Music school kind of place, there are loads of practice rooms, more instruments than people; I am The Janitor!
benne^
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benne^
What gauge is your low B? Did it slip in easily, or did you have to jiggle it around a little to get it into position?
This is the only mod I want to make to my V7s and V3. Only thing I don't like about the stock bridges is I have to drag my beloved Elixirs through the bridge holes, scraping the coating along the way. Otherwise they seem to be behaving just fine. My M7 absolutely would not allow the .130 Elixir stainless steel ball end wraps through; had to rip the string back out and drill out the hole.
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Economics.
They want you to buy their complete bass (which makes WAY more money), not create something almost as good with some other body and neck. It is also VERY expensive to bag and label individual parts AND to create a stock room to keep all this labeled stuff, and even more expensive to create a parts sales and billing department.
Plus they're having a hard enough time keeping up with demand for complete basses anyway, so no point selling off the stuff needed to make them, possibly making their primary job harder for themselves.
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I was looking at the V5 24 fret before I got the V3P. Haven't tried it but after listening to this video, which compares the V5R and V3P, I decided to go with V3P…
I guest the V5R and V5R 24 will sound similar but there's a big junk of body removed from the 24 so assume it's lighter.
BTW, the V3P body is 2mm thinner front to back than my fender bass bodies (I used callipers to measure!). At 7lb 12oz I think my V3P is almost too light as the body doesn't balance with the neck meaning there's a lot of neck dive. Not really a problem on the strap but you can feel a bit of tugging on the shoulder but it's so light that's not really an issue.
I guest the V5R and V5R 24 will sound similar but there's a big junk of body removed from the 24 so assume it's lighter.
BTW, the V3P body is 2mm thinner front to back than my fender bass bodies (I used callipers to measure!). At 7lb 12oz I think my V3P is almost too light as the body doesn't balance with the neck meaning there's a lot of neck dive. Not really a problem on the strap but you can feel a bit of tugging on the shoulder but it's so light that's not really an issue.
I had a bit of neck dive on my V3. It was a little over 8 lbs, so pretty light. I put some import Hipshots on and solved the problem. Plus the Hipshots are just much nicer to use and tuning is more stable.
Is the V3 the cheaper one? I think it sounds better in that video than the V5 (more like a real Fender jazz). What is the exact difference besides the weight?
The V3P is 3/5ths the cost of the V5. The V5 has an alder body whereas the V3P has a mahogany body. I think mahogany accentuates mid frequent a bit more. The V5 has alnico pickups whereas the V3P has ceramic which tend to be brighter. The V5 has the bridge pickup in the 70s position which is nearer to the bridge. The V3P has it in the 60s position. If it's nearer to the bridge the pickup should sound a bit brighter (more overtones or something!).
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ok thanks! Even though it's cheaper the V3P sounds better than V5 in that video. What do people here who own or have played both think?
The V5 also has a roasted neck and better tuners.
As to model ranges: The V3 is the entry rmodel, the regular V3 has the same preamp like most Sire basses whereas the V3P is just passive.
The V5 is a mid-level instrument and just passive. It's basically the passive version of the main V7 range (which all have preamps), but the V5 has a roasted maple neck as bonus.
Of course, whether a cheaper instrument plays worse or not for you, is a different question.
As to model ranges: The V3 is the entry rmodel, the regular V3 has the same preamp like most Sire basses whereas the V3P is just passive.
The V5 is a mid-level instrument and just passive. It's basically the passive version of the main V7 range (which all have preamps), but the V5 has a roasted maple neck as bonus.
Of course, whether a cheaper instrument plays worse or not for you, is a different question.
Sire's hardware is made in house, at least initially it was. It's possible Sire subcontracted some hardware to keep up w demand/COVID, but their business model is to build in-house.
That's true as far as I can tell, but the new P10dx and V10dx do have Hipshot hardware, and that's prominently stated on Sire's website:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I knew to write 'initially'. The top of the line models have upgraded to Hipshot, makes sense. I'm still hesitant to click 'Buy' on a BT7 set, for a $60 Squier I picked up to be the trial run of some mods I want to try. Might get a Hipshot bass Xtender (still will $ more than the bass)…
Doesn't matter how prominent it's stated on the website if I haven't loaded the URL. Mostly so I won't be tempted to visit a music store, but it may be time to indulge my curiosity.
Well, I have no intent to comment on Sire's strategy to use mostly their self manufactured hardware vs. products by Hipshot or other brands. My point was an answer to the following question some pages ago, and I still think if someone wants to get 10dx hardware to mod a different Sire model, Hipshot could be asked for details...
Sire Bass Club!
Sire Bass Club!
Threw some Nordstrand Power Blade pickups in my P5R recently. Massive improvement over the stock pickups.
