Sire Bass Club!

[dave64o]

I bought a Lekato WS-50 5.8 GHz wireless system for $60.

Great mod for my Sire's

In the past year I've bought a few different inexpensive wireless just to try them out - one using UHF and three using 5.8 GHz, including the WS-50. I was previously using a Shure GLXD16 and was very happy with it, but Shure discontinued it and they hadn't yet come out with the GLXD16+. So I bought those sets partially as a backup to the Shure set and partially out of curiosity.

So far, all four of those units, including the WS-50, have worked reliably for our two-three hour band rehearsals and our four hour gigs as well as at a weekly three hour basement jam I play in. I've had no issues with dropouts with any of them and they've all had sufficient battery life to make it through any of those situations with no concerns.

The WS-50 is the first one I bought and that was a little over a year ago. It has worked quite well for me.

 

[waver]

Modified my V5R with Gotoh GB528 Tuners and 404BO-4 Bridge in X-Nickel finish (I wish there was a control plate to match!). I also swapped out the stock electronics for EMG JAVX pickups in ivory. These things sound MEAN and very different from stock. I'll have a full mod video showing how to align the bridge (it came out great!) and will have a sound comparison with stock. What a fun instrument this is!

Lobster, I did the Gotoh GB528 tuner swap on my Sire U5 thanks to your video.

Saved approximately 1/3 pound and took care of the neck dive. Makes the U5 much more pleasurable to play.

I'm not a mechanically-oriented person, but was able to do this mod with no issues following your instructions. Thanks!

 

[five7]

Thanks! Did the nickel match with the bridge and control plate?

Matched good enough for my needs.

 

[Jon Draffan]

Haven't played it with a strap, but I don't perceive any neck dive sitting down. I owned a Warwick Thumb 5 which was awful and the Sire doesn't do anything that bass did.

I'm glad to hear this because I want to stop nodding everything I buy and am hoping it will be fine

 

[Jon Draffan]

The neck on the V7 is a little stiffer and chunkier and the fretwork isn't quite as good as my V5, but it's not terrible...

Are the differences in neck profile the same as between any 70s(V5) and 60s(V7) bass?

 

[Auer]

Kinda funny actually, the fretwork on my V5 is nicer than the M7 fiver I just got as well.

Maybe if you dont need a pre-amp, the V5 is the Sire sweet spot for value and quality..

Ergonomically (unless you love Jazz bodies) I feel the M7 is really nice, nicest Sire I played so far.
Fits me very well, I'm 5'11 190lbs trim.

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

Are the differences in neck profile the same as between any 70s(V5) and 60s(V7) bass?

To my hand, the V7 feels a little stiffer. Pretty sure the radius and neck profiles are the same otherwise. Both necks feel amazing I really can't complain about either of them.

 

[dave64o]

Having a frustrating situation with Sire customer service andwas wondering if anyone else has had similar issues and how they finally got resolved.

10 days ago I received my brand new V5R and have been incredibly happy with it, as some of my previous posts (and my newly updated avatar) have demonstrated. However, I did not receive the matching gig bag that I also ordered. I called and spoke to someone the day the bass arrived and was told he'd look into it and get right back to me. I didn't get a follow and both called (left VM) and emailed again last week with no response and I called and left VM again today.

Have others had slow response from customer service and found a way to get a response? I honestly love the bass, especially when I compare the price of it to my other basses. It punches way above its price point. But not getting return calls about something I paid for and they're calling "fulfilled" when it was never shipped in the first place is getting frustrating.

 

[LowEndLobster]

Question for U5 owners regarding bridge alignment. How is yours? My U5 was way off but I think it's an anomaly as I checked out numerous pictures and used listings and didn't see any others as off as mine. I wanted to see about folks on here.

Before:

After:

 

[peekypoo]

Hey Lobster,
My U5 looks and plays beautifully..
On the other hand, "These are week pickups ,Sire sent me replacement pickups ,same week output "

 

[peekypoo]

I'm going to install SD ,SPB-4s in the P bass section, I hope 13k ohms does the trick..

