I was 5 seconds away from recording the first encounter video. It would have been quite a video because when I plugged it in and no sound, everything went through my mind and battery was not one of them, not till 5 minutes later and by that time I was not happy. Lol. 
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Pretty certain it was a customer return, someone else had rejected it. Tell tale sign was very small bits of plastic wrapper around the base posts of the control knobs. I did try a basic set up as can set up my other guitars and basses, so fairly experienced with this, but this was going to need a visit to a luthier, so I sent it back. Shame because overall reviews are good. I have bought a fair bit from Andertons over the years including 3 Gibsons, first time I ever had to send something back to them. Credit to them, process was seamless and fast.
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Good to hear. I came across a few trouble ones, one of the most memorable was a “brand new” bass that had the saddle in a “W” shape from Guitar Center, I just had to laugh.
I wasn’t impressed they also gave me a dead battery (at minimum they didn’t plug it in.)
Also the robo-mailer “sent me pictures of my new guitar” that were the stock photos they used in listing.
Additionally they no longer seem to endorse a free set-up. They used to ask how you wanted the action and strings etc.
But, he did knock $50 off the listing price I guess.
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Marcus Miller and Hadrien Feraud. Sire meets Mayones!
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Is it a job I could do myself or do I need to have it set up by a pro? And also, can you suggest any compatible set for the Sire V series?
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I researched metal knob replacements for my V8 before it arrived. But after having played it and experimented with all the Heritage-3 preamp’s ton of setting combos, I’m not going to switch out the knobs. The knurled shapes on them work great and give the bass a retro vibe.
Previously, I’d looked all over and found solid brass knob replacements (in choice of colors) that generally ran around $60, including shipping,
The V8’s lower concentric knob uses a set screw that must be loosened to get it off the stem. The single and top knobs are friction fit. Replacement knobs all use a set screw to tighten them to the pots’ stem(s).
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I got a bass from Sweetwater where the electronics didn’t work at all. Clearly they never plugged in the bass. They were gracious and handled the return easily, and they are one of the more reputable places, but their 43 point check is suspect in my experience
Mistakes happen, even with checklists. It’s the ultimate problem with human intervention. The flesh is weak. Long live the machine. Hail the Omnissiah.
Looks like a cool dozen items went missing in Sweetwater’s 55-point checklist. 
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Sigh.
That’s fine, you can get brass sheaths that fit over the split pots to allow proper knobs to screw down.
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This might be what you’re looking for @MikeC
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Yeah I basically hate split shaft pots
The friction fit stems on my V8 are 6mm in diameter and replacement knob holes are, too. I believe the set screws are just there to make sure the knobs don’t spin at all. But I’d guess there wouldn’t be much of a gap in the stem if the tolerances of it and the knob are close.
Still, I’m happy with the stock V8 knobs. They’re not uber-premium or flashy, but they work well and I think their vintage knurled vibe looks cool.
Yeah, you need to be careful between metric (6mm) and inch (6.35mm) standards. Actually for the sleeves you want metric pots and inch knobs as the sleeves add the .35mm.
But hey if you like the knobs, sure, no reason to change them.
Looks matter! I agree with you @MikeC. Certain basses need certain look and feel if not I’d be putting on the magnet rail EMG on most of them because EMG can clearly perform and very easy to live with.
Another good example is the vintage tuners on my Marcus Miller MIJ, they are reverse tuner. My bass is in immaculate condition but the original tuner is just not fun to turn as it’s so hard and difficult to turn, so I swapped it to the Hipshot’s vintage instead of the modern one.
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I would love a Sire Z7 Sunburst, but with the darker, fully baked neck on it that only seems available with the ‘natural’ finish. If they’d allow it, I’d take a ‘natural’ finish with a light coat or transparent sunburst on it, if possible, allowing me to see some of that wood and still have dark edges.
I’d pay the more expensive price for it.
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Sire is intentionally emulating the StingRay vibe, including the trademark natural color of the Maple neck.
I hear what you’re saying about preferring a Roasted Maple neck color on a Z7. Maybe Sire will offer that in the future, assuming the Z7 gets a substantial market share. But since this is the introductory generation of the Z models, I can see why they’re shipping with typical-colored “Ray” necks.
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