Sire V7 - are they really THAT good?

[howlin]

You got me But yes, I think I'll drop in an order and get my hands on one of them Sire's and see what the fuss is about

Cool! Let us know how it works out for you.

I've been eyeing these since they came out and would have gotten one myself if I had a project for it (these days my P seems to be the only thing I need). That said, I have been thinking about getting one of the P/J models when they become available. It would be the vintage version as I find the bridge on the other version to be unappealing. Plus I can strip the guts and use EMG-GZR pickups in it (oh, horrors! ) if I decide to.

 

[lfmn16]

Forgive me for doubting just about every Sire owner, but are they really THAT good?

So people who DON'T own them are a better source of information?

 

[leegreenman]

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play one. The look great, and sound sweet based on what I've seen online.

 

[bholder]

I've got two V7s and two other Sires (M3 and M7 5er) so I'm perhaps biased. Yes, they're that good. I'm debating ordering a P7 as well.

 

[bholder]

And for the record - they are starting to be available at some retail stores, including one not far from the NYC area: Coming soon to our store, the hottest selling basses in the US. Sire by Marcus Miller. On display now in our showroom! I may make a road trip there myself some day soon.

 

[jd56hawk]

Not to derail the thread, but I have no idea what Hudson is and what was done to them, but it sounds juicy. Care to elaborate?

My mistake... Tucker.

 

[J-Bassomatic]

Yes, of course, we all have one . . .

Yes, whether it's right or wrong and I think it's required that we have one

 

[jd56hawk]

Here's the best $500 bass I've ever played.
Believe me, I never had an use for Ibanez basses and I used to shake my head over all the posts claiming how good they are.
Maybe Sire basses are good. Maybe they're a little bit better than good, but take a look at the SX thread and you'll see the same hyperbole.

 

[bholder]

Here's the best $500 bass I've ever played.
Believe me, I never had an use for Ibanez basses and I used to shake my head over all the posts claiming how good they are.
Maybe Sire basses are good. Maybe they're a little bit better than good, but take a look at the SX thread and you'll see the same hyperbole.

Those get lots of love around here too. Very tempting.

 

[jd56hawk]

I'm on the fence with it.
Should I buy this...I have it on layaway...or should I spend $250 and get the TMB 600?
This one is unbelievably good for $300. Really surprised me. Very nice neck and fretwork, very nice tone, and amazing quality for the price...absolutely flawless!

 

[i hate username]

Maybe Sire basses are good. Maybe they're a little bit better than good, but take a look at the SX thread and you'll see the same hyperbole.

In fairness though i have also played some very nice SX's but not quite as nice as my sire There can be multiple good & cheap basses, sometimes life's just that good. I haven't had a chance to play a talmen yet but i hear they are quite nice. I doubt you could get one with Nordy's for under €600 though

 

[Rib 13]

I have both a Sire V7- 5 and a Fender Deluxe Jazz V

The Sire is my live #1

What you are getting for the money is a bass that has a build-quality comparable to a Squier but with one of the most fantastic versatile 18v active systems on the market and decent pickups, too ---- So its best to look at Sire as "paying for a great pre-amp and getting a free bass with it"

 

[jd56hawk]

Here they're $550.
The pickups are incredible. This is from CN himself:

Ibanez approached me about this project early this year. I said I was open to the possibility under a couple conditions. 1) I must personally design, wind, and test the pickups here in my shop. 2) I will design, wind, and test the pickups using only the exact same materials that they use in the overseas factory. 3) I will only test the pickups in the actual basses that they will be installed into in production.

So, Ibanez sent me magnets, fiber, and covers. We determined that we use the exact same wire as the overseas factory so I decided what gauge to use based on what we have here and what I wanted tonally. Then Ibanez sent me 3 basses, a four, a five, and a six string. So we got to winding and testing pickups. Before too long I was very happy with what I was hearing and I sent the approved designs and specs to Ibanez to begin manufacturing. What you see above is the result of this design and license process.

I have to say that I am VERY excited about what these basses bring to the market with the pricing they're offering these at. The sound is VERY much a Fender inspired tone. In my testing I was able to get a killer huge P tone from the P style pickup. Deep and wide with a ton of punch. Also, the bridge pickup will do a Jaco Schwarzenegger sound for days. Then, with the flexibility of the preamp, you can get a massive modern sound that will go from slappy deep R & B to raging metal.

I'm really curious to see what players think of these once they get their hands on them.

 

[Gab124]

I have Sire V7 and 1800$ jazz. IMO,V7 is hype and not good as my high end. But super choice for the price. If you have $500 budget, you can't go wrong with V7.

Sire V7 - are they really THAT good?
I don't think they are.
Actually do not like them much.

Not bad but average and hyped from what I gather, having tried a couple.