My first and last "Sire @!!!"

 

[lug]

Question for U5 owners regarding bridge alignment. How is yours? My U5 was way off but I think it's an anomaly as I checked out numerous pictures and used listings and didn't see any others as off as mine. I wanted to see about folks on here.

Before:
View attachment 5099353

After:
View attachment 5099354

Mine:

Note: this was bought as a B stock bass from Thomann's. My P pup measured 9.6 K Ohms I believe. My P pup had a low output but it turned out that re-sweating the solder joints fixed this.

 

[KindofBlues71]

I'm looking at the V3, V3P, V5 and V5R, as I'm not sure if I want another active bass. Does the V3 have the 70s pickup config like the V5? Has anyone here owned both V3 and V5 and can say which they prefer and why?

 

[OldShark]

I have not owned a V3 but AFAIK it has 60ties PU placement like the regular V7. (The V7 Vintage has 70ties placement like V5 and V8.)

 

[edmidlifecrisis]

In the past year I've bought a few different inexpensive wireless just to try them out - one using UHF and three using 5.8 GHz, including the WS-50. I was previously using a Shure GLXD16 and was very happy with it, but Shure discontinued it and they hadn't yet come out with the GLXD16+. So I bought those sets partially as a backup to the Shure set and partially out of curiosity.

So far, all four of those units, including the WS-50, have worked reliably for our two-three hour band rehearsals and our four hour gigs as well as at a weekly three hour basement jam I play in. I've had no issues with dropouts with any of them and they've all had sufficient battery life to make it through any of those situations with no concerns.

The WS-50 is the first one I bought and that was a little over a year ago. It has worked quite well for me.

I have had several lower priced wireless systems and have had not good luck with any of them. I had the Line 6 and had 3 defective ones in a row-the base unit USB female input broke on all of them. Now I have the XVIVE minis and they work ok sometimes and other times cough and sputter and hum and drop out. I keep going back to the bulky, older and difficult to manage Sennheiser system. Even though it's a pain to use (with the beltpack and big receiver) at least it works and doesn't make any weird sounds. I have found rechargable AA batteries work best. It really is better despite not being as convenient as the little ones. My wife has the compact Sennheiser units and likes them.

 

[Auer]

I ordered a Spark Mini and will use it with the WS-50's so I can wirelessly play my Sire's in the evening by the fire in my yard.

 

[waver]

Question for U5 owners regarding bridge alignment. How is yours? My U5 was way off but I think it's an anomaly as I checked out numerous pictures and used listings and didn't see any others as off as mine. I wanted to see about folks on here.

Before:
View attachment 5099353

After:
View attachment 5099354

Not certain what you're looking for, but here's mine.

 

[Rod Barchetta]

Not certain what you're looking for, but here's mine.

View attachment 5100467

I think he is interested in how the bridge aligns with the pick up magnets and neck.

Yours looks pretty good from the photos. That's the concern.

 

[HoHumbucker]

Anyone out there looking for a Sire U5 gig bag? I had picked up one a Fender F610 bag that works pretty well.

I also have a Gretsch G2220 and ordered a G2168 gig bag which fits the G2220 very nicely.
Gretsch G2168 Jet Baritone/Jr Jet Bass Gig Bag
So I decided to see if the U5 fits in this one. Well, it fits perfectly. Snug all around. Not sloppy at all.
I think that this Gretsch might be another good choice for a U5 bag.

 

[LowEndLobster]

Mounted and installed the Gotoh 404B0-5 bridge onto my P10. I've been digging these bridges and thought the X-Nickel matte finish would match the matte hipshot tuners better (and I dig the look of these in general). Easy mounting trick, use the strick ferrule holes and a couple allen wrenches (a size lower than the truss rod wrench) to align the bridge and then fine tune by hand (you have a little play). No video on this upgrade, but I did the same with my U5 and V5R and have videos on the process for both. Ended up relocating the bridge on the U5 due to the alignment issue.

Here's the final result for the P10: