NBD - Sire Marcus Miller M2

[Jolltax]

I have never even picked up a bass before but finally plucked up the courage to fulfil a lifelong ambition (I'm 54) and bought a Sire Marcus Miller M2 from Andertons, and it arrived ..... v exciting. I also bought a guitar stand, strap and cable from Amazon. I was encouraged to post this by the nice people in the 'Introductions' group.  I wanted something relatively 'budget' to learn on, I guess if I make progress I can upgrade later.

Today I subscribed to the Bassbuzz online lesson programme, successfully tuned my bass and then completed my first lesson! It definitely makes bass-like noises and I am very proud of myself!

I don't have an amp, my plan is to play through my Focusrite audio interface into my computer, which seems to be working OK so far.  I use headphones which seem to cope quite well and sound great but unsurprisingly my 'high power' computer speakers completely crap themselves if I try and play through them, I hate the way they sound anyway so I kind of enjoy torturing them to be honest but its not an issue, I'll just use the headphones.

Here are some photos of my guitar (is it OK to call it that or is it strictly a bass?), hope I haven't gone over the top.  It seems sturdy and seems to work well, I am very happy with it - but if I was being hyper critical I would probably say some of the details/ finish  look a bit basic - bear in mind this is the only bass I have ever held (heh) :

 

I am a complete beginner, watching too many videos of people adjusting their guitars on YouTube has freaked me out a bit,  the 'action' on my bass at the 12th fret appears to be about 3 mm - which from what I read is OK?

I have also twiddled all the knobs vigorously on my er ... bass... and can definitely hear the passive / active switch, but the tone ones not so much.

Anyway, I am really enjoying the whole experience so far, on Day 2, heh

Hi etc!

Jolltax

Edited March 12, 2021 by Jolltax

[NasalFloss]

Congrats, I got my M5 today. Looks lovely. If it plays well for you and doesn’t buzz when you pluck the strings, then I wouldn’t worry too much about the intricacies of setting it up, they seem to be quite well out of the factory. You could lower the height of the strings by half a turn each time. No point in applying any more force than you need to when fretting notes. If the string buzzes, then turn it back again.

[Al Krow]

Congrats on your Sire - great basses (not guitars, please!) and such good value.

Sincere commiserations to finding us on Basschat quite so quickly and the amount of time and money you're about to squander on gear in direct consequence 😁

But most of all - fantastic you've discovered bass! I picked my first one up in anger 8 years back and have loved playing it ever since.

[TheLowDown]

Nice! I was considering the MM M2 when I was looking out for a replacement for my main 4 string, but opted for the HB B-450 instead. The Sire M2 are good value for money and really lightweight

[Geek99]

Basses, mister, not “guitars” (feel dirty just typing that... ) 

 

[Cato]

9 hours ago, Jolltax said:

I am a complete beginner, watching too many videos of people adjusting their guitars on YouTube has freaked me out a bit,  the 'action' on my bass at the 12th fret appears to be about 3 mm - which from what I read is OK?

I'd say 3mm is fine.

I wouldn't be too worried about adjusting the truss rod or action at this stage, just enjoy getting to know your new instrument.

Nice bass by the way, the quality and features available at the lower end of the price spectrum are pretty jaw dropping these days.

 

[Jolltax]

OK, guitar Bass it is!  Message received loud and clear, the good news is that you got me on day 2 so no damage done ...

I realise after tuning my bass a couple of times with the free Fender app on my phone that I would probably be better off with a clip on tuner, so I ordered a Snark one today after 2 minutes research

Thanks for the warm welcome, by the way

J

[Grassie]

Welcome and enjoy your new found way of burning money.....😁

Nice bit of kit there.

Apart from the headstock.... Whoever is in charge of designing them at Sire needs to take a step back from the monitor once in a while and have a really good look at what they've created. Then erase, and start again.

 

[lksmks792]

Great purchase! I own a P7. Sire make some fine basses.

If you're ever wondering what else is out there in the online bass lessons department: I wholy recommend Mark at talking bass. I've learned a lot from him.

[Al Krow]

18 minutes ago, lksmks792 said:

Great purchase! I own a P7. Sire make some fine basses.

If you're ever wondering what else is out there in the online bass lessons department: I wholly recommend Mark at talking bass. I've learned a lot from him.

