dave_bass5

Nice. My first gig will be this Sat. Im forward to hearing the bass through a loud rig, but a bit apprehensive as I know it's going to sound very lively, and quite different to what Im used to. I hope I can tame it within a few songs.

New review up on a German website. It's not a perfect translation but it's readalbe (and quite funny in places) https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A//www.bonedo.de/artikel/einzelansicht/sire-marcus-miller-v7-alder-5-ts-test.html

I know it can be said as hype, mainly due to the low price and name attached, but as an actual owner I can only agree with all that was said in the review. It's not a must have bass, but at that price and quality it's no wonder they are selling fast. It looks like Thomanns is now the only place you can get them, even Sire have sold out and there won't be any more for a couple of months apparently. At least this will give those thinking about getting one a bit more time to read user reports and see if they are all loved a few months down the line. I know mine will be, although ive also decided to keep my TRBX as well both nice basses but both very different.

Actually, for those not on Facebook this is it. I don't know who the guy is, so take it as you will. Sorry about the formatting, this is how it comes off FB. Wassup groove family??!! Here's the unsolicited review From my tech, Robert Scoby... Pay close attention...he's telling the whole truth cause he doesn't benefit from this at all!! For those interested, here are some initial thoughts on the Sire Marcus Miller bass (Alder w/ Rosewood). 1. Out-of-the-box, the bass is setup very well. The neck is straight (almost too straight = +.002@7th fret). Action is a bit high (1st string = .115, 5th string = .137 both measured @17th fret). Nut action is perfect, very comfortable at the 1st position. The bridge radius matches the neck well. It appears that someone took some time with it before it left the factory, which is rare in this price point. The finish is good, not Pedula or Fodera good, but the colors are blended well with little or no wave showing. It appears to be a good quality acrylic or poly. No vintage nitro here for 500 bones. 2. Pros…… The electronics are on-par with any high end system available (Bartolini-Aguilar etc) and I am picky when it comes to preamps. Only the potentiometer quality being a bit questionable. The pot shafts are a bit weak and bend easily and the tapers are very sensitive. The wiring is first rate. It has the look and feel of traditional cotton wire, but is actually a textured PVC coating. The layout of the preamp board is clean and simple-with a gain-match mini pot mounted on it to even out the change from passive to active mode. The PASSIVE TONE is exceptional. The alnico pickups are wound beautifully and have a perfect midrange growl. I would put it up to ANY strong vintage Jazz Bass. The ACTIVE tones are versatile and work well with the pickups. The active circuit is equipped with separate Bass / Treble and Mid Boost-Cut / Freq Sweep. The sweep’s detent position is so good that you could just leave it alone and adjust the gain only, but it is still there to be used if needed. There is a lot of controls going on in a minimum of space to it takes a bit to get accustomed to the lack of real estate on the control plate. All cavities are shielded in traditional graphite paint-which is done very cleanly. The neck is comfy, even if it is a bit wide for a 5 string. The wide feel may be due to the 7 inch radius, but then again I have Hobbit hands and prefer a slimmer traditional JB neck. The frets are thin but tall (my personal favorite) at .080 x .046. Think Lakeland. 3. Cons….. The tuners are terrible…period. Overly tight and notchy even without being strung up. They do their job but that’s about it. I recommend swapping out for some nice Hipshot replacements as soon as possible. They have to save money somehow. The Bridge is, well, bulky and cheap feeling, definitely not elegant to say the least. The main gripe is that when top-loading the strings, the strings enter directly beneath the intonation screw-not beside it. This causes a sharp sideways pull on the string just to get it to line up on the saddle. When bottom loading, the strings line up straight and true. 4. Summary…. I want one for myself….I will be talking to Jackie about that soon. Overall is far and beyond better than any Squier, Ibanez, Epi or any other brand I can think of in the 500.00 range. I dare say even better (in some respects) than a Skyline. I never had an option to get an instrument of this quality on a budget when I started to play 35 years ago and as I understand it, this bass is aimed at the beginner market or a solid backup. I regularly work on instruments in the 1K range that do not sound or play as well out of the box. It’s not a Smith or Fodera, but then again it’s not meant to be. With just a little bit of setup-love rubbed on it after purchase, I would have no issues pulling a gig with it. I personally would spend an extra bill-and a-half and upgrade the tuners and can live with the bridge. There is absolutely no need to change any part of the electronics…the pickups and preamp are that good.

