if you are having issues with the B string and saddles/bridge. try tapered strings (not tape wound, tapered windings on the B). I've used warwick black label strings (with tapered B) for 20 years, they are as thin as a D string at the bridge thickening to standard B gauge just after, so you get a better fundamental tone.

@vandarth

19 күн бұрын

@@NiskRanThawll that is a good idea! I hadn't thought of that

Nice bass mate. On all of my basses I have covered the control and pickup cavities with copper tape and then grounded them together. Even on some of my noisiest basses they are now silent. Hopefully that may be an easy solution to your background hum issues. Thanks for the video I enjoyed it 👌🏻

@vandarth

18 күн бұрын

@@krisjones7985 thank you! yes! The copper tape actually fixed the problem! At least enough that I'm happy with it.

This video is awesome!

@vandarth

22 күн бұрын

Thank you!

There are quite a few expensive basses that despite the price, suffer from bad grounding too. I always install copper foil into the control cavity and under the pickups in my basses to solve the problem. Sire are an incredible buy for the money. I have a Sire P7 mark 1 that I bought when they first came onto the market.

@vandarth

19 күн бұрын

@@Ravenh4wk I actually took mine to a guitar tech this past week and he didn't exactly what you mentioned; shielded the cavity. It helped a lot, he said those pickups are just really hot so other than the copper foil there wasn't a lot he could do. But I think it did the job. You're right about the value, I can't believe how good the quality is on my Sire. The only thing I would change on them if I could would be to add some weight relief

Enjoyed the story of your journey. The problem with the action on the Fender can be sorted simply with a shim in the neck pocket and drilling out the B string bridge hole. The ebony neck looks perfect, will it fit the Fender body?

@vandarth

17 күн бұрын

@@daleskidmore1685 good idea regarding the shim! I also took the bridge piece off the D string and swapped it with the one on the low B string for now, because it has the bottom part shaved off and is shorter. But the D is still high. I'm happier with that for now because the D is the string I use the least. I'll measure the neck tomorrow and check the scale. That's an interesting idea. The ebony does look incredible!

@daleskidmore1685

17 күн бұрын

@@vandarth You may be able to create a Frankenstein's Monster, and end up with 2 guitars, ha, ha.

@vandarth

17 күн бұрын

That would be awesome!

Yes. I AM in space, currently, and I did hear that hiss.

Sire basses are awesome, especially for the price! It's always a good idea to consider something else than the big name brands. I also have a non-Fender Jazz Bass: a Clover Apeiron H.5. Pretty similar to yours: active 5-string in Lake Placid Blue with rosewood board (dots, no blocks). But instead of parametric 3-band EQ, it has a 2-band EQ and a MM/J configuration, similar to Lakland. It's the Delano TheHybrid system which delivers really authentic Jass Bass sounds (with tone blend in passive mode) and very convincing StingRay sounds, both much closer to the original than Lakland. The only things I don't love about it are its 10 lbs weight and the slightly chunky neck. But it sounds awesome and never let me down after almost 15 years! If I ever lost it, I'd get the Sire Z7, or the one you just got.

@vandarth

18 күн бұрын

@@VeitLehmann I had a real hard time breaking away from brand bias for some reason. I think it's all those years I spent drooling over the Musicians Friend catalog haha. The Clover looks nice, never heard of that before! The weight is the one downside of the Sire too. But overall I love it so far!

Truss rod snapping sound like warranty issue to me. Sire is known for having wiring issues.

@vandarth

8 күн бұрын

@@2000SkyView it probably would have been covered by the warranty except I bought both my J-basses used. Bummer. Turns out Sire has fixed the wiring issues on newer basses but the older ones still may have some grounding issues. Not sure when they updated that though

I bought a peavey fury and I love it. I used to stan the fender precision bass but for 350 bucks I got the fury bass and its case and it is an American bass

@vandarth

19 күн бұрын

@@martinladd351 I've heard good things about their basses

I used to have a Sire V5, and I dare say it's one of the most comfortable basses I've ever owned. Too bad I had to sell it as: 1) I'm more of a P Bass guy 2) I bought an '81 Precision Special for an absolutely steal price and can't economically justify having more than one bass But if I had enough money, I would've kept the Sire. It's that good.

@vandarth

13 күн бұрын

@@kurdtjohn ah that does make sense. I bet that was hard to get rid of! I always have trouble parting with instruments

sire marcus miller. Mine is a 4 string with roasted maple neck and love it.

@vandarth

20 күн бұрын

@@RubyComet7 oooh I love roasted maple necks. I had my eye on the green Sire with roasted maple for awhile. Almost went for that model.

My Sire hums a bit too, but all of those tones I get out of it make me not care. At all. They're amazing basses. My fender hums, too, btw.

