Any love fore Sire Marcus Miller bass?

Balrog68

I've got my eye on a Marcus Miller Bass and I'm interested in what those in the know think of them. Most reviews I've heard/read have been favourable but I'd like to hear the opinion of those who actually play them. 

LooseMoose

Nope. Every one I have tried has been a total
boat anchor - the spec is reasonable on some but ruled out on weight for me…

Schnozz

They are heavy so great for the bedroom, but I wouldn't gig them.

FelineGuitars

We've seen a fewof hem . Good bang for the buck and as long as you can get one that isn't too heavy, it's a good bass

Kebabkid

I have 2, a V3 and V7.

One is very light and one is a regular weight.
Excellent basses with spec and prices that punch well above their weight.

Whilst a couple of years ago, new, I paid £189 and £275, respectively for them.

I know quite a few players who use Spector, Status, Wal and other top makes and they all have one of these in their arsenal and use them a lot, especially for functions.

randerson

Bass player friend of mine plays and records with household name  popstars, swears by them. He says he turns up to studios with vintage Precisions,  Fender Jazz basses etc and most of the time the engineer opts for the Sire.   

SonoftheWear

I gave up playing some years ago - having had some great basses (Stingray, Sterling, Fender Jazzes and a Precision - all of which were great) and then recently during the lockdown decided to take it back up again.  I didn't want to spend too much so I managed to get hold of a secondhand tobacco sunburst Sire V7 for not very much money - just to 'test the water'.  It is a bit on the heavy side but that is the only complaint I have about it.  Really well made, fantastic range of sounds - it just seems like a real quality bass and far better than you would expect, even at the price of a new one.  It is a fantastic example of how much better lower cost instruments are nowadays.

fretmeister

Apparently the 2nd generation of them are much lighter.
I've never heard a bad tone from any of them, even if the 5 knob EQ system is a bit OTT.

JayGee

I’m very much a guitarist who occasionally plays bass and recently bought a V7 to replace a rather nasty Precision-a-like. I can’t claim to have much of a frame of reference bass-wise, but it feels like a class act (if asked to judge blind I’d have said it was much more expensive than the actual price tag), it’s very enjoyable to play, and has a huge range of usable sounds with the active side actually proving much easier and more intuitive to work with than I first thought it might. I’ve actually taken it to a few jam nights lately and it’s received very favourable comment from several actual bass players used to much more expensive kit when they’ve borrowed it for a set…

ChrisCox1994

I gig mine a lot, a white/tort p bass that I paid £250 for - a P7 version 2. 

Excellent bass, build quality is better than most mexican fenders I've played and stands up to american standards in terms of quality and sound.

I don't use the active circuit that much, but its nice to have.

Overall very impressed.

Balrog68

Thanks for the comment chaps. I`ve managed to have a play on a couple of different models and have now got one on its way. 

gary_mac

I had one in for repair a few weeks back, it had a problem with the electronics. Have to say that would put me off buying one. The circuitry was not impressive and they were not willing to provide parts or replacements.

Funkfingers

gary_mac said:

they were not willing to provide parts or replacements.

It is normal to only make bespoke replacement parts available through the dealer network.

Some Ernie Ball Musicman guitars have "special" DiMarzio pickups. Obtaining replacements involves jumping through several hoops - returning a faulty EBMM guitar to the place where it was purchased, providing proof of purchase, waiting ages for the parts to reach the dealership.

ChrisCox1994

gary_mac said:

I had one in for repair a few weeks back, it had a problem with the electronics. Have to say that would put me off buying one. The circuitry was not impressive and they were not willing to provide parts or replacements.

while that is a shame re the lack of availability on the parts, even if you rip out the active stuff it would still be a great value and well built passive PJ bass IMHO

gary_mac

ChrisCox1994 said:

gary_mac said:

I had one in for repair a few weeks back, it had a problem with the electronics. Have to say that would put me off buying one. The circuitry was not impressive and they were not willing to provide parts or replacements.

while that is a shame re the lack of availability on the parts, even if you rip out the active stuff it would still be a great value and well built passive PJ bass IMHO

That is true enough, I was generally impressed with the build quality and spec.

jeromegreenday

The rolled fretboard edges on they basses are phenomenal.  

Balrog68

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I ordered one from Thomman and I've had it for nearly 3 weeks now. Set up was excellent straight out of the box, it needed a slight intonation tweak after about a week but other than that it plays faultlessly, It is much lighter than I expected and the finish is superb.... Easily as good as the classic vibe squiers and even on par with the Fender players. The 'Revolution' pick ups are very responsive in passive and active mode and the active mode tone options are impressive... Especially through a decent backline.
We record every band rehearsal and the MM bass really cuts through the mix in comparison to my EB3, which is no slouch in the tone department! 

TeleMaster

I’ve seen these pick up steam and me matey John seems to think highly of them and has one or two of the electrics now too. Good to see a good, affordable British brand getting noticed. 

Balrog68

I thought they were an American company based in California City. 

Kebabkid

Balrog68 said:

I thought they were an American company based in California City. 

My understanding, too

TeleMaster

Ahh for some reason I thought that they were British! Silly me.