Nice review posted on Facebook recently. Looks like the preamp has a trim pot which is nice. As much as I love the passive tone the volume does jump up when active is engaged and the low end is boosted a bit. Someone else found this review and posted it on Talkbass, but i thought it would be nice to have it here as well. https://www.facebook.com/JCsGroove/posts/10154026861625190 @Jauqo. I noticed your video is also on this guys FB page as well. Nice tone.

I started this thread a while ago but so far ive not read any hands on reviews http://basschat.co.uk/topic/252648-new-ibanez-fanned-fret-basses-nice-and-cheap/page__fromsearch__1

Guys, its simple. If you dont need a new bass then these fantastic, cheap, gorgeous basses shouldn't even be on the radar....not even with Thomanns 30 day free return :-)

This is just the first wave, apparently the Americans cant get hold of theirs yet due to the port strike and backlog. I just noticed on the Sire website there is a message saying the V7 5 strings are sold out, next shipment within the next couple of months. Still in stock on Thomanns at the moment.

Just noticed these have gone down a bit on Thomanns, the 5 sting Alder/RW is only £305 inc shipping. Madness when you think the Americans cant even get hold of them at the moment. In fact it made me chuckle when i read over on TB that some were thinking about ordering from Thomanns. Normally its us in Europe that order from the states.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1425989645' post='2713061'] Much better than a starter going by some of the responses here... could be a main squeeze by the look. However I'd have to reserve judgement until I get one in my hands... [/quote] Definitely my main squeeze for now. I got rid of my more costly basses a few years ago, as i realised that i didnt need to spend a fortune to get a playable bass (and lets not pretend £300 is peanuts anyway). so im really only coming from Squiers and my TRBX.

[quote name='pierreganseman' timestamp='1425977891' post='2712856'] [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPKV0QF9Scg&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]https://www.youtube....be_gdata_player[/url] have a look guys, sounds nice to my ears.... [/quote] Have a read through the thread, you will see its been posted a few times i believe ;-) its an old clip. It think there are two versions of this.

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1425828373' post='2711136'] The wait is killing me! Hope I like it, seeing as I've never played a jazz bass!! 😯 [/quote] Haha, it will be worth it. It's not just a jazz bass, it's a tone monster :-)

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1425822645' post='2711037'] I was all set, it was just down to natural or sunburst, so after much consideration I ordered the antique white! To be fair I had been looking at Olympic white Squier jazzes so it wasn't a complete shock! 😀 [/quote] Seeing as I already had a white jazz bass I knew exactly what to expect, and I wasn't dissapointed. The V7 is white, not one of those smoke sainted yellow whites. It's still very, very slightly warmer than my Squier, although I don't think the pic i posted last week really shows that. Both are whiter than the Fender MIA white I had. It's a good choice to go for. Although my Squier has a maple fretboard on it at the moment I don't really like inlays on maple, so went for the rosewood. Gotta say it's a lovely combination.

Nice one. I think once the gig reports start building up people will realise it's not just hype. I've still got two weeks before mine is let loose on the public.

[quote name='jassbass' timestamp='1425805063' post='2710753'] What is the string spacing?thanx [/quote] 18mm at the bridge on the 5 strings, 20mm on the 4 strings. 20mm is a bit too wide for me on a 4 string. I normally replace tbr bridges for something narrower, not sure it's that easy with these basses. Bassdude. Glad you aren't dissapointed. I too was worried about the feel,of the neck, it's larger than my TRBX, but yes, it's very comfortable.

In my personal expenicve the right bass can make or break playing 5 string. If it's a comfortable neck/ action then it's a lot easier to persevere with it. If it's an uncomfortable experience then it's all too easy to not bother. I've struggled with some, and ended up going back to 4 string, and others ive teen to naturally and not given the long thumb rest a second thought. Of course it also has to sound good, in the past my 5 string basses have varied when it comes to the B string. My Laklands have been the best (35") but I'm finding my new Sire to be just as clear (this is from memory though). My TRBX is not quite as defined in the 5-12th fret area. Still very useable though. I was also very happy with my Fender MIAO P5, although the neck never felt quite as nice as my Laklands, due to the Laklands having smaller frets and the fretboard being flatter. As has been suggested, try as many as you can (not always easy though), and trust your gut instinct. If it feels nice and sounds nice, it is nice, no matter what anyone else says or suggests.

