Sire Z3.....what's your take on it?

[fretmeister]

What's the bridge string spacing on the 5 string?

 

I'm already annoyed that the nut is 45mm instead of 44.5 as it should be!  

[Terry M.]

39 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

What's the bridge string spacing on the 5 string?

 

I'm already annoyed that the nut is 45mm instead of 44.5 as it should be!  

Oh you won't like this then: 18mm to the 17.5mm of the SR5 🤣

[mcnach]

10 hours ago, Terry M. said:

Oh you won't like this then: 18mm to the 17.5mm of the SR5 🤣

 

The Z7 is definitely 17.5mm.

Are you sure the Z3 is the same? The polepiece spacing looks more like those found on 16-16.5mm basses 🤔

Do I have to buy one to find out? 😄

[Terry M.]

5 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

The Z7 is definitely 17.5mm.

Are you sure the Z3 is the same? The polepiece spacing looks more like those found on 16-16.5mm basses 🤔

Do I have to buy one to find out? 😄

Ah fair enough. I thought I read that all Sire 5 string bridge spacing was 18mm. I didn't measure it so I can't say I'm sure 👍

[mcnach]

20 hours ago, Terry M. said:

Ah fair enough. I thought I read that all Sire 5 string bridge spacing was 18mm. I didn't measure it so I can't say I'm sure 👍

 

It seems to be some kind of secret! I haven't seen the spacing at the bridge specs anywhere :shrug:

 

I only know the Z7-5 because I have one. 

 

It's true, Sire seems to go for 18mm generally, but I think here they've chosen the same spacing as a Stingray 5 since that's the general vibe of the bass... that's just my guess.

Edited January 9 by mcnach

[Baker69]

Yes the Stingray SR5 has a string spacing is 17.5mm so it would make sense for the Z7’s to follow suit, however the Indonesian-made Sterling SUB Ray 5’s have a slightly narrower string spacing of 16.5mm which some people struggle with, I have small hands and I’m fine with it though. 
 

My Sire P7-5 string spacing is 18mm (I think?) and I imagined the Z3-5’s & Z7-5’s to also be 18mm but it’s a newly designed bridge so they can make them to what they want. I did read however on another forum that some guys are complaining about the outer strings being too close to the edge of the fretboard and can be easily pushed off, so a slightly narrower string spacing would seem logical to me? 

 

Edited January 17 by Baker69
Added comment

[Terry M.]

1 hour ago, Baker69 said:

Yes the Stingray SR5 has a string spacing is 17.5mm so it would make sense for the Z7’s to follow suit, however the Indonesian-made Sterling SUB Ray 5’s have a slightly narrower string spacing of 16.5mm which some people struggle with, I have small hands and I’m fine with it though. 
 

My Sire P7-5 string spacing is 18mm (I think?) and I imagined the Z3-5’s & Z7-5’s to also be 18mm but it’s a newly designed bridge so they can make them to what they want. I did read however on another forum that some guys are complaining about the outer strings being too close to the edge of the fretboard and can be easily pushed off, so a slightly narrower string spacing would seem logical to me? 

 

If the g string is falling off the edge of the fretboard in particular then it's truly an SR5 clone. Granted that not all SR5s did that. Some of mine did while others did not 😄

[King Tut]

I’ve got a Z3 incoming from Thomann. It’s a B Stock Rose Gold one. Please no one on here say it was their’s that was sent back cos it weighed ten pounds!! I did ask Thomann for the weight but they couldn’t oblige. I’ll let you know what I think, assuming it doesn’t go straight back due to being too heavy!

[Terry M.]

45 minutes ago, King Tut said:

I’ve got a Z3 incoming from Thomann. It’s a B Stock Rose Gold one. Please no one on here say it was their’s that was sent back cos it weighed ten pounds!! I did ask Thomann for the weight but they couldn’t oblige. I’ll let you know what I think, assuming it doesn’t go straight back due to being too heavy!

Count yourself lucky if it's "only" 10lbs. The one I mentioned that I tried in Andertons felt like it was at least 11 🤞

[Chienmortbb]

On 20/12/2024 at 17:34, Raslee said:

Wish Sire would do a lightweight range. Most Sires I’ve owned have been wonderful but all have also been weighty boat anchors. 

 M2 is light. I suspect that the M7 is not much heavier. 

[Chienmortbb]

On 07/01/2025 at 15:01, Terry M. said:

Oh you won't like this then: 18mm to the 17.5mm of the SR5 🤣

 I hope you are joking, 0.5mm is funk all.

[Terry M.]

1 hour ago, Chienmortbb said:

 I hope you are joking, 0.5mm is funk all.

The emoji at the end of my sentence is a clue? Anyway it's funk all to you but to some individuals it will matter.

