Sire V7 or Fender American Professional

[twc1313]

I'm currently waiting on an order for a Sire V7, alder body and rosewood neck 4 string. However, the Sonic Grey Fender American Professional looks and sounds amazing to me. I know the obvious differences are in price and active vs passive, but I'm wondering of anything else you guys could point out.

I play in two cover bands, mainly alternative rock, classic rock, dance and hip hop. I use a Fender Rumble 500.

 

[Antisyzygy]

I'm currently waiting on an order for a Sire V7, alder body and rosewood neck 4 string. However, the Sonic Grey Fender American Professional looks and sounds amazing to me. I know the obvious differences are in price and active vs passive, but I'm wondering of anything else you guys could point out.

I play in two cover bands, mainly alternative rock, classic rock, dance and hip hop. I use a Fender Rumble 500.

I believe the Sire will have 7.25" radius with smaller frets.

The American Pro has 9.5" radius with narrow and tall frets. Taller than Fender previously used was what I read.

Aside from that, the American Pros have some new "V-Mod" pickups and they have posiflex rods in the neck. I am unsure what Sire uses to reinforce the neck, if they use anything.

To me, it seems they've revamped the American Pro series (formerly American Standard) to fit more modern preferences, for metal and whatnot. The Sire seems more vintage-spec'd with the preamp added of course.

 

[southgabass]

The V7's are routed for a truss rod, but like Antisyzygy, I'm unsure what they use to reinforce it.
Personally, I'm interested in trying a Sire out, a lot of great reviews and an awesome price for it as well. I've done the Fender thing, and while I'm not a hater, I'd rather try something new out.

 

[twc1313]

Very helpful. I guess I'm also looking to answers regarding the overall quality, feel, etc. Is the American Professional worth almost 3x the price?

 

[Antisyzygy]

Very helpful. I guess I'm also looking to answers regarding the overall quality, feel, etc. Is the American Professional worth almost 3x the price?

The American Pro is going to be very well made. Tight quality control. Great quality parts. The bridge and tuners are likely better quality from what I can see.

Pickups for me are always a toss up. There are a lot of different factors going in to their sound and one's preferences can change what pickups you like or don't like. I've played some killer 30 dollar pickup designs and some killer 120 dollar pickup designs. Some pickups are designed to offer a flat EQ so that it can be used well with preamps. It all depends on what you want.

The Sire sort of wins if you want active electronics, that is between those two choices. I've heard that preamp is very good. Obviously this isn't apples to apples though because the Fender is designed to be a passive bass. It's pickups will have more character I'd wager, but the preamp in the Sire is meant to supply that for you and it's pickups very well may be characterless on purpose if they are.

I'd wager the fret work will be better on the American Pro. More polished and level. Although I am unsure what sort of work Sire does.

I don't know enough about Sires to say what the comparison is quality or finish-wise, but Fender (not Squier) tends to do a few extra things here or there compared to most import instruments I've found. For example, they'll make the back of the neck satin and the fretboard and headstock gloss finished. The finish is applied lighter, they use great looking wood for skunk stripes, etc. That goes for Mexican made Fenders even.

Fender just makes a good product in general. I think they're a little overpriced compared to their competition (and I'm only talking a couple hundred tops) on their American models for what they have in them, but you do get the Fender brand (looks, feel) you're paying a bit for.

That being said, Sire I think is an incredible value. They have stellar reviews. I'm very partial to Mexican Fenders due to the value you get, and by all accounts I think Sire is about the same level quality-wise but at a better price for what you get.

 

[buldog5151bass]

The more you spend, generally the less likely you are to get a bass that barks like a dog.

 

[Antisyzygy]

I'm currently waiting on an order for a Sire V7, alder body and rosewood neck 4 string. However, the Sonic Grey Fender American Professional looks and sounds amazing to me. I know the obvious differences are in price and active vs passive, but I'm wondering of anything else you guys could point out.

I play in two cover bands, mainly alternative rock, classic rock, dance and hip hop. I use a Fender Rumble 500.

As a side note, if you are actually considering throwing down the money for a American Pro, why not consider keeping the Sire and then getting something from the Mexican Line as a secondary bass? It's nice having two basses that can back each other up.

They have this bass for example (Fender Deluxe Active P Bass) :

That would give you a P as well. With the J pickup you have a good sampling of Fender tones there. Also it has a preamp. With the preamp and bridge pickup you should be able to back up your Sire well, and vice-versa.

If you want something more Vintage, the Classic Series 50s or 60s Lacquer (<--Important) are an incredible value, and they come with a hardshell case.

 

[twc1313]

As a side note, if you are actually considering throwing down the money for a American Pro, why not consider keeping the Sire and then getting something from the Mexican Line as a secondary bass? It's nice having two basses that can back each other up.

