Sire V5

[Misdee]

I've been looking for a relatively inexpensive but decent quality bass to practice on when I can't use my other basses for whatever reason. The Sire V5 looks to be an excellent  prospect. Before I pull the trigger I would be very grateful for other people's experiences and opinions of these basses, good and bad.  I've been doing some research and the general consensus seems to be that they are pretty good.

 

 

Edited June 24 by Misdee

[jonnybass]

I have a v7 five string (gen 2).

 

Pros: Sound, looks, neck profile, features for the money. great b string (i think)

 

Cons: Weight, didnt like the 5 knob preamp, found it sounded ok but too many knobs close together.  Needed a set up

 

Overall great gigging basses for most genre's, I've swapped out the preamp for a spare fender 18v one i had kicking about, mostly as it had less knobs but gave me mostly the same options.  If I am in the market for a reliable bass to gig pubs/clubs etc I'd look at Sire again.

 

 

[OliverBlackman]

I have a V5 5 string.

pros: excellent sound, feel, hardware is good and sturdy, it was relatively inexpensive.

cons: it weighs more than a Fender.

[Misdee]

Thanks, weight is definitely an issue, but at the price I can be a bit more philosophical about it than with a more expensive bass. I suppose it makes it even more authentic and evocation of a mid-to-late '70's Fender bass.

 

It's a four string I'm considering, and I am hoping it will clock in around the 9 pound mark based on what I have seen, but I can cope with up to about 9 1/2. I'll mainly be playing it sitting down anyway.

[neepheid]

It's a little tangential, but I have a Sire D5 (4 string, '54 P-a-like).  I've been delighted with it.  I weighed it recently and it's 9lbs on the nose.  The neck is lovely, I personally don't notice the rolled edges when I'm playing but they sure feel good when you run your finger down them and zero fret sprout as a consequence, but it's more the finish, very satin-y and feels lovely.  Altogether a well appointed, well screwed together bass with good hardware.  I gig it regularly with no issues.

 

I don't have any major complaints.  If I was being fussy the pickup is maybe a tad underpowered in the output department, but all that takes is a simple tweak on the pedalboard in front of me to compensate.

[Misdee]

11 minutes ago, neepheid said:

It's a little tangential, but I have a Sire D5 (4 string, '54 P-a-like).  I've been delighted with it.  I weighed it recently and it's 9lbs on the nose.  The neck is lovely, I personally don't notice the rolled edges when I'm playing but they sure feel good when you run your finger down them and zero fret sprout as a consequence, but it's more the finish, very satin-y and feels lovely.  Altogether a well appointed, well screwed together bass with good hardware.  I gig it regularly with no issues.

 

I don't have any major complaints.  If I was being fussy the pickup is maybe a tad underpowered in the output department, but all that takes is a simple tweak on the pedalboard in front of me to compensate.

I'm mainly going to be noodling unplugged so in some ways it doesn't matter if it's a P or a J. I have been looking at the Sire passive P Bass and it's another contender. I love P Basses anyhow, by the way, just thought a Jazz might be more versatile. I've already got a 70s Fender Jazz but it's got flats on for reggae ect. Thought a V5 with rounds might be something different to add to my arsenal.

[BassApprentice]

To each their own, but noodling unplugged leads me to bad habits. I'd also look at getting a NUX Mighty Plug and some headphones and keep that with the bass.

[neepheid]

5 minutes ago, Misdee said:

I'm mainly going to be noodling unplugged so in some ways it doesn't matter if it's a P or a J. I have been looking at the Sire passive P Bass and it's another contender. I love P Basses anyhow, by the way, just thought a Jazz might be more versatile. I've already got a 70s Fender Jazz but it's got flats on for reggae ect. Thought a V5 with rounds might be something different to add to my arsenal.

 

I'm not a fan of Jazz basses at all, but man that V5 looks fine in champagne gold.  I wish Sire would roll that finish out to more models - ie. non Jazz-like basses.

[franzbassist]

I don't have a V series, but I do have a P series five string and it's an astonishingly good bass for the money.  It's also only about 8.5lbs in weight, so there are light ones out there!

[asingardenof]

Another V7 player here and they're great basses for the money. If you're after just a practice bass consider the V3P which is the passive version of the V3 so essentially a V5 without the fancier finishes but with the same pickups, etc.

[OliverBlackman]

8 hours ago, Misdee said:

I'm mainly going to be noodling unplugged so in some ways it doesn't matter if it's a P or a J. I have been looking at the Sire passive P Bass and it's another contender. I love P Basses anyhow, by the way, just thought a Jazz might be more versatile. I've already got a 70s Fender Jazz but it's got flats on for reggae ect. Thought a V5 with rounds might be something different to add to my arsenal.

I also often noodle unplugged and I think the weightier body really helps for a lengthy sustain. In regard to P vs J, I find a P body more comfortable and it irritates me that the J doesn’t sit on a stand properly.

