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Sire V5 5 string

LEOopasni2709

LEOopasni2709

Sep 1, 2025
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#1
Hello everyone,

Just got my new bass from Thomann and I have my fairly new amp and cab so I wanted to share with you all.

It's Sire V5 5 string I have been playing for a few days now and I think it's killer for the price. I got it for 470 euro but they refunded me 40 euro for small ding on headstock, so 430 euro in final. It's vintage white with roasted maple neck and it looks great. Neck plays nice and smooth, B string is good, frets are nice, rounded edges are great and it's setup pretty nicely. Tuners are maybe a bit on the heavy side so bass is a bit neck heavy but they work good. People say that replecement Gotohs are lighter and that will probably be my next upgrade. It's a bit heavier guitar but I didn't weight it yet and I play mostly sitting so I can't comment anything on that yet. Body finish is good with no visible flaws except you can see some of "sanding" streaks when you look pretty closely but maybe I'm crazy and seeing things🤣 however that's not a problem as you don't see it normally. Neck pocket look great. Pickups seem fine except bridge (70s config.) alone is maybe lacking a bit or it's just my amp setting that I didn't try out excessively yet. Neck sound pretty nice and full. Only thing that is horrible is pot knobs which are plasticky and rough so that will be gone and replaced with metal Gotohs or Fender Jazz Potiknobs.

So tu sum everything up. I'm pretty happy and except from ding on headstock and horrible pot knobs everything regarding QC is fine and better than some more expensive basses I have tried. I would say that playability and feel is great and for me better than Fender Player series. Some "cons" could be weight and weight of tuners but for price I can't complain.

Ampeg SVT210AV and Bugera BV1001M are pretty nice although I would say cab maybe lacks a bit of high frequencies but considering I play at home I think sealed cab is good choice and bonus is that it's not too big. In case I want to change I don't think I will have problems selling Ampeg.

So for Sire I would say it's a 9/10 for my purposes but may not be for everyone.
 

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#2
I bought a V5R a couple of years ago thinking it would be the "backup" bass to my Musicmans. Specifically, we started playing festivals in the summers and I wanted a bass I could take out when there was a high enough chance of rain that I didn't want to take a "good" bass. The first time I used it was at a festival two weeks after getting it, just to try it out, and I never used the Musicman I also brought (I don't remember which it was). I was too impressed with the Sire to switch basses and used it for all four sets.

Having owned it for a couple of years now, I'm still very impressed by it and regularly gig it. I prefer my Musicmans so they get the bulk of that playing time, but I simply like how the Sire sounds and find it comfortable to play. Granted, I do like Jazz basses, so that helps me want to play it. It's a nice bass regardless of its price, but its a fantastic bass at that price.

If I were to change anything about it:
- Personally, I prefer the bridge pickup in the 60s position on a Jazz bass, but I get that Marcus Miller was involved in the design so it makes sense that it's in the 70s position. That's not a deal breaker for me given how I tend to set the controls on my Jazzes - the neck pickup almost all the way up and with the bridge pickup adjusted almost like another tone control, to give me more or less bark and bite in the tone.
- It was a little neck dive-y so I replaced the tuners with the Gotoh's (528's?). I don't really notice the weight reduction, but I do notice that they help make the bass balance better. That makes a difference on a four hour gig.
- The V5R has white pearl blocks in the fretboard but they put a black pickguard on it. Yes, I understand this is a minor point but I do like my basses to look great as well as feeling and sounding great. So I replaced the black pickguard with a white pearl and it looks SO much better now.

Congratulations! It would be interesting to hear your impression after owning and playing it for a while. :bassist:



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#3
dave64o said:
I bought a V5R a couple of years ago thinking it would be the "backup" bass to my Musicmans. Specifically, we started playing festivals in the summers and I wanted a bass I could take out when there was a high enough chance of rain that I didn't want to take a "good" bass. The first time I used it was at a festival two weeks after getting it, just to try it out, and I never used the Musicman I also brought (I don't remember which it was). I was too impressed with the Sire to switch basses and used it for all four sets.

