I wish there were more “broken” basses on the market. I love fixing them!
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I actuy think this is a legit critique. Yamaha makes nice pickups, but I’m thinking about swapping my BB434’s to get a hum cancelling bridge pup.
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That’s a great option - but if that’s gonna be something to ding a bass for in a review, you’re gonna be dinging 99% of stock P/J’s out there. That’s why IMO it’s bogus.
I mean even Fender has PJs with a noiseless pickup now though.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PBassAPPPOP--fender-player-plus-active-precision-bass-olympic-pearl-with-pau-ferro-fingerboard?
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Sure, but there are still very few sold stock that way compared with the total number of P/Js out there.
It’s a great bonus and positive thing for a bass to have them stock, but it’s also not something I would slam a bass for not having stock. YMMV I guess 
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Why not switch both PUs? Get an EMG GZR if you want passive … or the EMG active P/J. You should have space enough for a 9V battery.
It’s very easy to install (no soldering), sounds great … and you can revert it back to the original state very easily too.
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@MikeC, thanks. I THINK a set of HIPSHOT tuners will cost me about $200 + install. It would be close the the price of a Z7…what are your thoughts?
Note: I really like the look and simplicity of only 1 pick up on the Z3. I really like the white color choice but wish a black neck was an option 
.
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If I swap I’d probably swap both, but for DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan or maaaaybe Aguilar. I can solder, that doesn’t bother me.
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I have both the DiMarzio DP126 and the EMG GZR. They are both great.
But I replaced them for active EMGs … cause it’s even greaterererer
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I love how this post is about de-gassing and we turned it to a GAS thread. Bass heads… All of you 
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I’ve felt a real calming of my GAS since I got my Yammie (I say this while I’m shopping for temple boards now 
). I’ve got basses to cover the full spectrum of sounds that I want to make with them now. The 734 has been my holy grail since before I bought my first one a year ago (and thankfully, it hasn’t disappointed at all). With it, I’ve got everything but the bass VI and I’m in no hurry for that. I’m still working on learning to play bass, I don’t plan on worrying about playing guitar chords on a bass until I’ve hit a level of proficiency that still seems like its a good ways off. Maybe in a year - year and a half.
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@Linda, the Sire Z7 model is fantastic. I’d go for it over the Z3 for several reasons.
Its Heritage-3 preamp is great, and having the addition of a single coil pup at the neck offers a ton of tonal versatility, even allowing you to get a really decent P bass sound when soloed with a few quick knob tweaks.
You also get a premium bridge and tuners on a Z7.
Also, an Antique White Z7 with an Ebony fretboard will be available. Check out this screaming deal from Thomann:
This Ebony fretboard model is apparently brand new on a 4-string model, so it is on order at the moment. That is probably why the sale price is so low. Still, if it were me, I’d place an order now to scoop it up at this price, and wait for delivery. I have zero doubt it will cost quite a bit more once Sire starts delivering them later on.
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Thanks @MikeC AHHH EBONY FRETBOARD !!!. It will look awesome. Love the look of white on black.,
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I have the 5-string version of this white/ebony Z7. Great bass, and in general I recommend Sire very highly in regards to value-for-money. I did have an issue with the stacked pots, as apparently did several other folks. Shafts were somewhat bent which made it impossible to turn one of the knobs without also turning the other one stacked on the same pot. Wasn’t that difficult to address, but shouldn’t have had to.
Knobs are more user friendly on the Z3, IMHO.
That may be, but they do a massive amount less than the knobs on a Heritage-3 preamp.
I can’t speak to any knob issues on a Z7, but I own an M5 and V8, each with a Heritage-3, and the knobbage on each work perfectly.
Sire is focused on QC in their builds. Historically, they have been very receptive to any build issues (1st-Gen basses were heavy, for example) and the founder responds quickly to fix them, both at the factory-level and with warranty replacements.
I have a pretty strong dislike of stacked pots. Even if they work perfectly, having more discrete pots is way more user friendly IMO.
This isn’t a Sire issue, it’s just kind of a pet peeve with instruments that use stacked pots when they don’t have to.
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Are they not all the Heritage-3 preamp? Was not aware that they had a second preamp in use.
I have three Sires myself and knobs have been fine (and indeed I’m generally a fan and not bashing here at all), but there was an issue with the Z7. The knobs are physically different than, say, the knobs with the same function (and preamp) on my V3.
It seems that the first run of Z3s came with a Maple fretboard. Sire initially might have offered the premium Ebony board only on the fiver.
Sire’s dedicated factory has traditionally had a tough time meeting market demand for new models. From what I’ve read, public response for the Z series has been overwhelming, but Sire has ramped up production to meet demand.
Yep, active Sires all have a Heritage-3 preamp. I was just saying I’ve got the same preamp on my basses as you have on your Z7.
Bent stems on some of the pots sounds like maybe a parts issue. Still, any issues should have been addressed during manufacturing. If some heads didn’t roll for this, maybe they at least bounced a little. 