Sire Z7...here goes

[Slug Ice]

39 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

19mm (Z7)

Cheers x

[thisisswanbon]

So I found a couple more issues with mine, and I've had my hands on three of these now...

 

Firstly, loose knobs! Mid control was mega loose, which is not good when Andertons assured me this had been QCd.

 

Second, there's a very small ding around the Second fret. Not an issue per se, but all 3 have had imperfections on the neck

 

Third and worst... the input jack isn't very secure, causing my cable to fall out mid gig tonight. As I've now returned two of these, I'll likely look for a fix rather than replacement

 

Honourable mention: There's also a major volume mismatch between the neck and bride pup volume wise, and there's ALOTof bass in the active bass control. For me, the preamp is a weak point.

 

Other than that though (😂) great bass, sits well on the strap, plays great after a set up and for the most part sounds awesome (if a bit hot)

[neepheid]

Have I been lucky, or have you been incredibly unlucky? Of course with this statistically tiny sample set we can't really say either way.

[mcnach]

Having spent a bit of time now with the Z7-5...

 

it's true! the little allen key for the saddle height adjustment is too small!

But I've got lots of teh right ones. 

Action was a bit high out of teh box, but I brought it down quite a bit and no fretbuzz... this neck is very well made.

 

The tuners are so smooth, a very pleasant surprise after the nighmare with the Ray35.

 

Does it sound like a Stingray? On videos it can sound a lot like one, and I can too, but the preamp is quite different from the MusicMan one so it took me a bit of time, iterative trial and error... To me it sounds a lot like a Stingray with the pickup wired in series, but @neepheid mentioned that his Z7-4 was wired in parallel. I suppose that the voicing of the preamp could account for that.

 

The neck is a thing of beauty, and those rolled edges feel great. The bass is 9.0 lbs, which for a 5-string is not bad at all, I'm happy with that

 

Build, fit, finish... to me is definitely better than a Ray35 that cost a bit over twice what the Sire sells for. And I really like teh Ray35 despite weighing as much as a small galaxy (and sparkles as much  ).

 

Now, the knobs... both my passive tone and mid-sweep rings were a bit loose, but easy to tighten up. They're not the nices knobs but I don't hate them either.

 

The passive tone control doesn't remove nearly enough treble so I'm likely to get a capacitor change, but I think it's by design as it seems to reduce treble and emphasise some high mids somewhat.

 

Mids... I'm used to John East's mid-sweep modules. This one has the same function but the sweep is different, so my "hardwire" knob positions don't quite work, so I'll have to play more with it and find the sweet spots/

 

Bass... it's way too powerful! Turning up a bit was really noticeable. I'm thinking that this with an adjustable HPF could probably work together really well tightening the fat low end. A bit like that 'Pultec trick' in another thread.

 

The Jazz neck pickup is a lot quieter than the MM but I'm sure I could get a much better balance by altering the pickup heights. However, I'm finding some tones that I am enjoying and I might just leave it. With a P/J or an J/MM I always view the humbucker as the main pickup, and the other being there to add to the sound but not really meant to be played on its own (by me, for my liking, other tastes exist  ) so in that respect it works very well as it is. Turn down treble (both active and passive, these strings are bright), turn down a *bit* some higher mids, leave the bass alone, and using both pickups, with the balance just slightly towards the J... is a beautiful reggae tone, deep but retaining definition.

 

 

 

 

[mcnach]

Does anybody know what strings these basses come with?

[neepheid]

7 minutes ago, mcnach said:

Does anybody know what strings these basses come with?

 

The colour of the ball ends heavily suggests D'addario, most likely XL nickels.

[Stub Mandrel]

18 hours ago, thisisswanbon said:

Third and worst... the input jack isn't very secure, causing my cable to fall out mid gig tonight. As I've now returned two of these, I'll likely look for a fix rather than replacement

 

 

I've found the jack on the P10 is no so much loose as lacking a good solid detent, so it can just slide out if the cable gets tugged.

[spyder]

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

 

I've found the jack on the P10 is no so much loose as lacking a good solid detent, so it can just slide out if the cable gets tugged.

I had the same problem when I had a P10dx. I replaced the socket with a strong after market one. 

[thisisswanbon]

So further to my niggles - I've found ANOTHER issue and think mine is going back...

 

On the neck pick up, the A and D are seriously underpowered. I thought this was the case at my gig last night, but thought I'd to check it in a more controlled environment before passing judgement... this ISNT the case on the bridge pickup, so I know it's not an uneven string set, and it's even more pronounced in passive mode.

 

Anyone else had this? I'm really pleased for all of you that aren't having issues by the way! These are great feeling, looking and sounding basses... I just feel like I've received the entirety of the first shipments issues 😂. 

Edited September 15 by thisisswanbon

[mcnach]

20 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

The colour of the ball ends heavily suggests D'addario, most likely XL nickels.

