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WOW! Really Sire

IMO the issue here is that within the boundaries of the initial use case (in his video specifically) the marketing angle was for a parent buying a bass for their kid and wanting useable quality at value. There might even be a little role model trust implied. (He also states that the company approached him with an “almost perfect” bass and the design was a fait accompli) As they grow the lines into 4 figure price tags they are reaching a different buyer market with different desires in a bass. Could be time to adapt in order to meet that buyer. (And time to shave some weight... an 11 pound 4 string is a little rotund)
When you get to that price tag a lot of options open up. FWIW, I just got a used American Pro J for well under a grand.

That said, having done some co-branded marketing before I imagine there is a contract in place that stipulates he gets the marquis “ad space” - down to percentage of size of the relative logos.
Good god, what coffee do you drink? This is a brilliant well worded post and I agree. :)
Just thinking of Victor Wooten trying out the V10 with Marcus Miller's name on the headstock is giving me the giggles. A $1300 is not a boutique bass by any stretch of the imagination of course, and it's not even an exorbitant cost but it certainly a step up from the budget bass category and is going to appeal to a different target consumer bass.
 
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Almost all basses get labeled with someone's name on them.
Leo Fender
Victor Squier
Adolph Rickenbacker
Brian Sadowsky
Sterling and Ernie Ball
Paul Reed Smith
Salvador Ibanez
Les Paul
Orville Gibson
...among so many more.

I think you mean you don't want someone's name on the guitar or bass that is know for playing more than making?

So who’s this Roger Sadowsky guy? And by the way, thanks for putting so many names to the brands we all know and use.
 
Check out this angle (bottom pic in this set): They didn't cheap out and just cut away the quilted top at the forearm contour - they actually wrapped the mapled top around the angle, keeping the same top depth, very nice looking:

View attachment 3325255
Suitable for fingering makes me thinking of something else actually ... anyway ...
 
Good god, what coffee do you drink? This is a brilliant well worded post and I agree. :)
Just thinking of Victor Wooten trying out the V10 with Marcus Miller's name on the headstock is giving me the giggles. A $1300 is not a boutique bass by any stretch of the imagination of course, and it's not even an exorbitant cost but it certainly a step up from the budget bass category and is going to appeal to a different target consumer bass.
Yes ... provided they can go past the horrible headstock ... oops I said it
 
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At first I was about to get on the complain-train too... but then I saw that neck:

upload_2019-2-17_16-9-38.png



Wow! Sire is really stepping it up with this.

I have one of the 1st gens and it's still one of the best sounding basses I own (even compared to my Sadowsky, Skjold, and Fender Elite).

Thought I had seen all there was to see with Sire, guess I was wrong.
 
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Not to knock anyone who likes them , but after owning 2, a 4 and a 5, I couldn’t get along with the neck or the weight. For $1500, they’d sure need to make some major improvements to get a second glance from me. I’m pretty sure they’re not too concerned about my opinion though. To those of you who love them, more power to ya. Just not my cup of tea.

I agree that Sire's biggest problem right now is the weight factor.

If they find a way to guarantee a 5 string jazz bass will weigh under 9 lbs, a lot of other manufacturers will start sweating.
 
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It may very well be a terrific axe and properly priced. A cynical person . . . . . . might think this is a typical business model of selling very good products at very low prices early on, then raising the table stakes as the game continues. Though it's ironic the lower priced axes are standouts in that price range, but now at these prices they can easily vanish among a sea of similar and similarly-priced axes: Now you're swimming with the sharks.
 
A lot of good, positive, and intelligent discussion here. I really appreciate all the civility and knowledge sharing. On first blush, the bass looks thicker than my liking, and it seems because of the top laminate the edges appear to be sharper than to my liking. I don't know if the body is "roasted" which would shave pounds off the bass. Agreed with some TB'ers that as Sire begins to move upward, it might be time to move the Marcus Miller endorsement to the back of the headstock, as I said already. I've really never made an effort to listen to Marcus, what little I heard didn't flick my switch. But a lot of people love him and I can see how his name would lend weight to the company.

It occurred to me after reading EVERY post that maybe the $150-200 price increase in the entry level basses is possibly funding the R&D for the top of the line Sires. One of the models I was looking at two-three years ago went for $499 to $699-- that's a big jump. I make no judgement on that except that they're approaching the price of the new Fender Performer series basses. Some will be drawn to Sire's good name and versatility of options and some will be drawn to Fender's legacy name.

I'm looking forward to some lucky soul's NBD post about the new Sire. I hope it's light, well made, and available left handed! :laugh:
 
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What's a bigboy bass? These things have been around long enough and have good enough reviews that I would feel pretty safe trying one. Does it need to be a particular make to qualify as bigboy status?
IMO these basses are pretty gimmicky. They already appropriated the Squier name to confuse and gain a foothold in the market. The cheaper early models were the best value. Now the prices are creeping up for the same products. And...its still the same old Fender copy with heavily marketed cheap parts...like a 3 dollar preamp called the "Heritage". In my opinion there are many better options other that Sire.
 
Check out this angle (bottom pic in this set): They didn't cheap out and just cut away the quilted top at the forearm contour - they actually wrapped the mapled top around the angle, keeping the same top depth, very nice looking:

View attachment 3325255

Wow a beautiful bass. Don't dig the bridge though. Looks clumsy and too badass bridge-y for me. Does it have the same screw ratio as the fender classic bridges?
 
My summary of this thread thus far:

Sire is supposed to be budget friendly because it was marketed as such from the beginning.

Some people are happy they are trying to expand their offerings. Others are offended by the high price tag.

Still others don't like the Marcus Miller branding. They would prefer if the name was smaller or hidden and Sire stood out as the brand. They don't like the idea of a person's name on a bass unless it is someone that made instruments. It doesn't even matter if that person never knew what an electric bass was in his life or in the case of Leo Fender that person hasn't been associated with the company for around 40-50 years during which time he founded multiple other companies, but couldn't technically put his own name on his own created instruments because someone else owns his name now.
 
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Nothing wrong with ADDING to the current lineup. Yeah, it's a little steeper than what they've offered in the past, but as others have already said, for what you get, it's still not SO bad a pricetag. Makes sense that they'd expand their line a bit to me, especially considering how the "Vintage" line has been accepted. Plus, all the other less-expensive models are still available. I say kudos to Sire.
 
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