Having owned it for a couple of years now, I'm still very impressed by it and regularly gig it. I prefer my Musicmans so they get the bulk of that playing time, but I simply like how the Sire sounds and find it comfortable to play. Granted, I do like Jazz basses, so that helps me want to play it. It's a nice bass regardless of its price, but its a fantastic bass at that price.

If I were to change anything about it:
- Personally, I prefer the bridge pickup in the 60s position on a Jazz bass, but I get that Marcus Miller was involved in the design so it makes sense that it's in the 70s position. That's not a deal breaker for me given how I tend to set the controls on my Jazzes - the neck pickup almost all the way up and with the bridge pickup adjusted almost like another tone control, to give me more or less bark and bite in the tone.
- It was a little neck dive-y so I replaced the tuners with the Gotoh's (528's?). I don't really notice the weight reduction, but I do notice that they help make the bass balance better. That makes a difference on a four hour gig.
- The V5R has white pearl blocks in the fretboard but they put a black pickguard on it. Yes, I understand this is a minor point but I do like my basses to look great as well as feeling and sounding great. So I replaced the black pickguard with a white pearl and it looks SO much better now.

Congratulations! It would be interesting to hear your impression after owning and playing it for a while. :bassist:



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I think 60s would be a bit more to my liking but as far as I tried my V5 out I also tend to like neck pickup almost all the way up and then compensate else with bridge and tone control.

And I agree about lighter tuners not being noticed in "overall" weight that much, but it does make a difference on the shoulder when bass is not neck heavy. You have a 4 string or 5 string version?

Thank you for nice wishes. I will try to write impressions after a while as I think this one will be a keeper. It's joy to play :)
 
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#4
I agree. It is a joy to play! For a relatively inexpensive instrument the neck feels really comfortable. I love the rolled edges and they did a decent job overall with the frets ends. The binding seems well done, too.

Mine is also a five string, a V5R 5. I mostly play active basses (my other gigging basses are 2 different model Stingrays, a Big Al, and a parts Jazz) but, given how I initially planned to use my Sire and, just to do something different, I decided all passive was a better decision. I considered putting Nordstrand NJ5S pickups in it because they sound SO good in my parts Jazz, but I think the ones in the Sire sound pretty good (and different from those Nordstrands) so I decided to keep them.

Here’s how it looks with the aftermarket white pearl pickguard (from WD Music, IIRC).


1000014898.jpg
 
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#5
I have a V5 bass that I bought from Thomann a few years back and love the bass. It checked all the boxes for me and until I got my Lakland 55-02 a few months ago, it was my "go-to" bass for playing out. Now I'm torn between the two basses. Great bass (the Sire) and it plays like butter.
 
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#6
dave64o said:
I agree. It is a joy to play! For a relatively inexpensive instrument the neck feels really comfortable. I love the rolled edges and they did a decent job overall with the frets ends. The binding seems well done, too.

Mine is also a five string, a V5R 5. I mostly play active basses (my other gigging basses are 2 different model Stingrays, a Big Al, and a parts Jazz) but, given how I initially planned to use my Sire and, just to do something different, I decided all passive was a better decision. I considered putting Nordstrand NJ5S pickups in it because they sound SO good in my parts Jazz, but I think the ones in the Sire sound pretty good (and different from those Nordstrands) so I decided to keep them.

Here’s how it looks with the aftermarket white pearl pickguard (from WD Music, IIRC).


View attachment 7350987
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Damn, it looks killer with pearl pickguard. Original black one kind of "kills" the look of bass. It's tobacco sunburst, right? I actually debated between this one and vintage white.

And regarding tuners I guess you replaced only top 4?
 
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#11
LEOopasni2709 said:
Damn, it looks killer with pearl pickguard. Original black one kind of "kills" the look of bass. It's tobacco sunburst, right? I actually debated between this one and vintage white.

And regarding tuners I guess you replaced only top 4?
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Yep, it's Tobacco Sunburst.