[Pirellithecat]

1 hour ago, OliverBlackman said:

I also often noodle unplugged and I think the weightier body really helps for a lengthy sustain. In regard to P vs J, I find a P body more comfortable and it irritates me that the J doesn’t sit on a stand properly.

Ditto.
I recently bought a V5 - it's pretty good.  Weighs in at around 3.9 kg - so around around 8.6lbs.   I've really only played variations of P-shaped objects before and endorse the comments above.  

Pretty good sustain etc. "acoustically" but the pickups are noticeably low output compared to all of my other basses. 

In hindsight, I'd probably be happier with a P7  - just wanted to try a jazz style bass.  The P7 has a PJ configuration AND  a 38mm (Jazz) width neck and being active would overcome the quiet pickups.   Goldilocks bass?    

[Misdee]

Thanks chaps, you've all given me some food for thought. 

 

I need to make a decision, and the question I am asking myself is, if I'm going to buy a new inexpensive bass, if not a Sire then what else? I had previously thought about getting myself a Bass Centre Bruce Thomas Profile Bass or Norman Watt Roy Blockhead bass but then I remembered the Sires and thought they might serve me just as well for less outlay. 

 

If the Sire P Basses are inherently lighter then I will have to have a rethink. I automatically gravitated to a Jazz because of the Marcus Miller association. It also depends what is  currently in stock with retailers.

 

 

[atsampson]

I bought a natural V7 (this model) second-hand on here earlier this year...

 

Good points: The woodwork is really nicely done - the body is a single piece of wood and looks very smart, and there are no sharp edges or finish problems. The neck pocket is nice and tight. The fretwork is similarly excellent and supports low action if you want it. The body and neck (which I'd say is "medium" Jazz depth, a bit deeper than my Tokai Jazz) are very comfortable in use. The pickups and preamp sound decent, with plenty of scope for adjustment, and it works in passive mode with no battery. There's a nice big truss rod adjustment cutout at the body end, and the truss rod adjustment is easy in both directions. The tuners are smooth and stable. The bridge is substantial and supports through-body and conventional stringing; it has threaded saddles which work fine and allow some horizontal adjustment. It's not a light body, but it balances very well on a strap or sitting down, and I've not noticed any dead spots or odd resonances.

 

Bad points: Poor-quality screws. When I received mine, one of the bridge screws had already sheared off, another was bent and nearly snapped, and most of the scratchplate screws had mangled heads - I drilled out and plugged the sheared-off one, and replaced them all with better-quality screws. The way wires were soldered to the preamp was pretty messy (although the wiring itself is good quality), and I had a solder joint break mid-gig when the jack socket came loose and rotated - I remade all the joints to the preamp board, and replaced the very short wires to the socket with slightly longer ones.

 

Having fixed the issues above and set it up to my usual spec, it's a nice instrument and I've just done a week of gigs with it. I'd say it was good value second hand if you budget in a day's setup/maintenance work. The new price feels a bit steep to me at the moment - the same amount would probably get you something nicer on the second-hand market. (If you don't mind a wider neck, I'd also look at the Yamaha BBs which are also nicely-made, with more modern construction, and in about the same price bracket.)

[Norris]

I have a P7-5 (5-string P/J) and love it. Great bass for the money. Very nice pre-amp imho

[Pirellithecat]

Set up my Sire V5 yesterday. Neck relief, string height, intonation, Pup height etc.  Now all to Fenderesq specs.  

BIG difference.  Now plays very well indeed and sounds better.  I'll get a few more miles out of the strings and then replace them with D'adarrio NYXLs strung through the body so that it's comparable to my other basses and post an update.

Still not a fan of the black plastic knobs or the insertion loss, but I'm not sure that most people would find that a problem.   So lots to like!!

[Misdee]

A passive Sire bass appeals to more than an active version partly because for not that much more than the the difference in price I could buy a Sadowsky external preamp that I could also use on my other passive basses if I wanted to.

 

That said, to be honest with you I usually prefer my Fender-style  basses passive anyway.  So many preamps(such as the Sadowsky) add bass and treble, which inevitably gives the effect of recessing the apparent midrange frequencies. Thing is, I like a mid-focused sound on a Fender bass. (I do have a Sadowsky bass but it's a Will Lee model with the mid-boost preamp.) 

 

A passive Fender-style bass through a good amp and cab is the sound I like best, most of the time.

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, Pirellithecat said:

Set up my Sire V5 yesterday. Neck relief, string height, intonation, Pup height etc.  Now all to Fenderesq specs.  

BIG difference.  Now plays very well indeed and sounds better.  I'll get a few more miles out of the strings and then replace them with D'adarrio NYXLs strung through the body so that it's comparable to my other basses and post an update.

Still not a fan of the black plastic knobs or the insertion loss, but I'm not sure that most people would find that a problem.   So lots to like!!

 

I am going to hate myself for asking this, but what is "insertion loss"?

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, Pirellithecat said:

Set up my Sire V5 yesterday. Neck relief, string height, intonation, Pup height etc.  Now all to Fenderesq specs.  

