Sire Bass Club!

[drumandbass75]

Ok…thanks for the picture twstd. Not too bad I guess...I'll have to take your word for it. I'm still trying to decide between Sire USA or Thomann who seems to get lots of love in general for their packing and shipping.

All the best!!!

 

[drumandbass75]

I'm joining the club! I just ordered mine today, and will post pics once I get it!

Ok thanks Farrin D, did you order yours from Sire USA?

 

[qwench]

Well...I guess I should join the club...mine arrived on Thursday of last week from Sire USA (shipped to Canada)...it only took about a week

I swapped out the stock strings for LaBella flats but had a hard time getting it set up the way I like...so on Saturday...I swapped the stock rounds back on and used the V7 on a 3 set gig that night...very impressive (played it in passive mode) and it cut through real nice and it felt like I had owned it for years...my ONLY real criteria for a bass is the 7.25" radius, it seems to be what my hands like best...so, I thought I would give the Sire a try...I am thoroughly impressed...not "quite" the tone I am hearing in my head in passive mode...but very much useable and and impressive instrument for the $$ for sure...considering the exchange rate and such, this cost me the same as buying a Squier Classic Vibe bass and buying a gig bag (maybe even a bit less)...and I would have to give the value edge to the Sire by a fair margin...the Sire gig bag is very nice and to my surprise it was a signed copy...count me in!!! (Looks like #394...kinda hard to read...could be 594 but I think it is 394)...Also, very decent weight on this one...if it is over 9lbs it would have to be barely over...I will weigh it at a later date!

 

[drumandbass75]

Well...I guess I should join the club...mine arrived on Thursday of last week from Sire USA (shipped to Canada)...it only took about a week

I swapped out the stock strings for LaBella flats but had a hard time getting it set up the way I like...so on Saturday...I swapped the stock rounds back on and used the V7 on a 3 set gig that night...very impressive (played it in passive mode) and it cut through real nice and it felt like I had owned it for years...my ONLY real criteria for a bass is the 7.25" radius, it seems to be what my hands like best...so, I thought I would give the Sire a try...I am thoroughly impressed...not "quite" the tone I am hearing in my head in passive mode...but very much useable and and impressive instrument for the $$ for sure...considering the exchange rate and such, this cost me the same as buying a Squier Classic Vibe bass and buying a gig bag (maybe even a bit less)...and I would have to give the value edge to the Sire by a fair margin...the Sire gig bag is very nice and to my surprise it was a signed copy...count me in!!! (Looks like #394...kinda hard to read...could be 594 but I think it is 394)...Also, very decent weight on this one...if it is over 9lbs it would have to be barely over...I will weigh it at a later date!

View attachment 597472 View attachment 597473

Looks good quench, how was your bass packed from Sire USA? Nice & snug with lots of protection?

Please advise!

 

[funkybassist2001]

Hi, got a V7 in Olympic White (tortoise shell pickguard). I'm very pleased with the tone and the different sounds you can execute from it. I love the bass in active at the moment (probably because it's been a while since I've owned an active bass). In active the sound is boomy but not muddy, a lot of clarity, and has that Marcus tone.

Although when I got the bass out of the box, since I hadn't got it from Sire (comes with a gig bag), the bass came without a case which lead to dents and a loose volume knob probably in shipping.

But these problems are quite easily repaired except for the dents obviously. I'm very pleased and I love it to bits

 

[qwench]

@ Drumandbass75....it was nicely packaged and no issues upon inspection HOWEVER the the first stacked pot with the master volume on top of the master tone seems to be a bit bent compared to the others...functions 100% properly but just ever so slightly bent....I would recommend Sire direct for the gig bag alone!! Best of luck and enjoy...FWIW...I am much more of a precision guy and have spent lots of dough on jazz basses in the past searching for the "one" and this one makes most sense for me to keep around since there isn't a big investment on it and if I need a jazz...I got one...I MAY even pick a fiver V7 in the near future!!

 

[discreet]

...I am much more of a precision guy and have spent lots of dough on jazz basses in the past searching for the "one" and this one makes most sense for me to keep around since there isn't a big investment on it and if I need a jazz...I got one...

Exactly! I keep getting Jazz GAS and for years I bought and sold Jazz basses, losing money as I did so - but I really don't get on with Jazz necks, being a P-bass kind of guy, too... but now the V7 is in the house it deflates any Jazz GAS and was affordable enough that I'm not tempted to sell it on. So as much as I like the V7 and its versatility, it really comes into its own as a kind of 'Jazz-GAS insurance'...

 

[qwench]

haha...indeed...well put "discreet"...you nailed it!!!!

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Hi, got a V7 in Olympic White (tortoise shell pickguard). I'm very pleased with the tone and the different sounds you can execute from it. I love the bass in active at the moment (probably because it's been a while since I've owned an active bass). In active the sound is boomy but not muddy, a lot of clarity, and has that Marcus tone.

Although when I got the bass out of the box, since I hadn't got it from Sire (comes with a gig bag), the bass came without a case which lead to dents and a loose volume knob probably in shipping.

But these problems are quite easily repaired except for the dents obviously. I'm very pleased and I love it to bits

I am surprised that there are dents in the guitar. Thomann usually ships with enough bubble wrap to float safely across the English Channel. IMO, the bass was probably a demo model.

