Hey guys. I've officially been a member for about a year, but this will be my first post. I have learned so many things from many of you over the years, so I figured this would be my chance to pass along some information. I just received a Sire Z3 four string in black sparkle, after being on a preorder list for the last several months. There were almost no hands on reviews of these basses, because they were not in circulation yet. So after having had a few days with the bass, and exchanging emails with Sire, this is what I've found.
First off is the finish. Upon unboxing the bass, I was a little surprised that the black sparkle finish was much more "glittery" than it appeared to be in the photos. I'm usually pretty conservative and stick with white, black and sunburst basses, so this will be an adjustment for me (see attached pics). This is not a knock, as the finish is nicely done. The finish on the neck consists of a dark vintage amber tint similar to the finish on the Squire classic vibe line. The fretboard and top of the headstock have a gloss finish, while the back of the neck is a very smooth satin. The lower horn has been slightly extended on the 4 string models since their earlier prototypes, which IMO was an improvement. The Sire headstock is not ugly IMO, but it never looked right to me on their P and J models. On this model though, I think it looks okay.
Now on to the specs. Upon arrival, my bass weighed in at 8 lbs, 6 oz, and it was it was strung with D'addario NPS strings gauged 45-105. The neck was straight and the relief was dead on. The neck is a C shape with a 12" radius and 22 medium jumbo frets. As this is my first Sire, I am very impressed with their rolled fingerboard considering the price point. After installing my usual DR Lo Riders (40-100), the only adjustment needed, other than lowering the action to my preferences and lowering the pickup, was the nut. The bone nut was cut a little high, which made the bass a little hard to fret at the first two frets. It took me about 30 minutes to file those down, and now she plays great. For reference, I own two Sterling basses (sub Ray4 and 24CA). The Sire neck feels a bit chunkier than the Sterlings. Sire lists the nut as 42 mm (1.65") which I actually prefer over the 1.5" nut on the Sterling. The MM style pickup is wired in parallel, not in series like the Sterlings, which I did confirm by email with Sire CS. The hardware is the standard fare at this price point and similar to that of the Sterling Ray4. The tuners and bridge are very basic, but they are serviceable. I have no intention of changing them.
Sound: The 18v 3 band preamp and ceramic pickup on this model have a LOT of output. I had to lower the pickup about as low as the one on my Ray4 to get that output where I like it. The treble knob does not seem to make drastic changes either way, but sounds about right set flat (detent). However, the bass knob is VERY responsive, almost too much so at 75%. The bass knob also serves as a push/pull active/passive switch. I prefer the active setting, which gives it that punchy stingray sound I hear in my head. The mids knob is also very responsive but not over the top. At 75%, it sounds mid heavy and punchy like my Ray4. It goes to a very scooped tone at 25% giving it a cleaner rounder sound. My favorite setting seems to be bass and treble set flat (detent) with mids slightly boosted.
Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. I have been and still am a huge fan of the Sterling SUB and CA line of basses, which I feel are some of the best value for dollar instruments on the market these days, as well a great modding platforms. The fit and finish on the Sire Z3, as well as the neck, preamp and passive mode, definitely exceeds that of the Sterling SUB line, although it costs $100 more. Otherwise the Z3 is, IMO, very similar and probably slightly better than the Sterling 24CA basses due to it having more options on tap while still being a sub $500.00 instrument. I hope this review will be helpful to someone who is thinking about purchasing one of these basses. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
First off is the finish. Upon unboxing the bass, I was a little surprised that the black sparkle finish was much more "glittery" than it appeared to be in the photos. I'm usually pretty conservative and stick with white, black and sunburst basses, so this will be an adjustment for me (see attached pics). This is not a knock, as the finish is nicely done. The finish on the neck consists of a dark vintage amber tint similar to the finish on the Squire classic vibe line. The fretboard and top of the headstock have a gloss finish, while the back of the neck is a very smooth satin. The lower horn has been slightly extended on the 4 string models since their earlier prototypes, which IMO was an improvement. The Sire headstock is not ugly IMO, but it never looked right to me on their P and J models. On this model though, I think it looks okay.
Now on to the specs. Upon arrival, my bass weighed in at 8 lbs, 6 oz, and it was it was strung with D'addario NPS strings gauged 45-105. The neck was straight and the relief was dead on. The neck is a C shape with a 12" radius and 22 medium jumbo frets. As this is my first Sire, I am very impressed with their rolled fingerboard considering the price point. After installing my usual DR Lo Riders (40-100), the only adjustment needed, other than lowering the action to my preferences and lowering the pickup, was the nut. The bone nut was cut a little high, which made the bass a little hard to fret at the first two frets. It took me about 30 minutes to file those down, and now she plays great. For reference, I own two Sterling basses (sub Ray4 and 24CA). The Sire neck feels a bit chunkier than the Sterlings. Sire lists the nut as 42 mm (1.65") which I actually prefer over the 1.5" nut on the Sterling. The MM style pickup is wired in parallel, not in series like the Sterlings, which I did confirm by email with Sire CS. The hardware is the standard fare at this price point and similar to that of the Sterling Ray4. The tuners and bridge are very basic, but they are serviceable. I have no intention of changing them.
Sound: The 18v 3 band preamp and ceramic pickup on this model have a LOT of output. I had to lower the pickup about as low as the one on my Ray4 to get that output where I like it. The treble knob does not seem to make drastic changes either way, but sounds about right set flat (detent). However, the bass knob is VERY responsive, almost too much so at 75%. The bass knob also serves as a push/pull active/passive switch. I prefer the active setting, which gives it that punchy stingray sound I hear in my head. The mids knob is also very responsive but not over the top. At 75%, it sounds mid heavy and punchy like my Ray4. It goes to a very scooped tone at 25% giving it a cleaner rounder sound. My favorite setting seems to be bass and treble set flat (detent) with mids slightly boosted.
Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. I have been and still am a huge fan of the Sterling SUB and CA line of basses, which I feel are some of the best value for dollar instruments on the market these days, as well a great modding platforms. The fit and finish on the Sire Z3, as well as the neck, preamp and passive mode, definitely exceeds that of the Sterling SUB line, although it costs $100 more. Otherwise the Z3 is, IMO, very similar and probably slightly better than the Sterling 24CA basses due to it having more options on tap while still being a sub $500.00 instrument. I hope this review will be helpful to someone who is thinking about purchasing one of these basses. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