BIG difference.  Now plays very well indeed and sounds better.  I'll get a few more miles out of the strings and then replace them with D'adarrio NYXLs strung through the body so that it's comparable to my other basses and post an update.

Still not a fan of the black plastic knobs or the insertion loss, but I'm not sure that most people would find that a problem.   So lots to like!!

 

The plastic knobs don't make sense on a cramped control plate, I swapped mine out for metal flat topped ones which were narrower/taller for the dual concentric pots. Much better for making adjustments.

[Pirellithecat]

1 hour ago, neepheid said:

 

I am going to hate myself for asking this, but what is "insertion loss"?

😂 Rabbit hole ..warning!
I'm sure that its something that most people don't notice or care about ..... but, once noticed it's a pain.
When there are two pickups in a passive bass, the wiring circuit "sees" both pickups.  The effect of this is that, particularly when both pickups are at "Full" there is a change in the tone/volume.  No problem, until you roll off one of the pickups.  At this point the volume/tone changes in a "strange" way, which means that you have to "re-mix" both pickups to get the tone you're after.  This is fine at home but gigging it's a bit of a nuisance.  Happens with traditional VVT AND/OR Volume/Balance/Tone. 
This from EMG
" Insertion loss is a naturally occurring yet frustrating phenomenon that occurs most frequently with traditional balance pots, usually when it is in the middle position. It is characterized by a drop in signal strength that occurs when two competing signals are mixed; the nearer you move the balance knob to the middle position the more directly it affects the signal of the other pickup." 

 

They sell an ABC control which rectifies the issue, and I modded one of my other basses from VVT to VBT using one.   Works really really well, but you do have to add a battery to the circuit. 

I may well add one to my V5 if it makes the grade as a gigging bass.  
 

Edited June 27 by Pirellithecat

[neepheid]

3 minutes ago, Pirellithecat said:

😂 Rabbit hole ..warning!
I'm sure that its something that most people don't notice or care about ..... but, once noticed it's a pain.
When there are two pickups in a passive bass, the wiring circuit "sees" both pickups.  The effect of this is that, particularly when both pickups are at "Full" there is a change in the tone/volume.  No problem, until you roll off one of the pickups.  At this point the volume/tone changes in a "strange"  which means that you have to "re-mix" both pickups to get the tone you're after.  This is fine at home but gigging it's a bit of a nuisance.  Happens with traditional VVT AND/OR Volume/Balance/Tone. 
This from EMG
" Insertion loss is a naturally occurring yet frustrating phenomenon that occurs most frequently with traditional balance pots, usually when it is in the middle position. It is characterized by a drop in signal strength that occurs when two competing signals are mixed; the nearer you move the balance knob to the middle position the more directly it affects the signal of the other pickup." 
They sell an ABC control which rectifies the issue, and I modded one of my other basses from VVT to VBT using one.   Works really really well, but you do have to add a battery to the circuit. 

I may well add one to my V5 if it makes the grade as a gigging bass.  
 

 

I have never noticed this because I switch 100% between pickups, I use blend knobs like switches anyway, and I never use a 2 pickup bass with both pickups on because I have found on the whole that it is the least interesting, most polite sound a bass can make.  Perhaps that is insertion loss that I experienced, and I solved the problem by saying "ugh, no thanks" and then using pickups in a binary XOR manner from that moment onwards.

[Pirellithecat]

Very Pragmatic solution!! 👍

[Guest]

I like phrase "phase cancellation" for the hole in the sound created by the mids from the two pickups cancelling each other out. Insertion loss sounds like something unfortunate to do with condoms

[OliverBlackman]

9 hours ago, Misdee said:

A passive Sire bass appeals to more than an active version partly because for not that much more than the the difference in price I could buy a Sadowsky external preamp that I could also use on my other passive basses if I wanted to.

 

That said, to be honest with you I usually prefer my Fender-style  basses passive anyway.  So many preamps(such as the Sadowsky) add bass and treble, which inevitably gives the effect of recessing the apparent midrange frequencies. Thing is, I like a mid-focused sound on a Fender bass. (I do have a Sadowsky bass but it's a Will Lee model with the mid-boost preamp.) 

 

A passive Fender-style bass through a good amp and cab is the sound I like best, most of the time.

You have similar taste to me. The V5 is as close to traditional (vintage) Jazz sound as Ive found.

 

7 hours ago, Munurmunuh said:

I like phrase "phase cancellation" for the hole in the sound created by the mids from the two pickups cancelling each other out. Insertion loss sounds like something unfortunate to do with condoms

Yep only heard of it as phase cancellation but if anyone else calls it insertion loss at least now I won’t run for the hills 😂

[Treb]

I have a V5 in vintage white. It's a really nice bass for the money. Plays pretty decent right out of the box. Hardware is OK but could be improved upon. Soundwise it has a very nice 70's J-bass tone. I installed a John East J-tone01 preamp in mine to elevate its sound even further. 

Edited July 1 by Treb