@vandarth

10 күн бұрын

I was actually able to get the hum down significantly by adding copper shielding to the cavity. It made a pretty big difference on mine

@OrnetteColeman10mm

10 күн бұрын

@@vandarth I'll have to look into that. It's such an amazing bass that it doesn't bother me, and I've got other single coils that are louder, but if I could get rid of even some of it, that would be a bonus

@vandarth

10 күн бұрын

@@OrnetteColeman10mm yeah, it made a difference. Course I use some crunch when I record bass so that was part of it. It's a cheap solution too

I too have a v7, but a 4 and maple finger board. The ebony looks MUCH better, especially with the pearled inlays. For the $, can’t beat sire. Although, I think the USA fender jazz ultra is better; but 1,300 better?

@vandarth

19 күн бұрын

@@barondavis5692 yeah, exactly, I pretty much own a bass for recording and a very rare gig where I play bass, so the Fender Ultra just didn't make as much sense for my situation. I do like those though. At least from the look. The Sire maple fingerboard with pearl inlays really grew on me after awhile. I considered buying one of those if I couldnt find the blue finish with ebony at the right price.

This is quite a coincidence. I just bought a Sire U5, my first Sire, about the same time.

@vandarth

12 күн бұрын

@@kijekuyo9494 that's a pretty sweet model!

If your paying more than 1k for an electric guitar/bass then your paying too much!!!

Sire m5 ash, is my favorite, i have a v7 also, sire m5 and the m7 are light.

@vandarth

11 күн бұрын

@@anthonyturner9927 I might look into the M5 or m7 if I ever start playing bass live more. In recent years I've mostly just had a bass for recording. The v7 is so amazing but I could see it being hard on my back.

I have a Marcus Miller Sire V10. I love it.

@vandarth

12 күн бұрын

Those look awesome!

Sires are nice but if you have a few extra $, try a Sandberg. They are everything a Fender dreams of being. And their short scales are near perfect, in feel and tone. My Lionel is the fattest sounding passive P-style bass I own.

@vandarth

19 күн бұрын

They look pretty sweet! I had never heard of Sandberg before

@pumpichank

19 күн бұрын

@@vandarth They really are fantastic basses. I was looking for a short scale and a friend of mine had a number of 34" Sandbergs. I totally dug every single one of them, and ended up buying one of his TM4s (active). Then I found a great deal on a Lionel (passive 30" P-bass) and bought it sight unplayed, which I usually never do. Had the shop I bought it from put TIJF324s on it and it almost immediately became my main bass. It is a total funk machine, but works great in roots, reggae, blues, garage rock, picked, slapped, fingered. I since picked up a custom PJ short scale fretless Sandberg which also is amazing. They are becoming more available in the US over the last couple of years.

@vandarth

17 күн бұрын

That's awesome. I'll have to keep an eye on Sandberg. I've found quite a few international brands that I'm keeping my eye on to see if they'll become available in the States. Over in the acoustic guitar world I really like what Sigma is doing but all of their solid body models are only available in Europe right now.

7:00

Bass players have known about sire for years. Apparently their guitars are pretty good too

@vandarth

19 күн бұрын

@@hamishsummers8585 I like their goldtop guitars. Been wanting to try one of those myself

@hashachache

16 күн бұрын

@@hamishsummers8585 I wonder if they're often misheard, & occasionally people have thought Suhr is being meant, who are also some people's fave instruments, & more well-known, just been reading about a guy who can't see past them. I don't think that about Suhr, but at that level of expense, it's you like curry, I like Italian......I DO like that Sire, before I watched your filmita (my Spanish girlfriend calls YT uploads filmitas, also filmititas) my personal fave bass is the Gibson RD bass, I did my best to hear everything, like that Nate Navarro, Leland Sklar too......they didn't change me.......I think Gibson are they only people who achieved better sustain......that's my reason.

@vandarth

14 күн бұрын

I would love a Gibson bass. I'm a huge Gibson guitar fan. I just can never seem to find a Gibson 5-string and I need that low B.

@hashachache

14 күн бұрын

@@vandarth I was contemplating requesting Gibson specially do an RD five string bass, also with a whammy bar.......they charge very large sums of money for guitars made for one person like that.

@vandarth

13 күн бұрын

@@hashachache yeah... That would be a dream though!! You don't see too many bass guitars with whammy bars. Although I think I have seen one or two before.

I have a sire p5 4 string precision I don't like the pickups

@vandarth

14 күн бұрын

@@charlieburns1385 ah, I see! Is it just the Sire pickups that you don't like or the p-bass style pickup sound in general? I used to have a Fender P-bass but found I liked the J-bass sound a lot better

I have a fender American Vintage II P bass and Sire P7 (along with a Peavy I’ve had since the late 80s). I really like the Sires and they are absolutely awesome for the money. The neck on the Sire is has the best feel. My fender P definitely sounds better than my Sire, no contest. But does it sound 3x better considering the 3x price tag? Going to say no here. Sire basses may not THE best basses, but they absolutely punch above their weight class in terms of price. You’ll never be sorry buying one.

@vandarth

18 күн бұрын

Yeah I agree, the neck feels pretty incredible. If anything, someday a pickup swap may be an option for me. That would make it perfect other than being a little heavy. But I don't think it's much heavier than a Fender, can't remember. Maybe half a pound

AGREE!

And that switch made you the best player and got you instant worldwide fame... Haha

Sire, "a brand I've never heard of"! 😂 dude!