No, I replaced all five tuners, that in itself was a bit of an adventure. At the time, there were very few sets 528's out there but I found a retailer who did (can't remember who right now). But during shipping, they would get delayed and delayed but I was getting tracking updates from the USPS showing the delay, where it was getting sent next, etc., so the issue looked like it was a USPS problem. When they finally arrived, the envelope (no packing material) had clearly been run over by a vehicle - there was a very clear tread mark over the envelope - and several of the tuners were broken. I took a lot of pictures before and after opening the envelope and filed a claim with the USPS, which they promptly paid. But then I had to wait until there were finally 528's in stock again before I could order another set. But, once they were installed, I noticed the difference so it was worth it in the end. Like I said, the weight of the bass didn't change THAT much, but it did change the balance.

I really like the Vintage White as well, but I'm a burst fan so most of my basses are bursts.
 
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#12
dave64o said:
Yep, it's Tobacco Sunburst.

No, I replaced all five tuners, that in itself was a bit of an adventure. At the time, there were very few sets 528's out there but I found a retailer who did (can't remember who right now). But during shipping, they would get delayed and delayed but I was getting tracking updates from the USPS showing the delay, where it was getting sent next, etc., so the issue looked like it was a USPS problem. When they finally arrived, the envelope (no packing material) had clearly been run over by a vehicle - there was a very clear tread mark over the envelope - and several of the tuners were broken. I took a lot of pictures before and after opening the envelope and filed a claim with the USPS, which they promptly paid. But then I had to wait until there were finally 528's in stock again before I could order another set. But, once they were installed, I noticed the difference so it was worth it in the end. Like I said, the weight of the bass didn't change THAT much, but it did change the balance.

I really like the Vintage White as well, but I'm a burst fan so most of my basses are bursts.
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Sorry to hear that, but glad it worked out in the end.

I can actually get set for 4 string and one additional tuner for right side that I didn't see Thomann had on site. It would set me back 140 euro so I won't get it at the moment but I guess I will do that down the road.
 
#13
It won’t make a life changing difference, but I think it was worth. Especially on long gigs.

I’m liking your Vintage White more and more. The roasted maple kind of has an aged look to it that complements the finish nicely. And I’m also a hard core tort fan so I like how that pickguard adds to the aged/vintage vibe.

The only thing left to do to complete the vintage look is to put some honest playing wear on it. :bassist:
 
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#14
Kenny056 said:
Great looking setup! Sire makes such great basses. I have a P5 and P7 that I love. Ive never tried their Jazzes, but I might have to snag one. Enjoy your new gear!

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The tort looks great on both of those, especially the Tobacco Burst. :drool:


EDIT: And I just realized how dark the fretboard is on the P7. Is that actually ebony rather than just a dark rosewood?
 
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#16
dave64o said:
It won’t make a life changing difference, but I think it was worth. Especially on long gigs.

I’m liking your Vintage White more and more. The roasted maple kind of has an aged look to it that complements the finish nicely. And I’m also a hard core tort fan so I like how that pickguard adds to the aged/vintage vibe.

The only thing left to do to complete the vintage look is to put some honest playing wear on it. :bassist:
Click to expand...

Could you maybe help me with some measurements for setup if you have time to measure a few things? I looked into bass a bit more to do a bit of final tweaking and I think nut could be a bit lower and it looks like it has been cut a bit shabby and one fret is rocking a bit but I'll see if it buzzes when I lower action a bit.

I'll look into it exactly when I get home and take some pictures.
 
#17
I also have such a bass. Love it. I have replaced stock tuners with light gotoh which gave me good balance and weight reduction. Now the bass is 4.1kg which is great for a 5 string bass.
In addition, I have upgraded pickups and installed SD Sjb-3. B string has become more articulate and significantly better sounding than stock one in my opinion.
In my view, this bass is one of the best 5 string basses regardless of price.
 

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#18
Panych said:
I also have such a bass. Love it. I have replaced stock tuners with light gotoh which gave me good balance and weight reduction. Now the bass is 4.1kg which is great for a 5 string bass.
In addition, I have upgraded pickups and installed SD Sjb-3. B string has become more articulate and significantly better sounding than stock one in my opinion.
In my view, this bass is one of the best 5 string basses regardless of price.
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Natural also looks great. What strings do you use on it?
 
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