 

[RyFi]

I swapped the stock rounds back on and used the V7 on a 3 set gig that night...very impressive (played it in passive mode) and it cut through real nice and it felt like I had owned it for years...my ONLY real criteria for a bass is the 7.25" radius, it seems to be what my hands like best...so, I thought I would give the Sire a try...I am thoroughly impressed...not "quite" the tone I am hearing in my head in passive mode...but very much useable and and impressive instrument for the $$ for sure

And a great gig it was! ;-) Hey man. I'm the guy who was there and chatting you up about your V7. Figured you were probably a TB'er, and here you are!

You guys are incredible, and your playing was superb! Hella good time. :-D

Your tone was seriously great for the kind of music you play, which I'm sure you know... but I'm pretty sure I can still understand what you mean - it may have just been lacking in a tiiiiny bit of that really low-end grip and authority that's more characteristic of a P over a J... if, of course, that's what you're getting at...haha...

I'm still on the fence but I'm pretty damn sure I'm going to order one Sire or another very soon here - leaning towards the M3, but still thinking it through...

 

[drumandbass75]

I am surprised that there are dents in the guitar. Thomann usually ships with enough bubble wrap to float safely across the English Channel. IMO, the bass was probably a demo model.

....and this is my ULTIMATE FEAR of receiving the bass if it's not well packed...

I'd rather not deal with the hassle, and the waiting game to return it, and receive a replacement. Hence, why I asked the question at the end of page 8 about the packing from Sire USA specifically.

 

[40YearOldBassVirgin]

Looks good quench, how was your bass packed from Sire USA? Nice & snug with lots of protection?

Please advise!

Mine from Sire USA was just as the earlier poster mentioned, bass nice and snug in the padded gig bag, in the big box with lots of peanuts. The gig bag locks the neck down with velcro btw so there's no shifting around inside the bag.

 

[40YearOldBassVirgin]

Regarding tone, I've been messing around in active mode by going to extremes on the midsweep, pickups, treb and main tone. Lol so many different sounds coming outta this thing.

 

[Farrin D]

Ok thanks Farrin D, did you order yours from Sire USA?

I did! I'm hoping they still have the signed basses, but either way I will still be excited to get it. It should be here by Friday!

 

[soulstew]

Hey all--longtime lurker and now member making my first post. In the process off researching the going price on used G&L Tribute 5-string I saw on CL, I stumbled onto what seemed like a no brainer--order a Sire MM new rather than just about anything used. So I ordered the 5 string in Alder TB from Thomann and their premium gig bag two days ago for $440 U.S. Est. delivery date is October 7. Agonized over whether to go with Sire USA for $560--est del. date is May 7 and those free knobs look pretty nice--but since this is mainly so see whether I like a 5 string, never having had one, I wanted to keep the price low, and wasn't in a hurry. My main fears now are 1) that the increased demand will drive the QC down on the next shipment and 2) the dollar will tank against the euro between now and Ocotober, so that I'll have waited an extra 5 months for a more expensive, slapped-together instrument. First-world problem, to be sure

I'll ask for my number when I have the bass in my hands.

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Thomann isn't getting new stock until the autumn????

 

[dave_bass5]

I feel privileged to be in at the start with my V7. These will be knowns as the "classic" run lol.

Considering i may well give up playing in Jan (or at least not gig any more) im very happy to have a high quality, but low cost bass hanging around as it might not get a lot of use. I'd hate to have a few £1000 worth of bass gathering dust.

 

[twistd]

Had a Tribute. Totally different animal and totally different sound. Very versate, but sometimes overly complicated for me to find the right sound.

Betting on exchange rates is a fools game, but the Euro is still wildly overvalued, and ECB is just starting the quantitative shenanigans that the US Fed did years ago. A weak Euro is in their best interest and policy will drive it weaker before it strengthens. Bottom line is don't wait for currency.

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Jeez, I laid down a bass track over a drum loop, and then plugged in my SG Classic. Going from a 34" scale to 24.75, my fingers were jamming up, lol.

 

[soulstew]

Had a Tribute. Totally different animal and totally different sound. Very versate, but sometimes overly complicated for me to find the right sound.

Betting on exchange rates is a fools game, but the Euro is still wildly overvalued, and ECB is just starting the quantitative shenanigans that the US Fed did years ago. A weak Euro is in their best interest and policy will drive it weaker before it strengthens. Bottom line is don't wait for currency.

Yeah, wasn't so much interested in a Tribute, per se, as in trying out a decent used 5 string for awhile to see how well I adjusted to the ergonomics before, for example, chasing down a Dingwall 5. I've spent 40 years in 4-string P-Bass-land and decided try something new. Have a used Dingwall Super PJ 4-string arriving tomorrow and my long-term plan is, if that feels and sounds as good as everyone says, I'd swap it for the same thing in a 5-string down the road. We'll see.

Re the currency rates, I agree, which is why I went ahead with the purchase two days ago. The actual transaction won't take place until the bass ships in the fall, though, so there is time for things to change, but the worst thing that could happen is it would cost a few bucks more. Not a dealbreaker. Even if the dollar fell 10% against the euro, it would only amount to increase of less than $50, which would still be $70 less than buying through Sire USA. As for the wait, I think I'll be able to keep busy putting the Dingwall 4 stringer through its paces, seeing whether I want to upgrade to a 5 sting version of that.