^^ +1 

[madshadows]

I have a an M2 and they are fantastic basses, lovely rolled edge on the neck that makes it a joy to play, I have the one with a maple fret board and a blue/green body colour, stunning looking basses, great purchase, enjoy playing it @Jolltax  

John 😎 

[thisisswanbon]

Welcome to the best sounding money pit you'll ever find! 😁

You've done well choosing your first bass! I know gigging (when that was a thing) semi pro musicians using the same bass! Budget friendly doesn't have the stigma that it used to and the sire stuff is great!

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Grassie said:

Welcome and enjoy your new found way of burning money.....😁

Nice bit of kit there.

Apart from the headstock.... Whoever is in charge of designing them at Sire needs to take a step back from the monitor once in a while and have a really good look at what they've created. Then erase, and start again.

 

When I scrolled up after reading this, I was a bit surprised to find myself looking at a perfectly nice headstock 😋

[Cato]

3 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

When I scrolled up after reading this, I was a bit surprised to find myself looking at a perfectly nice headstock 😋

I like it.

It's a definite step up from my V7 headstock .

 

Although I have to say that 's grown on me somewhat over the couple of years I've had the bass.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Cato

[Al Krow]

Any family resemblance? 😉

[PaulThePlug]

Hi Jolltax,

Nice Bass...

Quite a 'Rock' looking bass, but a nice mix of chamfer and bound edges, with the overall look softened by that tail.

I like the Open Matt wood finish on a Bass, nice and subtle, rather than a shiney Gloss laquer, save that for the Geetardz.

As for the action, this is usually measured from the top (crown) of the fret, - rather than from the fretboard - to the underside of the string... 3mm is OK - but yours may actually be less when measured the more standard way.

Enjoy.

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by PaulThePlug

[Jolltax]

Quote

Quite a 'Rock' looking bass

@PaulThePlug I know what you mean, its a little odd as I am not exactly a 'rock' person, although I do like rock ... I think it looks pretty decent anyway and it seems slim and light so good to learn on so I am happy 

 

[Richard R]

That's very nice - like the subtle binding.

3mm is fine, much lower and as a beginner you make lots of clanks.  Actually I still make lots of clanks after two years, but I don't care. I just play fewer notes and try to look cool 😎

 

[Rich]

On 13/03/2021 at 00:09, Geek99 said:

Basses, mister, not “guitars” (feel dirty just typing that... ) 

 

Who are we to argue with Leo..?

[Geek99]

Just now, Rich said:

Who are we to argue with Leo..?

It’s a typo, okay ? meant to type “bass”, but he hit the spacebar four times by mistake.
Or Maybe he re-used the telecaster application .. (having realised his error in creating the foul, skinny stringed monstrosity, of course) 

[Richard R]

Meant to add: playing through an audio interface and headphones is how I played for nearly a year. You hear every single finger squeek and buzz, and it gets a bit dispiriting, so you'll try really hard to get a good technique that eliminates them. 

Then you buy an amp and it sounds so much better, but the time spent with headphones was worth it 😉

[Jolltax]

My tuner works, and its super easy to use!

The app I was using on my mobile phone was not very good and seemed to be unable to tune the E string, this is sooo much quicker and easier, and it was only £12!

[Lfalex v1.1]

Good start you've made there. 

Nice bass and a decent, functional tuner.

Playing through (good/proper) headphones can be helpful- you'll definitely hear any mistakes you make, and it means you can play on even when everyone else has gone to bed! Just don't play too loudly for too long- Take care of your hearing. 

It'll be a culture shock when you plug into an amp. They're more forgiving and less clear than headphones, ultimately more flattering to your instrument and your playing. 

[Jolltax]

Quote

Playing through (good/proper) headphones can be helpful- you'll definitely hear any mistakes you make, and it means you can play on even when everyone else has gone to bed! Just don't play too loudly for too long- Take care of your hearing. 

@Lfalex v1.1 exactly, I have been hammering away at it silently whilst my kids are asleep.  Using headphones through my PC is working pretty well, I think I will leave buying an amp as a reward for when I achieve some level of competency and I feel confident enough for someone else to hear me play!

[Lfalex v1.1]

I'm not sure what capabilities playing through a PC allows (playing along with music etc), but maybe a potential future purchase might be a dedicated headphone amplifier or a multi-effects unit with an aux input.

I frequently use a small headphone unit. It's small, battery powered has reasonable onboard effects and I can play music from my phone's SD card /youtube/ Spotify.

Means I can take it anywhere.  And play during power cuts!