@vandarth

18 күн бұрын

@@carlosdrfx haha. In my defense I'm primarily a guitar player. Glad I came across Sire though!

My fave bass sound has always been Hugh Hopper's, of Soft Machine......total opposite of buzzy Geddy & Squire......they achieved being historically the only band with "rock drum kit, fretted electric bass, keyboards....." to be chosen to be a night amongst a festival of classical music in 1970......I often wonder how he got his sound, absolutely no-one has ever sounded like him. Contrary to what you might expect, from that classical music festival, they were actually LOUDER than average rock set-ups, that was really the way to hear Hopper.

Why do you need new pickups? you have an EQ system on the instrument! shape the sound you want!

@vandarth

15 күн бұрын

I can get close to the sound I liked on the Fender but it's still a little different even with EQ. It's hard to match another pickup perfectly. I have to sit with the new sound for awhile though and see if I get used to it first

The thought to upgrade the pickups will give you a bit differant tone. Not particularly better tone.

@vandarth

18 күн бұрын

Yeah that's probably right once you get to this level of pickup. I've actually thought about putting Fender pickups in this bass to get the sound I liked from the J-bass in the Sire. Or trying EMG's. Not completely sure. I'm still getting used to these pickups so I will wait awhile to decide. The Sire has some tones I really like, they're just different than what I was used to

I used to have a Dekuxe Active Jazz Bass V and it was nowhere near as comfortable as the American Deluxe. Heck; the Squier Affinity Jazz V was better. It's hard to believe that the Mexican and the American models were built by the same company! The newer ones (Player Plus) are pretty nice though.

@vandarth

19 күн бұрын

@@93greenstrat interesting! Maybe that's why that model got discontinued. The neck was clunky.

After playing your Sire for 6 months, you'll get tired of it and miss your Fender. You will get tired and confused with all the knobs. Most people love the fact that they have 7 knobs to get different sounds. However, during a gig it can be a major headache. That's just my personal opinion. I prefer a less complicated bass with 2 to 3 knobs. Marcus Miller basses are cool, but Mr. Miller continues to play his same Jazz Bass hmmm.... Cool bass and I hope it works for you and your style of music.

@vandarth

18 күн бұрын

@@troytroy3066 interesting. I can see where you're coming from, I have a tricked-out SG and 90% of the time I still only use one tone setting. I would imagine I will end up doing the same with the Sire, one or two main tones but not much tinkering after that.

Wow ok. Been a studio guy for 45 years. I’d never ditch a Fender for a Sire. Noisy cheap electronics, cheap build quality and sounds nothing like a Fender Jazz and not in a good way. I know a lot of top players. Nobody I know would play a Sire or trade their actual Fender J out for one.i sure as heck wouldn’t for all the many reasons you pointed out. If it’s your first bass and you’re on a budget fine. But to swap a Fender J you already have for one? Why would you do that?

@vandarth

18 күн бұрын

I just really didn't like the neck on my J-bass. It was my 2nd Fender 5-string, I was just ready to branch out a little. I like the neck on the Sire a lot better, plus the looks (I know that's not the most important thing but I think I treat guitars somewhat like artwork). It's quite possible that I eventually put Fender or EMG pickups in the Sire, but we'll see, gotta spend more time with it first

@elijahjones2889

8 күн бұрын

To bad u didnt know about thomann

@vandarth

8 күн бұрын

@@elijahjones2889 I actually do, I bought two Harley Benton guitars from them. I haven't tried their basses yet though. Would like to try their newest one sometime.

No more Sire for me, had three and can't seem to get used to all the overtones it gives, where my Squier basses don't, honestly, even my shortscale Harley Benton sounds better and indeed the string tentioners are but ugly.

@vandarth

11 күн бұрын

Hmm I'll have to keep an ear out for that. I wonder what caused it?

Fender rules, the rest drools...

Love Sires hate their weight

@vandarth

17 күн бұрын

@@joannalewis5279 I agree with that! I wish they were weight-relieved like newer Les Paul's are

Im hoping to ditch my Fender and never own one again.

@vandarth

21 күн бұрын

@@RootsBassCanada interesting! What made you want to switch? I used to love Fender but I have had some quality issues with two of their bass guitars and my Acoustasonic electronics failed in the first year. I wondered if they're having some quality control issues.

He traded in a fender for a fender knockoff. 🤦‍♂️

@vandarth

11 күн бұрын

@@TheFriendlyPsychopath try one, if you actually hold one in your hands it's pretty hard not to be impressed

How dare you!

@vandarth

18 күн бұрын

Hahaha

I like how a jazz bass looks, but I don't think Fender are good at building instruments. Congrats on the Sire.

@vandarth

20 күн бұрын

Thank you! Yeah, I have always loved the look of the jazz bass too. I was happy that the Sire was close enough in looks to a Fender since I've always liked their designs. I'd be curious to see what years were best for Fender and try something made during that time period

Your cry baby voice is tops!

@vandarth

19 күн бұрын

Hahaha! It was a fun experiment

Are you high in this video? The reason I ask is because you look high.

@vandarth

11 күн бұрын

No lol...