

Mickey is very responsive - quite impressive that he cares enough to call you on Sunday and give you reassurance and fix the problem. FAITH IN HUMANITY RESTORED!!

 

[bholder]

I found the brand name that was on the previous life of the M3 design - Mateyra.

May still be called that in some parts of the world: Invalid Link Removed

 

[bholder]

I emailed Mickey Cho this Sunday morning and he just called me, on a Sunday!!!

Sire/Dane owns a factory in China as well as Indonesia. Due to such a high demand they started useing their China factory.

He reassured me that they make all their own basses, nothing is outsourced.

Sire is owned by Dane guitars along with investors in multiple countries including China.

The same spec's and resources are used in both factories. Any varience in color are most likely photo issues, not the spray booth painter.

The pickguard issue on mine is a fluke and he is sending me another.

The basses come into Sire USA and are shipped out in sales order. Mickey has no control on what he receives in his warehouse.

Mickey said the basses they sell are the same basses a pro will use, nothing hot rodded when a pro recieves one. All are the same exact basses as we recieve.

Going forward, we will be recieving basses from Indonesia AND China. The shipping box does not say from where it comes from, its on the Serial Number Tag on the headstock.

We can all relax, I apologize if I spooked anyone but after talking to Mickey I am 100% satisfied with Sire.

Charlie Blue

(I am not in any way associated with Sire or Dane, just sayin)

Mickey's the man, I keep tellin' ya.

I'm pretty much sold on one of the alder sunburst rosewood 4stringer.
Read as much of this thread and some others, Sire USA Facebook, and some YouTube.

Few brief questions to help me rule IN or OUT a 5 string. Preface it with something that's stuck in my head
that the majority of 34" scale 5 string basses don't come close to the punchyness or taughtness so the B can be Slapped on without sounding floppy (compared to a 35"). How does this bass fare on that front for th B string? Say a comparison with a Squier or Fender' or maybe Lakeland DJ5' etc....

I've had a few higher end 34 & 35" 5 strings and hadn't found a Jazz 5 that I really liked the b string, so I kind of gave up and built my own but it's not really a full on Jazz bass on several fronts.

Also what's the string spacing in the 5?

Thanks!

I don't slap, but my fretted V7 B is a DR DDT .145, and I tell you, it's among the best Bs I've played, including 35"ers. I did kind of "up gauge" the DDTs, they're meant for downtuning, I tuned them up to normal pitch to get the extra tension. Not only helped the B, but the E and A are awesome as well.

 

[Jamarvic]

Thanks Jamarvic! I pretty much slap a b mostly on original songs I've been tinkering with. Sorta in the vein of how Alain Caron did on his Play Album, but of course not as good (LOL).

No problem chinjazz, I'm pretty anal about the tone and feel on my low b, it me a few tries to get it to my liking, although it sounded pretty good out of the box with the OEM strings but they were nickle and I'm a stainless steel guy so I switched.
Lol...Alain is pretty dope.