The new Sire Marcus Miller 5 string jazz basses are getting very, very good reps at the moment. Only available over here from Thomanns but for £309 inc deliver, with an 18volt preamp, string through body, various finishes you cant really go wrong (unless you dont want any of the above ) I got one the other week and its definitely on a par with much higher priced basses, although so are the latest Squier CV's etc. The EQ is very, very powerful, and it has a sweepable mid control, although you can run it passively as well. http://www.thomann.de/gb/search.html?filter=true&gk=giebj5&manufacturer[]=Marcus%20Miller Another personal recommendation is the Yamaha TRBX 305. Again, its active and the necks are very nice. Still under £400

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1425486010' post='2707838'] The V7 4 string in Antique white/Rosewood. Been looking at the Oly white VMJ a lot lately, so thought i'd give one of these a try! Had a VMP and a TC RH750 to move on so this just gave me the kick up the arse to get on with advertising them and release some funds! [/quote] Nice, same as mine, minus a string. The white is very, very close to my Squier CV Jazz. Much nicer (IMO) than the White MIA P bass i had a few years ago. i really dont like the more yellow looking whites. I might get a 4 sting version later in the year, and will probably go for a TS - alder for a change. Ill then put a black PG on it.

Haha, the power of basschat strikes again :-) what did you go for?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1425465146' post='2707528'] Thanks for this... it does sound really good. Dammit again!! [/quote] You're welcome to come and try mine, im in central London.

I've just got one of the new Sire V7 Marcus Miller 5 string jazz basses. Really glad I didn't go for the Squier now. Lovely bass, 18volt preamp with sweepable mids, smaller frets, blocks and inlays, all for £315 delivered. Plays like a dream and the tone options are amazing. It's a bit of a beast as far as tone goes, needs taming a bit and going easy on the EQ. It's defintly a modern super jazz tone rather than a warm Fender jazz tone, but I like that. Also works in passive mode where the more traditional jazz tones live, although it still doesnt manage ' vintage' like my Squier Jazz.

My son loves mine. I go tit from Music Yo years ago. [url="https://flic.kr/p/e5oXYF"][/url] [url="https://flic.kr/p/e5oXYF"]Bass pose[/url] by [url="https://www.flickr.com/people/30114189@N05/"]Dave Pearce (London)[/url], on Flickr

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1425357016' post='2706475'] Dave, how does it compare tone wise to your Squier's? I keep looking at the V7 4 string in the same colour as yours, was just wondering how it compares to Squier's VM and CV jazzes as it sits between the 2 price wise. [/quote] Well my Squier CV jazz has Wizard pups in, so it's not a stock tone. Just at home though my Zoom 60B I'd say the V7 is a lot more powerful. It's really full and deep sounding, although not quite as woody, not even in passive mode. Not a bad thing, it's still a jazz bass and not the worst ive had. I'd say it lacks a bit in the mids compared to my CV. I'd expect it to sound a bit cleaner in the low end through my rig at gigs as there is a lot,of adjustment in the EQ Playing around with the active EQ gives you a lot of variation. Compared to my TRBX it's night and day as far as EQ goes. The TRBX can be tweaked and refinded using the EQ, whereas the V7 can be made to sound completely different. I love the bridge pup. This is very punchy just on its own. It still growls like it should, but it has more pressence than any other bridge pup ive used, inc noiseless pups. The V7 is just over 1lb heavier than the CV, and a bit longer. I've not had it on a strap yet but it seem to sit well on my lap. When I tried a Squier VM 5 jazz in the same position it seemed to have more neck dive. It's hard to compare at the moment because the V7 has bright new strings and the CV has dead strings on it. Considering they sell for less than the CV's I'd say it's worth a look if you want an active, modern sounding jazz bass.

I just didnt want to come across as someone being led by just hype (although that did help . Truth be told if the bass works out at the first gig ill sell my TRBX, as this sort of thing has been on the cards for a while anyway. i must say its the most powerful Jazz bass ive ever played. loads of sustain, no noticeable dead spots and the bridge pup has more punch and body than the humbucker in the bridge position in my TRBX. All in all a super Jazz, although i think ill keep my other Jazz for the more traditional vibe.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1425303586' post='2705965'] Not really - i am curious by the clamour for these - [/quote] My clamour was purely because this came along at the right time, for the right price. Ive been longing for a 5 string Jazz, at a low price, that didnt have large frets, and wasnt the Squier VM. When i saw what Sire was offering it seemed like the planets had all aligned and was too good to miss.