They have this bass for example (Fender Deluxe Active P Bass) :

View attachment 1007058

That would give you a P as well. With the J pickup you have a good sampling of Fender tones there. Also it has a preamp. With the preamp and bridge pickup you should be able to back up your Sire well, and vice-versa.

If you want something more Vintage, the Classic Series 50s or 60s Lacquer (<--Important) are an incredible value, and they come with a hardshell case.

Wow man, you have been super helpful, many thanks. I already have a Squier VM Pbass that has some sort of magic to it that is the Pbass I will have for life. So based on your suggestions, I can add the Sire and between that and my P, have all I would need, with money to spare.

 

[svlilioukalani]

If your a gigging bass player, get the American Fender. There is a reason it is the industry standard. They have graphite rods in the neck which makes them super stable. They are using high quality parts, and have great quality control. Don't be mislead by Fender haters here on talk bass. Studio engineers always smile when you pull one out.

I did see Marcus Miller last month and he played a Sire bass 1/3rd of the time. It sounded great, the same as his Fender. I was about to buy one after seeing Marcus. But, when I started reading reviews, I discovered there are several minor issues with them. I feel you can't do it all when your trying to manufacture a product to maintain a price point.

 

[Ronbeast]

when I started reading reviews, I discovered there are several minor issues with them. I feel you can't do it all when your trying to manufacture a product to maintain a price point.

Care to be more elaborate on the issues? I'm not a Sire owner, but I may purchase one in the near future. I've been reading reviews and haven't come across any issues that seem to plague the brand as a whole; maybe an issue here or there with QC, much the same as any other company.

I'm just curious if there's anything to watch out for. the only thing I can see myself possibly disliking on the Sire is the 7.25" fretboard radius. I prefer a flatter 12" or 16" when available.

Thanks.

 

[petrus61]

Given a choice, I'd take the Fender without blinking. If you had both in your hands, you'd most certainly notice the difference between the two. Whether those differences matter to you for the price is another story. The Fender has more potential to be a lifer, imo.

 

[petrus61]

Care to be more elaborate on the issues? I'm not a Sire owner, but I may purchase one in the near future. I've been reading reviews and haven't come across any issues that seem to plague the brand as a whole; maybe an issue here or there with QC, much the same as any other company.

I'm just curious if there's anything to watch out for. the only thing I can see myself possibly disliking on the Sire is the 7.25" fretboard radius. I prefer a flatter 12" or 16" when available.

Thanks.

Going back to the "having them in hand" thing (nearly impossible with a Sire), I think the first thing you'd notice is the difference in hardware quality. Not saying one is better than the other, but the Fender bridge and tuners are simply made to a whole other standard, period. The 7.25 radius is attractive (to me) but I'd only go for it if it had a 7.25 with "vintage" size fretwire (just personal preference). One thing you may or may not notice with a 7.25 radius is that it somewhat inhibits the ability to perform clean string bends up the neck. Not that it can't be done, but they do choke out sooner than on a flatter board. Pickups are kind of a non-issue for either for me, as they can easily be replaced. I'd be more concerned about the overall playabity and quality of either. Having the posiflex definitely helps, but isn't a deal breaker for me. I think if you were to compare both necks side by side, the Fender is going to feel more "rigid"...the best word I can come up with to describe the difference in feel that I notice between some reinforced and non reinforced necks. As always, IMO, IME, YMMV, etc.

 

[jlepre]

Going back to the "having them in hand" thing (nearly impossible with a Sire), I think the first thing you'd notice is the difference in hardware quality. Not saying one is better than the other, but the Fender bridge and tuners are simply made to a whole other standard, period. The 7.25 radius is attractive (to me) but I'd only go for it if it had a 7.25 with "vintage" size fretwire (just personal preference). One thing you may or may not notice with a 7.25 radius is that it somewhat inhibits the ability to perform clean string bends up the neck. Not that it can't be done, but they do choke out sooner than on a flatter board. Pickups are kind of a non-issue for either for me, as they can easily be replaced. I'd be more concerned about the overall playabity and quality of either. Having the posiflex definitely helps, but isn't a deal breaker for me. I think if you were to compare both necks side by side, the Fender is going to feel more "rigid"...the best word I can come up with to describe the difference in feel that I notice between some reinforced and non reinforced necks. As always, IMO, IME, YMMV, etc.

So you're basing these observations on theory since you've never owned or even PLAYED a Sire V7? I will agree that the overall build quality MAY be better with the Fender, but is it worth 3x the cost? I don't think so.

 

[petrus61]

So you're basing these observations on theory since you've never owned or even PLAYED a Sire V7? I will agree that the overall build quality MAY be better with the Fender, but is it worth 3x the cost? I don't think so.

