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Sire Bass Guitars vs Mexican Fenders vs Squier


Chaz6661
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Hi! So I recently stumbled across a Sire V7, version 2 Marcus miller on Facebook, £375. I believe it's the swamp ash version, all natural with maple fretboard and white pearl block inlays. 

I've never heard of these before but after a quick Google all the reviews seems pretty solid! I've been in the market for a new bass for a while now and I'm extremely torn. I've been after a Jaguar, purchased a couple (had to send the first back and the same with the one I bought second, paint issues, loose hardware, sharp frets, dents etc). Both Mexican tidepool and I love the look but the quality was really lacking. I've also been looking at a fender modern player "Tele" bass on Facebook which looks awesome but is Chinese. I've also been considering squiers, I tried out the new VM Jag and wasn't impressed but the 51 pbass was lovely with a unique pine body in trans white but the neck was too thick for me. So as you can see I'm struggling anyway but I just wondered how do sire bass guitars compare to the likes of a high end squier or a Mexican fender? 

My absolute max budget it about 600/650 but the cheaper the better. My current go to is my mexican jazz, white with maple neck, I've had that for about 6 years now and I even sold my Rickenbacker because imo it didn't compare to the jazz whatsoever. I'm looking for something that has the jazz's playability and great feel buy aesthetically is something different with a slightly different sound but not too different. That's the only reason I haven't just snapped a sire up straight away. Unfortunately I don't like "normal" pbass's all that much, so they're mostly out of the question but the 50's versions I dig.

Sorry to ramble on but this has been going on for months in my head now! Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

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Edited by Chaz6661
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1 hour ago, BassBunny said:

There are a number of threads on here about Sires and they are probably the best bang for your buck available.

Yep, I’ve not tried one myself but I’ve not read a bad word about them, over a good many threads.

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Sires are awesome. Can't speak highly enough of how much you get for your money with the V7 range. I don't know much about the V3 but it won't be rubbish. It's the active preamp that really sets them apart. Mexican fenders and even the Chinese squires (really, Chinese made instruments can be excellent and these are) are all very good too. There's a lot of choice out there for you, and as already mentioned the Sire P7s. What pickup config do you want or what sound(s) are you after? 

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2 hours ago, ClassicVibes said:

Nice! I take it the controls are VVT? That spec has it as having a 3 band EQ.

The Sire V7 has an off switch for the active preamp. You have passive pickups and a Volume, Tone, Blend arrangement if you switch the preamp off. With it switched on it adds active Bass, Mid with a sweepable frequency and a Treble  control. And the tone still works as well. 

It will do exactly a really good passive jazz sound if that's whats required. The jazz sized neck is really amazing - rolled edges and satin finish are awesome and it is so easy to play. Tuners are fine - they had a bad rep on the version 1 but were fixed on the version 2. I'm not so keen on the bridge but it's more visually than functionally - i filed off a corner of a saddle because it was a bit sharp but otherwise it works fine. And i swapped the plastic knobs for metal ones for £15 - that makes it a bit nicer.

I've had a lot of expensive name basses (Spectors, Zon, Sandbergs, Musicman, G+L USA) and this honestly is worth 3 times the £400 asking price. In fact i'm looking to buy a spare whilst they do interesting colours that i like.

Re the Mexican Fender comparison - they vary a bit i think. I had a Mexican Blacktop Jazz and the quality was a bit shaky but i currently have a 50's Classic Lacquer P bass and it is really good. You would probably need to play the individual bass to see whether it's a good one or not.

And for the price of that used one i would get a new one for a touch more. Have a look at Andertons who are having a sale on them.....

Here's mine 🙂

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Edited by Mudpup
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Thanks guys! As always you never fail to help out!! Pickup configuration wise, I'm open to something new! My only and main concern after playability is that when I swap from my MIM jazz to the second (for a different tuning) I don't want it to make a massive difference to the mix/sound. Some difference is fine as that's what the sound tech is there for and I can always roll it back a bit if need be but that's the main issue I had with the rickie, little to no punch weirdly and when I switched to the jazz I went from being almost too quiet to just blasting the rest of the band away! 

Ideally I want to get away from the jazz shape as I already have 3 so don't need another 😬😂 but the fender is my only stage worthy jazz bass. 

Desperate to find a decent enough bass that's a little different from the norm, I love the squier 51 p bass but I am a bit of a brand snob 🙄 going from the jazz to the P, I worry they will sound a world apart! 

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29 minutes ago, Chaz6661 said:

I don't want it to make a massive difference to the mix/sound. Some difference is fine as that's what the sound tech is there for

Remember that you can (or rather should) adjust pickup height so that you get an even tone on all strings and across basses. 🙂 

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What is good on the Sire basses is that there is hardly any difference when switching from active to passive mode. I'm not a jazz-guy and prefer anything but a jazz (I have P/J, and humbucker basses that can be set in single coil mode, among them a Sire M7).

The active/passive thing on the Sires is really not an issue for those who prefer passive as you can choose between active and passive mode. In 95 % of the time I play my Sire basses in passive mode.

Really looking forward to getting my hands on the Sire U5 I have pre-ordered (short scale passive P/J).

 

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On 09/07/2020 at 09:38, ClassicVibes said:

I would be all over a Sire if they did a passive version...

I gutted mine. All it took was £60 for a new scratch plate (to fit a VVT wiring loom) and a solderless VVT wiring loom from Kiogon. It was so easy and dropped straight in, so now my Sire P7 5 string is now completely passive :)   

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