Sire J style basses

BeardyAndy

What are these like? They seem to cover a similar price point to Squire/Fender so would I be better off just sticking to the market leader?

Kebabkid

Fabulous value for money and punch well above their price point.

I have one of the first batch of V7 4 strings and a recent V3. The active preamp is wonderful and really versatile but you have passive mode as well, if you so which.

If you do find one you like (Andertons stock them) and are trying in person, try a couple of the same as weights can vary and whilst build quality is generally good, I have seen a couple that were just ok-ish, but in the main, very good.

Used prices can be good, too and there are great colour and wood options, 5 strings and a fretless within the range.

Love my two and didn't find anything to touch them at the time at that price point or even a couple of hundred pounds more

BeardyAndy

Kebabkid said:

Fabulous value for money and punch well above their price point.

I have one of the first batch of V7 4 strings and a recent V3. The active preamp is wonderful and really versatile but you have passive mode as well, if you so which.

If you do find one you like (Andertons stock them) and are trying in person, try a couple of the same as weights can vary and whilst build quality is generally good, I have seen a couple that were just ok-ish, but in the main, very good.

Used prices can be good, too and there are great colour and wood options, 5 strings and a fretless within the range.

Love my two and didn't find anything to touch them at the time at that price point or even a couple of hundred pounds more

Thanks. Have found a natural V7 gen1 on eBay i was considering putting an offer on, only reviews I've really found are on Anderton's and I worry how many of them are saying "best bass I've ever owned" when in reality its the "only" bass they've ever owned!

Kebabkid

I'm a guitarist first and foremost and other than a Korean Spector and Squier bass that I had, these are the only other basses I've owned as I didn't want to spend too much on them. However, I tried a fair few and I have a bassist friend who has an extensive range of basses from Sires to Wals and Spectors and various ones inbetween. The first gen Sire V7 we both had felt like I was playing something in the £500-600 region and he's happy to gig with his one, too.

You're in Southampton, yeah? Andertons and Guildford aren't that far from you and so, it might be worth paying them a visit and trying the various models as they have an extensive range and good stocks - the Marcus Miller case is very good, too. You might even find one you like in the cheaper range, but the V7 is very nice.

Funkfingers

BeardyAndy said:

only reviews I've really found are on Anderton's and I worry how many of them are saying "best bass I've ever owned" when in reality its the "only" bass they've ever owned!

Anderson's is in the business of selling musical instruments. It would be entirely understandable if they give priority to favourable customer reviews over any negative feedback received.

I am not writing this to knock Internet music shops. My point is that the only reviewer whose opinion matters is you, the purchaser. Whenever practicable, get your mitts on the bass guitar under consideration.

Kebabkid said:

try a couple of the same [model] as weights can vary and whilst build quality is generally good, I have seen a couple that were just ok-ish, but in the main, very good.

Exactly what he said.

BeardyAndy said:

Sire J style basses. 

Do you require something that follows the J Bass dimensions and electronics recipe or would something more versatile be acceptable?

Even within the Sire range, there is a case to be made for the M model. Its "soapbar" pickups conform to the industry standard dimensions of EMG, Bartolini, Seymour Duncan Basslines aftermarket pickups. Easy upgrading!

BeardyAndy said:

... similar price point to Squier/Fender so would I be better off just sticking to the market leader?

There was a classified listing here recently for a Squier VM Jazz Bass with '77 cosmetics. [EDIT: I see that you have already found that one.]

If that has gone, I could be a total spiv and offer you one of my bass guitars.

BeardyAndy

@Kebabkid Yeah, looks like a trip to Guildford could be on the cards. I'm same as you, guitarist but recently started playing with a group intending to be on lead but we were short a bassist so I said i'd do play bass until someone better comes along and to be honest i'm kind of liking it. It's like learning another language only to discover you already know half the words plus all those years playing acoustic without a pick are coming in handy!

Kebabkid

Indeed @BeardyAndy and I was in the same position and now find that my main gig for 5 years has been on bass. I wanted something decent but really didn't want to bung a bunch of cash at it and take funds away from Guitar purchases. As such, the Sires and Roland Bass Cube 120XL have served me well and I got my V3 new in a sale at Andertons for under £200 (same preamp as the V7).

My only other comments are Sire's first gen stuff seemed to be better with regards to set-ups and finishing, but I requested to try 3 black V3s and found one I liked, which was significantly lighter than the others and more resonant and as mentioned, that's what I'd request.

The only Sire I didn't like was the hybrid PJ they have in their range. To me, the P (Precision side) wasn't strong or characterful and I thought you could get better tones in that ballpark with their J bass and the preamp.

Lee Voss at Andertons knows his stuff on these and also plays Sires and he's a good and helpful lad.

Enjoy your trip and let us know how you get on

BeardyAndy

Funkfingers said:

BeardyAndy said:

only reviews I've really found are on Anderton's and I worry how many of them are saying "best bass I've ever owned" when in reality its the "only" bass they've ever owned!

Anderson's is in the business of selling musical instruments. It would be entirely understandable if they give priority to favourable customer reviews over any negative feedback received.

I am not writing this to knock Internet music shops. My point is that the only reviewer whose opinion matters is you, the purchaser. Whenever practicable, get your mitts on the bass guitar under consideration.

Kebabkid said:

try a couple of the same [model] as weights can vary and whilst build quality is generally good, I have seen a couple that were just ok-ish, but in the main, very good.

Exactly what he said.

BeardyAndy said:

Sire J style basses. 

Do you require something that follows the J Bass dimensions and electronics recipe or would something more versatile be acceptable?

Even within the Sire range, there is a case to be made for the M model. Its "soapbar" pickups conform to the industry standard dimensions of EMG, Bartolini, Seymour Duncan Basslines aftermarket pickups. Easy upgrading!

BeardyAndy said:

... similar price point to Squier/Fender so would I be better off just sticking to the market leader?

There was a classified listing here recently for a Squier VM Jazz Bass with '77 cosmetics. [EDIT: I see that you have already found that one.]

If that has gone, I could be a total spiv and offer you one of my bass guitars.

I'm not tied to J Bass I just found that it seemed to tick a lot of boxes for me. As i said in my post above i'm coming at this from guitar so can only really relate to similar 6 string styles and as I play mostly Tele's with a bit of Strat I homed straight in on P and Jazz bass. Also most bands I follow seem to use one or the other, the more modern style basses tend to leave me cold in much the same way anything with a Floyd Rose or EMG's will.

randerson

Yes these are awesome basses for the money. Mate of mine is a high level session bass player, gets asked to bring his Sire to sessions over his vintage stuff..