 

 

That's exactly my impression, before I even looked at the colour of the string ends but I think there are other companies using similar coloured ends?

 

I'm not a fan at all of those strings, especially when new, and I'm liking the bass despite whatever it's got on. Usually I'd go for DR Fatbeams or Sunbeams. The Sunbeams get to the sweet spot that I like sooner, but the Fat Beams 'settled' tone is mighty especially on Stingray style basses.

 

 

[neepheid]

1 minute ago, mcnach said:

 

 

That's exactly my impression, before I even looked at the colour of the string ends but I think there are other companies using similar coloured ends?

 

I'm not a fan at all of those strings, especially when new, and I'm liking the bass despite whatever it's got on. Usually I'd go for DR Fatbeams or Sunbeams. The Sunbeams get to the sweet spot that I like sooner, but the Fat Beams 'settled' tone is mighty especially on Stingray style basses.

 

 

 

Similar, but probably not these exact colours.  D'addario XL nickels are my string of choice, and they feel familiar to me.  Also, as a stereotypical tight fisted Scot, having my default choice of strings as the stock strings on a bass makes me happy.

[Chienmortbb]

On 15/09/2024 at 02:30, mcnach said:

With a P/J or an J/MM I always view the humbucker as the main pickup, and the other being there to add to the sound but not really meant to be played on its own

Me too, the J bridge on my P/Js are rarely above a whisper and on the Sire M2 the bridge pup is barely used although both pups on that are under review. I never use the Js  solo'd.

[neepheid]

13 hours ago, thisisswanbon said:

So further to my niggles - I've found ANOTHER issue and think mine is going back...

 

On the neck pick up, the A and D are seriously underpowered. I thought this was the case at my gig last night, but thought I'd to check it in a more controlled environment before passing judgement... this ISNT the case on the bridge pickup, so I know it's not an uneven string set, and it's even more pronounced in passive mode.

 

Anyone else had this? I'm really pleased for all of you that aren't having issues by the way! These are great feeling, looking and sounding basses... I just feel like I've received the entirety of the first shipments issues 😂. 

 

I can't say I have noticed this on mine, sorry

 

 

I also notice very little difference between volume levels in active or passive mode.  Maybe I got lucky and the trim pot on my preamp arrived set to an appropriate level.

Caveat - this is all based upon headphone listening - haven't had a chance to hook it up to my amp yet and have a proper "war volume" go with it.  Pesky drummers (who also have the keys/lease to the rehearsal space) buggering off for two weeks, I dunno, shouldn't be allowed

 

 

[BaggyMan]

Did a full gig this weekend with the Z7 and overall very happy with it. 

The neck dive issue wasnt really there so not going to bother with Ultralites or whatever anytime soon.  General weight of the bass is good so happy there,  Sounds wise i like the neck pickup as a blend option to round off the 'stingray'  (there i said it) tone and drop in some bottom end. The neck pickup is quieter than the Mman bucker and i 'may' think about swapping that out in the future for a more powerful/stacked and noiseless alternative.  The steel fret aren't any great difference to the standard old school one's but i supect they will last longer.  Rolled edge on the board is just plain lovely.

Comparing it with previous V7's and V3 i found it say better in the mix for the sort of music i play, so i doubt this will be on ebay (or here..) in the near future.   She's a keeper.

Edited September 16 by BaggyMan

[franzbassist]

On 13/09/2024 at 16:14, OliverBlackman said:

I was wondering how these looked without a scratch plate as a I don’t like the one they use, and saw this on FB! Oooff! Finally the lower horn looks In proportion.
 

That looks fab.  On a Sire-related note, I love the P8 I bought last Christmas.

 

 

[thisisswanbon]

2 hours ago, BaggyMan said:

Did a full gig this weekend with the Z7 and overall very happy with it. 

The neck dive issue wasnt really there so not going to bother with Ultralites or whatever anytime soon.  General weight of the bass is good so happy there,  Sounds wise i like the neck pickup as a blend option to round off the 'stingray'  (there i said it) tone and drop in some bottom end. The neck pickup is quieter than the Mman bucker and i 'may' think about swapping that out in the future for a more powerful/stacked and noiseless alternative.  The steel fret aren't any great difference to the tsnadrad old school one's but i supect they will last longer.  Rolled edge on the board is just plain lovely.

Comparing it with previous V7's and V3 i found it say better in the mix for the sort of music i play, so i doubt this will be on ebay (or here..) in the near future.   She's a keeper.

Awesome! Glad it's worked out for you! It's incredible how good sire necks are... other companies should take note!

[thisisswanbon]

I've revisited the thomann one before sending it back... and I'm even more confused!

 

The Thomann bass has a MUCH darker neck, weighs a full 1lb more, is nowhere near as hot output wise, has a MUCH more secure output jack but has the quietness in the A and D strings on the neck pick up! 

 

I tried swapping batteries between the basses but this didn't change the output either way.

