That I believe is a very good choice…
A super nice bass with a nicer body than virtually all other Sterling basses.
A great first bass, also the best choice bass to mod up the tones.
Lobster has likely the best video on upgrading for EBMM sounds.
How about a couple pictures…
I really like the look and feel of it. The guy at Guitar Center who was helping me told me this was the bass he learned on. Whether it was or not, I just love the way it feels. Neck is a little more slender than the others I tried. Nice action. Good tone. Seems a good one to grow with.
Whether I decide to modify remains to be seen. That’s for when I learn more.
100%
it’s a great bass as it is for sure, I would leave it as is always and keep it a lifetime…
It’s your #1.
Hi all me again so bass tuner what’s best app or clip on tuner
I’m a big fan of the TC Electronic Unitune
I use a Snark Super Tight clip on tuner. I think any of the name-brand clip-ons are fine.
There are free tuner phone apps… which are free. Just search and try a couple.
You will also quickly want a set of tools that will allow you to do a proper setup on your bass. I have this Ibanez multitool and recommend it highly. I especially appreciate the angled allen wrenches that make it much easier to adjust the truss rod than a typical 90* allen wrench.
You can do okay with some of the free apps, but I’m not super impressed with the performance of clip on tuners. Particularly once I got a proper stroboscopic tuner. I am a self appointed pimp for the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner, so everyone here has heard my recommendation at least several times before.
Brilliant thanks for all the info
Josh’s video is awesome. He plays and records alot on some of the lower priced basses. They all sound awesome.
Lowend Lobster (you tube) has many many great reviews/comparisons on the basses where she comments on the good the bad and ugly for all basses. She usually plays them all in all through all their amp set ups. I am not sure if she is endorsed by SIRE but she usually gives them good reviews.
I am new to bass. For the price point and quality reputation I choose a SIRE over Fender. Another factor is me choosing SIRE was that I liked the SIRE dealer better than the FENDER dealer that is close to me.
Another good review source is ANDERTON’s. They are a dealer, they play the comparisons and give opinions. Their videos are fun to watch. I sense their bias does tend to lean towards SIRE.
I also think, if you know the type of sound of music you want to play that should also consider into your consideration. My choice of the P7 I purchased as a beginner bassist and not sure what I want to play or specialize in is that the set up/amps/pick ups/configurations can offer me more versatility in getting different sounds for different genre’s. I think the SIRE M7 offers amazing sound versatility and pick up configurations and is on the top of my list as a replacement or second bass.
Good Luck. I hope you do not get paralyzed by analysis, like I tend to do. Depending on where you are in your bass career and your budget and like other people have already said get one that feels good and that you want to pick up and play and that you love the sound of. Good Luck!
My first bass was also Sire. I had never heard anything about them prior to picking it up. It was just a used bass at the local Music-Go-Round. A V3 passive jazz bass in black on black. It looked badass. When I picked it up, it just felt much nicer in my hands than the other basses in my $300-$400 price range.
If I’d gone in with another specific brand in mind, I wouldn’t have gotten it and wouldn’t have been as happy.
You still haven’t answered what your budget is.
Also if there are particular genres, styles, musicians, or sound that you particularly like.
My budget is around £300
I don’t have any preference on style just want a good sounding bass
That works out to ~$400 USD. Which is pretty much what I guessed.
For that price shopping new (you can save money looking used). My list would be:
- Sire V3p - you want a classic Jazz Bass
- Yamaha TRBX304 - you want a modern versatile bass
- Yamaha BB234 - you want a classic Versatile Bass (P/J)
- Sterling Ray4 - you want a Stingray style funk/rock bass
- Ibanez Standard SR300E - you want modern versatile with an ultra-slim neck
- Sire M2 (may be just over your budget) - modern versatile
All of these retail for the mid $300’s. Spending less will result in noticeably lower quality. Over $500, you get a lot more options that may have nice elements but will not necessarily be higher quality.
I would want to actually put my hands on all of these before buying one. If your only choice is to buy online - I would go with Sire or Yamaha and pick whichever you like the looks of best. (Unless you have very small hands - in which case I’d go Ibanez.)
The M2 is new in the last couple of years, and those specs are impressive. In particular, it has an Active/Passive switch for the controls which is seriously one of my favorite features in a bass. I’m kind of amazed by what you’re getting at that price…
That’s a few to look at , having all this advice is brilliant as I don’t really have any experience thank you so much it’s going to make my life easier.
It should really come down to the one you look at and excites you the most.
Were I in your position… I’d probably stretch my budget a bit and get that Sire M2.
Sire has the best necks for <$1000. They feel fantastic. The value of this can not be understated. This will give the most versatility and the most opportunity to play around and experiment with things to decide what features, elements, and tones you like the best.
It might put you just over budget, but not by much.
The biggest disadvantage that would give me pause is that it has more complex controls. However, it has that Active/Passive switch. So I would start by just putting it in Passive mode, and then only worry about Volume, Tone, and Pickup Blend. Then turn it active later to play around with more options.
Peterson clip on tuner is probably the best. Strobe tuners are the only thing I use now well except for this Roadie.
What kind of music do you listen to or want to play. Having the right look takes you half way there already,
To say that I’m a massive Stingray fan would be an understatement
The Sterling by MusicMan is getting so awesome nowadays. Such a great modding platform as well.
Hey @Grandad , howsabout this: Get down to the music store and try a few out. Choose 2 or 3 you like the most and post some pics of them here - we will act as jury