I shant argue with a guy who owns and builds a guitar brand, but, when the tuner needs to be replaced to fix the problem...it is ;-)
Called Fender, explained issue, sent me a new tuner, problem fixed!
Rock on.
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Sire V7 - are they really THAT good?
- Thread starter SimonSays
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- fender sire v7 sire v7 vintage
Called Fender, explained issue, sent me a new tuner, problem fixed!
Rock on.
Hopkins
Commercial User
Yeah, that's why I said rarely. On a very rare occasion a tuner can slip, but usually even the cheapest tuners will hold tune. That being said, one defective piece of hardware doesn't mean that the hardware used on the entire line isn't quality. Good tuners are very smooth, have good, balanced turning resistance, little slop, and quality plating, cheaper ones are usually kind of rough with slight catches, can be tight or loose within the same set, have quite a bit of slop, and the plating doesn't last long
Hopkins
Commercial User
Fender preamps, and especially their noiseless pickups leave a whole lot to be desired. This is where I definitely give the edge to Sire.
Mr. Hopkins, I hear you, and I respect what you are saying, your experience and skill is something I do not possess therefore I also respect your opinions, however I have experienced none of the negative traits you have described in Sire hardware, or to be honest any other brands hardware, except for the one issue described earlier...maybe I've just been lucky. I've been playing 37 years, I've played countless brands, cheap LCL country instruments through high end boutique custom builds, they all have their good an bad, and as players, we all experience good and bad, blanket statements are tough as they appear to be firmly committed beliefs and therefore are hard to change or reason...there are many Sire player here on TB, even a "club" who have nothing but positive experiences, someone drives a Chevy another drives a Ford, someone plays a Fender or a Hopkins, someone else plays a Sire...its all rock 'n roll!
Hopkins
Commercial User
I have nothing against Sire, I just don't get the direct comparison by some TB'ers to an MIA Fender. Sure they are a fine instrument, but the quality is more on par with the MIM line and higher end Squieres. Ive already said that their preamp is better than anything Fender offers in the same price point.
I've made similar comments before. The Sires are fine, but not (in my opinion) anywhere close to American Fenders.
I have a Sire V7 Ash 4-string. I have two American Fenders: a Jaco tribute jazz and a Roscoe Beck V (both alder, of course).
The major redeeming quality of the Sire is that is sounds great. It sounds, in my opinion, just as you want it to sound. It's tight, clean, punchy. Not as much j-bass growl as some people might want, but plenty of great j-bass tone. The controls are a little... sensitive. In my personal opinion the balance is nearly useless... favoring the bridge pickup even a tiny bit is a huge tone change. It should be a wider spectrum.
The finish is fantastic; they did a really nice job with the paint. Pearl pickguards were a nice touch. The overall look is great. No complaints there. However, the routing around the neck pickup is wide; there is a pretty big gap between the wood and the pickup, so if anybody plans to remove the pickguard it looks kind of funny with that gap.
The neck and hardware are the weak points. The neck feels "cheap" as compared to my MIA necks, almost wimpy. The fretwork is actually really nice, but the nuts are not cut correctly (at least, mine wasn't and I've seen plenty of others say the same). The tuners are weak, at best. Cheap plating, slippy. The bridge is nice; through-body strings are always great to have.
Overall, it's a fine bass and worth the price. It is not on par with instruments at 3x the price. I don't have any MIM Fenders to compare, nor have I played one in probably fifteen years so I can't make that comparison.
I have a Sire V7 Ash 4-string. I have two American Fenders: a Jaco tribute jazz and a Roscoe Beck V (both alder, of course).
The major redeeming quality of the Sire is that is sounds great. It sounds, in my opinion, just as you want it to sound. It's tight, clean, punchy. Not as much j-bass growl as some people might want, but plenty of great j-bass tone. The controls are a little... sensitive. In my personal opinion the balance is nearly useless... favoring the bridge pickup even a tiny bit is a huge tone change. It should be a wider spectrum.
The finish is fantastic; they did a really nice job with the paint. Pearl pickguards were a nice touch. The overall look is great. No complaints there. However, the routing around the neck pickup is wide; there is a pretty big gap between the wood and the pickup, so if anybody plans to remove the pickguard it looks kind of funny with that gap.
The neck and hardware are the weak points. The neck feels "cheap" as compared to my MIA necks, almost wimpy. The fretwork is actually really nice, but the nuts are not cut correctly (at least, mine wasn't and I've seen plenty of others say the same). The tuners are weak, at best. Cheap plating, slippy. The bridge is nice; through-body strings are always great to have.
Overall, it's a fine bass and worth the price. It is not on par with instruments at 3x the price. I don't have any MIM Fenders to compare, nor have I played one in probably fifteen years so I can't make that comparison.
Hey I own 1 Sire and 5 Fenders...
Amidst my ridiculous bass collection (probably bordering on a hoarding issue...) I own 5 Fenders and 1 Sire, I hear ya, but side by side I myself, again a very experienced player, not builder, would be hard pressed to say "this is better than that". Hey life is about experiences, I am thoroughly enjoying the discussion here so I will enter this as a check mark in the positive column ;-)
What about MIM Roadworn 60s jazz basses? They are passive so it's a different instrument overall but there are a lot of people saying that after the AVRI 60s series these jazz basses they have played ... true?
Not the preamp of the American Elite series but the basses are more expensive than Sire's
Hopkins
Commercial User
Personally, while I think it has a minimal effect on tone. I admit that I am very much a hardware snob, which is why unless otherwise specified I only use Hipshot hardware on my builds. A perfectly smooth tuner, or an effortless action/intonation adjustments on a bridge are a massive positive for me. Overall I am pretty impressed with the hardware that Fender is using on its recent offerings in the MIA line, that hasn't always been the case.
I'd rather but a BassMods than a Sire although they can be more expensive but you more customization options and the headstock has a better shape for me ...
I've played one. They are incredibly well-built and sound fantastic. A superb value.
I will again refer to my MIA Fender Nitro Satin Pbass...the bridge...nothing more (said sarcastically) than a bent piece of tin whose design hadn't changed in 40 years, was horrible. The saddles kept sliding on the base plate, it would constantly change string spacing because of this, not a great deal but enuff to P me off...solution (you will like this) I replaced it with a Hipshot Type A, IMHO, one of the best bridges out there bar none. I agree Hipshot is among the top hardware manufacturers out there!
I had a standard bridge on my MIJ P bass ... decided to mid it a bit and installed a Babicz... wow! Noticeably much more sustain and easiness of intonation setting.. problem is they are expensive..
Hopkins
Commercial User
Actually, the threaded saddle bent steel bridges are among the best bridges on the market IMO, I agree the barrel saddles kind of suck. The threaded saddle bridges let you set the sting spacing to center on the pole pieces. This always involves spreading the E and G strings outward, which forces them to the center making them pretty rock solid.
Wasn't the Nitro Satin P bass the replacement for the Hwy 1? Being a MIA bass using MIM hardware and electronics to keep the price down? The Am Standard hardware is a different beast.
This bridge I refer to did not have the threaded saddles, they were plain barrels, I have a 2013 '66 reissue that has the threaded barrels and yes, they are rock solid bridges.
To the best of my knowledge they've pretty much been available since day one at Thomann.
Hopkins
Commercial User
You must have missed the last part of the OP's original post that says, "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. "??