[BassApprentice]

A very quick comparison between a Z3, a modern Ray and vintage Ray.

 

 

[mcnach]

On 08/11/2025 at 09:33, Terry M. said:

Count yourself lucky if it's "only" 10lbs. The one I mentioned that I tried in Andertons felt like it was at least 11 🤞

 

My Z7-5 was just over 9 lbs and Z3-5 under 9 lbs (I don't recall the exact weight right now)... so fingers crossed

 

Edit: No, the Z7-5 was 8.0 lbs actually, I can't trust my memory 😄 BUt both are light.

Edited November 9 by mcnach

[Jamieboy]

My z3 is just under 9lbs. Clearly there'll be variation of weights but they are certainly not all heavy. Hope you're not unlucky.

[jezzaboy]

On 08/11/2025 at 08:45, King Tut said:

I’ve got a Z3 incoming from Thomann. It’s a B Stock Rose Gold one. Please no one on here say it was their’s that was sent back cos it weighed ten pounds!! I did ask Thomann for the weight but they couldn’t oblige. I’ll let you know what I think, assuming it doesn’t go straight back due to being too heavy!

I never sent my Z7 back but it was the one with the ash body. Great sounding and looking but weighed 11.2 lbs so I sold it on to a guy who didn`t care about the weight.

 

But I read @neepheid post if I remember right who has an alder body one that weighed around 9 ish so when Andertons were blowing the Z7 alder bodied ones for £365 I nabbed one and it is a good bit lighter. And they are excellent basses, I actually prefer them to the 3 band Stingray`s I have owned in the past.

[King Tut]

2 hours ago, jezzaboy said:

I never sent my Z7 back but it was the one with the ash body. Great sounding and looking but weighed 11.2 lbs so I sold it on to a guy who didn`t care about the weight.

 

But I read @neepheid post if I remember right who has an alder body one that weighed around 9 ish so when Andertons were blowing the Z7 alder bodied ones for £365 I nabbed one and it is a good bit lighter. And they are excellent basses, I actually prefer them to the 3 band Stingray`s I have owned in the past.

I understand the Z3's are made of Mahogany. I've had some light Mahogany basses in the past so fingers crossed!

[Misdee]

I've got a Z3 4 string and I would say that for £400 it's pretty stunning value for money. Plays like a proper bass, sounds like a genuine old Stingray. The only things to note are that the neck is more like a P Bass than a conventional Stingray profile, and that ultimately the price probably puts limitations of the long-term durability of some electronic componants and controls. For £400-ish though it's a great proposition. Were it not for the complicated situation with my haemorrhoids keeping me at home nowadays I would definitely gig my Z3 down the Dog And Duck in preference to my more valuable basses. Sounds just as good as an expensive bass and eliminates any worries about getting damaged or stolen. Mine weighs 9 pound 3oz, so decent  managable weight for a Stingray-style bass, too. A very useful  and enjoyable instrument.

Edited Monday at 18:34 by Misdee

[King Tut]

Mine arrived on Friday. To say I'm delighted is an understatement. At 9.2lb it's no lightweight but definitely manageable for me - so happy there. This was a B Stock Bass so I immediately scrutinised it. All I could find was the tiniest imperfection in the paint on the front, invisible from a metre away. So for £289, an absolute bargain. The Rosegold finish is lovely, almost, but not quite, pearlescent. The neck is a bit deeper front to back than I'm used to and the finish is a gorgeous satin that feels really nice. It's got a slight tint that looks really classy. All the fit and finish is flawless. The action was a bit high with the slightest of back bow in the neck, but 20 mins with a tuner and a couple of Allen Keys soon sorted that. Got a nice low action on it now and it plays like a dream.

 

I went for a Z3 as opposed to a Z7 for the simplicity of the preamp. I've got a bass with the Z7 pre - and it sounds great and is very versatile, there's just a bit too much there for me to manipulate quickly while playing live. What I've found though, is that each band of EQ on the Z3 is so powerful, I'm using it in conjunction with the volume control which again gives me a lot of choice and makes it quite the distraction!

 

Having said all that, it sounds bloody brilliant. Just like a Stingray. I love the sound, but I'm not sure it's a sound I could use my current band. Although it sounds ace, the EQ can't really change the fundamental tone of this bass. It sounds like a 'Ray. Tweak the controls and it sounds like . . . . a 'Ray with the tone controls tweaked. And that ain't a bad sound to have!

 

I'd been wanting to scratch a Stingray itch for a while now and had considered investing in the real deal, but I'm glad I didn't - I can't honestly think I'd easily find one as good as this - and for under £300!

 

It would've been nice if they'd kept the 3/1 headstock that appeared on the prototypes, but this headstock looks good now they've reshaped it a bit and the gold Moniker looks tasty!