I actually got to spend ample time with a 4 string used MM Sire at Sam Ash in Richmond, VA. I concluded that the Fender AmStd was better in the ways that matter to me, which is why I would choose the Fender. If I was looking for a decent jazz on a budget, I'd defineitly consider Sire, but then I couldn't find anything about them aside from wood selection that Squire doesn't offer at half the price . Opinions are fun.

 

[InhumanResource]

As a side note, if you are actually considering throwing down the money for a American Pro, why not consider keeping the Sire and then getting something from the Mexican Line as a secondary bass? It's nice having two basses that can back each other up.

They have this bass for example (Fender Deluxe Active P Bass) :

View attachment 1007058

That would give you a P as well. With the J pickup you have a good sampling of Fender tones there. Also it has a preamp. With the preamp and bridge pickup you should be able to back up your Sire well, and vice-versa.

If you want something more Vintage, the Classic Series 50s or 60s Lacquer (<--Important) are an incredible value, and they come with a hardshell case.

Curious - would you mind explaining the significance of lacquer? Or is there a good post/resource somewhere explaining the difference?

 

[Asat77]

If you really want to know the difference, you should take the Sire bass (when it arrived) to a store to compare it with the Fender. It's all about taste and on how much you want to spend on a bass. I have a Sire bass and am very happy with it. It has an aggressive sound with lot's of opportunities (passive / active).

 

[Antisyzygy]

Curious - would you mind explaining the significance of lacquer? Or is there a good post/resource somewhere explaining the difference?

The "Lacquer" denotes it has a Nitro finish. Aside from being the finish used back in the 50s and 60s, so the bass is more-or-less period-correct, I wouldn't say there is any advantage really. Some people say it lets the wood breath more. However the finish also has a tendency to wear off and react with sweat, which is what creates that neat old road worn look in some vintage basses.

Poly finish, which is what is used today, lasts longer and is harder to chip or dent.

The main thing is that the "Classic Series 50s Lacquer" and "Classic Series 60s Lacquer" are the basses that come with hard shell cases, which is like a 100-120 dollar value, but the bass costs 900 bucks total. They're an incredible value for what you get. It's a high quality vintage spec'd instrument in every way, including where the truss rod is located, and it comes in under 1000 bucks with a hard shell included.

I've also heard these Classic Series basses use bodies that were rejected from the AVRI line. Bodies with less beautiful grain typically, or there might be a dark mark in the wood or something. I'd wager a few blanks have too many pieces of wood in them as well for Fender America to feel good about using them at that price point.

 

[J. Crawford]

I'm a diedhard Fender lover, but am really enjoying my Sire V7. It plays very well, has a wider than average array of tonal options, and looks damn good to boot. Hard to beat for nearly 1/3 the price.

 

[InhumanResource]

The "Lacquer" denotes it has a Nitro finish. Aside from being the finish used back in the 50s and 60s, so the bass is more-or-less period-correct, I wouldn't say there is any advantage really. Some people say it lets the wood breath more. However the finish also has a tendency to wear off and react with sweat, which is what creates that neat old road worn look in some vintage basses.

Poly finish, which is what is used today, lasts longer and is harder to chip or dent.

The main thing is that the "Classic Series 50s Lacquer" and "Classic Series 60s Lacquer" are the basses that come with hard shell cases, which is like a 100-120 dollar value, but the bass costs 900 bucks total. They're an incredible value for what you get. It's a high quality vintage spec'd instrument in every way, including where the truss rod is located, and it comes in under 1000 bucks with a hard shell included.

I've also heard these Classic Series basses use bodies that were rejected from the AVRI line. Bodies with less beautiful grain typically, or there might be a dark mark in the wood or something. I'd wager a few blanks have too many pieces of wood in them as well for Fender America to feel good about using them at that price point.

Thanks! That is a pretty sweet deal, for sure. They look like great basses.

I never really paid much attention to finishes since I always just got whatever was available on the used/trade market, but now finish details are starting to capture my interest. Wish they would make a 3 tsb that actually looked the way it used to 30 years ago.

 

[woody357]

I have a few basses, but we are talking a Sire v7 vs American Fender. I have a Sire and gigged with it for a year, and it's a nice bass, but it has cheap parts. On mine I have to replace the battery box because it broke (I've never seen that happen). I bumped my bass not hard and one of the pots need to be replaced. The bass plays fine and sounds good, but you get what you pay for. I also have a American Fender j elite, big difference in quality and playability. The preamps are totally different. The Sire has that spot when you get it bamm, not much change until then. The Fender is very subtle no bamm just a even smooth change in sound, very musical. Both basses sound great passive, but for me The Fender hands down kills it. The string spacing is wider on the Fender, and I thought that would be a problem for me but it wasn't. When I ordered the Fender I did so thinking I would send it back if it didn't blow the Sire away. The Sire has been sitting in a corner the last six months. Both of mine are 5 string basses.