NBD: Sire V9 fiver

[uk_lefty]

I loved the Sire V7 fiver I had a few years back and only sold it out of feeling guilty at spending a lot on a US Stingray. I love jazz basses but maple fretboards don't work for me, I also think the Sire preamp is fantastic. I was looking for a four string but it was somehow cheaper to get the fiver off Thomann. It arrived less than an hour ago. It looks great, the picture I've taken doesn't do it justice. The sound is very pokey, very jazz bass, excellent. I tried a US Jazz recently and felt let down a bit, active Sire jazzes are for me just so much more flexible, and still very rich in their sound. The rolled fretboard edges are nice, you know they there though it's not something I'd now insist on with any other bass. The ebony fretboard looks very dry and might need some oil. The battery compartment is NOT quick release which I'm not happy about. However, can't wait to unleash it. Wedding gig coming up a week on Saturday and this bass will be the one used.

[Lfalex v1.1]

That looks nice. 

[rasher80]

Whit woo!

[NicoMcJ]

Any idea on an approx weight?  I’d love to get on the Sire train but I’ve heard they can be a bit on the hefty side.

[uk_lefty]

27 minutes ago, NicoMcJ said:

Any idea on an approx weight?  I’d love to get on the Sire train but I’ve heard they can be a bit on the hefty side.

I can't weigh it right now and wouldn't like to guess really. My ash bodied fiver was definitely a heavy bass, this one (alder body) has surprised me in that it's not as heavy as I would have expected, definitely lighter than the ash fiver I used to have. Sorry I can't be more specific right now, it's just not something that I worry about, though appreciate it's a big issue for a lot of others.

[uk_lefty]

23 hours ago, NicoMcJ said:

Any idea on an approx weight?  I’d love to get on the Sire train but I’ve heard they can be a bit on the hefty side.

4.5kg almost exactly for this alder bodied fiver. 

 

I used a luggage weighing thingy I've got so trusting it to be good enough for accuracy.

[NicoMcJ]

1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

4.5kg almost exactly for this alder bodied fiver. 

 

I used a luggage weighing thingy I've got so trusting it to be good enough for accuracy.

Thank you!

[Bonin-in-the boneyard]

That's a great looking bass 

[uk_lefty]

I've already sniffed out the fretless options... Just such amazing value for money.

[kodiakblair]

Congratulations @uk_lefty

 

Lovely bass , all the more lovely for being left handed 👍

 

 

[uk_lefty]

Six months on....

 

Mixed reviews on this I guess. We all love a bass at first sight don't we? I find myself not using this as much as I'd expect. It comes out for wedding gigs mainly, but I also took it to the biggest gig of the year in a rock club in Amsterdam! I deliberately took my "cheapest" gear because I didn't know what to expect in terms of risk of stuff going missing in transit, the hotel and the club. I've never been let down by the sound of the bass and it makes me play in a different way to how I play my Stingray or Jack Casady.

 

I think I'd be happier with a four string though. I got a fiver because I joined this band in October last year and their set list is huge. Some songs need a low D but it's not been necessary to venture lower than that.... Yet. I have a drop D tuner on my Stingray so it's not like I bring the Sire out just for two songs. I guess I just find the neck a bit wide because I don't play fivers as much as fours and my other fiver has a very shallow neck and I've owned it twenty years so it feels completely natural. 

 

The satin finish on the neck is better than the glossy finish on the old V7 I had but nothing, absolutely nothing, feels as good as my Stingray neck.

 

I still can't believe the value for money on this bass. Even so, as good as it is, I guess it's just the kind of music my band plays that has kept this on the rack more than I had expected.

[Happypants]

1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

my other fiver has a very shallow neck and I've owned it twenty years so it feels completely natural.

Thanks for the update, I'm tempted to try one of these. What's your other fiver out of interest? 

[uk_lefty]

7 minutes ago, Happypants said:

Thanks for the update, I'm tempted to try one of these. What's your other fiver out of interest? 

Kramer Striker fretless. Quite niche I think. They were dead cheap on the old Musicyo website in the very early 2000's and you could get two dollars for a pound. 

 

I have to say it's not an especially deep neck, I've had precisions and played Warwick's with far thicker necks. It's just when you have a few basses and some you use more than others the transition can be noticeable.

Edited September 23, 2022 by uk_lefty