Sire V7 5 String Bass, Replacement Bridge & Tuners

[Bharat]

Hi all,
Like the original poster, I snapped an intonation screw on the sire V7 5 string bridge, I found a gotoh 404BO 5 string bridge on ebay which i replaced- it has 18mm string spacing and string thru but needed to drill new holes.

Some pics below


The broken saddle and new bridge side by side

Verifying the string spacing first before screwing it in

Lines up nicely - time to screw it in

installed, screw holes drilled/screwed in, intonated, setup

Looks pretty good !

 

[rudy_zulkarnaen]

Looks great. My question is, do the Gotoh a better bridge compared to the original Sire bridge? Is there any improvement in the sound?

Hi all,
Like the original poster, I snapped an intonation screw on the sire V7 5 string bridge, I found a gotoh 404BO 5 string bridge on ebay which i replaced- it has 18mm string spacing and string thru but needed to drill new holes.

Some pics below


The broken saddle and new bridge side by side
View attachment 1626677



Verifying the string spacing first before screwing it in
View attachment 1626678
Lines up nicely - time to screw it in
View attachment 1626679

installed, screw holes drilled/screwed in, intonated, setup
View attachment 1626681



Looks pretty good !
View attachment 1626731

 

[Biga173rd]

Bump on that question, did the Gotoh bridge improved intonation and sound?

 

[Skillet]

A while back I got a parts bass that had a Sire V7 neck on it (that I love btw). It had Hipshot HB1 tuners on it. I replaced those with Hipshot Ultralites. I thought I would post a picture of the headstock to show exactly the relationship between the stock tuner holes and the HB1s in case someone is considering them and stumbles upon this thread.

So, you can see that the bottom holes are very very close, and by how much the tops are off. Of course that discrepancy would be hidden behind the machine.

 

[FallasJerson]

In the page of Hipshot they said that HB2 Fits

 

[RoryMac]

Just found this, the HB14 is a direct replacement for the tuning machines found on Sire® basses and many other brands.
Hipshot HB14 Machine Head Tuner - Best Bass Gear

 

[diptixon]

Hi; necro-posting a bit here, but just picked up a new Sire P7 5-string and the hardware/tuners/bridge seem to function pretty well. Have many had issues with it and feel that any swaps really improved things? Thks

 

[generalduncan]

Hi; necro-posting a bit here, but just picked up a new Sire P7 5-string and the hardware/tuners/bridge seem to function pretty well. Have many had issues with it and feel that any swaps really improved things? Thks

HI, recently got a second hand P7 5 string. It was in good condition after 2 years. Tuners and bridge is of good quality, I think. Maybe Sire has improved them over time. I don't feel any upgrade is necessary for now. Don't worry, just enjoy your bass.

 

[GitmoMango]

HI, recently got a second hand P7 5 string. It was in good condition after 2 years. Tuners and bridge is of good quality, I think. Maybe Sire has improved them over time. I don't feel any upgrade is necessary for now. Don't worry, just enjoy your bass.

I plan on putting in some Hipshot ultralite tuners on mine at some point. The stock tuners work fine, but removing some weight from the headstock will improve the balance. Also, I personally don’t like the sire high-mass saddles, I’m going to order a standard fender 5 string bridge and just swap the saddles and screws. But also, I am the kind of person that can’t leave well enough alone!

 

[jjfret]

Just found this, the HB14 is a direct replacement for the tuning machines found on Sire® basses and many other brands.
Hipshot HB14 Machine Head Tuner - Best Bass Gear

My D string tuner peg stripped gears yesterday on my V7 5string 1st ver. I checked with Hipshot today, they no longer offer the HB14 Machine Head Tuners. They now recommend HB7, and I will need to drill new holes. I'll have to add $200+ in new parts to this nice moderately priced bass,uhhh

 

[Lownote38]

There is no way those Sire tuners were designed and made in house by Sire. They look exactly like the Chinese tuners you see all over the place. Maybe not quite the same dimensions, but too similar to not be related.

 

[fhm555]

Well that sounds promising. You mentioned you received the specs would you share them? 11/16 hole but I'm curious to know the screw spacing for the factory drilled holes. I tried to measure them myself but I haven't had much luck ( is it Center to Center etc) last night at my gig my B tuner fell apart. Little frustrating

Any help I super appreciate

To get center to center on screws in place measure the heads outside to outside and subtract the diameter of one screw head For center to center for the holes.
You can also measure inside to inside and add the diameter of one screw head or you can measure inside to outside to get center to center.

 

[greenscharlie]

Just found this, the HB14 is a direct replacement for the tuning machines found on Sire® basses and many other brands.
Hipshot HB14 Machine Head Tuner - Best Bass Gear

not anymore, thats why they are discontinued :
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
We're sorry to say that this item is no longer available because the mounting hole pattern changed on contemporary Sire basses and it no longer lines up with this product. We recommend the HB7 as the closest fit available.