They will not be for everyone, just like a Fender or a Fodera, or even Squires are not for everyone. This doesn't mean they are bad or made poorly, just that someone didn't care for it. Hyped? Sure, yeah maybe so, but my goodness so are Fenders, Sadowsky and any other brand with a loyal following. I have one Fender and have played dozens and dozens of others from budget to American Made and the Sire can hold its own against them from a playability and tone standpoint and build compared to many. But, it is not a Fender and doesn't really sound like one so expect it to be its own thing. I think we get too wrapped up in our society with price or name brand = Quality. You have to stop and ask yourself if you are buying something for status, basic appreciation for high tolerance quality or to be actually used for its intended purpose. Sire is a good instrument for making music; it is made well, sounds great and doesn't break the bank. Buy what works for you no matter price or name, but remember it will be the audience that will be the final judge and what you have will be irrelevant to what you sound like and how good you are. No body walks away from a sub par band and says "well, at least they had some good name equipment"...... (Just to note, I am not suggesting anyone here is in a sub par band, just used for conversation sake - most of you can play circles around me)!!!

Here is a couple links, not everyone's music styles, but they show the bass in context well.

Sire Studio 1

Sire Studio 2

 

[rogerbmiller]

They really are that good. I was skeptical but tried one and am in love.

My friend who is the touring bassist with numerous international acts swore by his. So on a lurk I snapped up a 5 string V7 on ebay and I can't put it down.

The preamp is modeled after the John East J retro DLX which is a $350 preamp. The pickups are really nice sounding singles, and the build quality is rick solid. I would say it is on par with the US Fenders, it is that impressive.

I am looking for another 5 as I write this. Mine has a RW board so I want to try one with Maple.

Seriously for the money you can't beat this bass anywhere.

 

[Kevorargh]

I just sold my M7 mainly because I fell back in love with my Ric and did not need four basses. However, I did write a review on this site about it and I stand by what I said - the construction was solid, the sounds were great and I did use it live a few times and got some great tones and good feedback from other players about it. The only thing I discovered was that the neck was whacked and needed a heat press to fix it. Sire covered the cost and they were even willing to send me a new neck.

As good as an MIA Fender? Don't know. The only MIA Fender I ever had was a Jazz and I wasn't that impressed with it for the money.

The Sire is a really high quality cheap bass, and I bought it to be a beater bass so I could leave my Warwick at home. I don't think you will be disappointed. I think Sire is a great company.

 

[foolforthecity]

I use the white blonde ash V7 on stage for those few songs we play where I need that B-string and the build quality and feel for me is fantastic. Mine weighs in at a flat 10 lbs so a bit heavy for holding all night, though. Got mine in one-month old used but pristine condition from a keyboardist that wanted to try playing some bass and decided bass wasn't his thing. $350.

 

[socialleper]

I am only posting as I don't live anywhere near a guitar shop and can't get my hands on these basses unless I make a purchase.

To the best of my knowledge these are still only available through the website. I know there are some discussions about putting them in stores, but their business model of keeping the price down includes not putting inventory in stores who want a cut of the profits, and building to order. This reduces surplus inventory, but makes test driving one nearly impossible.

Do they really stand up to the American built Fender basses?

That depends what you mean. As far as I know, the only Fender with all the same features is the Jazz Elite, which comes in at a $1800 price point. So based on that alone, yes I'd say they compete. If you mean in terms of fit and finish, the people that buy them say they are turn key ready and need minimal setup. Every off the shelf Fender I've played has had OK setups at best, so I would say this is a draw. The same goes for the color options; both Fender and Sire play it pretty safe with tried and true, yet some what boring to me, color options.
The biggest draw back of a Sire are the wait times and the uncertainty of ordering something that has no local support. It can take a month to get, and if there is a problem, you have to box it and ship it back (I think.) The only saving grace is that long turn over time means they sell used for close to what they cost new.
I am very interested in a few of their models, but it is an expense I just can't do right now. The other thing that hurt Sire is the lack of the impulse buy. I can't touch one so I can't get all GASy about it and buy one on the spot. Because the ship times are so long it also takes some of the fun out of it. Instant gratification and all that.

 

[socialleper]

Soon Guitar Center will start carrying them and the bass world will never be the same again!
However, we all know what the Big Three did to Tucker. Will Fender, Music Man and Rickenbacker allow this madness to continue unchecked?

It is funny to me that you think Rickenbacker is part of some "big 3", but OK. I would say GCs third big brand for basses is Ibanez. They carry more Yamaha these days than Ricks.

 

[GreyBeard]

I don't own one nor have I ever had one in my hand. I did notice that they are made in Indonesia which is where my cheapo Ibanez ATK 305 was made. If the Sire's are made to the same standard as my ATK 305, should be an outstanding bass.