NBD - Marcus Miller V7 Alder-4 TS

[Storky]

I ordered the bass through Thomann and it arrived a week later in perfect order, well boxed, in tune and playable straight away. The chrome pick up cover and two allen keys were also included. The bass weighs 4.25kg (9.3lb) and it balances well enough and looks terrific. The fit and finish are faultless and the body has the appearance of one piece of wood (although that seems unlikely).

I used it in rehearsal that evening and in a gig the following night. The sound is excellent; it has that typical Jazz tone with that hint of grit when the two pick ups are blended. I had no trouble cutting through the mix and it was comfortable to play over a 2.5 hour set.

These are exceptional basses and I do agree with others who have said they are a "game changer" however for me the inevitable negative concerns the knobs. There are 5 of them and two are stacked. There is also a mini switch for active/passive. These controls are close together, cluttered and fiddly. And they are rather raised which is a little ungainly and could be prone to damage. This array does however offer fantastic control and the pre-amp provides a very wide range of sounds to the extent that if max'd it would be too much. I recently purchased a Fender American De-luxe Dimension and the scope of sounds offered by that £1,400 bass are embarrassed by those available on this £280 Sire! The tuners are fine, no problems, although they are not they best and I like the bridge, which is good and solid with the option of through body stringing.

This would be a good bass at any price, but at less than £300, I think it is fantastic value.

Edited November 9, 2015 by Storky

[dave_bass5]

Yep, fantastric basses. Ive got the 5 string V7 and really cant see anything else that could replace it without me spending a lot more money, and why would i need to do that when i have such a good bass already.
Agree about the knobs but so far ive not had any issues with mine.

Cant wait for them to release a P bass.

[AlexDelores]

Its inevitable i think that at some point i will end up owning one of these, they look brilliant basses

[tonyf]

My [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]5 string ash-bodied sunburst V7 landed yesterday after ordering it from Thomann middle of last week. Was waiting for me when I got home[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]First impressions: it's an absolutely stunning looking guitar. A few minutes for some minor tweaks as I like my action a tiny bit lower than the setup out the box but nothing major on the setup front. The fact that I could get it REALLY low without any issues was great.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Sonically, the onboard EQ offers a lot of options. Love the sweep-able midrange. The treble opens up the top end without being harsh. Sounds really cultured.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Only time will tell with the knobs. Yes, they're a bit high but I've got concentrics on another couple of basses and the height is a necessary evil with the functionality you get. Maybe need to get a few gigs in to see if they're a problem for me.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]All in all, it's a lot of bass for the money. If I didn't know any better, I'd have said it was 3 or 4 times the price based on the feel, the tone and the construction.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Can't wait to put a couple of gigs on it.[/font][/color]

Edited November 10, 2015 by tonyf

[jazzyvee]

This is one of the basses Marcus was playing on his UK tour. It sounded good.