 

Andertons bass (lighter headstock and neck) is on its way back... undecided about the Thomann one at present - interested to see how it stacka up against everyone else's weight and tone wise.

 

Anyone else's neck this dark, bass this heavy (9.9lb), and is your preamp mega LOUD?

 

 

I may abandon ship at this point and look at the SBEBMM Ray34 range 

 

 

Edited September 16 by thisisswanbon

[neepheid]

2 minutes ago, thisisswanbon said:

Anyone else's neck this dark, bass this heavy (9.9lb), and is your preamp mega LOUD?

 

Can't comment on the roast (got the burgundy, so have maple/ebony and matching headstock).  My one is 9.5lbs (which incidentally I don't consider particularly heavy - everyone's different).  If your preamp is too loud, there's a trim pot on the preamp which you can use to tame it down.  It's the wee blue thing on the circuit board, turn it with a small screwdriver.  No idea which way you turn it but I guess anti clockwise would make the preamp quieter.  Mine was set fine as supplied.

 

[Chienmortbb]

4 minutes ago, thisisswanbon said:

I've revisited the thomann one before sending it back... and I'm even more confused!

 

The Thomann bass has a MUCH darker neck, weighs a full 1lb more, is nowhere near as hot output wise, has a MUCH more secure output jack but has the quietness in the A and D strings on the neck pick up! 

 

I tried swapping batteries between the basses but this didn't change the output either way.

 

Andertons bass (lighter headstock and neck) is on its way back... undecided about the Thomann one at present - interested to see how it stacka up against everyone else's weight and tone wise.

 

Anyone else's neck this dark, bass this heavy (9.9lb), and is your preamp mega LOUD?

 

 

I may abandon ship at this point and look at the SBEBMM Ray34 range 

 

 

The Thomann one looks a bit weird with the contrast between the body and the neck. I wonder whether this is first shipment-itus. Where the production lines are set up but not run in a production setting.  Now the problems with the production line are coming through. At Panasonic, the first run was always used to supply  sales companies and distributors with demo stock providing there were no real problems. If that went OK, full production started in month 2.

[Chienmortbb]

3 minutes ago, neepheid said:

If your preamp is too loud, there's a trim pot on the preamp which you can use to tame it down.

With my M2, the passive/active volume was so close that if you set the preamp flat in active mode, you cannot hear any difference. Maybe it is a new preamp, inexperienced operators or just loose QA from a growing company?

[neepheid]

3 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

With my M2, the passive/active volume was so close that if you set the preamp flat in active mode, you cannot hear any difference. Maybe it is a new preamp, inexperienced operators or just loose QA from a growing company?

 

I'm just suggesting what could be an easy fix (and nothing to get in a knot about) before returning a bass needlessly if that does fix it.  We're all human, I don't think leaving the trim pot in the wrong setting when it can be easily fixed with a small screwdriver is that big a deal.

[Chienmortbb]

Just now, neepheid said:

 

I'm just suggesting what could be an easy fix (and nothing to get in a knot about) before returning a bass needlessly if that does fix it.  We're all human, I don't think leaving the trim pot in the wrong setting when it can be easily fixed with a small screwdriver is that big a deal.

I agree totally. I was just commenting that this is not usual from Sire.

[thisisswanbon]

I didn't realise these had an internal trim pot - I'd wager that's the issue, which I'm fine with - the loose output jack letting the cable come out mid set - a bit of a bigger issue.  Same with quiet middle string, neck pick up issue.  Not human error and a bit more of a deal breaker.

 

I agree @Chienmortbb, the dark neck is less pleasing aesthetically.  The fit and finish seems much better on this bass though - not sure where the extra lb of weight comes from mind!

Edited September 16 by thisisswanbon

[neepheid]

I think you're cursed, mate

 

[Kev]

1 hour ago, thisisswanbon said:

I've revisited the thomann one before sending it back... and I'm even more confused!

 

The Thomann bass has a MUCH darker neck, weighs a full 1lb more, is nowhere near as hot output wise, has a MUCH more secure output jack but has the quietness in the A and D strings on the neck pick up! 

 

I tried swapping batteries between the basses but this didn't change the output either way.

 

Andertons bass (lighter headstock and neck) is on its way back... undecided about the Thomann one at present - interested to see how it stacka up against everyone else's weight and tone wise.

 

Anyone else's neck this dark, bass this heavy (9.9lb), and is your preamp mega LOUD?

 

 

I may abandon ship at this point and look at the SBEBMM Ray34 range 

 

 

 

Wild contrast on the neck for sure.  I've noticed that cheaper basses seem to have the overly dark neck when advertised as "Roasted Maple", I figure its just to emphasise that feature over a the cheaper model (I'm going to assume that the Z3 is not roasted?).  It does look a bit silly.

 

I'm surprised to hear these issues, I always had Sire down as being an excellent value for money builder, perhaps they're getting a little too successful to still excel at their price point?