Gear Reviews
Review – Sire Guitars Releases New Bass Guitar Model – The Sire M7
Over the past year or so, Sire Guitars has taken the bass world by storm with their hot selling Marcus Miller by Sire V7 bass guitar. The Sire V7, a jazz bass type of instrument, hit the market with an astonishingly high level of quality. That was coupled with a shockingly low price, putting the Sire V7 within the grasp of virtually every bass player all over the world. Bass players all over the world are proclaiming the Sire V7 as a great sounding jazz bass with great playability and very high quality construction at a very affordable price.
Having thrown down as formidable a gauntlet as the Sire V7, Sire Guitars knew that they would have to maintain their high level of quality as well as their low pricing on future models. That is exactly what they did when they released their fretless Sire V7 and their Vintage Sire V7, which is modeled after the 1975 jazz bass (these basses will be reviewed in the near future).
Sire Guitars recently introduced a new model of bass guitar. This model is the Marcus Miller by Sire M7 bass guitar. Like the Sire V7, legendary bassist Marcus Miller was involved in the design of the Sire M7. The result is spectacular! The Sire M7 has gorgeous aesthetics, with a well-balanced symmetry with respect to the headstock and body size. The design of the Sire M7 is modern and, again much like the Sire V7, it compares very favorably with basses costing three times as much as it costs. Unlike the Sire V7, the Sire M7 offers two humbucker pickups.
Okay, Tell Me About It
Although things like neck profile are subjective and hard to describe, the Sire M7 has a fantastic C-neck profile. It is a very easy and comfortable neck to play straight out of the box. The finish of the neck is satin, making for a fast neck. The fingerboard on the review bass is made of Rosewood and the neck is made of Hard Maple. Although the Sire M7 used for this review was a five string, weight of the bass, and overall length of the bass from tip of the headstock to end of the body all felt relatively small.
The scale length of the 4 string Sire M7 is 34 inches. The 5 string has a scale length of 35 inches. Sire Guitars increased the scale length on the 5 string to allow the B string to be tight and focused. For bass players who prefer to play 34 inch scale basses, most will not notice the extra inch in scale length on the 5 string Sire M7.
Unlike the Sire V7, which has a 21 fret neck, the Sire M7 has a 24 fret neck. The body cut-away allow for a very comfortable reach all the way to the 24th fret. The neck is bolted to the body with four bolts for the four string bass, and five bolts for the five string bass. The nut is made of bone.
The attractive high mass bridge allows for 18mm string spacing at the bridge. The Sire M7 also allows a player to either string the bass through the body or through the bridge. The tuning machines feel smooth and tight. At this time, only black hardware is available for all color variations of the Sire M7.
The Sire M7 shares the same phenomenal preamp with the Sire V7. Its controls are stacked volume/tone, pickup blend, treble, stacked mid/mid sweep, and bass. There is also a two-way toggle switch to put the bass in either active or passive mode. Each pickup up has a corresponding three way toggle switch that allows each pickup to be switched between parallel, series or single coil modes.
Currently, the available options for the Sire M7 are either four or five strings. The body wood options are either Alder or Ash. The finishes are Transparent Black, Natural (Ash models only), Brown, Sunburst and Transparent Blue.
But How Does It Sound?
The Sire M7 that was reviewed has an Ash body with a solid flamed Maple top and, as mentioned earlier, Hard Maple neck with a Rosewood fingerboard. Along with the electronics, the bass has a big, rich full sound. The low end and midrange are very well represented. The high end is musical and full, not thin and glassy.
When thumped or slapped, the Sire M7 has a great percussive sound with a hard-hitting bottom end. The pops are also percussive and have a distinctive sound typical of humbucker pickups. In other words, the pops have a somewhat subdued high end, however, the overall sound is completely appropriate.
Bass players of all genres will find the Sire M7 a very useful tool in their arsenal. When plucked, the Sire M7 has a full, warm and fat natural tone. The M7 sounds great in both passive and active mode. When adding the effects of the preamp, the Sire M7 becomes an instrument with a very wide palette of tone.
For the bass players who already have a Sire V7 jazz bass, or some other make and model of a bass, the Sire M7 is a great addition. It provides a very different sound from a jazz type basses.
Okay, How Much Does It Cost?
- The Alder body 4 string Sire M7 is $599.00
- The Ash body 4 string Sire M7 is $699.00
- The Alder body 5 string Sire M7 is $699.00
- The Ash body 5 string Sire M7 is $799.00
Although it is very reasonably priced, this bass is not a bass that needs upgrades. Although it is priced to be affordable, this bass will be appreciated by both beginners and professional bassists alike.
Conclusion
Sire Guitars has another hit on their hands with the Sire M7. The quality, playability and sound of the Sire M7 are astonishing at this price point. This bass will make a very capable workhorse for a working professional, or a very affordable quality instrument for a new bassist. It also makes a great addition for a bass player with several basses.
Specifications
Body
Body Material: Alder/Ash with Solid Top Flame Maple Wood
Body Shape: New Modern Bass
Body Color: TBK(Transparent Black) and NT(natural) for Ash Models, BR (Brown) and TBL (Transparent Blue) for the Alder Models all under Satin Finish
Neck
Neck Material: Hard Maple
Neck Shape: C-Shape
Scale: 34’/35? ( For 5 string 35? for clear low B )
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 12”
Frets: Medium , 24 Frets
String Nut : Bone Nut
Inlay: White Pearl Dot
Neck Joint: 4/5 Bolt Individual Dot (5 hole for 5 string)
Graphite Reinforcement: Only on 5 string M7
Electronics
Pickups: Marcus Miller pure humbucker (MMPH set )
Electronics: Marcus Miller Heritage- 3 with Middle Frequency Control
Controls: Volume / Tone (Dual Pot) | Pickup Blender | Treble | Middle / Middle Frequency (Dual Pot) | Bass, Mini Toggle (Active / Passive ), Three way switch per pickup (Series Mode, Parallel Mode and Single Coil Mode)
Knobs: Modern Black
Hardware
Bridge: Marcus Miller Custom Big Mass2 Bridge (String-Thru Body option Bridge)
Tuning Gear: Sire Diecast Gear
Hardware Finish: Black
Pickguard: None
String Spacing At The Bridge: 20mm for the 4 string M7 & 18mm for the 5 string M7
Approximate Weight
M7 4 string alder: 3.7 kg ~ 4.1 kg ( 8.0 lbs ~ 9.25 lbs)
M7 4 string ash: 3.8 kg ~ 4.2 kg ( 8.4 lbs ~ 9.5 lbs )
M7 5 string alder:4 kg~4.4 kg (8.8 lbs ~ 9.7 lbs)
M7 5 string ash: 4 kg ~ 4.5 kg (8.8 lbs ~ 9.9 lbs)
Gig Bag
The 4 string and 5 string Sire M7 basses come with a gig bag included in the price.
Visit online at www.sire-guitars.com